The Empire Rooftop — Restaurant in New York

Title: Smoked Peach, Skyline Views & Rockefeller Vibes — NYC’s Empire Rooftop Delivers

Review:

Flew into NYC for four days of high-level judo training and real estate meetings — but carved out time to hit The Empire Rooftop Lounge, and I’m glad I did.

It was 78° and breezy, perfect rooftop weather. I grabbed a seat at the bar, where the bartender crafted a smoked peach passion cocktail just for me — vibrant, slightly smoky, and summer in a glass. Bright citrus, smooth peach, and just enough bite to keep it interesting.

Ambiance: This rooftop wraps you in upscale mid-century lounge energy: gold starburst chandeliers overhead, floor-to-ceiling windows with skyline views, and a crowd of sharply dressed locals and travelers catching the sunset over drinks. Music was chill, the room buzzed with conversation, and there wasn’t a bad seat in the house.

Food Highlight: Started with the Oysters Rockefeller — fresh Bluepoint oysters baked with spinach, bacon, asiago, and crisp panko. Savory, indulgent, and just the right touch of brine. A perfect rooftop bite.

Service: Bar staff was on point. Attentive, knowledgeable, and personable — the kind of crew that reads the room and elevates the experience. I didn’t catch names, but props to whoever was behind the bar Tuesday night.

X-Factor: The combo of the custom drink, rooftop skyline, and perfect weather made this a moment I’ll remember long after the trip. You don’t always find calm luxury in Manhattan — but this delivered.

Final Verdict: Whether you’re in town for business, pleasure, or punching people in a judo gi — Empire Rooftop is a must-stop. Ideal for date night, happy hour, or solo unwinding above the city.

Ratings: • Food: 4.7 • Drinks: 5.0 • Vibe: 5.0 • Service: 4.8 • Value: 4.6

#BillyEats #BillyDrinks #TopGoogleReviewer #EmpireRooftopNYC #RooftopVibes #FoodieLife #GlobalBites #NYCNights...

Tuesday evening we had a memorable and thoroughly enjoyable event at Empire Rooftop. Our small nonprofit, Puppies Behind Bars, honored our NYC volunteers who are a critically important cohort in our puppy-raising programs to train service dogs for veterans, first responders, and police officers who have been traumatized in the course of their duties. All our pups are raised in correctional facilities by incarcerated individuals whom we have educated and trained to become expert dog trainers. Our volunteers support that training by taking puppies out of prison facilities on a regular basis to socialize them in the real world. And NYC is as “real” as it gets for a puppy! Tuesday night we honored our volunteers at a reception on Empire Rooftop’s west terrace. It was a perfect summer evening, mostly sunny and breezy, with a view that overlooked Lincoln Center Plaza and the setting sun. The restaurant staff was brisk, gracious, and very attentive to our needs. They welcomed our group—more than 40 in attendance, including NYPD officers with facility dogs that were trained in our program—with generous pours of red or white wine, and cocktails from the bar. We dined on platters of Maitake Mushroom Flatbreads, Ahi Tuna Tostadas, Beef Burger Sliders with cheddar, and chicken skewers. We were a large group, but all the food came out fast, fresh, and hot (except for the tuna, of course!) There was ample room for our guests to mix, chat, catch up, etc. And the NYPD canines also had plenty of room to mingle with their adoring volunteers, some of whom helped to socialize those very same pups! Our NYC volunteers had not been honored with a reception since pre-Covid times. This will now be an annual event for us—thank you Empire Rooftop!

Douglas Hamilton

(Pictured – Detective JENNY, NYPD’s first...

I had an absolutely terrible experience at the Empire Hotel Rooftop. My friends and I, all under 21, were looking forward to our reservation at 4:30 PM. According to the website, people under 21 could be there until 7 PM, so we thought everything would be fine. However, when we arrived, we were immediately told we couldn't enter because we were under 21. This was confusing, especially since their own website had no such restriction.

We spoke to two managers about the situation, and both of them were incredibly rude and unhelpful. Despite it being their fault for misleading information, they showed no understanding and made no attempt to resolve the issue. After a lot of back-and-forth, they finally let us onto the elevator and even gave us a table. We thought the issue was sorted, but then, after sitting down for about 15 minutes, they came back and told us we had to leave because we were under 21. Not only did they seat us in the first place, but we had already been there and were ordering our appetizers. To top it off, they had someone escort us out like we were doing something wrong, even though we were being polite and respectful throughout the entire ordeal.

We planned our entire evening around this reservation and spent money getting there, only to be treated terribly by the staff. The managers were rude, dismissive, and unprofessional. We will NEVER return to this place, and I strongly advise anyone under 21 to stay away. The service was appalling and the whole experience was...