The Skylark - Rooftop Bar — Restaurant in New York

From the moment I arrived, I was in love with this place! Its fantastic location and luxurious ambiance are excellent selling points. Even without a reservation, we lucked out and managed to secure one of the first-come, first-serve tables near the bar on a Friday evening. However, reservations in advance is highly recommended.

This rooftop bar is impressively spacious, offering plenty of comfortable seating. While it's mostly enclosed, there is a small balcony for cigarette smokers, providing a great view of the Empire State Building. You can catch a glimpse of Times Square and the Ball Drop, and other landmarks of the city, but the views are not that breathtaking as from some other bars around the city. Nevertheless, being here made me feel like I was right in the heart of the city!

The luxurious contemporary décor, plush leather seats, intimate lighting, and overall vibe of the place appealed to me. But what stood out the most was the fact that it was quiet enough to have an actual conversation with friends! Yes, there was music, even a live DJ next to us, but the noise level was perfectly balanced, allowing us to comfortably converse without raising our voices.

When it came to the drinks, I couldn't fault any of them. The eponymous Skylark cocktail, with its intriguing color and taste was great. However, it was the Watermelon swag that stole the show! It was a perfect combination of alcohol, juice, and ice, sweet yet refreshing. The finger food portions were small, I dare to say tiny, but everyone raved about the Herbed dusted fries with truffle. They disappeared within minutes!

Unfortunately, the service was a letdown. It wasn't particularly friendly, and there seemed to be a lack of attentiveness. No one came to take our drink orders or collect empty glasses. It was disappointing to receive below average service in such an upscale and expensive establishment. While the main draw is the view, poor service can quickly overshadow the entire experience.

I noticed some comments about a dress code. Personally, I appreciate it when people dress up for the occasion, and this place definitely calls for it. While some may consider it bougie, I find it classy and elegant—the kind of place where you go for an experience.

It's a pricey place and can be challenging to get into, I imagine. However, if you manage to secure a table, you won't regret spending a little extra here. It's truly worth it, and I had an amazing time!

Visited in June 2023....

I visited this rooftop under the recommendation of YouTube content creator and tour guide Sarah Funk. She knows what she recommends. Because I really loved visiting this place, which is truly the only of its kind my fiancée and I went to during our short stay in the city. But we really had a good time in here. What made our time good in here was its ambiance, its cultural responsiveness, and the attentiveness of its staff.

The ambience was just great for the night time. It makes you feel like you are in a club to a certain extent. Some areas of it are dark, while others are lightly illuminated. We sat in a brighter one. We were truly lucky to find a table in this area because the place was already packed by the time we arrived. Then a server approached us to give each of us a menu.

The food and drinks of its menu is what makes me define this place as a culturally responsive one. I do not know how other nights go but that night they were catering to our Hispanic tastebuds. My fiancée was so happy to find Bolivian Mule cocktail made with Bolivian Singani. I just drank a couple of Mexican Corona beers with lemon as I seldomly drink cocktails myself. We also found their menu offered beef empanadas, nachos, and Cuban croquettes. We could not be any happier that night.

What also made us happier was meeting the manager on duty. I wish I could remember his name but he is a well-dressed nice young man whose personality makes you want to come back. I told him Sarah Funk recommended me his rooftop through one of her YouTube videos. But he did not remember who she was until I showed him her Instagram account. He finally remembered her. I hope he offered her a free drink and meal on my name. Because I would not have known about this jewel if it was not for me watching her videos before my trip up to the city.

During our stay in the city, we only had time to visit this rooftop. We were lodging close to it so we took advantage of its proximity to our hotel. We do not regret visiting it. How could we? It has a great ambience inside the rooftop and outside in its balcony, it is culturally responsive to those who are Hispanic or love Latin American delicacies like the ones we are, and the staff is attentive to your needs. If you reserve a place to stay within the Times Square limits and you want to visit a rooftop with a fantastic view of the Empire State and its surrounding, then this is your...

I've been here many times before but as a dark skinned gentleman, I've had rude encounters. First of all, there's a dress code but that dress code is not enforced equally; I'll get to that later. When I'm dressed business casual I generally make it in. Cannot say the same for my friends, who dress nice but do not work corporate jobs, despite being dressed very clean, casually & frankly far more expensive than me, there have been times where they were denied. Sometimes the denial is quite far from polite. I'm not sensitive, I get it, it's good and well, I understand we live in New York and there is a dress code. Tonight I was refused entry for the second time. It did not seem busy and I wasn't precisely dressed casual; Dockers & a very nice silk shirt under my winter coat. The bouncer rejected me. I was with my brother. Not ideal. I took it at face value; this isn't the first time I or people in my party have been denied. Today though, it bothered me, I was dressed nice enough to get in anywhere else in the city. My brother goes in anyway and is not happy; he sends me photos of multiple white dudes in literal sweaters. For transparency my brother is only my half brother and is several, several shades lighte than me. I was wearing a silk shirt under my winter coat and told I was too casual, meanwhile there's curly headed white dudes wearing plain tshirts and literal GAP sweaters and jeans yet the bouncer decided they were up to snuff, allowing them in. I'll let the reader make of the situation what they will. Aside from the admittance, this place, especially after COVID is nothing to write home about. Roof is usually closed and the drinks are nothing special. A shame because before the pandemic this place was a bit snooty but well worth it. Not worth the open judgement and borderline...