Top Of The Tower

Can’t believe that this place is closed. It better be for renovations. I have been three times. Wonderful view of the city the staff was amazing and the sommelier was always on point. I always had the braised short ribs to start as it melts in your mouth and throws a party with the horseradish that its paired with. I followed up with the rack of lamb in red wine reduction with creamy risotto. If this place opens back up someone please let me know. It is so jard to find a good place to eat in nyc with great service.

Awww, this place is closed :(I still want to write a review though. I came here in March with my friends and this place is definitely a romantic spot cause it’s kind of dark inside and there was a couple making out behind us lol. Anyways, I ordered the filet mignon and it was so freaking delicious. The restaurant also has such a gorgeous view of NYC.

Should start by saying that I think this place may now be closed, I’m not sure if this is temporary or not.
Went here a while back for a romantic dinner. The view was great. Looked beautiful at night. Great for a romantice date.
The food was also great. Our server was good, but a little hard to read, meaning not rude but not very friendly either, but really no complaints.
The only complaint I have is that there is no alcohol. There is a bar so it looks like they used to serve alcohol, but they no longer do. I’m not sure the reason for this. If they don’t plan on brining the alcohol back they should lookin into a BYOB option, wine is what’s really missing on a romantic date.

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Great romantic spot for a quiet dinner. Ask for the view of the river and not the city side. Service was a key highlight — The waiter was very patient and helpful. He was readily available and provided sufficient guidance with the menu. Even gave us directions to local favorite Roosevelt island as a suggestion for walk after the dinner.
Great food. Recommend the Cheese cake.

Wanted to surprise my gf with a more classy romantic dinner but was not overly impressed. The worst part was that it looked old and dated. The place did not even compared to how I envisioned. The view was nothing special and I can only say we were high up. The food was pricy without anything to really justified it.
–Place took a while to find as it was on top of the hotel.
–We got lucky and had a very nice server. (Hence +1star)
–No alcohol… what!?!

Stay no longer than the time it takes to order and consume a cup of coffee, tea or other non-​alcoholic drink. Alchohol is not served at Top Of The Tower.
Enjoy the view, it isn’t amazing, but it is pretty at dusk and at night.
The menu is ordinary and over-​priced, but I can’t speak to the quality or taste of the food. I haven’t eaten here and don’t plan on changing my stance.
There are better spots for city views with and without food.

I m very sad to see this place go. Best views of LIC. Food is decent. never packed service was a lil slow at first but got better. Chocolate cake is really chocolatey. RIP Top of the Tower April 2013 i will miss you always.

I went here with a date expecting too much. I’m a 28 year old male who decided to take my 26 year old gf on a romantic date. I chose this restaurant due to the reviews that stated that the food was good and the view was great. Here’s the honest truth:
The restaurant is a $ 25-​$ 35 dollar a plate restaurant that boasts about it’s views of manhattan and queens. The reality is that it’s a very outdated date spot that is not worth the cost. The view is ok. You get a decent look of manhattan, but not any landmarks, mostly apartment complexes. So you don’t get the spectacular view of the manhattan skyline with bright lights.
The ambience and décor is outdated. They basically built a restaurant on the outdoor deck of the hotel, so the floor is concrete and the walls are brick. It’s not modern, it’s not fancy, it’s not very romantic. They use Christmas lights to illuminate the restaurant, and because it was originally a terrace/​balcony, heating or ac is done with rather loud machines rather than centrally. If you’re a young couple looking for a modern romantic location with nice lighting, pretty silverware, and tip-​top service, this isn’t the right spot.
The food was ok. It wasn’t great, and it wasn’t poor. But it DEF. is not worth its prices. We ordered the calamari, the shrimp, and the salmon. The calamari was def. nothing special. It had me craving for the local joints that serve a hearty portion with a really good marinara or chipotle sauce. The shrimp was overcooked and unseasoned, and the salmon was decent but had apples on it that may have seemed like a good idea, but didn’t actually work very well with the dish. To be honest, I could’ve had the same meal at applebee’s and I wouldn’t have known the difference.
The average age of the 6 other people that were at the restaurant was 65ish, and I feel like it was once a wonderful date spot that never caught up with the evolving restaurant scene.
In summary, it’s not a great date spot for young couples. If you’ve become spoiled by what you’ve seen on foot network (like i have), don’t expect high end dishes and creativity that you would hope for in a $ 30 plate. There are much more delicious and romantic locations in the city!
(p.s., they don’t serve alcohol at this time, not sure why, but no wine, no beer, no alcohol)

DEFINITELY the best 360 view of the city. We ordered 3 appetizers: Crab cake, calamari and scallops, and they were all great. No cocktail, no matter (but I mean it’d be infinitely great to get drunk against that view).
Apparently it’s closing in a month :(Which I’m sure is related to the loss of its alcohol license. It was def not crowded on a Saturday night, but I enjoyed the «private» view and the quietness. Savor this place before it’s gone!

5÷9÷12
After waiting about 5 min. and having to find someone to see if I could get a table. They were very rude. The waiter acted like I was putting him out for asking for a table. He said the kitchen was closed. I asked him about the posted hours said they were open until 11pm. said not tonight.
It’s simple if your posted hours are until 11pm, then serve until 11pm. Don’t tell me your kitchen closed at 10:30pm and be rude about it.
I would NOT recommend this place.

Great views of the city while enjoying some nice drinks and cocktails. The food here is very good as well.
Since the noise level is fairly low here it’s a great place for date night.

Great view for this place. Although I prefer the outside area (where there were no chairs) to the inside area (where the chairs and tables were located).
When we arrived we sat and were given a small menu of drinks but we knew what we wanted and ordered it.
The bartender didn’t know how to make the one item (wife’s) so I went there and gave her the ingedients.
What amazed me was that she had extra mixture but still only filled the drink to a seemingly pre-​ordained level. She then poured herself extra and sampled it. Strange. Never saw that one before.
So I paid, left a tip for her (the waiter didn’t seem to have left the order with her since she didn’t know how to make it) and went back to my wife with the drinks. We wandered around outside to see the sites, because inside is fairly boring after a while. Love the view but the wait-​staff is middling at best.

Pros: absolutely GORGEOUS spot for a nightcap. I love dropping in around 11pm, ordering a White Russian, and chilling out on the deck so I can get a great view of either the city or the river. I prefer the city side, but you really can’t go wrong with either. Some of the best views in NYC as far as I’m concerned.
Cons: the wait staff here sucks. I can’t even put that mildly. When my gf and I said we wanted to order a couple drinks and a dessert to split, the waiter looked like I’d just taken a crap in his breakfast cereal. Sorry I’m not here to drop $ 35/​plate… I just want to enjoy the ambiance and sip some liquor. The guy couldn’t have been any less personable, but I still gave him a tip around 12% because I’m not going to be the dick he was.
Do yourself a favor, when you come here just order your drinks at the bar and avoid the waiters. I would have done that if we weren’t getting dessert (which, btw, the flourless chocolate cake is exceptionally divine here).

The first time I came to this place it was the fall and therefore pretty dark in the afternoon. The view is really nice and is definitely unique for that side of town.
Ordinarily I would like to think that I am not the type of person who would get very hung up on the décor but having seen this place in the light of a summer evening, I can say that it’s definitely in need of a renovation.
However, if you’re simply looking to have drinks at a place with a pretty stunning view, this is a good spot.

I can’t speak about the quality of the food nor the service, but I can tell you that they make one mean dirty martini. It really chaps my hide when I order a dirty martini and what I receive is a martini glass filled with vodka and a microscopic splash of olive juice. That is not dirty — that is a SHAME! Thank you, sweet bartenders, for killing it.
Met a couple of friends here for a little end-​of-​the-​week liquid indulgence. It was a beautiful night and the views were spectacular, as expected. We arrived on the late side and the bar was not overly crowded at that point. We were able to comfortably find seats by the bar area and we were able to hold a nice gossip session without having to shout over the music. The patrons consisted mostly of couples, however, there were a few hotties here and there of both the male and female variety.
Top of the Tower is more of a low-​key place to grab a drink or two. The atmosphere is laid-​back and the room is dimly lit. Very nice and quite romantic.
Yes, the cocktails are pricey and yes I could make one at home for ¼ of the cost, however, the views from my condo are nothing like this!

The view was great but the food was okay. Thought it should be better for the price and ratings.
the service was good. it is definitely a place for couples. The waiters would even take pictures for you if you ask… i am sure they do it often with the great view. it made me wish i had a better camera to take better pictures.

I came here with a group of friends and it was ok. It’s more of a date spot though. Outdoor area is small and has limited seating (parties of 2 max outside) but you can still see a decent view from the indoor tables.
No lines to get up to this place. Got a table for 6 pretty fast too. The place starts clearing pretty early so if you want a table outside, come later. As my party was leaving, we stopped outside to see the view.
Cocktails are $ 16, well drinks are about $ 10.
Would come again with a smaller group.

I had the chance to take my girlfriend to Top of the Tower this past Saturday. This is such a romantic setting with some amazing views from 26 floors up. Food was very good with some very original dishes on the menu, all reasonably priced. The drinks were a little pricey for my taste, but for the occasion I said what the heck.
Great way to finish a day with your significant other in the city. I started the day with a girlfriend and finished it with a fiancé. Thanks Top of the Tower!

We came to Top of the Tower for some pre-​Christmas Eve Dinner cocktails and I found it to be a delightfully low-​key spot. Our friends live in the area, so it was a convenient spot and I was really happy that we were able to get comfortable seats without a reservation, even on Christmas Eve. We sat in the large middle room (where the bar is) which was nicely decorated with a large Christmas tree. It’s a beautiful space overall, with soaring ceilings and there are smaller side dining areas (one facing the East River and Long Island City one facing toward the Midtown skyline) steps down from the central area. We sat at one of the high tables adjacent to the bar which was a nice spot and they provided a bowl of nuts and crackers to go with our drinks which was good.
The drink menu had a lot to offer and the prices were pretty reasonable for a «touristy» spot like this. A Ketel One martini was $ 15 and a Maker’s Mark & ginger ale was $ 11, so these prices are what I consider to be average for New York and below-​average for a rooftop hotel bar. The main attraction, of course, is the beautiful view from this 26^th floor perch above the East Side.
There is also a dinner menu here, but I didn’t take a look at it, nor did we eat. I would play it safe and just stay for drinks since I usually don’t trust food at places like this — Drinks are a bit more difficult to mess up than food. If you’re in the area and would like a great view and a good cocktail, or would like to impress some out-​of-​town visitors, this is a great spot for a stop and some casual nighttime relaxation.