New York Rooftop Bars
I had many rooftop bars on my list in New York City. I made it to four of them. One of the four I wouldn’t even bother with. The other three are all worth visiting for various reasons depending on what you’re looking for.
The first rooftop bar I visited was Castell Rooftop Lounge atop the AC Hotel in Times Square.
This bar is on the 21st floor.
A had a couple of Metropolitan Lagers here.
I love the bar, the drinks, and the atmosphere here.
The only downside to this one is the view. I rank this rooftop bar first in every category except the view. It ranks third out of four in that area.
It’s too bad the outdoor area isn’t on this side of the building. This would be a much better view.
The next rooftop bar I’m visiting is Dear Irving, on Hudson which is on the 40th floor of the Aliz hotel.
This one is difficult to get into. There is a hostess in the elevator lobby asking if people have reservations. Someone has to take you up there. You can’t just walk in and hit the button. I asked for a bar spot and was granted one.
There aren’t really bar seats up here. I tried to place an order but just got a look from the bartender like I’m not supposed to be there.
I rank this rooftop bar first in view and last in every other category. It’s too bad. This is an amazing view.
The next one I’m going to is called 230 Fifth. That’s 230 5th Avenue. It is right by the Empire State Building so I’m hoping for a nice view of it.
This one definitely has the best view of the Empire State Building.
This one ranks as the best view of the Empire State building but the second best overall view. It’s first for selfie locations.
The one category this bar ranked low on was beer selection. I couldn’t get a single local beer here. Other than that it’s second in atmosphere and overall view. It might be the best mix of all categories for me.
The bar I didn’t really like at all was Cloud Social.
It was easy to get to. It wasn’t very crowded. But it had the worst view of all of the rooftop bars I went to.
I did find a local IPA I liked here. Tiny Juicy IPA from Five Boroughs Brewing in Brooklyn. Unfortunately I had a full beer sitting here like this when I stepped to the bathroom. Two minutes later I came back and it was gone. I had to go through a big ordeal to get my beer replaced. There isn’t much to like about this bar.
That covers the four rooftop bars I visited in New York. To recap Castill was the best for everything other than view. Dear Irving was the best for view but the worst for everything else. 230 Fifth had the best mix of everything with the exception of local beers. Cloud Social is the one I wouldn’t even bother with.
Hopefully I’ll be able to visit some more rooftop bars on my next trip to New York because there are many more I want to visit.
