My spouse and I and two family members visited RARE Skyline
View Rooftop Bar on a Saturday evening in early December 2018. RARE Rooftop is
open on Monday through Saturday evenings only beginning at 5:00 pm. (Do not
confuse the rooftop venue with the similarly named all-day street-level
restaurant at the same address.) The rooftop does not accept reservations.
RARE Skyline View Rooftop Bar is located in Chelsea at the
Hilton Fashion District on West 26th Street (between 7th
and 6th Avenues) near the Fashion Institute of Technology. The
rooftop setting occupies the 23rd floor of the hotel and is protected
by a retractable roof that offers a controlled climate year-round. (A second
RARE restaurant, as well as a second rooftop lounge, are located at the Affinia
Shelburne Hotel in Murray Hill.) A dedicated elevator whisks guests from the
street-level lobby to the top of the building. RARE Rooftop patrons enjoy views
of the Empire State Building, Bank of New York, Met Life Building, and even the
Freedom Tower. The nighttime spot offers 3,000 square feet of entertainment
space where guests sit at tables or on lounge furniture amid lush landscaping,
with string lights overhead, faux grass walls, and exposed wood walls.
RARE Rooftop serves drinks with cheeky names (“Swipe Right”,
“My Therapy”, and “Legs for Days”) along with a small menu of bar bites (wings,
nachos, sliders). We enjoyed cocktails at RARE Rooftop before heading out
to dinner nearby.
