Top 10 Rooftop Bars in Cape Town

Perched atop the tallest building in the V&A Waterfront, The Silo Rooftop sits on the sixth floor of the architecturally striking Silo Hotel, above the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa. Regularly named among the best rooftop bars Cape Town has to offer, it pairs a relaxed al fresco setting with panoramic views of Table Mountain, Signal Hill and the harbour, and a menu of light meals, oysters and tempura bites alongside a serious cocktail and South African wine list. The rooftop’s heated infinity pool is reserved for hotel guests, but the bar and terrace are open to all, and reservations are recommended since the space is weather-dependent.

Hidden away above the design-driven Gorgeous George hotel in the heart of the city centre, Gigi Rooftop is filled with tropical foliage, natural light and a striking emerald-green glass-panelled pool. One of Cape Town’s most sought-after cocktail bars, Gigi offers a tantalising menu of classic and bespoke cocktails crafted by an in-house mixologist, channelling local spirits and indigenous flavours, alongside a comprehensive food menu. The bar comes alive at sunset with 360-degree views out across the city rooftops, and resident DJs take over the decks Thursday through Sunday, with a loose musicians’ jam on Tuesday nights.

Set on The Promenade Building right across from Camps Bay beach, Chinchilla Rooftop Bar is one of the city’s most iconic sundowner spots, with boho-chic decor and open-air lounging that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean, Lion’s Head and the Twelve Apostles. Cocktails are the main draw here — think pineapple and sage margaritas, Amaretto and apricot sours, and pina coladas — alongside a strong whisky and wine selection and a menu of café classics and sushi. Weekend resident DJs spin from 5pm to 9pm as the sky turns from gold to pink, making it a firm favourite among Cape Town’s best rooftop bars for sunset views.

On the corner of Strand and Buitengracht Streets, a lift inside the SunSquare Cape Town City Bowl hotel takes you straight to floor 14, past the indoor pool to a deck offering a 180-degree slice of Table Mountain, Lion’s Head, the V&A Waterfront and Table Bay. 14 Stories Rooftop Bar is a favourite after-work spot for locals, with a “buy one get one free” happy hour on selected drinks from Monday to Thursday at 5:30pm, jazz on Sundays and DJs on select Thursdays. Expansive glass windows mean the mood carries on indoors if the weather turns, making it a reliable choice among Cape Town’s best rooftop bars year-round.

Sitting atop the Radisson RED Hotel in the trendy Silo District at the Waterfront, RED Roof Bar is a red-hot venue eight floors up where drinks are served from a striking red drink van. The sun terrace and pool deck deliver killer views of the harbour, bay, city skyline and Table Mountain, making it a top pick for sunset cocktails and tapas. With a rooftop pool open as part of the deck experience, RED Roof Bar is one of the better pool bars Cape Town’s waterfront district has to offer, and pairs well with a stroll through the surrounding V&A Waterfront shops and restaurants.

Perched high on the seventh floor of The Hyde Hotel in Sea Point, Skye Rooftop Bar beckons with a sparkling pool, 360-degree views and an upbeat vibe. A retractable roof shelters guests from UV rays in summer and rain in winter, making it a reliable year-round pick among Cape Town’s rooftop bars, with unhindered views of Lion’s Head and the Atlantic Ocean. Alongside wine, beers, bubbly and spirits, the cocktail list runs from Hyde Club Sours to Salty Dogs, paired with an extensive sharing-plates menu including potstickers, sliders and ocean tempura.

Drawing inspiration from the classic film Casablanca, Rick’s Cafe Americain has long been a staple of Cape Town’s popular Kloof Street strip, now operating from a beautifully renovated Victorian building at 103 Kloof Street. While many locals flock here for streetside dining and the popular Rick’s Cheeseburger, the rooftop terrace upstairs is the real charmer — laid-back seating, strings of lights and unobstructed views of Table Mountain. The drinks list is one of the city’s most wide-ranging, spanning bubbly, spirits, liqueurs and mezcal, and with not one but two daily happy hours, it’s a fixture among Cape Town’s best bars for a long, easy evening.

On the fourth floor of the Grand Daddy Boutique Hotel on the famous Long Street, The Sky Bar stands out from the city’s other rooftop bars with an industrial outdoor landscape built around seven designer Airstream trailers surrounding a deck and lounge. It’s an iconic Long Street bar for cityscape and skyline views, especially as the sky turns orange at sunset or scatters with city lights after dark. Beyond the standard funky cocktails, wines and beers, drawcards include Sunday Movie Night with complimentary popcorn and a welcome drink, and the occasional Saturday Salsa Night — though it’s worth checking ahead, as the popular rooftop is often closed for private functions.

Set in the attic of a 200-year-old heritage building on Longmarket Street, Tjing Tjing Rooftop Bar is a sophisticated third-floor favourite among locals and visitors alike, appealing to a spread of ages with its Japanese aesthetic and part-attic, part open-air urban terrace. Guests come for Japanese-inspired bites paired with tastefully creative cocktails while taking in close-up views of the surrounding urban core, and in 2012 the bar was voted one of the best new bars in the world by Condé Nast Traveller. A misting system keeps things cool on hot Cape Town days, and additional dining is available on the lower levels of Tjing Tjing House.

Eleven floors up at the Radisson Hotel Cape Town Foreshore, Elvn11 Restaurant & Rooftop Bar offers lounge-chair seating on an open terrace with Table Mountain views that make the climb worthwhile. Privately run and opened in December 2024 after a refurbishment, the bar now sports a subdued palette of dusty pink, beige and burgundy, drawing a mixed crowd of ages and nationalities, especially around sundowner time. Lighter eats including sushi and teriyaki beef bites often accompany the cocktails, and many guests stay on for dinner from a more extensive menu, making it a solid stop among the city’s newer rooftop bars.