The prospect of cocktails at SixtyFive, the Rainbow Room cocktail lounge which sits an ear popping 65 floors above the beautiful New York City, meant only one thing: fever pitch excitement levels as we glammed ourselves up and made our way to the Rockefeller Centre for our cocktails in the sky!
30 Rock
The instantly recognizable Rockefeller building dominates the New York midtown skyline and is home to the Rainbow Room and SixtyFive Lounge, Top of the Rock observation deck and the NBC studios. Having strained our necks admiring the towering skyscraper from the street we were excited to check out the 65th floor and the views across Manhattan!
Street Entrance to Rainbow Room:
Where to stay in New York
We’ve stayed all over the city during our trips to NYC. Here’s some of our favourites:
- Courtyard Soho: for its downtown location and price. – Click here for latest prices
- Pod 51: an awesome and funky option close to the Rockefeller Center – Click here for latest prices
- Renaissance Times Square: for its Times Square location, spacious rooms and the stunning R Lounge bar. You can have breakfast overlooking the iconic Times Square and enjoy cocktails in the evenings overlooking the lights! – Click here for latest prices
- SIXTY Lower East Side: when we want explore downtown with an incredible rooftop pool! This one is not to be missed. – Click here for latest prices
- Hi NYC: on the Upper West Side is a great hostel option . Click here for latest prices
Click here for the best NYC hotel prices
SixtyFive at The Rainbow Room
We checked ourselves and our coats in with the hostess on the mezzanine level and stepped into the elevator for our express ride to the 65th floor and SixtyFive lounge. Given it was January and the Rainbow Room had only reopened a few months prior, we were happy to visit on a relatively quiet Tuesday night with no queues!
As we stepped into the lounge we were instantly mesmerized by the floor to ceiling windows and the New York landmarks twinkling in the distance. Our luck was in as we were promptly shown to a window table for two with an incredible view towards downtown Manhattan.
Happy much?!
The view from our table:
The Cocktails
The cocktail menu was short and, after a quick glance, we opted for rum based Papa Doble and a classic Manhattan. The $25 price tag wasn’t surprising (we paid an eye watering $50 per cocktail during our outing to the 7* Burj Al Arab in Dubai) and, being in the heart of New York City, we were confident it was going to be a pretty awesome cocktail!
The cocktails tasted good and packed a nice punch and that makes the $25 price tag OK for us! To put it in perspective, the Rainbow Room and SixtyFive Lounge are two floors below the Top of the Rock observation deck which is priced at $29 per person minus the cocktail!
The View
The floor to ceiling windows provide panoramic views on 3 sides of the SixtyFive Lounge. Central Park and the George Washington Bridge are visible to the north and the Empire State and Freedom Tower to the south. The view from SixtyFive simply took our breath away. We spent most of our time sneaking glances at southern Manhattan and competing over who had the best eyesight and could find the Statue of Liberty in the distance! The only disappointment was the reflections from the thick glass which slightly marred the city views (and our pictures!).
The lounge features a wraparound terrace with glorious outdoor views. Unfortunately due to the severe cold weather the terrace was closed during our visit but, in better weather, we can only imagine it’s the best rooftop view in Manhattan!
Hello New York City! The view downtown:
The Sixty Five Lounge
SixtyFive at the Rainbow Room oozes old school glamour and the marble tables, low lighting and plush cocktails ensure a chic cocktail experience. The crowd was a mix of after work drinks and tourists and it’s safe to say both groups were taking equally as many photos of the magnificent skyline!
The Menu
We were given both a drinks and sushi-based small plate menu on our arrival. The cocktail menu is compact but there are plenty of drinks to choose from with the inclusion of the wine, beer and shorts on offer. We didn’t indulge in any small plates due to dinner reservations but the sushi and sashimi looked really good. Not that I’m biased given sushi is my favourite food on the planet…!
The lounge and bar:
The sushi chef at work:
Bathrooms with a view!
I love when the bathrooms have a quirky feature making them as fantastic as the venue and, it has to be said, the men get an incredible deal in the Rainbow Room. I was faced with the reflection of myself in the ladies room and, while this is obviously awesome, it’s not quite as good as New York City from the 65th floor! The husband was most impressed with the Central Park view from the men’s bathroom so be sure you take a trip if you qualify!
Overall
The Rainbow Room is all about the view and it’s truly mesmerizing. The surroundings are plush and the cocktails are excellent and it has easily catapulted to one of my favourite bars in New York City. Our $65 bill might seem excessive for two cocktails but views like this come at a premium and, given the price of the Top of the Rock observation deck just two floors above, the cost is easily justified.
At the moment SixtyFive is New York’s best kept secret! If we can offer one piece of advice it’s to get their quickly before everyone discovers the SixtyFive lounge and the queues are around the block!
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Sixty Five at the Rainbow Room, New York City
Address: 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112
Rainbow Room Dress Code
The Rainbow Room and SixtyFive Lounge are pretty posh! I felt a little under dressed with my daytime jeans and top but the husband made the effort with dressy jeans and a shirt. The lounge is upscale and everyone was dressed accordingly. The official dress code from the Rainbow Room website states a business casual dress code and that T-shirts, hoodies, sneakers, baseball caps and other sportswear are not allowed.
Can’t wait to visit after reading your article