This cool, late 60s-era lounge and rooftop bar, perched on the 4th floor of The Rise Uptown Hotel, pays homage to Don Woods, a prominent local realtor back in the day. Outfitted with couches, heaters and misters, the terrace is a relaxing place to while away an evening over drinks and snacks, all while sitting above the bustle of uptown Phoenix and enjoying views of the Phoenix skyline. The cocktail menu features “forgotten classics”, while food offerings lean toward midcentury classics such as deviled eggs, mac and cheese, and tiny bites of sweet and sour-glazed meat loaf.

This 13th-floor bar in the Hilton Garden Inn makes the most of its unlucky number, offering cleverly named cocktails that bring murder mysteries to mind, including The Lady Vanishes, Blackmail, and Guilty Witness. Customers stay comfortable via misters, heaters and firepits, all while getting close-up views of downtown Phoenix and long shots of the Valley’s dramatic skyline. A small menu offers barbacoa beef cheek tostadas, a charcuterie board, and variously topped bruschetta. Reservations are required, and stays are limited to 90 minutes.

Replicating Eden is a pretty tall order, but this elegant rooftop bar and restaurant, located above the Kimpton Hotel Palomar in downtown Phoenix, certainly feels idyllic, thanks to its classy, comfortable décor and the privacy of curtained tables. Besides great views of downtown and South Mountain, the place is also famous for its sophisticated cocktails and Mediterranean-influenced menu, offering, among other things hummus and whipped feta, lamb meatballs, kale and quinoa salad, and chicken pesto flatbread. Buy a day pass or a cabana to partake of the rooftop pool.

With its crystal chandeliers and tufted banquettes, this roofed rooftop bar and restaurant overlooking Biltmore Fashion Park, Piestewa Peak, and Camelback Mountain requires a better wardrobe than jeans and sneakers, but the extra sartorial effort is worth it. As the sultry little sister to ground-level Flint by Baltaire, UaF offers similarly great cocktails and the same Mediterranean-accented menu, which features short rib hummus (don’t miss it), wood-grllled octopus, Moroccan fried chicken, and wood-fired truffle pizza.

Set atop serial restaurateur Sam Fox’s new and buzzy Global Ambassador Hotel, dimly lit, glass-enclosed Thea has indoor and outdoor seating. Either way, you catch an incredible close-up of Camelback Mountain and, as the sun goes down, gorgeous views of twinkling city lights. Given the setting, the approachable menu is surprisingly affordable, offering various mezze (Greek street fries and manti dumplings, for example), meat or veggie skewers, flatbreads, and entrees such as cast-iron brick chicken with fregola and zhoug, or Greek-style grilled lamb chops with olive oil, oregano, and lemon. Check out Thea’s huge selection of rosé wines, one of the largest in the U.S.

Sitting 18 floors above downtown Tempe, aptly named Skysill in the Westin Tempe is the Valley’s tallest rooftop bar and restaurant, offering spectacular views in every direction. There’s a shaded bar as well as a sparkling pool (buy a day pass or rent a cabana to use it), but for watching the planes glide into Sky Harbor or catching a vivid Arizona sunset, grab a seat along the restaurant’s glass-protected perimeter and relax over craft cocktails, local beer, or even mulled wine, should the night be chilly. The all-day menu includes lobster corn dogs, fried chicken sliders, stone fruit salad, and, for a splurge, roasted branzino with brown butter plum sauce.

A portion of this rooftop bar, located on the 14th floor of the Canopy by Hilton Downtown Tempe, has indoor areas (including a bar) while still offering fabulous views of the Superstition Mountains and Four Peaks in the distance. The cocktail menu features riffs on classics, while snacky food selections include guacamole and chips, flatbreads, lettuce wraps, and smash burgers. Reserve a cabana, buy a day pass, or become an overnight guest to take a swim in its rooftop pool.

Time your visit right, and this high-end restaurant, situated on the 15th floor of Talking Stick Resort, completely delivers on its name, offering breathtaking views of metro Phoenix’s famously vivid sunsets. The extensive menu, which pays homage to the Sonoran Desert, features rack-roasted oysters, short rib osso buco with Oaxacan hominy cakes, pork belly with apricot guajillo sauce, pibil-style Ora King salmon, and game such as deer, antelope, and bison. Both wine and food prices are surprisingly reasonable, considering the food, atmosphere, and experience. 

Credit the old-fashioned water tower in plain view, but Gilbert’s first rooftop restaurant and bar, which sits on the top floor of Building 313 and overlooks the city’s downtown, has an irresistibly relaxed vibe. It’s a great place to come for Mexican spirits (Sotol being one of them), affordable happy hour eats, and an appealing Southwestern menu that runs to shrimp ceviche, house-made frybread, loaded pastor yucca fries, and sotol churros.