New York City: The Roof (July 2018)



My spouse and I and a group of friends visited The Roof at the Viceroy for drinks on a Saturday evening in late July 2018. The Roof is open daily from 4:00 pm until 4:00 pm. The Roof accepts reservations via telephone, although the deposit/guaranteed spend we were quoted ($1000, even for a hotel guest) prompted us to take our chances and turn up without one; you can also use the online Seven Rooms system to make a request. Because we arrived relatively early by Manhattan standards (approximately 9:30 pm), we were lucky enough to score a nice seating group for our entire party of 10 people on the terrace. 

The Roof is located on the 29th floor of The Viceroy hotel in Midtown on West 57th Street (between 7th and 6th Avenues). Some guestrooms (and The Roof!) offer views of Central Park and the famous (JW Marriott) Essex House sign. The Gerber Group operates The Roof, as well as NYC’s Kingside (also at the Viceroy), Taco Electrico (in Union Square), The Campbell ([Apartment] in Grand Central Station), Mr. Purple (at the Indigo LES, where we have stayed twice before and visited its amazing rooftop venue and adjacent outdoor pool), Irvington (at the W Union Square), and Whiskey Blue (at the Maxwell), in addition to properties in Atlanta, Georgia and Santiago, Chile.

Besides the awning-covered terrace (open to the sides when we visited; however, it is enclosed in cooler months to allow year-round guests), patrons can also sit indoors in a lovely wood-paneled room (with brass details, leather-and-walnut sofas, and framed photographs) that contains the main bar and a DJ. Outdoors, another bar is available, as well as various lounge-seating groupings (sofas and small stools gathered around low coffee tables) and a few high-top tables. A separate elevator whisks guests from the sidewalk to The Roof, although you can also reach the rooftop by taking the elevator inside the hotel. A bouncer mans the red-velvet-roped door on 57th Street; we were surprised that a group of middle-aged clientele like us was easily admitted.

Although The Roof offers some small plates (fries, hummus, sliders, charcuterie), drinks are the main focus. The Roof offers craft beers, international wines, and modern and classic cocktails. (We particularly enjoyed the spicy margarita, made with tequila, chili-flavored liqueur and garnished with a fresh jalapeno slice.)

Our group enjoyed themselves at The Roof and appreciated how inclusive and accepted we felt.
























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