The Best Rooftop Bars and Holiday Stops To See This Holiday

Last year it was all about the best outdoor restaurants to celebrate the holidays. This year we are inside and up above New York, able to see all the glitz and glamour the city has to offer. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite rooftop bars in New York City, where you’ll be hard to miss us.

PHD Terrace at Dream Midtown returns for the unveiling of their yearly holiday installation, Midwinter Nights’ Dream. Just in time for the holiday season, the popular all-season midtown rooftop will be transformed into a whimsical dreamland of lush greenery, rich emerald & gold tones, 10,000 twinkling lights illuminating the space, florals galore, fuzzy throw blankets, and an ascending series of tiered red, purple & gold florals throughout the space.

Of course, this installation wouldn’t be complete without New York’s most famous flower tunnel - the winterized edition will take the highly photogenic moment to the next level. Seasonal food and beverage offerings will also be available including light bites, a brand-new themed dessert, plus new winter cocktails. This magical Midwinter Nights’ Dream garden at PHD Terrace was created to cure a bad case of the winter blues and will be activated from now until April 2022.

The Skylark, Midtown West’s elevated bar and lounge with New York City’s most breathtaking 30th-floor views, today announces its long-awaited reopening in Manhattan’s Garment District. The brainchild of hospitality veteran David Rabin and premier catering and hospitality group Abigail Kirsch, The Skylark is an all-season, multi-level destination for sophisticated cocktails during the week and private events on weekends. 

The Skylark features “Dinner by the Bite” dining, a mix of private nooks and communal seating areas designed by Meyer Davis Studio and a stunning, open-air rooftop terrace with breathtaking city views. In the cooler months, guests enjoy floor-to-ceiling vistas from its lounge, including the Hudson River, Hudson Yards, Times Square and the Empire State Building. The Skylark is also a coveted event space for weddings, birthdays and corporate events.

The cocktail program is the creation of Master Mixologist Johnny Swet, The Skylark’s long-time cocktail consultant and a 24-year veteran of New York City’s hospitality scene. His seasonal cocktails riff on the classics with market fresh autumnal ingredients and include the Pumpkin Spiced Mule, Warm Rum Apple Cider, Maple Walnut Old Fashioned, Coconut & Cinnamon Caipirinha and others. The crowd-pleasing drinks are complemented by Abigail Kirsch’s innovative “Dinner by the Bite” culinary program of shareable and delectable plates.

New Yorkers, visitors and champagne-lovers (21+) alike can bring one of Moët & Chandon’s many offerings to the brand’s gifting chalet, located at The Lodge at Brookfield Place and receive a personalized, limited-edition giftbox with a name of your choice! If you don’t have your bottle in hand, feel free to show proof of purchase to get your giftbox and additional festive surprises and delights.

JIMMY

JIMMY atop ModernHaus SoHo’s 18th floor, best known for its legendary pool deck, now beckons guests with its roaring fireplace in its warm and intimate indoor lounge with jaw-dropping views of Lower Manhattan and Midtown.On New Year’s Eve

§  Gala Masquerade Celebration

o    Premium Open Bar and Passed Canapés, 9pm-1am

o    Champagne Toast at Midnight

o    Cash Bar, 1am-2am

o    Tickets (Single Admission, $250 and Tables, $600-$4,500) are available on EventBrite

Manhattan’s ‘it’ rooftop bar and lounge -- known for their much-anticipated holiday installs season after season -- is celebrating sky-high eating and drinking this season with a new apres-ski holiday pop-up on November 19th -- bigger and better than years prior. ‘The Pink Winter Lodge’ will be a pink twist on the posh winter slopes and ski towns around the globe.

Tao Group Hospitality collaborated with Design House Décor for this year’s theme, which will transform the all-season rooftop into a pink oasis featuring floor-to-ceiling pink log walls, a frosted flower arch glowing with custom pink faux antler chandeliers, and endless new photo moments through April 2022. The iconic carousel will sport 25,000 sparkling crystals, frosted pink flowers, and custom ski lifts to transport you straight to the snow-capped mountains. Plus, the East Terrace will feature a pink gondola photo moment surrounded by pink pine trees, pink suitcases, a sled covered in crystals, white ice skates, and diamond-encrusted skis.

Winter in New York City may be frosty and frigid, but there's nothing warmer than gathering with friends and family for some hot or chilled cocktails specially curated by Beverage Director Nikki McCutcheon

Moxy Times Square Pink Holiday Pop-Up

Moxy Times Square is debuting a new hot pink look for the holidays; head to the hotel’s atrium on the 2nd floor where you will be transported to a pink winter wonderland. The all-pink décor, including pink Christmas Trees and Menorahs, will be complimented by a life-size version of Santa’s sleigh that is perfect for gram-worthy holiday pics. Swing by December 9 – 12th (Thursday 6-9PM / Friday – Sunday 4-7PM) for the Pink Holiday Pop-Up with haircuts from Blind Barber, healthy skin checks and product trials by Kiehl’s, portrait drawings by Ian Sklarsky, free Oysters on Sunday, live music, and more. And, head to Bar Moxy for their spiked signature “Apres Ski” Pink Hot Chocolate ($18), complete with Vodka, Baileys Red Velvet, and Soy Milk. For more information and to book your stay, visit: https://moxytimessquare.com/

BOMBAY SAPPHIRE is proud to unveil its inaugural  holiday window display, celebrating the new artistic guard and New York City’s creative comeback.  Though the BOMBAY SAPPHIRE holiday windows are inspired by the traditional 5th Avenue holiday window displays, these have a deeper purpose: to revitalize downtown Manhattan which was stripped of many anchor businesses and to provide a platform for emerging creatives. This avant-garde Holiday Storefront Series will take place in SoHo through December 19th, in collaboration with visual artist Shavanté Royster, the disruptive fashion designer Romeo Hunte, and New York City dancer Nicole Von Arx.

Over the past year and a half, the pandemic has decimated the livelihood of creatives, small businesses, and retail in New York and beyond. To uplift the artistic community and bring a diverse, vibrant energy to the traditional holiday displays, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE, who has a longstanding history in championing equal representation in the arts and inspiring creativity, has commissioned these visionaries from diverse fields to transform otherwise empty storefronts into veritable ‘windows of art’.

The backdrop of each window features a winter dreamscape by artist Shavanté Royster, which also graces the label of the BOMBAY SAPPHIRE new Limited-Edition Gift Pack HERE. This Holiday Storefront Series will light up SoHo during December to mimic the holiday magic of 5th Avenue through the eyes of Shavanté and Romeo, featuring live models clad in Romeo’s winter apparel against Shavanté’s contemporary picturesque snowy backdrop, along with performances by New York City dancers and local bar-hopping experiences. Romeo Hunte’s dedicated window will feature people clad in two bespoke designs that he created exclusively for the space, depicting them getting ready for a holiday show over cocktails. Featuring Romeo’s playful sensibility, the garments were inspired by Shavanté’s depiction with the color of the jumpsuit playing off the yellow snowboards, sun and hot air balloons and the billows of the garment responding to the ski slopes. His New York edge is showcased in the jacket and pants look, mashing up tailored, preppy and street styles that tie into Shavanté’s BOMBAY SAPPHIRE-inspired blue colorscape. The locations of the windows are as follows:

Cantina Rooftop is one you won’t want your readers to miss! The Hell’s Kitchen Modern Mexican dining experience helmed by Executive Chef Saul Montiel features a climate-controlled retractable glass rooftop and a beyond gorgeous skyline view perfect for those snowy nights to come.

Description automatically generated with medium confidenceGuests can enjoy fan favorites like their Guacamole, Nachos with melted Chihuahua Cheese, Black Beans, Pico de Gallo, Pickled Onion, Queso Fresco, Pickled Jalapenos, Avocado and Morita sauce, and Enchiladas Con Pollo with Chicken Breast, Corn Tortillas Dressed with Tomato Sauce, Refried Beans, Avocado, Crema, Queso Fresco & Red Onion.

These pair beautifully with signature cocktails such as the Coco Loco Mojito with Tanduay Gold Asian Ru, Coco López Cream, Pineapple Juice, Lime juice, Simple Syrup, and Mint Leaves or their El Jefe with Don Julio Añejo, Grand Marnier, Lime Juice, Simple Syrup, and a splash Orange Juice.

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RSVP To A Wild And Sultry Night At Salvaje In Miami

Annabella Pardo

Take a walk on the wild side,  Savaje brings culinary fantasies to life high atop Hyde Midtown Miami!

Picture via @SalvajeMiami

Imagine a space where the lush intrigue of the Amazon jungle, the passion and spice of Spain, and the mysticism of Japan coalesce, where the senses rejoice and the wildest side of us comes to life — this is what a gastronomic experience at Salvaje is like! If you thought you’ve tasted the best of Japanese and Spanish cuisines, think again! Salvaje brings your wildest fantasies to life, elevating the culinary standards for hospitality decor, flavor profiles, and energetic ambiance to unforeseen heights. 

Picture via @SalvajeMiami

The 170-seat space boasts a retractable roof, bamboo daybeds, and an indoor/outdoor dining room featuring signature golden rhinos, oversize palms, and an assortment of illuminated light fixtures. Providing consistent service and expectations of the unexpected throughout the eight locations spanning the globe — Miami, Barcelona, Ibiza, Marbella, Madrid, Colombia — Salvaje has amassed an international reputation, and recently expanded to two new locations in Guatemala and Panama in August. 

Picture via @SalvajeMiami

Their consistency between all locations is key and evident through their eccentric menu offerings. Imported ingredients such as octopus from Galicia, Alaskan King salmon, Japanese tuna, and Wagyu beef as well as a seasonally shifting sushi and omakase menu are just a few of the offerings of the highest quality used to exhilarate your palate. Enjoy unique performances from Spanish club dancers on the hour every hour, along with hysterically chic cocktails designed and flavored to leave you craving more. 

Picture via @SalvajeMiami

Don’t be surprised when your beautifully hand-crafted concoction is served in an unorthodox tusk or bee glass!

Picture via @SalvajeMiami

And as if we needed another reason to visit, Salvaje’s ‘Sunset Sessions’ are sure to provide some ease for your energetic spirit, offering incomparable views of the sun-bathed cityscape and specially priced menu items Monday through Thursday from 5-7PM. Book your reservations for the most wild dining experience at Salvaje Miami.

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The Freshest Food is from Above: New York’s Rooftop Gardens

Kara Schlotthauer

Agriculture reaches further than just in the acres of open farmland in the Midwest; it’s also suspended above pedestrians’ heads in the middle of NYC. Gardens are taking over the roofs of New York’s buildings, silencing the excuse that wide open spaces are necessary to produce quality, fresh vegetables and herbs. These rooftop gardens find their places atop apartment buildings and restaurants, while New Yorkers also use plots of ground-level land where possible to establish urban farms. Urbanites have taken their nutrition into their own hands to get only the best ingredients to support a healthy lifestyle, ranging from a few contained plants to bulging green expanses.

Even city lawmakers are on board with more green spaces. A bill is currently in the works that would promote the importance of urban farming and community gardens, protecting them and adding bright spots of growth to vacant lots around the area. This is one of the reasons why careful planning is really important in gardening.

Many small community gardens and farms are spread throughout the city’s neighborhoods, located largely on publicly-owned land or operated by nonprofit organizations to make the food accessible to community members.

A few of the largest gardens crowning New York’s rooftops, though, are listed below.

Riverpark Farm at Alexandria Center

Instagram: @riverparknyc

A year-long paused construction site caught the attention of Top Chef’s Tom Colicchio and Gramercy Tavern alum Sisha Ortuzar as the perfect site to grow the freshest ingredients for their restaurant. Planted in milk crates, the portable garden relocated to the plaza’s north side when construction restarted, not giving up on the quality of the dishes served with the 100 types of fresh vegetables.

Bell Book & Candle

Using a vertical garden system, Bell Book & Candle is a host for a lush rooftop garden, placing the highest value on locally and organically grown produce. The menu selections heavily rely on the available ingredients acquired from the garden and cycles through the year’s seasons, bringing guaranteed savory flavors to every dish prepared.

Brooklyn Grange

Instagram: @brooklyngrange

Despite the location its name suggests, this rooftop garden is based out of Long Island City. Claiming five and a half acres of rooftop space across Brooklyn and Queens, Brooklyn Grange operates the largest rooftop soil farms in the world. Since 2010, it’s passion is to grow and source food to local communities in the eco-friendliest way. Modern urban agriculture takes its cues from Brooklyn Grange, and the 80,000 lbs. of produce isn’t all that it offers. The rooftop gardens double as event venues for yoga classes, weddings and dinner parties.

 If you don’t want to walk down the street for a ripe tomato or a sprig of parsley, you could create your own garden with a bit of a green thumb. While personal rooftop gardens require a considerable amount of care, time and money, many New Yorkers are accepting the challenge to get the best ingredients for their meals.

 The reward of a self-grown garden is worth the effort anywhere you go, from the tallest building to just around the block.

 For tips to start your own rooftop garden, check out these websites:

• Before Starting Your Garden                                           

• Starting a Rooftop Container Garden

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