Best Rooftop Bars in NYC for Meeting Women

On a warm night, a rooftop bar is one of the best rooms in New York for meeting women. a dating coach calls rooftop venues his favorite type for a simple reason: open air keeps the music lower, so you can actually talk. We do not publish a list of names, because rooftops open, close and change hands every season. What lasts is how to pick one and what to do when you walk in.

Choose a rooftop with seating and standing room, go on a night with decent weather, and open with the view or the drinks.

• Rooftops are seasonal. They come alive in warm weather and thin out when it is cold or rainy.
• Open air lowers the volume, which suits a man who wins through conversation.
• Many rooftop bars have doormen or lines. Arrive early, dress to match and be polite at the door.
• A group of women is often easier to start with than a mixed group, and a woman at the bar alone is easier still.
• Keep your first exchange short and make a plan to meet again before the night ends.

A loud club makes talking hard. You shout, you repeat yourself, and you lose your train of thought. a dating coach says a lot of clubs, especially high-end ones, are very loud and hard to talk in. He adds that rooftops tend to soften that, because the sound spreads out into the open.

He also describes a freeing feel to being outdoors in good weather. People are in a better mood, they linger, and strangers talk more easily. A man who can ask a simple question and listen has an edge here. My general advice is to match the room to your style. If you are verbal, choose places where talking is possible, and a rooftop is that kind of place.

My venue questions work for any New York room.

Are the women you like there? Rooftops draw very different crowds. One may be all after-work professionals, another a dressier weekend scene. Visit and see who is there before you commit to a regular spot.

Does it fit your style? Look for a bar you can stand at, benches to sit on and corners where two people can hear each other. A rooftop built entirely around reserved tables makes mingling harder. coach notes that bottle-service rooms cut down on mixing, because people stay with their tables.

Do you fit in? Dress for the place. A man who looks like he came from the same office or the same event as everyone else fits. If you are in the wrong clothes for the room, you will feel it, and so will she.

What are the logistics? A rooftop near where you live or work is easier to use often. coach also points out that women in New York often arrive and leave separately by subway or taxi. That makes leaving together easier than in cities where everyone drives.

Plan around weather and timing. A clear, warm evening gives you the full benefit of the open air. Early in the evening, a rooftop is relaxed and conversational. Later, it gets denser and louder. Arriving before the rush also helps at doors with lines.

Weeknights can be easier than weekends. coach says a woman out midweek wanted to go out and often has no plan for what to do next, so she may be glad to talk. A weekend rooftop may be fuller and harder to move through.

1. Walk the room first. Take a lap, order a drink and see who is where.
2. Choose the easier moment. A woman at the railing looking at the skyline, or at the bar waiting for a drink, has a natural pause.
3. Open with the place. "Have you been up here before? The view is better than I expected" is easy to answer.
4. Keep it brief. Two minutes tells you whether she wants more.
5. Read her group. A group celebrating a birthday may welcome you. A group in a private conversation will not.
6. Suggest the next step. If it is going well, say you are going to grab a drink somewhere quieter and ask her to come along.

If she is polite but flat, thank her and move on. Another woman, or another rooftop, is a short walk away.

Choosing the room is the easy part. Walking up to a stranger on a crowded rooftop is where most men stall. A Cold Approach Bootcamp trains that in New York or Miami, in the field, with live coaching on every approach and feedback after every set. Each day has two four-hour blocks, with nightgame and daygame mixed to suit you.

Group is three days at a 3:1 student-to-coach ratio, and Private is one, two or three days 1-on-1. You leave with a written practice plan and access to the community Slack, and you do not need any experience to start.

Do I need a reservation?

That depends on the venue, and policies change often. Check the venue's own information before you go, and arrive early if there might be a line.

Is a rooftop better than a lounge?

They suit different nights. A rooftop wins on a warm evening because of the open air. A lounge wins when the weather is bad or you want a quiet corner.

What if it is crowded and I cannot get near anyone?

Choose a spot near the bar, where people naturally wait. Someone waiting for a drink has a moment to talk.