Words by Jake Emen with Kathryn Romeyn. Each hotel restaurant is being equally honored in no particular order.
Are the best bars in the world the ones that serve the best drinks? Sometimes, though, that’s not really the point. What really attracts guests back to the same bar again and again, regardless of whether they’re locals or tourists, is the careful orchestration between a striking setting and a pitch-perfect ambiance, elevated further by wonderful hospitality. As it happens, the establishments that can nail all of that tend to be able to figure out how to make a pretty darn good drink, too. Win-win, then.
Here, the Very Best rooftop bars and lounges that made the cut.
Peacock Alley at Waldorf Astoria New York
After an eight-and-a-half-year closure, the Waldorf Astoria New York is back. It’s better than ever, and that isn’t hyperbole, either. It retained all of its best and most stunning old-school features, while elevating its guest rooms and myriad public spaces to a new, modern tier. Right at the heart of it all is the renowned Peacock Alley. The updated menu has been crafted by NYC bartending icon Jeff Bell, and you’ll find signature drinks, historic favorites, a full lineup of martini riffs, and bar bites ranging from caviar service to club sandwiches. There’s no place better to sit back and soak up the scene than here, so settle in for a round or two.
Art NoMad at Arlo NoMad, New York
The Arlo NoMad hotel is crowned by the trendy Art NoMad rooftop bar. From its 31st-story, open-air vantage, you’ll have a direct close-up view of the Empire State Building, enough to make even jaded New Yorkers whip out their cell phones for a quick snap or two. The bar has another memorable feature in the form of a glass-bottomed roof cutout, another Instagram-friendly opportunity with a portal view down to street level. Grab a seat on a couch positioned amid umbrellas and greenery and try a signature cocktail while capitalizing on one photo opp after another. Some say Midtown at night is only for tourists, and well, you’ll feel like a tourist here even if you aren’t, and occasionally that can be a good thing.
Múzsa Bar at Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace, Budapest, Hungary
Step into the immersive and thematic cocktail program of the Four Seasons Gresham Palace in Budapest, home to the stunning Múzsa. The bar is situated off the property’s grand lobby entrance, under a glass atrium with a stained glass ceiling. It’s a vibrant Art Nouveau setting and showcases an inventive, illustrated menu that matches the environs. Together, the menu weaves a rich storytelling experience while showcasing the latest creative concoctions the bar team has put together. All of that is more than enough on its own, but when you factor in the live evening jazz performances, then you have the makings of a truly can’t-miss experience.
Stellar Jay at Populus, Denver, Colorado
Stellar Jay is the buzzy and bustling indoor-outdoor rooftop bar and restaurant atop the Populus Denver, the leafy green crown to the building’s forest of white tree trunks. Step outdoors for a great view of the city, including the dome of the nearby U.S. Mint, and order from a deep spirits selection with an emphasis on the world of agave. When in doubt, try the Mohawkan Old-Fashioned, incorporating a tantalizing mix of tequila, mezcal, and Mexican amaro. The open-flame cooked fare, meanwhile, highlights seasonal and local produce with a lineup of shareable plates. In the daytime, the space is open as a lounge and workspace for hotel guests with complimentary light refreshments.
Ámbar at Nekajui, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Peninsula Papagayo, Costa Rica
Lots of bars pretend to put their patrons amid the trees in some way or another, though few give such a concept justice. Ámbar actually does. This small cocktail bar at The Ritz-Carlton Reserve Nekajui in Costa Rica is, in fact, more of a treehouse than anything else. Walk down a wooden plank staircase and walkway from the pool deck to a platform seemingly levitating amid the lush jungle forest canopy. You may or may not love that the structure shakes as people walk about, but it adds to its inimitable locale. The bar offers an unforgettable vantage point and serves as the best spot on the property for a sunset refreshment or two.
Rosewood Miyakojima, Miyako Island, Japan
Though relatively petite and blissfully low-key, Rosewood Miyakojima boasts two fabulous spots to sip and savor the divine light and atmosphere surrounding it. YUKUU is the poolside bar whose name in the local dialect means “relaxation,” and its Japanese-inflected tiki concoctions and all-day-appropriate spritz collection guarantee just that, especially with all that heavenly blue water sparkling before you. Up a few steps, in the breezy land bridge between two perfect beaches, is MAAS (meaning “salt”), where one can simply sink into loveseats and lounge chairs waiting for the sun to set brilliantly and sip inventive sours (and highballs) —or learn to shake one up behind the bar using Miyako ingredients from the masterful mixologist himself.
The St. Regis Venice, Italy
In an exceedingly artistic hotel, perfectly set at the edge of the Grand Canal and occupying five beautifully restored palazzi filled with sumptuous furnishings, finishes, and awe-inspiring Murano glass, it’s hard to imagine things could get better. But then one enters Arts Bar, where the proliferation of hand-blown glass beauty is even more pronounced, especially with one glance at the bar itself, where the glassware is a masterclass in what happens when imagination meets aptitude. In a privileged collaboration with Berengo Studio, on the island of Murano, the drink menu comprises intriguing and provocative tipples served in chromatic glasses directly inspired by a particular iconic artwork. Each and every one is spectacular, from the Carlos Scarpa tribute Oriental Shapes to the leggy Erwin Wurm martini to the playful Andy Warhol ode, Silver Dreams, which is a Marilyn Monroe silkscreen rendered in glass.
Unlisted at Untitled at 3 Freeman, New York City
Billed as a boutique art hotel located in its gritty, graffiti-filled namesake alleyway off of Rivington in the Lower East Side, Untitled at 3 Freeman‘s rooftop lounge and bar Unlisted is a buzzy stop for a cocktail with an epic skyline view from the 11th floor. Order from a selection of punny cocktail names — a recent visit had offerings such as the “smash or pass,” and “let’s clarify,” — but also well-honed classics and refined originals. An Italian Cola is actually a blend of amari and vermouth topped with soda water, and the Untitled Perfect Martini incorporates a housemade blend of vermouth.
Botanist Bar at Fairmont Pacific Rim, Vancouver, Canada
Botanist Bar at the Fairmont Pacific Rim has garnered international acclaim and attention. Places with such lofty expectations can sometimes be hit or miss, but Botanist Bar lives up to the hype. That’s thanks in part to a series known as experiential cocktails that offer intricate displays and theatrical presentations, as well as an ethos of serving and showcasing local ingredients. The menu features artistic sketchbook-style depictions, along with drinks sections based on different terroirs and landscapes, including categories such as mountain and meadow, coastal and tropical, and orchard and field.
Patina Osaka Japan
It’s hard to imagine a cooler drinking den in all of Osaka than Sonata Bar, on the 20th floor of the luxurious Patina Osaka, and positively glowing each night like a golden beacon that just happens to look out over Osaka Castle. It’s not just for those looking to whet their whistle with an exciting cocktail inspired by the 1970 Osaka Expo (think a vibrant New Trunk Line, with Japanese whisky, plum wine, coconut water, lime, yuzu, and white chocolate), it’s also for music lovers, specifically vinyl aficionados and audiophiles — there are literal tons of vintage analog speakers. The combo is as cool as it gets.
Raffles Jaipur, India
Raffles Jaipur, designed as a modern day queen’s palace, is as much a feast for the eyes as it is for the belly. And although the restaurants themselves exemplify this, The Writers Bar and Safir Tea & Champagne Lounge are two of the most indelible spaces in the building. The first, an undeniable heart of each Raffles property, is cocooned in a soothing baby blue painted from ceiling to molding in intricate floral motifs. The scalloped, draped openings, spiral staircase winding to a most private nook, velvety seating, and seductive custom scent make for a transportive environment in which to sip Indian-inflected spins on classics, be it a Jaipur Sling or Mumbai Mule. Where Writers Bar is a bit clandestine, Safir is a theatrical, wide, and endlessly Instagrammable place for tea tastings, folk music, and, yes, prolific Champagne.
Rosewood Hotel Georgia, Vancouver, Canada
Reopened in 2024, yet originally debuted in, you guessed it, 1927, the 1927 Lounge just past the glam glass chandelier at the dazzling Vancouver institution, Rosewood Hotel Georgia, is beyond storied. Moody, glitzy, and sumptuous, it’s seen the likes of Elvis Presley, Katharine Hepburn, and Nat King Cole, and survived for nearly a century as a place for undeniably delicious cocktails, live music, and beautiful bites — the lobster tail with béarnaise sauce is not to be missed. Bartenders are legends who have seen it all and consistently stir or shake up addictive concoctions such as the Hotel Georgia, with Tanqueray gin, orgeat, lemon, orange blossom water, egg white, and nutmeg dust.
Bulgari Hotel Tokyo, Japan
While only been open since 2023, the Bulgari Bar in Tokyo feels like it’s been around for ages. Wildly cinematic as well as enchantingly mysterious, low-lit, and romantic, the overwhelmingly plush and exclusive Bulgari Hotel Tokyo’s pinnacle bar claims a privileged locale on the 45th floor overlooking Tokyo glittering below. The summertime is a brighter, lighter affair with walls opened to the night sky.
Feature image, courtesy, Rosewood Hotel Georgia
