Thanksgiving Eve

Happy hours

Parties

Trivia and games

Maps

Guides

YaY NYC

Get the Thursday email

Rooftop Happy Hours in NYC

Updated · refreshes daily

In short: 12 bars on this list, 8 with the deal spelled out. The cheapest drink we have on file: $5 at Leaf Bar & Lounge. Most start at 4pm. Most are in Financial District, Times Square, Flushing.

Words by the YaY NYC team, Oct 17, 2026 · Deals last checked on each bar's own site Oct 24 to Nov 2, 2026 · 4 min read

A rooftop happy hour in NYC trades a dim barroom for open sky, and the list is shorter than you might expect: only a small group of places on our list carry the rooftop tag. Most sit in Manhattan's middle band, from Times Square and Koreatown across to Murray Hill and Gramercy, plus entries in the Financial District and at the far west end of 14th Street. Outside Manhattan, Vacations Bar & Rooftop covers Bushwick and Leaf Bar & Lounge sits on a hotel roof in Flushing, Queens.

Expect a drinks-first deal. Cocktails, wine and beer at a set price are the norm, and a few add bar food, with wings, pizza and fries on Hide Rooftop's own menu and bar bites at Starchild. Nearly all of these run on weekdays and end early in the evening, so they suit an after-work round more than a weekend plan. The Broken Shaker and Leaf are the exceptions that run every day, and Glass Ceiling adds Saturday. Open-air seating depends on the weather, so check with the bar before heading up on a cold or wet evening.

Our picks: rooftop happy hours

  1. The street outside Glass Ceiling Rooftop
    The street outside Glass Ceiling Rooftop. Photo: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    1. Glass Ceiling Rooftop

    Martinis (espresso, dirty, cosmo) $15 · Classic cocktails (margarita, old fashioned, seasonal spritz, paloma, mule) $10
    Tue–Sat 4:30pm–6pm · Tue–Sat 10pm–12am · 1204 Broadway

    Glass Ceiling Rooftop sits at 1204 Broadway, one minute from the 28th Street R and W stop, and its happy hour runs Tuesday through Saturday. The list covers classic cocktails, martinis, flatbreads and a Caesar, so a Saturday works as well as a Tuesday. The first window is short and early, a second runs late at night, and bookings go through Tablz.

    Deal checked Nov 2, 2026 on the bar's own site.

  2. The street outside The Broken Shaker
    The street outside The Broken Shaker. Photo: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    2. The Broken Shaker

    Times published, deal not listed
    Daily 4pm–6pm · 23 Lexington Avenue

    The Broken Shaker calls itself a rooftop cocktail bar, and it is at 23 Lexington Avenue, two minutes from the accessible 23rd Street-Baruch College stop on the 6. Happy hour runs daily in the late afternoon, weekends included. We have no itemized deal list on file, so ask the bartender which cocktails and bites are part of it.

    Deal checked Nov 2, 2026 on the bar's own site.

  3. The street outside Hide Rooftop
    The street outside Hide Rooftop. Photo: David Wilson from Oak Park, Illinois, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    3. Hide Rooftop

    Cocktails $14 · Wines $10
    Mon–Wed 4pm–7pm · Thu, Fri 4pm–6pm · 24 John St

    Hide Rooftop at 24 John Street is the downtown option, one minute from the accessible Fulton Street station and its eight lines. The deal runs Monday through Friday and lasts longer early in the week than on Thursday and Friday. The bar's own menu lists margaritas, beers and bites such as boneless wings, margherita pizza and pomme frites.

    Deal checked Oct 24, 2026 on the bar's own site.

  4. The street outside Castell Rooftop Lounge
    The street outside Castell Rooftop Lounge. Photo: Harrison Leong, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    4. Castell Rooftop Lounge

    cocktails $12 · wines $10
    Mon–Fri 4pm–6pm · 260 W 40th St

    Castell Rooftop Lounge is inside the AC Hotel Times Square at 260 West 40th Street, three minutes from the 42nd Street-Port Authority station. Its weekday happy hour covers cocktails, wines and beer, and the kitchen leans on Spanish tapas, small plates and flatbreads. It fits a drink before a Broadway show, though it wraps up early in the evening.

    Deal checked Oct 24, 2026 on the bar's own site.

  5. Midtown, a few blocks from A to Z Rooftop on Fifth
    Midtown, a few blocks from A to Z Rooftop on Fifth. Photo: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    5. A to Z Rooftop on Fifth

    Times published, deal not listed
    Mon–Fri 4:30pm–6:30pm · 16 E 39th St

    A to Z Rooftop on Fifth is at 16 East 39th Street, four minutes from Grand Central. The happy hour runs Monday to Friday in the late afternoon and covers cocktails, wine and beer, according to the bar's own listing, which also promises sunset views toward the Empire State Building. Go straight from work, since the window closes before most dinners start.

    Deal checked Oct 31, 2026 on the bar's own site.

  6. Flushing, around Leaf Bar & Lounge
    Flushing, around Leaf Bar & Lounge. Photo: Raman Patel, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    6. Leaf Bar & Lounge

    Cocktails (Classic Toki Highball, Passion Pit Highball, Strawberry Margarita) $9 · Wines (Pinot Grigio, Merlot) $8
    Daily 5pm–7pm · 10th Floor - Roof of Hyatt Place Hotel, 133-42, 133-42 39th Ave STE H04

    Leaf Bar & Lounge is the Queens rooftop pick, on the tenth floor of the Hyatt Place hotel on 39th Avenue in Flushing. Its happy hour specials run every day, so a Sunday after a meal in the neighborhood works too. Flushing-Main Street, the accessible last stop of the 7, is three minutes away on foot.

    Deal checked Oct 24, 2026 on the bar's own site.

  7. Bushwick, around Vacations Bar & Rooftop
    Bushwick, around Vacations Bar & Rooftop. Photo: Noremacmada at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    7. Vacations Bar & Rooftop

    $2 off drinks
    Tue–Fri 5pm–7pm · 48 Cypress Avenue

    Vacations Bar & Rooftop at 48 Cypress Avenue is the Brooklyn pick, four minutes from the Jefferson Street L. From Tuesday to Friday it takes a flat amount off everything, food and drinks alike, which makes the deal easy to plan around. Its listed hours run deep into the night on weekends if you want to stay after the discount ends.

    Deal checked Nov 2, 2026 on the bar's own site.

Where they cluster

Most rooftop deals on our list sit within a short walk of a big Midtown station: Grand Central for A to Z, 42nd Street-Port Authority for Castell, 28th Street for Glass Ceiling and 50th Street on the C and E for Starchild. Downtown, Hide Rooftop is next to Fulton Street. Brooklyn adds Vacations by the L, and Queens adds Leaf at the end of the 7.

Before you go

Prices on a rooftop menu do not include New York's 8.875 percent sales tax, and an 18 to 20 percent tip is expected on top. Each bar page shows when we last checked the deal; look at it before you ride the elevator up.

Flushing · Raman Patel · CC BY 3.0

Leaf Bar & Lounge

Flushing, Queens

Cocktails (Classic Toki Highball, Passion Pit Highball, Strawberry Margarita) $9 · Wines (Pinot Grigio, Merlot) $8

Daily 5pm–7pm

7 Flushing–Main Street · 3 min walk

Checked Oct 24

Street outside · Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0

Highwater Rooftop

Financial District, Manhattan

$9 wine by the glass, house mixed drinks, aperol spritz

Tue–Fri 4pm–7pm

23 Wall St · 3 min walk

Checked Oct 28

Street outside · Beyond My Ken · CC BY-SA 4.0

Glass Ceiling Rooftop

Koreatown, Manhattan

Martinis (espresso, dirty, cosmo) $15 · Classic cocktails (margarita, old fashioned, seasonal spritz, paloma, mule) $10

Tue–Sat 4:30pm–6pm · Tue–Sat 10pm–12am

RW 28th Street · 1 min walk

Checked Nov 2

Street outside · Jim.henderson · CC0

Starchild Rooftop Bar & Lounge

Times Square, Manhattan

Espresso Martini (classic, chocolate or cherry) $15 · Margarita (classic, passionfruit or spicy) $15

Tue–Thu 5pm–7pm

CE 50th Street · 2 min walk

Checked Oct 24

Bushwick · Noremacmada at English Wikipedia · Public domain

Vacations Bar & Rooftop

Bushwick, Brooklyn

$2 off drinks

Tue–Fri 5pm–7pm

L Jefferson Street · 4 min walk

Checked Nov 2

Street outside · ArnoldReinhold · CC BY-SA 4.0

Rory's Rooftop

West Village, Manhattan

50% off drinks

Mon–Fri 4pm–6pm

ACEL 8th Avenue · 6 min walk

Checked Oct 28

Street outside · Harrison Leong · CC BY-SA 3.0

Castell Rooftop Lounge

Times Square, Manhattan

cocktails $12 · wines $10

Mon–Fri 4pm–6pm

1237ACENQRSW 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal · 3 min walk

Checked Oct 24

Street outside · David Wilson from Oak Park, Illinois, USA · CC BY 2.0

Hide Rooftop

Financial District, Manhattan

Cocktails $14 · Wines $10

Mon–Wed 4pm–7pm · Thu, Fri 4pm–6pm

2345ACJZ Fulton Street · 1 min walk

Checked Oct 24

Street outside · Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0

The Broken Shaker

Kips Bay, Manhattan

Times published, deal not listed

Daily 4pm–6pm

6 23rd Street-Baruch College · 2 min walk

Checked Nov 2

Sunset Park · Jim.henderson · CC0

Twist

Sunset Park, Brooklyn

Times published, deal not listed

Mon, Wed–Sun 3pm–7pm

R 45th Street · 5 min walk

Checked Nov 2

Murray Hill · 1103 NYC · CC BY 2.0

Upstairs

Murray Hill, Manhattan

Times published, deal not listed

Mon–Fri 4pm–6:30pm

6EF 51 St · 2 min walk

Checked Nov 1

Midtown · Beyond My Ken · CC BY-SA 4.0

A to Z Rooftop on Fifth

Midtown, Manhattan

Times published, deal not listed

Mon–Fri 4:30pm–6:30pm

4567S Grand Central · 4 min walk

Checked Oct 31

All rooftop happy hours in NYC (12)

Questions

Which NYC rooftop bars have happy hour on weekends?

The Broken Shaker and Leaf Bar & Lounge run their happy hour every day of the week, weekends included, and Glass Ceiling Rooftop adds Saturday. The other rooftops on our list, including Castell, Hide, A to Z, Starchild and Vacations, keep the deal to weekdays.

Is there a rooftop happy hour in Brooklyn or Queens?

Yes. Vacations Bar & Rooftop in Bushwick runs a Tuesday to Friday deal near the Jefferson Street L, and Leaf Bar & Lounge sits on a hotel roof in Flushing near the 7. Twist in Sunset Park also appears on our list, though its own site says its rooftop bar is still coming.

Which rooftop happy hours include food?

Vacations takes money off everything, food included, and Rory's Rooftop discounts appetizers along with drinks. Hide Rooftop's menu lists wings, pizza and fries, and Starchild Rooftop pairs cocktails with bar bites from Tuesday to Thursday.

Which Midtown rooftop happy hour is closest to the subway?

Glass Ceiling Rooftop is one minute from 28th Street on the R and W. Starchild is two minutes from 50th Street on the C and E, Castell is three minutes from 42nd Street-Port Authority, and A to Z is four minutes from Grand Central.

Where are the best rooftop happy hours in NYC?

Three with the deal spelled out: Leaf Bar & Lounge (Cocktails (Classic Toki Highball, Passion Pit Highball, Strawberry Margarita) $9 · Wines (Pinot Grigio, Merlot) $8); Highwater Rooftop ($9 wine by the glass, house mixed drinks, aperol spritz); Glass Ceiling Rooftop (Martinis (espresso, dirty, cosmo) $15 · Classic cocktails (margarita, old fashioned, seasonal spritz, paloma, mule) $10). The cheapest drink on file is $5 at Leaf Bar & Lounge.

What time do rooftop happy hours start?

Most start at 4pm (7 of 12). The earliest starts at 3pm at Twist.

Are there late-night rooftop happy hours?

Yes, 1 bar here runs a happy hour after 9pm.

What does a happy hour drink really cost in NYC?

Add NYC sales tax (8.875%) and a tip (18 to 20% is usual) to the menu price. A $6 beer comes to about $7.75.

More ways to find a happy hour

Boroughs

By deal

By day

All neighborhoods, subway stops and landmarks · Happy hour right now

The week’s best happy hours, new deals and the parties worth buying tickets for. One email a week, no spam, unsubscribe anytime.

By signing up you agree to get our weekly email. We never share your address. Privacy.