The Rooftop at the Rockaway Hotel

If you’re looking to have a nautical moment without leaving the city, the sixth-floor rooftop at the Rockaway Hotel is your best option. This bar has views of the Atlantic just a few blocks from the beach, with an indoor space on one side and an outdoor terrace on the other. We’d tolerate mediocre rooftop fare in exchange for the ocean view—but the food and drinks here are actually great. A mason jar of the fattest sardines we’ve seen in a long time screams “by the sea,” and it comes with homemade chips on the side that we’d order even without the sardines. There's also a short-but-solid sushi menu—with especially large cuts of sashimi and wonton chips to share—as well as a few different tacos, like some pulled pork ones that we wouldn’t mind seeing on a regular taqueria menu. You’d think a rooftop by the beach would turn into Spring Break pretty quickly, but the friendly service, bright white walls, and plants hanging from the ceiling make this place feel like a calm, beachside daytime spot, even when they turn the music up and the bar fills up towards sunset.