The World’s 15 Most Beautiful Rooftop Bars and Restaurants – Architectural Digest

When it comes to dining out, atmosphere can be as important as the food and drinks. And when that atmosphere is more than 1, 500 feet in the air, or provides a 360-degree view of the particular city, you’re certainly on track for a great experience. One of the first sky-high nightclubs was the roof garden at the particular Casino Theatre on Broadway, opened by Rudolph Aronson in 1882. It quickly gained popularity as a place to see concerts and operettas, chat along the promenade, plus escape New York’s oppressive summer heat.

Turn-of-the-century Manhattan saw a rise in rooftop entertainment that kept pace with the rise of the particular skyscraper. The particular second Madison Square Garden, designed simply by Stanford White, opened the rooftop theater in 1892. (White was actually shot and killed there within 1906   by a jealous and suspecting husband. )

When the Hotel Astor—one of 1st hotels in Times Square—opened in 1905, its  massive Italianate rooftop backyard was lined with palm trees, waterfalls, grottos, and featured a bandstand for live shows.   Today  rooftop bars and restaurants are a global phenomenon, offering decadent dining plus cocktails, cutting-edge design, and, of course, views to capture upon smartphones. From New York in order to Budapest to Singapore, we’ve present below the best ones.