Above Allen

If nothing else, this place has a killer view. The open lounge area with two outdoor terraces that look southwest on one side and northwest on the other — it’s pretty awesome. What is not awesome is the service. We waited almost two hours for wings and when they came out — there were four pitiful over-​fried wings on a plate with a piece of lettuce tossed on it as «garnish». Wow. Two hours for that. And this was at 8pm so there was scarcely a crowd. Wuuuut? Get the drinks at the bar, don’t open a tab (because that was another 30 minute wait — can we ever leave this place??), don’t order food, enjoy the view and leave early for another spot for the real fun to begin. Because this place is definitely not fun. 3 stars just because of the view.

FYI, it’s only open Fridays and Saturdays, from 6pm to 2am. It is also currently under renovation and should be re-​opening sometime in May 2015.

Quiet disappointed. Paid to come with my a few of my friends for New Years Eve, thinking it would be a young fun trendy rooftop. However it was an older crowd and most people had table reserved and stayed with whomever they came with. Needless to say the area and view was beautiful just the crowd was not up to expectation.

Came here for an event. And was not sure where this place was. Figured it was in the Thompson Hotel. This hotel has high security because you have to have a key card to use the elevator. Anyway, Above Allen is basically a large balcony. It has a lovely view of the city from lower east side. You can see midtown and the financial district from Above Allen. It’s really nice during the day/​night. It’s a bit small but not a bad place for a get-​together. They have couches, tables and the bar. There’s an option for place to be enclosed with it’s doors shut, but since it was summer time, all doors and window are open. (aka all the summer bugs come in)
Drinks. The people who planned this event, included a one-​hour open bar. So, during that hour, I had a couple of drinks. They weren’t as strong as other bars/​lounges, even after the open bar. The bartenders were nice and accommodating with my demand of more water.
Not a bad place, just expensive (even though I didn’t really pay anything). The only thing that this place has going is the view.

This is definitely the type of place that you have to be in the mood for, as is any lounge.
The view: SPECTACULAR! You can see the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Freedom Tower and busy Houston Street below.
Music: Good! But it is LOUD. Again, if you’re not in the mood for loud, I can’t hear the person next to me, music… then this is not for you.
Drinks: Pricy. I wouldn’t say that they are outrageous, but they definitely could be 2 dollars or so cheaper.
This is the kind of place I would go to maybe once or twice a year, because I’ve realized as I get older, I like more chill spots. However, I LOVE to dance… and I loved that about this place. The views are truly magical. I’ve been on quite a few rooftops, and while all the views are insane, this one was great in the sense that you truly could see the whole city. Gorgeous!

I went to Above Allen for a private party, so it was no hassle getting in. Upon entering the building, you have the choice of a revolving door or regular doors, which are manned by staff which open the door right away. When my friend and I realized we didn’t know which floor to go to, the staff helped us out right away.
We were early, so we took photos of the view, while it was still light outside. It was really nice. The music was also good. Quite a few older songs, mixed in with some current popular hits.
In terms of drink service, the bartenders were really nice and made good drink suggestions. However, the prices of the drinks were pretty heavy, especially considering that the drinks themselves were not. I don’t mind paying NYC prices for a drink, but it has to be strong.
And, while I understand that it is open to the outdoors and critters have an easier time getting in, I spotted a rather large dead roach upon arrival and it was very unpleasant for me.

Small lounge in the Thompson Hotel. The only thing this place is good for is the view — nice view of NYC (midtown and downtown). However, the place is incredibly small with limited seating options and only one bar. Even the patio is small. They have floor to ceiling windows which helps make the place feel like it’s larger and they have decent music.
For a Saturday afternoon/​evening of day drinking, it’s a fun place, but can’t imagine how packed/​hot it gets on weekend nights.

This small lounge in LES is a pretty decent spot with a decent view of the empire state building. The lounge itself is pretty small and only have one bar, a couple of seating areas, and two unisex bathrooms. There is a mandatory coat check when you enter the hotel which I think is $ 4 a coat.
On a Friday night I was surprised that it wasn’t packed at all and ratio to guy to girl is 2 to 1. It honestly wasn’t packed at all and super super hot. They blasted the heat even though its freezing outside. You can’t even open the windows because they locked it and no one can’t dance on the drink tables as I saw someone trying to do it but after 3 seconds the bouncer put her in her place.
Best thing probably about this place was the view, music, that it was free to enter, and the people I was with. Other than that there wasn’t anything electrifying about it.

i seem to have bad luck w/​hotel rooftop bars closing early! this place was empty by 2 am on a Friday night
Nice open-​space venue in the Thompson Hotel w/​a balcony on either side of the rooftop bar… the bar itself & lounge area were covered but the balconies were open to the night skies
yes it’s a rooftop bar but its only on the 7^th floor & its in lower east side, so the surrounding buildings/​views aren’t as amazing as midtown. BUT if you’re looking for a more casual rooftop bar than some of the other options, i think this is your bet
NOTE: the elevator guy isn’t the nicest. so if you’re cutting it close to closing you better be on time!

$ 50 for 3 glasses of wine… and waited 15 mins at bar to order them. We will never be back.