New York City / Hotel Bars
Best Hotel Bars
in NYC
The rooms worth the splurge — legendary murals, disco rooftops, and the best skyline views in the city.
These are splurge rooms, not happy-hour deals — Broken Shaker is the closest to a bargain. For cheap drinks, see our neighborhood guides.
- 12 verified hotel bars
- highest bar in Brooklyn
- the original Bloody Mary
- best value at Broken Shaker
The short version
- Most beautifulBemelmans Bar — the only Bemelmans mural on earth, nightly piano.
- Best viewWestlight — the highest bar in Brooklyn, 360° skyline.
- Best valueBroken Shaker — a great rooftop, ~$18 cocktails, no cover.
- Best historyKing Cole Bar — where the NYC Bloody Mary was born.
- Best for a dateThe Swan Room — a velvet jewel box on the LES.
The best hotel bars in NYC are Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle (the murals and nightly piano) and King Cole Bar at the St. Regis (the original NYC Bloody Mary), plus the rooftops — Westlight, the highest bar in Brooklyn, Broken Shaker, and The Fleur Room. Here’s the honest part: none of these run a happy hour. Hotel bars sell the room and the view, not $6 wells — so treat this as a splurge guide. We grouped it by the legendary rooms, the rooftops with the best skyline views, and the cocktail lounges. For actual deals, see our neighborhood happy-hour guides.
At a glance
The legendary rooms up top, then the rooftops. Tap a number on the map to place it.
| Bar | The draw | Days | Window | $ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bemelmans Bar | The Bemelmans mural + live piano | — | No HH | $$$ |
| King Cole Bar | Birthplace of the NYC Bloody Mary | — | No HH | $$$ |
| The Top of the Standard & Le Bain | Disco rooftop with a pool in the dance floor | — | No HH | $$$ |
| The Swan Room | A velvet jewel box in a landmarked bank | — | No HH | $$$ |
| Westlight | The highest bar in Brooklyn, 360° views | — | No HH | $$$ |
| Broken Shaker | Award-winning rooftop; the value pick | — | No HH | $$$ |
| Bar Blondeau | Left-Bank rooftop; martinis + seafood tower | — | No HH | $$$ |
| The Fleur Room | Mirrored 35th-floor room; Empire State view | — | No HH | $$$ |
| JIMMY | SoHo rooftop with a pool and river views | — | No HH | $$$ |
| The Crown | Downtown-skyline rooftop; Manhattan Bridge view | — | No HH | $$$ |
| The Bar at The Clocktower | British-club bar with a billiards room | — | No HH | $$$ |
| The Django | A jazz cellar with a real cocktail list | — | No HH | $$$ |
Map: where these 12 spots are
These span the city — the UES to the LES, Chelsea to Williamsburg. Tap a pin for the details and directions.
Pins are numbered to match the table above – tap any pin for the details and directions.
The legendary rooms
The bars people fly in for — murals, pianos, and the drink they invented. More rooms in our best cocktail bars in NYC guide.
Bemelmans Bar
The most beautiful bar in New York, and it earns it. The only surviving Ludwig Bemelmans mural on earth wraps the room — the Madeline illustrator painted these Central Park scenes in 1947 to cover a year and a half of lodging — under a 24k-gold-leaf ceiling, with nightly live piano and jazz. The move: come early, before the per-person music charge kicks in, and sit at the black-glass bar. Honest caveat — it’s the Carlyle, so it’s a splurge and there’s a cover once the music starts. You’re paying for a room nobody else has. Not a deal; a pilgrimage.
King Cole Bar
The birthplace of the New York Bloody Mary — the ‘Red Snapper,’ mixed here in the 1930s and still the order. The room is built around Maxfield Parrish’s 1906 ‘Old King Cole’ mural behind the bar, and it’s as clubby and jacket-friendly as Midtown gets. The move: sit at the bar, order the Red Snapper, take in the mural. Honest caveat — St. Regis prices and a dress-the-part crowd; this is a power-drink institution, not a casual pint. Go once for the history, and get the drink they invented.
kingcolebar.com · See our Midtown happy hours
The Top of the Standard & Le Bain
The disco rooftop with a plunge pool in the dance floor. Le Bain, on the 18th floor of The Standard, has an indoor pool, a crêpe stand, and Astroturf over the Hudson; one level up, The Top of the Standard (the old Boom Boom Room) is the gilded, glass-walled cocktail lounge. The move: go for the view and the scene, not a quiet drink — and go early on a weekend or you’ll queue. Honest caveat — it’s a nightlife landmark, so expect a door, a crowd, and steep pours. Come to dance, not to talk.
standardhotels.com · See our Meatpacking happy hours
The Swan Room
The most beautiful new bar downtown, inside the landmarked 1912 Jarmulowsky Bank. Velvet, low light, restored soaring detail, and a genuinely serious classic-cocktail program — one of the decade’s most-hyped hotel openings, and it holds up. The move: book it, dress a little, and let the bartender steer you to a classic done right. Honest caveat — it’s a scene and it’s not cheap, but the room and the drinks both deliver. For a date, it’s hard to beat on the Lower East Side.
nineorchard.com · See our Lower East Side happy hours
Rooftops & skyline views
The best views in the city, from Brooklyn’s highest bar to the Empire State through glass. More in our best rooftop bars in NYC guide.
Westlight
The highest bar in Brooklyn, and the best skyline in the borough. Twenty-two floors up at The William Vale, Westlight wraps an open-air terrace 360° around Manhattan, the East River, and both bridges, with globe-trotting small plates from Andrew Carmellini’s team. The move: get there for sunset and grab the terrace — the Manhattan view at golden hour is the whole point. Honest caveat — it’s popular, so expect a wait at peak; go on a weeknight or early. Best view-for-your-drink in Brooklyn.
westlightnyc.com · See our best rooftop bars in NYC
Broken Shaker
The relative bargain on this list, and a genuinely great rooftop. The 18th-floor indoor-outdoor bar at the Freehand is James Beard–nominated and won Best American Hotel Bar at Tales of the Cocktail — plant-filled, tropical, tiki-leaning, with Empire State and Chrysler views. The move: cocktails run about $18–21 with no cover, which for a hotel rooftop is a steal; come for the retractable-roof terrace. Honest caveat — it’s seasonal, effectively shutting in deep winter, and it’s Tue–Sat, closed Sun–Mon. Confirm before you go.
freehandhotels.com · See our best rooftop bars in NYC
Bar Blondeau
The room that replaced The Ides, and an upgrade. Sixth-floor rooftop at the Wythe from the Le Crocodile team — a Left Bank–brasserie mood with martinis, natural wine, and a seafood tower against a wall of windows framing the Manhattan skyline at sunset. The move: sunset, a martini, a plateau de fruits de mer, and the East River. Honest caveat — it’s a full dinner room, so the bar and terrace fill; reserve or come early. One of Brooklyn’s most critically praised hotel bars, and it deserves it.
wythehotel.com · See our Williamsburg happy hours
The Fleur Room
Mirrored, disco-glam, and 35 floors up. The Fleur Room glasses in the Empire State Building through floor-to-ceiling windows, with a DJ and a late-night crowd — more scene than quiet drink. The move: go for the view and the energy, and get there early for a window seat before the line forms. Honest caveat — it’s a nightlife room with a door and steep pours, so know what you’re in for; come to be out, not to catch up. The Empire State view is one of the best from any bar in the city.
moxychelsea.com · See our best rooftop bars in NYC
JIMMY
A longtime SoHo rooftop with a pool and a downtown-and-Hudson view. On the 18th floor of ModernHaus (the old James hotel), JIMMY has stayed a see-and-be-seen rooftop for over a decade. The move: sunset over the Hudson, poolside; go early on weekends before the door tightens. Honest caveat — it’s a scene with a scene’s prices and crowds, no happy hour, and weekends can be a wait. For a downtown rooftop with real staying power, it’s a solid call.
The Crown
The best downtown-skyline vantage most people haven’t used. On the 21st floor of Hotel 50 Bowery, this Gerber Group rooftop looks straight at the Manhattan Bridge and Lower Manhattan — a genuinely different angle from the Midtown rooftops. The move: come for the Manhattan Bridge view at dusk and take the indoor-outdoor terrace. Honest caveat — it’s a hotel rooftop, so pours aren’t cheap, and it’s worth confirming current hours before a trip. The relative-value pick with a marquee view.
thecrownnyc.com · See our best cocktail bars in NYC
Cocktail lounges & live music
When you want a proper drink and a band. See more live-music bars in NYC.
The Bar at The Clocktower
British-club polish inside the landmark Met Life clocktower, with a billiards room and a wood-and-leather cocktail bar. It’s the drinking half of Jason Atherton’s Michelin-recognized Clocktower — order at the bar, rack a game, and settle in. The move: the billiards room is the move; grab it early. Honest caveat — EDITION prices and a see-and-be-seen NoMad crowd, no happy hour, just a very good room. Come for a proper cocktail steps from Madison Square Park.
editionhotels.com · See our NoMad happy hours
The Django
The best room in the city to actually hear a band. Beneath The Roxy Hotel, The Django is a brick-arched, French-Moroccan jazz cellar with nightly live music and a proper cocktail program. The move: check who’s playing, book a table near the stage, and settle in for a set. Honest caveat — there’s a cover for shows, and it’s a night-out commitment, not a swing-by. If you want live jazz and a real cocktail under one roof, this is the one.
thedjangonyc.com · See our Tribeca happy hours
Hotel Bars: FAQ
What are the best hotel bars in NYC?
Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle (the murals and live piano) and King Cole Bar at the St. Regis (the original NYC Bloody Mary) are the classics. For views, Westlight is the highest bar in Brooklyn and Broken Shaker is the best value.
Do NYC hotel bars have happy hours?
Almost never — hotel bars sell the room and the view, not a discounted window, and none of these twelve run a fixed happy hour. Broken Shaker (about $18 cocktails, no cover) is the closest to a value pick. For real deals, see our neighborhood happy-hour guides.
Which NYC hotel bar has the best view?
Westlight, 22 floors up at The William Vale, has the best skyline in Brooklyn; The Fleur Room frames the Empire State Building from 35 floors up in Chelsea; The Crown looks straight at the Manhattan Bridge from Chinatown.
Best hotel bar for a date in NYC?
The Swan Room at Nine Orchard (a velvet jewel box on the Lower East Side) and Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle (murals and live piano) are two of the most romantic rooms in the city.
Do you need a reservation for NYC hotel bars?
For the rooftops and dinner-driven rooms (Bar Blondeau, The Clocktower), yes — especially at sunset and on weekends. Bemelmans and King Cole are walk-in but fill fast; go early.
Last updated: July 2026. Deals and hours change – confirm with the venue before you go. Spot something out of date? Let us know.
