The 7 Best Rooftop Restaurants in Brooklyn

It’s hard to beat whiling away a night at one of Brooklyn‘s best rooftop bars, so it’s worth making a meal of it. Manhatten might have the city’s most famous landmarks and skyscrapers, but dining at a rooftop restaurant in Brooklyn means you actually get to see them. Plus, Manhatten’s creative cousin is bursting with dazzling rooftop spaces, from international rooftop food markets to alfresco Italian terraces to swanky hotel bars. You won’t be stuck for choice but to help make your night a little easier we’ve rounded up seven of the best rooftop restaurant in Brooklyn.

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

1. Brooklyn Crab

For a slice of New England in the heart of the Big Apple, you can’t get much closer than Brooklyn Crab. Think shrimp cocktails, New England clam chowders and the best crab steam pots in town, washed down with a round of frozen margaritas. You have a few patios to choose from but for the best al fresco dining hotfoot to the rooftop, where post-card perfect views over the Hudson River Bay away.

It’s busy here at the weekend but you shouldn’t have to wait too long for a table at the weekend. Plus there’s minigolf and a sandbox to keep you occupied while you wait.

2. Fornino at Pier 6

This breezy rooftop bar offers stellar views of the Manhatten skyline, replete with an unobstructed view of Lady Liberty herself. There are three outposts of this popular Italian joint, but Pier 6 is probably the best. Fornino started life in Williamsburg in 2004 with one small wood-fired pizzeria and its since become one of NYC’s favourite pizza joints. Hell, it’s even won awards for Best Pizza in NY.

Menu crowdpleasers include the ‘Calabrese’, made with tomato, gooey mozzarella and some seriously spicy soppressata salami, and the Ortolana, topped with sweet peppers, aubergine and zhuchini. Vegans and gluten-free pizza purveyors needn’t stay away either – the restaurant offers an excellent range of vegan cheeses and gluten-free bases. Pair it with a few glasses of homemade sangria or a frosty beer.

3. Time Out Market 

Located in DUMBO Empire Stores building on the edge of Brooklyn Bridge Park, NYC’s Time Out Market boasts brilliant views of the East River, city skyline and Manhatten Bridge. It offers the ‘best in New York’ experience, featuring at least two dozen vendors dishing up everything from bagels and pizza pies to stacks of pancakes and artisanal ice cream.

It’s one of the few rooftop bars and restaurants in the city that doesn’t require a reservation too, so it’s perfect for larger groups and last-minute date nights.

4. Harriet’s Rooftop Bar & Lounge

Harriet’s Rooftop Bar and Lounge is just the sort of swish rooftop bar you would expect to find perched on the tenth floor of the swanky 1 Hotel Brooklyn. It’s open from lunchtime until 22:00 daily, so we recommend getting there early and lingering ’til late. There’s an extensive cocktail, wine and beer list but the food is good too. Try the Brooklyn Bison Burger or the Lobster Bao and don’t think of leaving until you’ve tasted the Mochidoki, locally crafted ice cream wrapped in sweet rice dough. If you’re staying at the hotel, you can enjoy access to the rooftop pool deck and plunge pool too.

5. Ainslie

This local’s favourite boasts one of the best al fresco brunches in the city – eggs cooked every way you can imagine, huge wood-fired pizzas and steaming bowls of pasta best enjoyed with a bottomless bloody Mary or a vodka tea. The location is unbeatable too, nestled in a two-storey converted warehouse near Lorimer L. There’s covered and heated seating with cosy ski lodge-inspired decor complete with twinkling fairy lights. If that isn’t enough to lure you here, then we’re sure the daily happy hour and resident DJ sets will do the job.

6. BIA

Combining some of the best Vietnamese cooking in the city with a lovely, laidback rooftop, this neighbourhood bar and restaurant is loved by locals and tourists alike. The menu features all the stalwarts like green papaya salad, pho, grilled pork banh mi and delicious dumplings, as well as Vietnamese-inspired cocktails like Vietnamese iced coffee with whiskey. Drinks are affordably priced too.

7. Lemon’s

Perched on the top of Wythe Hotel, Lemon’s offers sophistication in spades. It’s all about the natural wines and small places here, with signature cocktails like the ‘Tiny Dancer’ made with gin, Cocchi rosa, strawberry, lime and cucumber; and ‘The Dalloway’ made with wild turkey rye, aperol, ginger and lemon. The menu takes inspiration from 1960’s Italy, with dinky aperitivo-style plates of cold meats, fine cheeses, focaccia and seafood.

The terrace offers sparkling views of the city skyline but make sure you get here before sunset since spots are first-come, first served. There’s also a weekday breakfast and weekend brunch service.