Summertime calls for outdoor drinking and since we are in the city of skyscrapers, you’d have rooftops to drink in the views and your cocktail. Up on 20 at Hyatt Herald Square is a rooftop bar in Midtown, Manhattan that has the Empire State Building almost up close and you can see glimpses of the World Trade Center and the New Jersey skyline when you are looking at their south terrace.
We started our evening with a glass of refreshing glass of Prosecco ($12) and Sunny Honey ($18 – for all cocktails on the menu) cocktail and took the last free table on the corner of north terrace since the south end was closed for a private event and there were many small groups of people taking their time to drink out in the humid heat of the city. The Sunny Honey was had the honeyed sweetness from the Jack Daniels Honey and the mix of ice tea made it very easy to drink.
We had some snacks to supplement our drinks.
The moist mini meatballs ($14) was nicely sweet from the hoisin sauce and the nuttiness of sesame glaze were tasty. The baked salmon flatbread with pickled onions ($14) were fine; the flatbread portion was a bit too dry for our liking.
The shrimp ceviche ($12) with sweet cubes of pineapple, red onions, tomatoes and a touch of chili. We did like this particular dish the most because of that kick of heat and the housemade kettle chips were pleasantly crisp and it eats like a sophisticated chips and dip.
The cheese tray sourced from a very respectable cheese shop, Stinky Bklyn and the cheeses were delicious. We weren’t informed of what the cheeses were but based on what we’ve tasted, there was a good Brie, Gruyere, Pecorino Romano, and a not too salty or pungent blue cheese.
I did add in an order of Double Stand cocktail and it’s a very rye whiskey forward drink with a whiff of gin, and a subtle tart fruit of the grenadine.
As night falls, the crowds rolling in and the city becomes prettier with the bright lights from the various buildings like the Empire State Building and the neon lights where the bar is.
Our last dish of the evening was the grilled strip steak with fries and salad. The steak was nicely done to a medium-rare but the fries were unfortunately limp and soggy.
In good timing, we actually found out the evening we were there was the Racing Extinction presentation called “Projecting Change: The Empire State Building.” Crowds did clamor in because of this particular cool event.
At any rate, Up on 20 is a great place to have a drink with a front row view to the Empire State Building and it’s easy to get to. The staff is friendly but they were outnumbered by the folks flooding in for the light show so we were forgotten for a while. I would come back here for another rooftop drink when the occasion calls.
To view photos of this visit, please CLICK HERE for the full photo set or view the gallery below:
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Information:
Up on 20 at Hyatt Herald Square
Website
30 W 31st St (5th Avenue & Broadway)
20th Floor
New York, NY 10001
Phone:+1 212-330-1234
Map
