RFK Rankings · Auckland
Best Rooftop Restaurants in Auckland (2026)
Rooftop restaurants · Auckland · 6 tables ranked · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published August 21, 2025 · Updated June 17, 2026 · Reviewed by Fredrik Filipsson, Editor-in-Chief · How we rank · Corrections
Auckland's rooftops climb the CBD ridge from Queen Street down to the Viaduct, and most of them sell the harbour rather than a kitchen. The trap here is the sun-deck bar that serves a short snack list under a 270-degree view; the prize is the handful that put a real menu on the terrace. The six rooms below earn the height with food, from a seafood-led wine room on Queen Street to a chef-run Mediterranean terrace above the Viaduct. All read best in the late afternoon, when the sun drops over the Waitemata and the city lights come up.
1.Queens Rooftop and Wineshop
A wine-led rooftop on upper Queen Street with a raw seafood bar and 270-degree harbour view; book for golden hour.
Queens Rooftop and Wineshop sits high on the building at 396 Queen Street, a contemporary room with a wraparound terrace and a 270-degree outlook over the Waitemata Harbour and the CBD. The kitchen cooks seasonal, sustainable produce against a European frame, with a raw kaimoana bar and a seafood tower among the signatures, and shared plates roughly NZ$28 to NZ$45. It is the rare Auckland rooftop where the wine list and the kitchen carry the room as much as the view does. Book the terrace for golden hour and order from the raw bar first, when the light is still over the harbour.
Reserve direct; terrace, golden hour.
2.Rooftop at QT
Chef James Laird's Mediterranean terrace six floors above the Viaduct; book a sunset table and share the mezze.
Rooftop at QT floats six floors above the Viaduct on the QT Hotel, part glass-walled lounge and part open terrace, with a long view over the harbour and the marina. Chef James Laird runs a Mediterranean menu built to share, mezze and wood-grilled plates among the orders, with shared dishes around NZ$26 to NZ$48. The terrace catches the afternoon sun over the water, and the kitchen is more serious than the rooftop-bar average. It is the Viaduct's polished sunset terrace. Book ahead for a sunset table on the open side and order the mezze to start, when the light goes gold over the boats.
Reserve direct; sunset table, share plates.
3.La Zeppa Kitchen and Bar
A long-running Freemans Bay rooftop with a Mediterranean sundeck above the city; book the deck for a long afternoon.
La Zeppa sits on the roof of a converted Drake Street warehouse in Freemans Bay, a sundeck-and-bar room with a city outlook just west of the CBD. The kitchen runs Mediterranean small plates and pizza built for sharing, with plates around NZ$20 to NZ$36, and the deck is one of the city's established sun-trap terraces. It trades the harbour for a warm, west-facing city view and a longer, more relaxed afternoon. It is the neighbourhood rooftop to the waterfront rooms. Book the deck rather than the inside bar, and aim for a late, slow afternoon that runs into the evening as the city lights come on.
Reserve direct; sundeck, late afternoon.
4.The Glass Goose
A glasshouse rooftop off Federal Street with a garden room and full menu; book it for a sheltered all-weather table.
The Glass Goose hides at the top of a staircase off Federal Street, a rooftop built as a garden glasshouse so it works in any weather, a few blocks from the waterfront. The kitchen runs a contemporary share menu across brunch, lunch and dinner, with plates around NZ$22 to NZ$38, and the planted, light-filled room is the draw as much as any single dish. It trades a wide harbour panorama for a sheltered green rooftop in the middle of the CBD. It is the all-weather rooftop for a wet Auckland evening. Book the glasshouse and treat it as a garden room in the sky rather than a view terrace.
Reserve direct; glasshouse, any weather.
5.The Churchill
A 20th-floor gin rooftop with a city-and-harbour panorama and shared plates; book it for a high-up evening drink and snack.
The Churchill occupies the 20th floor of the Four Points by Sheraton on Mayoral Drive, the highest rooftop room in this list, with a panorama over the CBD and out to the harbour. The bar is gin-led, nearly 200 styles, and the kitchen is a shared-plate selection rather than a full restaurant menu, with snacks roughly NZ$18 to NZ$34. The height and the panorama are the headline, and the food is built to go with the drink. It is the rooftop for the view first. Book a window or terrace table at dusk, treat the gin list and the panorama as the main event, and order the shared plates to go with it.
Reserve direct; window table, dusk.
6.Dr Rudi's Rooftop Brewing Co
A rooftop brewpub over the Viaduct with house beer and a casual kitchen; book the deck for a relaxed group afternoon.
Dr Rudi's Rooftop Brewing Co sits on level two at 204 Quay Street over the Viaduct Harbour, a rooftop brewpub with an open deck, an on-site brewery and indoor mini-golf. The kitchen runs a casual menu of pizza, burgers and shared plates around NZ$20 to NZ$34, with the house-brewed beer the signature pour. It is the loosest, most social room on this list, built for a group on a sunny afternoon rather than a quiet dinner. It is the Viaduct's casual rooftop. Book the deck for an afternoon with a crowd, order the house beer and the pizza, and treat the harbour and the brewery as the backdrop.
Reserve direct; deck, group afternoon.
Avoid for a rooftop dinner
Great kitchen, no rooftop
Ahi in Commercial Bay and Ostro in Britomart are two of the city's best waterfront kitchens, but they sit at street and building level rather than on an open rooftop. Book them for the food and the harbour, and see our Best Auckland restaurants with a view for the full water list.
Bar, not a kitchen
Several of Auckland's best-known rooftops, the SkyCity and hotel bars among them, are drinks-first terraces with little or no kitchen. They are fine for a sunset cocktail, but if dinner is the point of the evening, book one of the six rooms above, which actually cook on the roof.
Reservation strategy for an Auckland rooftop table
Auckland's rooftops run along the CBD ridge and down to the Viaduct. Queens Rooftop sits high on upper Queen Street, the QT and Dr Rudi's look over the Viaduct, La Zeppa holds a west-facing sundeck in Freemans Bay, the Glass Goose is a sheltered glasshouse off Federal Street, and the Churchill is the highest at twenty floors up on Mayoral Drive. For all of them the prize is an outside table in the late afternoon, when the sun drops over the harbour and the city lights come up.
Book the terrace at Queens Rooftop and the QT ahead for a sunset table, and aim for a long, slow afternoon on the deck at La Zeppa or Dr Rudi's. For a wet evening, the Glass Goose glasshouse is the one that still works, and for the highest panorama, take a dusk table at the Churchill and treat the view as the main event.
Frequently asked
What is the best rooftop restaurant in Auckland?
For the kitchen, Queens Rooftop and Wineshop on upper Queen Street, a wine-led room with a raw seafood bar and a 270-degree harbour view, or Rooftop at QT, chef James Laird's Mediterranean terrace over the Viaduct. For the highest panorama, the Churchill sits twenty floors up on Mayoral Drive. Book an outside table for the late afternoon.
Which Auckland rooftops actually serve food?
Queens Rooftop, Rooftop at QT, La Zeppa, the Glass Goose and Dr Rudi's all run full kitchens, from a raw seafood bar to Mediterranean share plates, pizza and brewpub food. The Churchill is more of a gin bar with a shared-plate menu. Several other well-known rooftops are drinks-first terraces with little kitchen, so check before you book for dinner.
Where is the highest rooftop bar in Auckland?
The Churchill on the 20th floor of the Four Points by Sheraton on Mayoral Drive is the highest rooftop in this list, with a panorama over the CBD and out to the harbour and nearly 200 styles of gin. Book a window or terrace table at dusk and treat the view and the drinks list as the main event.
How much does a rooftop meal in Auckland cost?
Plan on roughly NZ$20 to NZ$48 for shared plates at the rooftop kitchens, Queens Rooftop, the QT, La Zeppa, the Glass Goose and Dr Rudi's, with the wine and raw bar pushing the bill up at Queens. The Churchill is a drink-led room with snacks from around NZ$18. The sunset terrace tables carry the demand, so weekend afternoons are about booking ahead as much as cost.
When should you book an Auckland rooftop table?
Ahead for a sunset terrace at Queens Rooftop and the QT, and for weekend afternoons across the board. The late afternoon is the hour, when the sun drops over the harbour and the city lights come up. For a wet evening, book the sheltered Glass Goose glasshouse, and for the highest view, take a dusk table at the Churchill.
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Browse the full Auckland dining guide, compare the city's water tables in Best Auckland restaurants with a view, see the global list in Best Rooftop Restaurants Worldwide 2026, plan a meal to impress clients in Auckland, see the best of fine dining worldwide, browse all RFK cities, or open the full RFK rankings index.
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