Best Rooftop Bars in Toronto: Top 10 Rooftops Right Now

The gold-standard Toronto rooftop — 16 stories above King West, three pools, Brazilian-Japanese menu, day-club to night-lounge format.

• Best for: Summer pool day, sunset, dressed-up groups
• Music: Open-format DJ, beach-club energy
• Crowd: Stylish, dressed-up, 25-40
• Dress code: Smart upscale, swim attire pool-side
• Price: $$$$
• Best season: June-September (pool); year-round (lounge)

Lavelle is the consensus Toronto rooftop benchmark and the only one with pool access for general guests — three shallow pools, cabanas, loungers, and a 16,000-square-foot terrace 16 stories above King West. By day it's a sun-drenched beach-club pool deck; by night it transforms into a fashion-forward lounge-and-restaurant with contemporary Brazilian-Japanese small plates by a French-trained chef and 360-degree skyline views including the CN Tower. Peter Freed's development; the indoor restaurant and lounge run year-round even when the pool deck closes for winter. Book 2-3 weeks ahead for sunset slots in summer; loungers and cabanas have minimum spends and require advance booking. Best for: the headline summer rooftop day-into-night; skip if: you wanted a quiet drink or a casual room.

The highest serious view in the city — INK Entertainment's 44th-floor rooftop at Bisha Hotel with a full Baja-California menu.

• Best for: Sunset dinner, weekend brunch, the headline view
• Music: Coastal-cocktail playlist, restaurant-paced
• Crowd: Dressed-up, 28-45, destination-diner
• Dress code: Smart casual
• Price: $$$$
• Best season: Year-round (indoor lounge + terrace)

KŌST is the Toronto rooftop where the view, not the bar, is the headline. 44 floors above Blue Jays Way at Bisha Hotel, the room is west-facing toward the CN Tower at near-eye-level and Lake Ontario beyond — the highest serious rooftop dining room in the city. Executive Chef Sung Won Hwang's Baja-California menu runs four service windows seven days a week (brunch/lunch 8am-2:30pm, mid-day 3-5pm, dinner 5pm-10/11pm), so it works as a daytime view-stop or a sit-down sunset dinner. The infinity rooftop pool is hotel-guests-only (visible from the restaurant terrace but not accessible). Best for: the sunset moment Friday or Saturday 7-9pm — book 90 minutes before sundown for the full arc; skip if: you wanted pool access or a late-night format. Read the full KŌST page →

LA's h.wood Group rooftop atop 1 Hotel — open-concept sushi bar, marble bar, retractable roof, sustainable cocktail program. 19+.

• Best for: Sushi dinner + cocktails, late-night Fri-Sat, design
• Music: DJs Wed-Sat from 9pm
• Crowd: 19+, dressed-up, h.wood-tier
• Dress code: Smart casual, no athletic wear
• Price: $$$$
• Best season: Year-round (retractable roof)

Harriet's is the LA-import rooftop — h.wood Group (Delilah, Nice Guy, Bootsy Bellows) brought the Harriet's brand to Toronto in 2022 atop 1 Hotel on King West. The format is open-concept sushi bar plus a marble bar plus sage-green-and-tan banquettes on a wrap-around terrace with a retractable roof for all-season service. The cocktail program is sustainability-driven (100-mile sourcing, citrus-peel and coffee-ground infusions); the menu is sushi-rolls-and-snacks (Spicy Tuna, Chili Crab, House Spiced Crispy Potato Tots with yuzu jalapeño aioli, Wagyu Roll, the Blushing Geisha cocktail). DJs Wed-Sat from 9pm push it into late-night party territory. The poolside bottle service is private bookings only (the pool itself is hotel-guests-only). Best for: the design-and-sushi rooftop with a late-night switch; skip if: you wanted pool access or a quiet meal. Read the full Harriet's page →

The east-end rooftop anchor — 360° glass facade indoor lounge + outdoor terrace atop the historic 1891 Broadview Hotel building.

• Best for: Reverse-angle sunset, east-end date night, design
• Music: Curated playlist, live music + events
• Crowd: East-end stylish, design-aware
• Dress code: Smart casual
• Price: $$$
• Best season: Year-round (glass-enclosed lounge)

The Rooftop at the Broadview Hotel is the east-end rooftop — perched atop the 1891 Broadview building (a Riverside icon that evolved from a 19th-century assembly hall through its notorious Jilly's strip-club years before its 2017 restoration into the boutique Broadview Hotel). The format masterfully balances that storied past with a sleek modern aesthetic: a 360-degree glass-enclosed indoor lounge plus a sprawling outdoor terrace, both with views over the Toronto skyline to the west and the Don River below. Shareable bar bites and signature cocktails by experienced bartenders, craft beer list, and live music or events on weekends. Open daily 5pm-11pm. The all-glass facade makes this Toronto's best year-round rooftop view from the east end. Best for: the reverse-angle skyline shot (downtown silhouetted into the sunset from the east); skip if: you wanted to be in the downtown core or close to the CN Tower.

51 stories above Yonge & Bloor — the classic upscale skyline-dinner with two seasonal terraces and a year-round indoor lounge.

• Best for: Anniversary dinner, special-occasion drinks, the classic skyline view
• Music: Background, dinner-paced
• Crowd: 30+, dressed-up, special-occasion
• Dress code: Smart upscale
• Price: $$$$
• Best season: Year-round (two terraces seasonal)

One Eighty has been Toronto's classic high-floor skyline-dinner for years — 51 stories above Bloor and Bay at the top of the Manulife Centre, with two outdoor terraces (one east, one west, both seasonal) plus a year-round indoor lounge with floor-to-ceiling windows on every side. The menu runs classic upscale (steaks, seafood, seasonal mains), the cocktail program is built around expert mixology and a curated wine list, and the format prioritizes the view over the party. It's the rooftop for anniversaries, milestone birthdays, and out-of-town visitors who want the dramatic-Toronto-skyline introduction. The Yonge & Bloor location gives it a different crowd from the King West rooftops — more uptown, older, more business-casual. Best for: the special-occasion dinner with a view through every season; skip if: you wanted King West energy or anything party-focused.

The lakefront rooftop pick — panoramic lake-and-skyline views from Hotel X above the Exhibition grounds.

• Best for: Lake-view dinner, summer afternoons, Toronto FC pregame
• Music: Hotel-curated, dinner-paced
• Crowd: Hotel guests + destination visitors, mixed
• Dress code: Smart casual
• Price: $$$$
• Best season: May-October (terrace); year-round indoor

Valerie is the lakefront pick — perched at the top of Hotel X Toronto above the Exhibition grounds, with unobstructed panoramic views of Toronto's skyline and Lake Ontario from a position no downtown rooftop can match. The format mixes indoor lounges with an outdoor terrace and several different seating experiences (bar, lounge, dinner). Useful for Toronto FC pregame (BMO Field is next door), out-of-town visitors who want the skyline-from-water shot, and anyone who wants the lake as their primary view rather than the downtown skyline. The location is intentional — if you live east of Spadina, this is a deliberate trip; if you live near the lake, it's the natural choice. Best for: the lake-view rooftop and BMO Field-adjacent visits; skip if: you wanted a downtown-core walking destination.

The design-hotel rooftop — The Drake's top-floor Sky Yard is the relaxed Queen West rooftop with the Toronto-design-scene crowd.

• Best for: Casual rooftop drinks, design-scene crowd, weekend brunch
• Music: Curated playlist, occasional live music + events
• Crowd: Creative-class, design-aware, 25-40
• Dress code: Casual to smart casual
• Price: $$$
• Best season: May-October (open-air seasonal)

The Drake Sky Yard is the design-hotel rooftop — top-floor patio at The Drake Hotel on Queen West and Beaconsfield, with the Toronto design-and-creative-class crowd that's defined this stretch of Queen since the hotel opened in 2004. The format is intentionally casual: open-air seasonal terrace, rotating art and design programming, signature cocktails, weekend brunch service that flows into evening drinks. Pricing runs design-hotel rather than luxury-rooftop, so it's the rare west-end rooftop that doesn't require committing to a $150-per-person dinner. The crowd skews creative and the room rewards walk-in casual visits as much as planned reservations. Best for: the casual Queen West rooftop afternoon, art-and-design adjacent crowd; skip if: you wanted a luxury setting or a high-floor skyline view (Sky Yard is rooftop but not high-rise).

The modern-architecture rooftop — sleek high-rise design, panoramic skyline view, sunset-gazing dinner format.

• Best for: Sunset gazing, modern-design rooftops, dinner
• Music: Restaurant-paced, background
• Crowd: Modern-design audience, 28-45
• Dress code: Smart casual
• Price: $$$$
• Best season: Year-round

Aera sits in CIBC Square in the Financial District with a sleek high-rise format and panoramic skyline views — it's the modern-architecture rooftop pick for guests who prefer contemporary design and clean lines to the Studio Munge maximalism or the historic-restoration vibe at Broadview. The menu is a contemporary blend of local flavours and global techniques; the room is built around chic modern furniture, vibrant greenery, and panoramic glass that frames the skyline as part of the design. It's the financial-district business-dinner rooftop — quieter than King West, more sophisticated than the Entertainment District casuals, with the cleanest sunset gaze for guests who don't want a party-rooftop. Best for: sunset over the Financial District, modern-design rooftop aesthetic; skip if: you wanted historic atmosphere or a casual price point.

The casual CN Tower view rooftop — budget-friendly Entertainment District patio with margarita buckets and the closest direct tower view.

• Best for: Casual drinks, CN Tower selfies, budget rooftop, groups
• Music: Casual playlist, sports on screens
• Crowd: Mixed casual, tourists + locals, 22-35
• Dress code: Casual (no formal dress required)
• Price: $$
• Best season: May-October

The Porch is the budget pick — Entertainment District rooftop with the closest direct CN Tower view of any rooftop bar in the city, served casually with the famous margarita "bucket" (a shareable cocktail format the room is genuinely known for) and a chill, sports-bar-meets-rooftop atmosphere. It's the one Toronto rooftop where you can show up in jeans and a t-shirt with five friends, not commit to a $150-per-person dinner, and still get a postcard-worthy CN Tower shot. Sports on screens makes it a Raptors/Leafs/Jays viewing-while-drinking option that no other rooftop on this list offers. Best for: casual groups, budget-friendly visits, the tower selfie; skip if: you wanted upscale design or a high-floor view (The Porch is low-rise rooftop, not high-rise).

The Latin rooftop pick — Baro's rooftop bar Bar Caña offers a CN Tower view with Latin-inspired cocktails and a cute Entertainment District patio.

• Best for: Latin cocktails, smaller-group rooftop, casual King W patio
• Music: Latin-leaning playlist, casual
• Crowd: King West casual, mixed groups
• Dress code: Smart casual
• Price: $$$
• Best season: May-October

Bar Caña is the rooftop bar above Baro, the Latin restaurant on King Street West, and a sleeper pick for guests who want a King West CN Tower-view patio without the price-and-pressure of Lavelle two blocks east. The Latin-influenced cocktail program and the connection to Baro's full kitchen downstairs make it a smaller, more intimate Entertainment-District rooftop option — especially for date nights and groups of 2-4 who want something more design-forward than The Porch but less crowded than the headline rooftops. Open-air seasonal patio with the standard Toronto May-October patio window. Best for: Latin cocktails + rooftop view, smaller-group casual King West; skip if: you wanted high-floor or year-round.