PHLGuide

The Best Philadelphia Rooftops For Eating & Drinking

The best rooftop restaurants and bars in Philly.
The Best Philadelphia Rooftops For Eating & Drinking image

photo credit: El Techo

Considering how big Philadelphia is, you’d think there’d be a ton of rooftops to hang out on—especially on days when you can actually see the heat rising from the filthy, pothole-filled streets. But we really don’t have too many to choose from, and about half of those that do exist are either overcrowded, overpriced, or both. That leaves us with these 13 rooftops that are worth your time.

THE OUTDOOR SPOTS

photo credit: PHOTO CREDIT: EMILY SCHINDLER

Italian

South Philly

$$$$Perfect For:Drinking Good CocktailsDrinks & A Light BiteFirst/Early in the Game DatesHappy HourOutdoor/Patio Situation
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Irwin’s, located on the 8th floor of the Bok Building, serves Sicilian dishes like doughy fileja pasta topped with crunchy bread crumbs, juicy whole fish with a refreshing lemon glaze to it, and a light and citrusy fennel salad. They’re all perfect for a day when the temperature gets high enough that rocking a Phillies tank top makes sense. It’s a great place to come for a date night where you can sit back with a few plates of pasta, sip on a glass of natural wine (or two), and watch the sunset over South Philly.

The biggest issue with all of the rooftops in the middle of the city is that you can’t see the whole skyline, since you’re technically in it. That’s not a problem at Bok Bar, a big rooftop bar on the top floor of the Bok Building in South Philly that has 360-degree views of the entire city. It’s only open for a few months during the summer, which means that when it is open, there’s usually a line out the door, but fortunately the space is so huge that once you’re up there it doesn’t feel very crowded.

Since it’s 11 floors up from Condesa, it’s no surprise that El Techo shares the same menu of mezcal- and tequila-based cocktails, tacos on tortillas made with homemade masa, and citrusy aguachile with chunks of shrimp and fluke. But unlike downstairs, you can eat all of this under hanging lanterns and a retractable glass roof while staring across the Center City skyline. Head here with a few friends for a Happy Hour filled with suadero tacos or tuna tostadas. And since the roof gives the building its own personal umbrella, you won't have to worry about the weather if you're considering stopping by.

The W’s Wet Deck Bar is probably the rooftop bar you want to see-and-be-seen on in Philly. Not only is it high up, but it straddles the fun and casual (yet pricey) nicely. On their rooftop, cabanas line the pool and a bunch of people sip on margaritas under the big umbrellas. They have a long bar inside that’s still open on that rare rainy summer day, but when the sun is shining, there’s no better place to split a caesar salad, chicken wrap, and cocktails with your friends.   

There are a handful of rooftop bars in Philly that are on top of hotels, with low-to-the-ground, white lounge furniture as if that will convince you that you’re not in the mid-Atlantic. Assembly is definitely in that category, but it’s the only one that might actually make you think you’re somewhere else. That is, until you catch the view of the Town Hall and Art Museum and basically every other visibly “Philly” landmark there is from the top of The Logan hotel. On nice days, it definitely gets super crowded, so your best bet is to get there early and then stay until they turn on the fire pits at night.

If all of the ground-level parks in Philly just aren’t doing it for you, then maybe it’s time you tried out Sunset Social. It’s basically a park on top of a parking garage in University City, and it has pretty much everything you could possibly want from a rooftop. Frozen cocktails? Check. Views of Center City and the Schuylkill? Yup. Astroturf that makes you feel like you’re on a field instead of literally on top of a parking garage? You bet. They also have some other great stuff, like a huge TV screen for mid-summer movie watching and a short menu with things like burgers and fries.

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Queen Village’s Emmy Square has a few things going for it: they serve fantastic Detroit-style pan pizza and a rooftop where you can eat a crackly-edged slice while sipping on a frozen cocktail or two. Unlike some other rooftop spots, the tables here are first come, first serve. So if you come for weekend brunch filled with pitchers of Bloody Mary and a few slices of The Hangover pie topped with creamy smoked gouda, fried eggs, and bacon, prepare to come early to grab a seat. Outside of pizza, they have small plates like eggplant parm, salads, and a Nashville hot katsu sandwich that’s drenched in white ‘bama sauce.

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Victory Taproom Philly

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Victory Brewing Company has a massive outdoor rooftop that’s filled with bright yellow chairs, a few mini plants, and a large u-shaped bar where you can enjoy any of the 30+ beers they have on tap. Located on the Ben Franklin Parkway, you can see every flag from model UN and look out at Museum Mile while eating pillowy Bavarian pretzels, fried cauliflower, buffalo wings, and a stacked double cheeseburger that’s dripping in cheddar. Bring a group of friends to the brewery and drink a few beer flights while people watching.

The other exception to Old City rooftops is Stratus, which is on top of the Hotel Monaco and probably the highest place you can be in the area without taking a helicopter tour or building a drone big enough to sit on. It’s a pretty classic hotel rooftop lounge, with lots of low white couches and a few overpriced cocktails, but it has one of the best views of the city, which makes it worth bringing any out-of-town visitors to after a long day of staring at old buildings.

SIPS is fun, sure, but it’s also an excuse for groups of friends to drink $5 beers in swarms that seem to somehow double in size every time they move to a new bar. If that’s not exactly your speed, head to Balcony Bar. It’s a rooftop that’s only open to the public on Wednesday nights during the summer, and of all the places that participate in SIPS, this one always stays pretty calm. Plus, they serve food from the people behind Amada, so you know you’re going to eat better than you would at most of the other participating spots in Center City.

Our city hall is objectively the nicest looking city hall in the country (fight us, San Francisco), and there’s no better place to stare at it with a drink in your hand than Attico. The rooftop is right on Broad Street, about a block south of William Penn’s personal rooftop, and it’s basically a greenhouse surrounded by a big wraparound patio that looks like it should be on Miami Beach. Unfortunately, it’s much further away from the ocean than Miami is, but if you bring your own noise machine you can probably just play seagull sounds and pretend you’re 50 miles east on the shore.

The Continental Mid-Town is probably somewhere you already stop by after work every once in a while to get a martini with a coworker. But when it’s nice out, you should take the elevator up to the third floor and have that martini at their rooftop bar instead. It’s pretty small, with a few couches and tables scattered around the terrace, but it’s also partially indoors, which means that if it gets unexpectedly chilly or a thunderstorm rolls around, you can just take shelter with your cocktails next to their indoor fire pit.


If you’re interested in a relaxing view of the Delaware River waterfront that’s not on a boat and doesn’t require fighting over a hammock at the Spruce Street Harbor Park, head to the city’s largest restaurant, Liberty Point. It’s a three-level space with a circular rooftop where you can sip on wine and cocktails while diving into a bowl of steamed mussels. They come swimming in a garlicky wine sauce and, with warm toasty bread, it's pretty much the only thing on the menu worth ordering. Even so, Liberty Point is somewhere that will always have some views of boats and a massive crowd—especially on a sunny day.

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