29 Rooftop Bars With Epic Views and Cocktails We Can't Get Enough of All Year Round

Summer is prime time for rooftop bars and imbibing from lofty perches with a cold drink in hand—but the sky-high fun doesn’t have to end once the weather turns brisk. Toasting under the stars with sweeping vistas that can’t be beat should be a year-round pastime and to prove it, we’ve rounded up a list of always-open rooftop bars and restaurants that are literally tops for delicious cocktails, cuisine and crushing sunset views.

Best Rooftop Bars Places like New York City, LA, Miami and Chicago are a given for towering bars come spring and summertime. Once 5 o’clock hits—or even before—everyone finds themselves flocking to rooftop hotel bars and penthouses for al fresco happy hour with friends. And nowadays, most rooftop sanctuaries are keeping their high-rise hot spots heated or enclosed, even throughout the winter.

Transparent tarps and retractable ceilings suddenly allow a chilly enclave to become warm again and thus, year-round rooftop living continues. While the Southern states can get away with rooftop drinks during all four seasons, New Englanders and Midwesterners want in on the action, too. And sometimes all you need is a heat lamp or an inflatable igloo to make drinking outside in the dead of February possible.

With that notion in mind, here are 28 of the best rooftop bars to frequent for elevated escapes with unbeatable panoramas. From a former bottling plant turned trendy rooftop in Kansas City, to a coastal-chic outlook in the heart of Newport, Rhode Island, cocktail hour is always better up above.

Gansevoort Rooftop in New York, NY Gansevoort Rooftop has been a longtime pit stop for a drink when bopping around the Meatpacking District. And with a recent hotel-wide renovation (with a complete roof redo), this summer is already looking promising. Behold 360-degree views of the Manhattan skyline and the Hudson River, while enjoying refreshing cocktails and Mediterranean-inspired small plates.