The best rooftop bars in Toronto cluster downtown, and three lead the pack. Lavelle on King West runs 16 storeys up with a rooftop pool, cabanas and a 360-degree skyline view. Kost, on the Bisha Hotel's 44th floor, has the highest sightline. The Drake's Sky Yard is the casual, year-round patio. Cocktails across the good rooftops run roughly $16 to $24, and the season peaks May through September.
A few ground rules before you go up. Toronto's rooftop scene is seasonal: the patios fill from May to September and most of the open-air decks close or shrink once the cold arrives. Last call is 2am province-wide, so an evening that starts at 6pm with sunset drinks tends to end well before the clubs do. And on a warm Friday or Saturday, the marquee spots want a reservation. Walk up without one and you're queueing or settling for standing room.
What is the best rooftop bar in Toronto?
Lavelle is the one to beat. It's a rooftop restaurant, lounge and pool club on the Adelaide West edge of King West, 16 storeys above the strip, with a rooftop pool, cabanas, day beds and unobstructed skyline views. By day it runs as a beach club, with day passes and cabana rentals for the pool deck; book ahead in summer. By night it flips to a DJ-led lounge with a Brazilian-Japanese menu, and the crowd dresses to be seen. Cocktails sit in the $18 to $24 range. It's the most complete rooftop in the city precisely because it does both the daytime pool scene and the late-night lounge well.
If you want pure altitude, go to Kost instead. Kost is a rooftop restaurant and bar on the 44th floor of the Bisha Hotel in the Entertainment District, with an open-air terrace looking over Lake Ontario, the skyline and the CN Tower. The California-coastal menu and cocktails (also roughly $18 to $24) are the supporting act; the view is the reason you're there. It's a sit-down, reservation-first room rather than a party deck, which makes it the better pick for a date or a group that wants to actually hear each other.
Which rooftop has the best view
For the widest, highest panorama, Kost wins on numbers alone: 44 floors up beats everything else on this list by a wide margin. You're above the CN Tower's observation deck level for most of the structure, with the lake on one side and the financial-district towers on the other.
Lavelle's view is lower at 16 storeys but closer and more wraparound, so the skyline feels like it's right there rather than a distant grid. The trade-off is simple. Kost is about looking out; Lavelle is about being in the middle of it with a pool at your back. If you only have one rooftop evening and the weather is good, do Kost at sunset, then walk the few minutes west into King West for a later drink at Lavelle or a club.
The rooftop on top of the Drake Hotel
The Sky Yard is the top-floor patio above the Drake Hotel on West Queen West, and it's the antidote to the dressy King West decks. Casual-cool, no strict dress code, open day to late, and heated so it survives the shoulder seasons better than most. Cocktails run roughly $16 to $22, there's a grill and raw bar, and summer evenings get sunset DJ sets. The Drake reinvents the space often enough that regulars joke it looks like a different bar every visit.
Queen West in general runs looser than the Entertainment District. If the velvet-rope energy of King West isn't your thing, this is where you drink. Downstairs, the Drake Underground programs live bands and DJs most nights if you want to keep going after the patio cools off.
Rooftop bars in downtown and the Entertainment District
The densest cluster of rooftops sits in and around the Entertainment District and King West, Toronto's main going-out strip. Kost and Lavelle anchor it. EFS adds a third option: it's a long-running King West club-restaurant with a rooftop patio and private cabanas, leaning trendier and more bottle-service than the others, with cover around $20 to $40 on club nights. It's the spot if you want the rooftop to roll straight into a dance floor.
Getting between them is easy. The 504 King and 501 Queen streetcars run along the two main strips, a single TTC fare is around $3.30 to $3.50, and most of this is walkable in good weather. After 2am, the subway has stopped and rideshares surge as the clubs empty, so budget a bit more (roughly $12 to $30 downtown, more at peak) or catch a Blue Night bus.
Here's how the main rooftops stack up.
| Rooftop | Area | Height / feature | Cocktails | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lavelle | King West (Adelaide W) | 16 storeys, rooftop pool | ~$18-24 | Pool day into DJ night |
| Kost | Entertainment District (Bisha Hotel) | 44th floor, infinity pool | ~$18-24 | Highest view, dinner |
| Sky Yard | West Queen West (Drake Hotel) | Top floor, heated | ~$16-22 | Casual, year-round |
| EFS | King West | Rooftop patio + cabanas | club pricing | Rooftop-to-club |
Do you need a reservation, and what should you wear
In summer, reserve the big ones. Lavelle and Kost both recommend reservations, and on a warm weekend you won't walk up and land a good table without one. The Sky Yard runs more first-come, first-served, but expect a wait on patio-perfect evenings between roughly 6pm and 9pm. If you want a pool day at Lavelle, buy the pool pass or a cabana ahead rather than gambling on the door.
Dress smart for King West and the Entertainment District: no athletic wear, no jerseys, no track pants. Fashion sneakers usually pass; gym shoes don't. Queen West and the Drake are far more relaxed. Legal drinking and entry age in Ontario is 19, ID checks are strict at the door, and tipping 15 to 20 percent is expected on drinks. Coat check matters in the shoulder seasons.
Make a full night of it
Rooftops are a great opening act, not the whole show, especially with a hard 2am last call cutting the night short. A common Toronto move: sunset drinks on a rooftop, then either a King West club or a harbour cruise. The waterfront sits right below the skyline you've been admiring, and a guided drinks experience or a sailing cruise is an easy way to keep a group together before the bars get going.
If you'd rather chase the party crowd than a quiet patio, the Entertainment District clubs pick up after 11pm; arrive by 11:30pm to beat the lines before the 2am window closes. And if you're visiting in summer for a bachelorette or a big group, the Saturday and Sunday pool party at Cabana Pool Bar on Polson Pier is the daytime alternative to a rooftop, with tickets from around $30 to $60 plus pricier cabanas.
One last bit of timing. The rooftops are weather-dependent, so check the forecast before you commit. A rained-out July evening on an open deck is a worse night than a planned indoor cocktail bar. As of mid-2026, the season runs roughly May to September for the open-air spots, with Kost and the heated Sky Yard hanging on longest into the cooler months.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best rooftop bar in Toronto?
Lavelle on King West is the most complete rooftop in the city: 16 storeys up off Adelaide West with a rooftop pool, cabanas and 360-degree skyline views, beach-club energy by day and a DJ-led lounge by night. For pure altitude and the view, Kost on the 44th floor of the Bisha Hotel wins. For a relaxed, year-round patio, the Drake's Sky Yard.
What rooftop bar in Toronto has the best view?
Kost, on the 44th floor of the Bisha Hotel in the Entertainment District, has the highest and widest view, looking over Lake Ontario, the skyline and the CN Tower from an open-air terrace. Lavelle's 16th-storey deck gives you a closer, 360-degree skyline panorama. Both take reservations and both get booked solid on warm weekend evenings.
Do you need reservations for rooftop bars in Toronto?
For the big names in summer, yes. Lavelle and Kost both recommend reservations, and on a warm Friday or Saturday you will not walk up and get a good table without one. Casual spots like the Drake's Sky Yard run more first-come, first-served, but expect a wait on patio-perfect evenings between roughly 6pm and 9pm.
Which Toronto rooftop bars have a pool?
Lavelle on King West has a rooftop pool plus cabanas and day beds, with day passes and cabana rentals for the pool deck in summer. Kost on the Bisha Hotel's 44th floor has a pool tied to the hotel. For an all-day pool party rather than a bar, Cabana Pool Bar on Polson Pier runs summer Saturdays and Sundays.
What is the rooftop bar on top of the Drake Hotel?
It is the Sky Yard, the top-floor patio above the Drake Hotel on West Queen West. It is one of Toronto's longest-running rooftop bars, casual-cool with no strict dress code, open day to late and heated to stay open year-round. Cocktails run roughly $16 to $22, and there are grill and raw-bar plates plus sunset DJ sets in summer.
Are there any rooftop bars in downtown Toronto?
Yes. The densest cluster sits in and around the Entertainment District and King West: Kost on the Bisha Hotel's 44th floor, Lavelle 16 storeys up off Adelaide West, and EFS, a King West club-restaurant with a rooftop patio and cabanas. The Drake's Sky Yard is a short streetcar ride west on Queen West. All are walkable or one transit hop from the core.