Sultry, sunny summer is well under way, and where better to spend it than atop a roof, with cocktail in hand, in one of our fave, fab cities? For our beloved readers, here are our best picks for a summer well spent – just don’t forget the SPF!
drumBAR, Chicago
‘Miami meets Speakeasy’ at cocktail haven drumBAR, set on the 18th-floor rooftop of the Raffaelo Hotel in Chicago. The space is made up of a low-lit, speakeasy-style interior and two outdoor patios that bring to mind a summer’s day in The Sunshine State. With fabulous Lake Michigan vistas, a menu of small plates and reinvented classic cocktails, drumBAR is the Windy City go-to for drinks with slinks.
Showstopper views in the Pearl of the Orient
Flair, Shanghai
In Shanghai and hankering after sky-high views of The Bund and famed Pearl Tower? Make straight for Flair bar atop the Ritz-Carlton in Pudong, an outdoor rooftop playground in the clouds of Pudong for Shanghai’s movers and shakers, with raw seafood bar and tapas, and spectacular bird’s eye views for the lovers – swoon!
The city’s hottest n’ haute-est address
NoMad, New York City
The just-opened and already so-hip-it-hurts NoMad Hotel in NYC is also home to the rooftop restaurant run by none other than Eleven Madison Park’s Daniel Humm and restaurateur Will Guidara. Fittingly, dinner here is serious business – a $125 five-course tasting menu is served (on weather appropriate days only), and reservations are only taken online the day of, starting at 11am. Get clicking!
Get an unforgettable angle on the Lion City
Ku De Ta, Singapore
Don’t come for the food, but do come to Ku De Ta for the best vistas in Singapore – occupying 40,000 sq ft of rooftop space, this Bali import is the spot for sky-high alfresco drinks at sunset. Later on the space becomes a club, so dress to impress, lovelies.
See and be scene, but not if you’re squeamish
Gondolen, Stockholm
OK – so this one isn’t actually a rooftop, but we love it so much we snuck it in here. Suspended between the sky and sea, high above Stockholm’s port entrance, ultra-chic Gondolen offers unbeatable city vistas from its unique, stop-and-stare gantry perch. Not for those afraid of heights, the cocktail lounge is a place to see and be scene, but get there early to beat the crowd and enjoy some pre-dinner tipples. Here’s cheers, dears!
by LuÃsa Vieira
