Rosemarie Loza

As a tourist this was such a pleasant experience for me and my sisters! We came to enjoy the gossip girl experience and it definitely didn’t disappoint. My favorite part was the cocktail menu! Keep up the good work. Also want to give a quick shoutout to our servers Josh and Joseph they made the experience 10x better with their hospitality. XOXO I’ll be back 💋

Billy Gavigan

Title: Smoked Peach, Skyline Views & Rockefeller Vibes — NYC’s Empire Rooftop Delivers Review: Flew into NYC for four days of high-level judo training and real estate meetings — but carved out time to hit The Empire Rooftop Lounge, and I’m glad I did. It was 78° and breezy, perfect rooftop weather. I grabbed a seat at the bar, where the bartender crafted a smoked peach passion cocktail just for me — vibrant, slightly smoky, and summer in a glass. Bright citrus, smooth peach, and just enough bite to keep it interesting. Ambiance: This rooftop wraps you in upscale mid-century lounge energy: gold starburst chandeliers overhead, floor-to-ceiling windows with skyline views, and a crowd of sharply dressed locals and travelers catching the sunset over drinks. Music was chill, the room buzzed with conversation, and there wasn’t a bad seat in the house. Food Highlight: Started with the Oysters Rockefeller — fresh Bluepoint oysters baked with spinach, bacon, asiago, and crisp panko. Savory, indulgent, and just the right touch of brine. A perfect rooftop bite. Service: Bar staff was on point. Attentive, knowledgeable, and personable — the kind of crew that reads the room and elevates the experience. I didn’t catch names, but props to whoever was behind the bar Tuesday night. X-Factor: The combo of the custom drink, rooftop skyline, and perfect weather made this a moment I’ll remember long after the trip. You don’t always find calm luxury in Manhattan — but this delivered. Final Verdict: Whether you’re in town for business, pleasure, or punching people in a judo gi — Empire Rooftop is a must-stop. Ideal for date night, happy hour, or solo unwinding above the city. Ratings: • Food: 4.7 • Drinks: 5.0 • Vibe: 5.0 • Service: 4.8 • Value: 4.6 #BillyEats #BillyDrinks #TopGoogleReviewer #EmpireRooftopNYC #RooftopVibes #FoodieLife #GlobalBites #NYCNights #JudoAndCocktails

+5

Buby Dragon

Decided to try the Rooftop bar for a few drinks while staying at The Empire Hotel. Atmosphere was great. Cozy, Classy and beautiful. We did not have food but the drinks were delicious. Warm apple cider was great. The bartender was personable and professional. Definitely a place we will return to another day.

+3

Jay Villeneuve

What a great space! The views are great, the cocktails are delicious and the food was amazing. Service was friendly and helpful. If we are in the area again, we would definitely go again. It was cloudy the day we were there, so I'm sure it's only nicer during a clear day (or at night).

Sunshine

Amazing view of New York City; great food; good service. We had a brunch reservation, so we went right in. It wasn't crowded. The food was tasty, and the view was so wonderful. We had a great time.

+7

Sabrina Blum

We recently celebrated our daughter’s bat mitzvah at the Empire Rooftop, and we had the time of our lives! During the planning process, we felt so taken care of every step of the way. The staff continually went above and beyond to ensure that our family and our guests had a magical evening. I can’t say enough positive things about the service, the food, and the ambiance! We even had a post- bat mitzvah brunch in the exact same location because we knew there was nowhere better to celebrate! Thank you for making this milestone weekend so memorable and stress-free!

+6

Great experience for Gossip Girl fans. The XOXO cocktail, the photos of Chuck Bass, and the show playing on the screens really add to the vibe. However, the prices are outrageous. The brunch is far too expensive for just a few macarons and mini sandwiches. The music is extremely loud and does not really match the experience. The menu is not very extensive, and nothing in the special Gossip Girl brunch is gluten free. But the service was good. And we were able to access the rooftop, which was a plus.

Elvirucca Fiorini

If you are indoors, it is really really hot. Its smaller than you would expect, so be prepared to be feeling stuffed in. If you dont mind that, like the music, and like the atmosphere of partying, it is the perfect place. Sometimes you will see celebrities there (like me being Pink LOL). Overall, it is what you would expect out of any rooftop!

Kevin Sterwald

Fantastic views. Wonderful drinks. Wonderful atmosphere. Service was lackluster until we said something and after that it was very good. Our first server brought drinks and never came back. Food was good for what it was. I would go back again.

+1

Tiffany Trotter

The food was okay. Nothing I'd go specifically there to get. The drink were cutely crafted. Servers were not very attentive, however when they showed up they were nice a d pleasant. The atmosphere and the decor is very cute. You would definitely have lots of Instagram worthy backdrops and pics.

Jesi A

Avocado toast was good. Breakfast flatbread was really good. The French toast was decent (presentation and flavor wasn’t worth the cost). Overall good food but nothing memorable. Not a fan of the low coffee table to eat off of. 1 single mimosa is $18, a “large” carafe is $65 and only served 2.5 mimosas. So I felt robbed in that.

+7

Maria Boyarkina

Unfortunately, the experience started poorly at the entrance. The elevator operator did not allow me to enter with a cup of coffee in hand and insisted that I throw it away. First, he sent me to the hotel lobby, but there was no trash can there. When I came back and explained, he told me to go outside, turn right, and look for one — again, nothing. I finally found a city trash can on the corner of Broadway. Meanwhile, my guest and another customer were waiting by the elevator while he mocked me instead of simply letting us go up and allowing me to discard the cup at the host stand in the bar. It was a memorable experience, but unfortunately for the wrong reason — the service at the door was unwelcoming and left me with no desire to return. The only positive side was our server, who was kind, gave great menu recommendations, and made the visit more enjoyable.

I went this weekend, and I will never be returning! So of the worst service I have ever received! The moment I walked in horrible attitudes, (that should have been my first sign to leave) and it didn’t stop there. When we were seated it took like 10 minutes for us to even be greeted or acknowledge! Waitress’ too busy flirting with the bus boys. When she finally decided to attend to us I could sense her unpleasant attitude a mile away! All our interactions with our waitress the entire meal were so unpleasant, really left us extremely disappointed with this place!

Ash Storms

If you want your time wasted, most definitely come here for their “gossip girl” experience. Not only will you have NY’s rudest waitress but you’ll also have to take the stairs because the elevator is broken, wait over 40 minutes to be served your first drink and also receive your food after an hour. At one point I ended up just going to the bar and ordering drinks while our waitress watched and then decided to come over and check on our table. Not sure what the food hold up was either considering the bread on the sandwiches was dry. It honestly is a cute concept, but the delivery and execution of it all was embarrassing. It was the waitress’s attitude for me that made the experience horrible. It was borderline discriminating.

+1

Viktoriia Kulhava

Absolutely disappointing experience! We visited Gossip Girl Café at the Empire hotel and it was by far one of the worst dining experiences we’ve had. The customer service was terrible — our server stayed at the bar with a very unfriendly attitude and completely ignored us most of the time. The food was overpriced and low quality. We ordered a branch for 2 for a total bill of around $130 (including taxes), and they weren’t even good. One of the grapes served was rotten, and other ingredients didn’t seem fresh either. On top of that, we noticed other guests were given branded Gossip Girl tote bags as part of their brunch experience, while we weren’t offered anything. We had to ask for it, which made it feel like they treat customers differently. Between the poor service, overpriced and disappointing food, and unfair treatment of guests, this place is absolutely not worth it. I would never come back and would not recommend it to anyone visiting New York. Save your money and go elsewhere!