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The Best Rooftop Bars in Melbourne for Drinks, Views and Sky-High Nights
The best rooftop bars in Melbourne bring city views, clever cocktails, snackable menus and golden-hour magic, from CBD sky decks to Carlton, Collingwood, St Kilda and beyond.
Melbourne does not always make rooftop drinking easy, which is part of the fun. One minute the city is all tram bells, office lifts and laneway shadows; the next, you are ten floors up with a martini, a plate of something salty and the skyline rearranging itself around your glass. Slip out of the underground, take the lift, and step into the glow.
The best rooftop bars in Melbourne understand altitude is only half the trick. You want views, yes, but also weather smarts, food worth ordering, staff who can read a table and a room, and a room that knows when to tilt from after-work drink to whole-evening affair. From CBD cocktail perches to Carlton aperitivo decks, St Kilda bay views and Collingwood party terraces, these are the Melbourne rooftop bars worth rising for right now.
The Best Rooftop Bars in Melbourne CBD
Disuko
Disuko crowns Bourke Street with a Tokyo-disco rooftop that shifts from sunlit sessions to late-night electricity. Vinyl DJs spin Japanese soul and disco beside a glowing back bar pouring highballs, sake and clever cocktails. Izakaya plates and hibachi bites fuel the room, while the open-air Terracotta Rooftop delivers skyline views that sharpen every drink and dial the mood up after dark without trying too hard.
Level 3/59-63 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Cleo
Cleo is the rooftop reset Mid Air needed. Twelve floors above Russell Street, the room still has the city views, but the food now has more reason to be there: Eastern Mediterranean plates with Turkish accents, chicken taouk, prawns in brik pastry, dips, skewers and enough substance to make it dinner, not just a drink before somewhere else. The bar keeps its end of the bargain with bright cocktails, spritzes and wines made for warm nights, while the refreshed terrace brings greenery, shade and a little more comfort to the old Mid Air bones.
130 Russell Street, Melbourne
Santana Rooftop
Santana is where the rooftop stops behaving nicely. Lights drop, rum gets serious, and the Dominicana arrives like a boozy coffee dessert that missed its curfew. Timber, neon and Latin-leaning snacks keep the temperature high, while Melbourne does its best work outside the windows. Not a spritz-and-sunshine deck. More midnight with a view and better bass.
Level 3/169 Melbourne Place, Melbourne
Hotel Nacional
Hotel Nacional’s trick is making a 100% gluten-free rooftop feel like a pleasure, not a public service announcement. Up on Hardware Lane, the kitchen sends out tapas with crunch, salt and confidence, while the bar keeps things bright with clean classics and tropical detours. No apology, no beige compromise, just rooftop drinking with everyone invited to eat.
23-25 Hardware Lane, Melbourne
Inuman
Inuman feels like Melbourne after someone finally opened the windows. Filipino-Kiwi flavours run the room with real nerve: lemongrass gin, feijoa, duck-liver parfait, tangy inato sauce and a crispy chicken “skinato” sandwich that knows exactly why it exists. The cocktails have cheek, the food has teeth, and the rooftop view is merely the opening argument.
167 Exhibition Street, Melbourne
The Q
Twenty-eight floors up, The Q makes a strong case for altitude with bite. G&Ts arrive cold and clean, Thai-leaning snacks bring chilli, salt and crunch, and the skyline does its best peacocking beyond the glass. Oysters, school prawns, daylight martinis, late-night drinks: it’s Melbourne from above, with enough heat to keep the room awake.
Level 28, 509 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Fleet Rooftop
Fleet knows height is useless without appetite. Twenty-two floors up, with a retractable roof and the city spread below, it backs the view with negronis, smoky bay oysters, scallops with shiitake XO, fried chicken with fermented chilli and a dry-aged sirloin that refuses to behave like bar food. Come for one drink; surrender to dinner.
1 Queen Street, Melbourne
Rooftop at QT
High style without the hard edges. Rooftop at QT lifts the mood with a Mediterranean-leaning menu, smart booths and a back-bar that speaks fluent fun. Dress codes ask you to turn up “sharp,” but there’s warmth in the hospitality and a DJ who understands tempo. In summer it’s spritzes and laughter; winter tucks in under awnings with a generous pour of red. People-watching? World-class. Your martini will not be lonely.
QT Melbourne, 11/133 Russell Street, Melbourne
Fable
Fable sits fourteen floors above Lonsdale Street, looking far too pleased with its own view, and fair enough. The retractable roof keeps Melbourne from being Melbourne, while Mediterranean plates give the cocktails something to argue with: salt, char, acid, crunch. Less rooftop posing, more elevated grazing with the city pressed against the glass.
13/168 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Dom’s Social Club
Dom’s is where the action happens, three stories of pizza, pool, and panoramic views. Start with a smoky wood-fired pie and a generous spread of charcuterie—perfect fuel for the night ahead. Then, it’s off to the pool room, where the competition heats up and the drinks flow freely. But the real magic? That rooftop bar. A slice of city skyline and good vibes, where you can kick back, sip a cocktail, and soak it all in.
Unit 1/301 Swanston Street, Melbourne
Goldilocks
Slip past a blink-and-miss doorway and ride the lift to a hush above Swanston Street: a wisteria-draped, festoon-lit terrace with the city murmuring below. Classic cocktails land clean and confident; snacks skew crisp, salty and habit-forming. There’s semi-cover for Melbourne’s moods, soft corners for conspiracies, and a golden hour that flatters everyone. You promise a quick one, then the skyline tilts, conversation stretches, and suddenly it’s decidedly not an early night.
5/264 Swanston Street, Melbourne
Farmer’s Daughters
Farmer’s Daughters sends Gippsland up the lift and lets it loose above Collins Street. Herb pots, timber, a retractable roof and a Farmers Collins built on Gippsland vermouth keep the regional thread tight, while the wine list stays loyal to home soil. Order the produce-led plates and settle in. It’s rooftop drinking with paddock memory.
6/80 Collins Street, Melbourne
Sojourn
Sojourn is what happens when an office tower loosens its tie. Above New Chancery Lane, the rooftop trades corporate gravity for blue walls, sharp martinis, Victorian wine and spritzes built for dangerous weather. Downstairs can handle dinner; upstairs is for the drink that becomes three, with the city pretending it had nothing to do with it.
501 Bourke Street, New Chancery Lane, Melbourne
HER Melbourne
Four floors of appetite, topped by a terrace that does Euro-summer without the airfare. Up here, it’s Italian marble underfoot, French mid-century curves, citrus trees nudging the skyline and cocktails that land bright, polished, perfectly chilled. Order something spritzy, then raid the Thai barbecue snacks piped up from BKK below; the match is wickedly good. Drift past the music room, surface at sunset and settle into that flattering, rose-gold light. Effortlessly cool and a little decadent, HER is just so Melbourne.
Rooftop, HER, 270 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Siglo
Siglo is the rooftop bar in Melbourne for people who still believe a night out deserves manners. Above the Princess Theatre, it deals in martinis, whisky, Bordeaux, cigars and Spring Street views with old-world nerve. Linen, glassware, theatre lights, city air: nothing here is trying to be new, which is precisely why it still feels essential.
Level 2, 161 Spring Street, Melbourne
The Stolen Gem
The Stolen Gem does what its name threatens: lifts you eight floors above Bourke Street and lets the city show off from every angle. The room has New York loft bones, the cocktails come bright and neatly dangerous, and the share plates know their job: salt, crunch, repeat. A post-work drink here has a habit of turning into your evening’s main event.
Level 8, 388 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Rooftop Bar
Rooftop Bar has earned its place in Melbourne folklore one stairwell at a time. High above Swanston Street, Curtin House’s sky deck still runs on astroturf, burgers, beers, spritzes and the democratic magic of a crowd that could include students, dates, office escapees and cinema-goers upstairs for Rooftop Cinema. It isn’t sleek. Thank God. It’s alive.
Curtin House, 252 Swanston Street, Melbourne
Bomba
Bomba is Barcelona by way of Melbourne, with treetops and sunset for company. Tapas lands salty, crunchy and perfectly timed — jamón croquetas, anchovy things, patatas with attitude — while cava does what cava does. The terrace is compact, the mood open, and the staff navigate it like a seasoned crew. Ideal for pre-dinner drinks that become dinner, or a late bite when the city is still wide awake.
103 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Best Rooftop Bars in Melbourne: Inner Suburbs
On Top at The StandardX
Once reserved for hotel guests, On Top at The StandardX now lets the rest of Fitzroy in on the secret. The Hecker Guthrie-designed rooftop comes dressed in warm tones, mid-century ease and skyline views, with a retractable roof keeping the mood weatherproof. Drinks have personality, from the Aperol, apricot brandy and ginger-laced Cloud Cover to pre-batched cocktails dispensed from a vending machine. Add prawn rolls, wagyu sliders and DJs with a global pulse, and you have one of Melbourne’s sharpest new rooftop arrivals.
62 Rose Street, Fitzroy
Slowpoke Lounge & Lookout
Slowpoke Lounge & Lookout is Collingwood with better lighting and fewer sensible decisions. Four floors above Gipps Street, the Daybreak crew has built a rooftop of terrazzo, plush booths, brutalist edges and 360-degree views, with DJs in the bones and Harry Costello cocktails in the glass. Order the Picante with chilli, coriander and honey, and one of their incredibly delicious cheeseburgers, then pretend you’re leaving after one.
Level 4/50 Gipps Street, Collingwood
Amatrice Rooftop
Amatrice is what happens when a rooftop remembers dinner matters. Ten floors above Cremorne, under a retractable glass roof, it trades the usual skyline-and-snacks routine for Roman-style egg pastas, lasagne bites, veal cotoletta and tiramisu with real intent. The view stretches from city to Dandenongs, but the food refuses to play supporting act. Very wise of it.
Level 10/16 Stephenson Street, Cremorne
Mirror Mirror Rooftop Lounge
Mirror Mirror brings a little storybook cheek to the South Melbourne skyline. Above the Clarendon Hotel, this leafy rooftop lounge trades parmas for Poison Fruit cocktails, fondue platters, brie bites and city views under a retractable roof. Come for the late-afternoon gleam, stay for DJ-led weekends, boozy brunches and a drinks list that knows exactly how to play to the room.
Level 3/209 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne
Beverly Rooftop
Beverly is the Chapel Street aerie that treats weather like a rumour: fully enclosed, 270-degree outlook, glamour intact. The room carries a wash of Beverly Hills gloss, all pale curves, city light and high-above-the-street confidence, while the kitchen sends Southern California ideas through a modern Australian lens. Cocktails travel citrus-forward and clean; service keeps the mood buoyant without turning up the volume. It’s a dress-up night that still feels like you. Take the window table. Melbourne does the rest.
Goldfields House, Level 24, 627 Chapel Street, South Yarra
Johnny’s Green Room
Johnny’s Green Room is a Lygon Street darling with 360° views and aperitivo in its veins. Imported beers on tap, spritzes that arrive like sunshine, and Italian snacks that know exactly when to be salty, saucy or both. Blankets and heaters make winter perfectly plausible; DJs and that long western light make summer compulsory. Sundays hum, weeknights glide, and the dome of sky over Carlton does half the heavy lifting.
Level 2/293-297 Lygon Street, Carlton
Rufio
A rooftop bar in St Kilda with jungle-green energy and a completely gluten-free menu that reads like a party. Latin-leaning flavours kiss European technique — zippy ceviches, smoky vegetables, meats with proper sear — while tequila and mezcal take star turns at the bar. The soundtrack leans warm, the crowd leans happy, and the bay breeze sneaks up the street when it’s behaving. Rufio is a southside favourite for nights that want colour and momentum.
188 Carlisle Street, St Kilda
Runner Up
Collingwood Yards supplies the creative bones; Runner Up adds sunshine and sound. A brick-and-timber bar opens to a terrace threaded with cumquat and fig, where limoncello spritz finds its natural habitat. Weekends bring DJs and clinking glasses; weekdays have that after-work magic where one drink becomes three. Casual, clever and lightly Mediterranean, it’s Collingwood at its most companionable: art nearby, spritz in hand, sky overhead.
Level 2/35 Johnston Street, Collingwood
The Emerson Rooftop Bar
By day it’s cabanas, sashimi and long pours; by night it cues the soundtrack and flirts with the dance floor below. This Melbourne rooftop bar captures South Yarra’s best angles — broad sky, city shimmer — and the menu keeps things nimble with Japanese-leaning bites and share-friendly plates. Heaters help when Melbourne tests you; jugs and magnums help when your friends do. Choose sun, shade or the in-between and stay a while at The Emerson.
141-145 Commercial Road, South Yarra
Golden Fleece Hotel
A Greek-islands daydream rendered in white stone, terracotta alcoves and enough cacti to declare a theme. Upstairs, the rooftop is all sun and conviviality; downstairs, the dining rooms echo with clink and chatter. Drinks lean Mediterranean — ouzo, amaro, spritzes that taste like afternoon — while the kitchen keeps the comfort high and the garnish low. Golden Fleece Hotel is unabashedly fun and deftly run, which is why tables go quickly.
120 Montague Street, South Melbourne
The Provincial
The Provincial is Fitzroy’s friendliest vantage point, built for lazy sessions and casual reunions. The terrace perches over Brunswick Street’s theatre, heaters at the ready when the season overreaches. Drinks keep to the classics with a few cheeky remixes; the snack list understands the assignment (fried things, saucy things, crispy herbs). A neighbourhood crowd, a buzzy energy, and a true northside essential.
299 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
The Corner Hotel
The Corner Hotel has Richmond in its bones: live gigs downstairs, post-footy pints at the bar and a rooftop that knows exactly what to do with a sunny afternoon. Upstairs, the barbecue fires, taps run cold and DJs carry the room from early drinks into night. Unfussy, loud in the right ways and deeply Melbourne, it remains one of the city’s great rooftop reliables.
57 Swan Street, Richmond
Naked For Satan
After filling up on pintxos at Naked for Satan, take the rickety lift up to their open-air terrace, where 360° views of Melbourne and an always buzzy crowd await. Drifting above Fitzroy means you get to enjoy a full vista of the glittering city skyline from a distance, all while sipping Spanish wines and house-made infused vodkas under colourful fairy globes.
285 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Captain Baxter
Ocean in front, party behind. Captain Baxter pours beachside ease across a roomy deck with Port Phillip Bay doing the heavy lifting. Margaritas arrive bright and saline; seafood keeps things fresh and citrus-happy, from coconut kingfish to char-grilled octopus with herbs everywhere. Lunch has a habit of becoming late afternoon here, with salt on your skin, glasses on the table and St Kilda turning gold around you. Bring sunglasses and low intentions.
10/18 Jacka Boulevard, St Kilda
Outer-Suburb Rooftop Bars in Melbourne
The Cornish Arms Rooftop
Sydney Road’s easygoing rooftop, The Cornish Arms, is striped with beach umbrellas, offers a city-skimming outlook, and serves a menu that understands group chat politics. Vegan icons sit beside pub classics, pints go down fast, and the crowd is as mixed as the orders. Brisk service, big tables and afternoons that stretch without asking permission make it one of Brunswick’s great bring-everyone rooftops. Order widely and let the northside do its sunny, chatter-rich thing.
163A Sydney Road, Brunswick
Olympia
Olympia brings island instincts to the suburbs: white-on-white lines, olive trees, late light bouncing from every surface. Drinks move through Mediterranean fruit and garden herbs; share plates run to dolmades, warm focaccia and salty little joys. The mood is relaxed and sociable, with date-night tables, family gatherings and the train line below fading into the distance. Summer lives up here; autumn hangs on greedily.
19 Portman Street, Oakleigh
Harvie
An old dairy polished into an Art Deco daydream, topped with a slimline rooftop that hoards sunset like treasure. Spiral up the terrazzo stair, land at a perch that feels secret, and order the overflowing lobster-and-prawn roll or something crisp and green to play nice with the spritz. The neighbourhood view is charming, the soundtrack conversational, and the hospitality as soft-edged as the light. Harvie is understated glamour, southside style.
109 Wattletree Road, Armadale
Loving our list of the best rooftop bars in Melbourne and looking to continue the fun? Be sure to check out our edits of the best new restaurants around the city. We’ve also rounded up the best boozy brunches that are guaranteed to bring you back to life the morning after.
