When the weather warms up in Minneapolis, the call to head outside and enjoy the sun is near irresistible—and mealtime is no exception. While we may not have many mountains in Minnesota, our towering skyline provides plenty of opportunities to get a birds-eye view of the city while enjoying great food and great weather. We’ve rounded up the best rooftop bars, rooftop restaurants, and rooftop patios in Minneapolis so you can make the most of summer’s delights.

Rooftop Lounge at the Hewing Hotel

Take in unparalleled views of the Minneapolis skyline from this North Loop rooftop bar and patio perched six floors above Washington Avenue. Decked out with fire pits and romantic string lights, this swanky all-season rooftop dining and drinking destination is perhaps best known for its house Old Fashioned made with private barrel Knob Creek bourbon and rye. Cocktails, local craft beer, and wine are best enjoyed with a house charcuterie or cheese board from the menu of drinking snacks. The rooftop bar and lounge offers both indoor seating and outdoor tables (weather permitting) and is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 5pm through midnight, though the kitchen closes at 10 pm. The rooftop is accessible via an elevator, and accessible restrooms are available on the rooftop level.

Tip: Want to enjoy the rooftop pool and sauna before you indulge in a cocktail or two? Make a reservation—they’re exclusive perks for hotel guests.

Brit’s Pub

Downtown Minneapolis’s hub of all things UK since 1990, Brit’s Pub features several rooftop bars and an English Garden Park, complete with a 10,000 square foot lawn bowling green open in the warmer months, typically mid-May through Mid-September. With views of the downtown skyline, Peavy Plaza, and Nicollet (formerly known as Nicollet Mall), Brit’s is one of the best rooftop restaurants in Minneapolis to enjoy a sunny afternoon any day of the week. Enjoy a full menu of British and Scottish pub delights, from Scotch Eggs and Fish and Chips to a traditional Sunday Roast served with mash and Yorkshire pudding. The lawn often serves double-duty as an outdoor screening room for live football (soccer) and rugby games and movie nights, as well as concerts for British events, like the King's coronation.

Accessibility note: While the rooftop patio is wheelchair accessible, wheelchairs are not allowed on the lawn.

Crave Minneapolis (LaSalle Plaza)

Boasting one of the largest rooftop patios in Downtown Minneapolis, Crave’s bustling rooftop bar offers views of the surrounding Hennepin Theatre District and frequently plays host to drag brunches, dance parties, and music events. The rooftop restaurant is also an excellent stop for cocktails and sushi or lobster mac & cheese before catching a touring Broadway show at a nearby theater.

Tip: Interested in attending a drag event at Crave? Tickets are available through Flip Phone Events, not the restaurant itself.

Union

Union is home to Minnesota’s only year-round retractable glass enclosed rooftop bar, so no matter the season you’re sure to enjoy Downtown Minneapolis views and a good drink. Located on historic Hennepin Avenue, the third-floor Union serves as both a rooftop restaurant–serving brunch, dinner, and late-night eats–and a bustling club-style event space, hosting Pride parade viewing parties, drag brunches, music and dance events.

Tip: Enjoy happy hour every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 4 to 6pm with half-price specials on cocktails and appetizers.

The Nicollet Diner & Roxy's Cabaret

Just around the corner from the Minneapolis Convention Center is The Nicollet Diner. It's open 24/7 and specializes in hamburgers, fries, malts and all-day breakfast. Up a level you'll find Roxy's Cabaret, which hosts everything from drag shows to movie nights to live comedy. Enjoy all the entertainment, snacks, and drinks on their tiered rooftop patio with retro vibes.

Gai Noi

New to the restaurant scene is Gai Noi, a popular spot next to Loring Park serving Laotian cuisine. It's named after a short grain, glutinous rice, which is a staple of the Lao diet and is eaten with with nearly all other dishes. The menu at Gai Noi is a celebration of the rich culinary traditions of Southeast Asia and serves sharable plates, like papaya salad, Panang spaghetti, basil wings, and more. Their rooftop has a tropical flair, and you'll get great views of the Basilica of Saint Mary and Loring Park.

Pinoli

Named after the pine nuts that make up the delectable pesto sauce we all know and love, Pinoli in Uptown serves pizzas, pasta and spreads that are paired with fresh focaccia. While you dine on the second-floor rooftop patio, you'll be graced with views of the Uptown Neighborhood, Lake Street, and Minneapolis’s stunning summer sunsets. Boasting free parking behind the restaurant—a relative rarity in Uptown—Pinoli offers outdoor seating only in the warmer months, typically beginning in May.

Accessibility note: The patio is wheelchair accessible via a hydraulic lift in the parking lot.

Moto-I

Serving Tokyo-style ramen and sake brewed on-site, Moto-I was the first sake brew-pub outside of Japan and is still Minneapolis’ only craft sake brewery. A Lyn-Lake neighborhood standby since 2008, Moto-I’s rooftop patio (open in the warmer months) offers high-top tables and bar-style seating along the edge of the rooftop, perfect for people watching and sunset gazing over the low-lying buildings of Uptown. The first-come, first-served patio gets busy, so arrive early to guarantee you’ll enjoy your ramen with fresh air and a view.

Accessibility note: while the rooftop patio is accessible via an elevator, wheelchair-friendly seating is very limited, as most tables are high-tops or picnic tables.

LynLake Brewery

Once a bustling theater on Uptown Minneapolis’s Lyndale Avenue, the 104-year-old building that houses LynLake Brewery became a craft brew hub in 2014. This trendy brew pub offers a long list of flagship beers and seasonal brews, plus Oklahoma-style onion burgers, fried chicken sandwiches, and pub snacks like cheese curds and pretzels. The charming rooftop patio that opens earlier and stays operational later in the year thanks to sculptural fire pits and heaters to extend the patio dining season. With views overlooking the bustling Lyn-Lake area and glimpses of the Minneapolis skyline in the distance, the brewery’s rooftop is accessible via stairs and an elevator.

Graze Provisions + Libations Food Hall

This North Loop destination offers a diverse selection of global culinary delights, plus a second level with video games, couches, and a rooftop bar and patio with skyline views a stone’s throw from Target Field. Enjoy Southern-inspired Low Country Cooking from the fabled Rooster, chef Yia Vang’s celebrated Union Hmong Kitchen, vegan (and non-vegan) chicken wings from B.A.D. Wingz, build-your-own healthy comfort plates from Soul Bowl, Viva Taco’s Mexican-meets-Vietnamese street food, and much more. Graze is a local go-to for pleasing a group of diners with diverse tastes and food sensitivities, since everyone can pick up their own food and head up to the rooftop patio for drinks and communal dining. The patio is wheelchair accessible and is open weather permitting—even if there’s a little snow still on the ground.

The Rooftop Bar at Nolo’s Kitchen

Nolo’s Kitchen and Bar, located in North Loop’s historic Maytag Co. building, offers modern American comfort food—think crunchy breakfast tacos, burgers, woodfired pizzas, and fancy-but-satisfying pasta dishes—as well as a rooftop bar open in the warmer months, beginning mid-May with daily dining starting in June. The rooftop bar offers great views of the surrounding historic warehouse buildings and Downtown skyline, plus foosball, live music events, string lights, a shimmering disco-ball wall, and cabanas for shade. (The rooftop is accessible via an elevator, and while there are steps leading up to the front door, there’s an additional entrance on the parking-lot side of the building with a ramp and automatic door opener.)

Blondette

This French-inspired restaurant on the fifth floor of the Rand Tower Hotel is housed in a gorgeous glass-covered atrium complete with an outdoor patio and a retractable roof. Step out onto the terrace for a drink and feel like you're in a secret oasis. Inside the restaurant, Blondette takes traditional French cuisine and flips it on its head with Pacific Northwest ingredients. Think seared scallops with apple and chartreuse butter, poached lobster with artichokes and sauce Americaine, sweetbreads fricassée and a varied selection of crudo.

Tip: Enjoy free valet parking when you dine at the restaurant.

Up-Down Arcade Bar

Minneapolis’s Up-Down 21+ barcade features more than fifty classic arcade games from the ‘80s and ‘90s, retro pinball machines, four skee-ball alleys, and big-screen Nintendo 64 console gaming—and all games cost just a quarter for a real throw-back vibe. If you’re looking for a specific arcade or pinball game, check the online arcade lineup, as game cabinets are rotated in and out frequently for maintenance and variety. On the newly remodeled outdoor patios, enjoy life-size Jenga and Connect Four under strings of lights setting the nostalgic vibes aglow. Whet your gaming appetite with housemade pizza by the slice and over 60 beers on tap. The rooftop patio is accessible via an elevator, but the access isn’t obvious—you’ll need to ask an employee for guidance.

Tip: Every Thursday, tokens are just 10 cents!