7 Best Rooftop Restaurants in NYC

Across the five boroughs of New York City – the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island – rooftop spaces have been transformed into sky-high restaurants with delicious food served with breathtaking views. So, if you are looking to enjoy creative cuisine up in the clouds whilst surrounded by skyscrapers and the shimmering skyline, here are some of the best rooftop restaurants in NYC.

7 Best Rooftop Restaurants in NYC, How do these rankings work?

1. Luce NYC, Staten Island

Luce NYC is an elegant Italian restaurant three storeys above the South Shore Commons shopping complex in Charleston, Staten Island. It has a gorgeous indoor dining space and heated outdoor terrace with views that take in Outerbridge Crossing and Atlantic Highlands. The rooftop restaurant serves up modern Italian cuisine, for instance, salumi including imported 14-month aged prosciutto di parma. On the menu, you’ll also find fresh seafood, pasta, risotto, polenta and meat dishes. As you would expect, the wine list features an extensive selection of Italian bottles.

2. Luna Asian Bistro and Japanese Rooftop Restaurant, Queens

Located six floors up on Steinway Street in Astoria, Queens, this Japanese fusion restaurant serves up sushi, Asian fusion fare and drinks in its modern dining room or out on the rooftop patio. The city views are lovely and the place has a nice relaxing, casual vibe. The menu at Luna Asian Bistro and Lounge features lots of choices of meats, seafood and vegetables. When you order, you can watch the chef create your dish right before your eyes.

3. Zona de Cuba, the Bronx

4. Ainslie, Brooklyn

Ainslie on Ainslie Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is located in an old warehouse that dates back all the way to the 1870s. This multi-level Italian restaurant has an expansive sidewalk patio and a 1,000-square-foot rooftop. The Michelin Guide recommended restaurant has a fabulous wood-burning oven that churns out delectable pizzas and baked dishes. Though this rooftop doesn’t have sweeping skyline views of other rooftop spaces, it more than makes up for it with its fantastic food, drinks, atmosphere and beautiful interior design.

5. Harriet’s Rooftop Bar & Lounge, Brooklyn

Harriet’s Rooftop Bar and Lounge is perched on top of the tenth floor of the uber-cool 1 Hotel Brooklyn. The seasonal open-air restaurant has panoramic views of the Manhattan skyline and Brooklyn Bridge. The menu features dishes made with fresh and seasonal ingredients from local Brooklyn purveyors as well as farmers from New Jersey, New York and Ohio. Meat and fish are ethically sourced too. Try the Brooklyn Bison Burger or the Lobster Bao and make sure you ask for the Mochidoki. This Japanese-inspired delicacy is made with locally crafted ice cream wrapped in sweet rice dough. It is delicious.

6. SERRA by Birreria, Manhattan

Perched on the 14th floor above the Italian supermarket Eataly in the Flatiron District, SERRA by Birreria is a picturesque rooftop restaurant where you can enjoy flavoursome Italian cuisine, house-brewed ales and wonderful wines. It feels like you are eating in a blooming greenhouse in the middle of Manhattan. It is stunning! Both the interior design and the menus are seasonal and take inspiration from the Italian countryside, so they change regularly. There will therefore always be something new to eat, drink and admire on each visit. The cocktail menu is also seasonal and bartenders make drinks with plants and flowers and infuse them with botanicals. This is the perfect place to escape to the country without leaving New York City.

7. Cantina Rooftop, Manhattan

You’ll find the Cantina Rooftop restaurant on top of the Stage 48-building in Hell’s Kitchen in Midtown West Manhattan. This all-weather, year-round rooftop is fun and funky and features a menu of authentic Mexican food and speciality drinks with modern twists. The restaurant is open for weekend brunch, which is very popular, as well as dinner. The large, spacious terrace is colourful and full of greenery giving it totally tropical vibes and there is a climate-controlled retractable glass roof. Therefore, this is the perfect rooftop to visit in NYC come rain or come shine.