Westlight | New York Magazine | The Thousand Best

When you’re visiting a rooftop bar, of course you’re expecting it to have a view. But at Westlight, on the 22nd floor of Williamsburg hotel the William Vale, you get the view: nearly 360-degree vistas of Manhattan, Queens, and portions of Brooklyn, which thanks to the glass walls can be enjoyed from both the sprawling wraparound terrace and the indoor space, minimally decorated with low-slung furniture to make the city lights the star. A dynamic drinks menu also exceeds rooftop expectations, and Andrew Carmellini goes global with upscale bites: charred eggplant dumplings, tequlia-cured salmon, and what might be the most decadent potato skins in New York, topped with with caviar and yuzu hollandaise. A reservation system manages crowds, but come early if you want quiet conversation. The DJ tends to heat things up later at night.