Best-of list · Rooftop Guides
The 6 rooftop bars worth the elevator in New Orleans for 2026, from Hot Tin and Monkey Board to Vue Orleans. CBD and Garden District views, ranked.
The short answer
6 ranked rooms follow. How we picked is at the end of this guide.
New Orleans keeps its skyline low. French Quarter height limits cap most of the historic core, so the city's real rooftops sit on CBD, Warehouse District and Garden District hotels. The six below are the ones worth the elevator.
Hot Tin crowns the Pontchartrain Hotel on St Charles Avenue, a 1940s artist-loft conceit with 270-degree views over the Garden District and the Mississippi bend. Doors open at 2pm daily, 21 and over only, no reservations taken. Order a spirit-forward classic and take an outdoor rail seat before the light goes. Best for an early-evening pour ahead of the streetcar crowd.
Full listing & hours →Above the Grid sits on the ninth floor of the NOPSI Hotel on Baronne Street, a pool terrace with skyline views and weekend live music. It runs 11am to 10pm Sunday through Thursday and until midnight on weekends, with happy hour daily from 3 to 6pm. Order a cold beer or a long cocktail poolside. Best for an afternoon session, not a late night.
Vue Orleans tops the Four Seasons at 2 Canal Street, pairing the city's only 360-degree observation deck with a 34th-floor cafe bar. It trades Thursday through Monday, 10am to 6pm, with the deck ticketed. Order a New Orleans-themed signature cocktail and time it for the sun dropping over the river bend. Best for visitors who want the skyline and the history in one stop.
Monkey Board claims the 17th-floor terrace of the Troubadour Hotel on Gravier Street, named for the top platform of an oil rig. Graffiti walls, four cabanas and a 360-degree CBD panorama. Open 5pm to midnight on weekdays, from 11am at weekends. Order a draft and a Southern bar bite, then claim a bench at golden hour. Best for a rooftop without the hotel-bar polish.
Full listing & hours →The Jung Hotel's rooftop crowns 1500 Canal Street with a heated pool, a cabana bar and downtown skyline views. It runs as a seasonal summer pool bar, so call ahead outside the warm months. Order a frozen cocktail or a cold lager between dips. Best for a daytime pool session a short walk from the Caesars Superdome, not a late-night drinks destination.
The Roosevelt's rooftop sits above the Waldorf Astoria on Roosevelt Way, a pool deck framed by hotel gardens and downtown rooflines. It opens seasonally, closing November through March and reopening April 1. Order a crisp highball up top, or descend for a proper Sazerac at the landmark ground-floor bar. Best for a warm-weather afternoon when the deck is in service.