The Watch on the seventh floor of The Restoration Hotel is the downtown rooftop room with a wraparound view across Charleston's church steeples, a Lowcountry kitchen and a small outdoor deck.
Tip: Open daily from 11:00; the kitchen runs lunch through dinner. No reservations on the bar deck, walk-in and queue at the host stand.
Address: 75 Wentworth Street, Charleston, SC 29401
Citrus Club on the eighth floor of The Dewberry is the city's highest rooftop, a chic terrace shaded by olive trees with citrus-driven cocktails and a 360 degree view across the peninsula.
Tip: 21+ only. First come, first served via the lobby concierge; weekend evenings fill fast. Cocktails around $16 to $18.
The Rooftop at The Vendue, named Best Rooftop Bar by the Charleston City Paper every year since 2007, sits above Waterfront Park with a sweeping view of the harbour and the Ravenel Bridge.
Tip: No reservations taken; lunch through late evening seven days. Live music on weekend nights; arrive before 18:00 to claim a bridge-side rail seat.
The Gin Joint on East Bay is the long-running craft cocktail room from MariElena Raya and Joe Raya, with a no-reservations house rule and a dealer's choice menu built around a written flavour brief.
Tip: No reservations or call-aheads; walk-in only, first come first served. Closed early on Sunday at 20:00.
Stars Rooftop on Upper King runs the open-air bar on top of the restored Arts and Crafts building at 495, with a 360 degree view across the peninsula and a small kitchen of flatbread pizzas and smashburgers.
Tip: The downstairs grill room closed August 2025; the rooftop bar continues as Stars Rooftop (also branded Satellite Bar). Walk-in, no reservations.
Citrus Club on the eighth floor of The Dewberry is the city's highest rooftop, a chic terrace shaded by olive trees with citrus-driven cocktails and a 360 degree view across the peninsula.
Tip: 21+ only. First come, first served via the lobby concierge; weekend evenings fill fast. Cocktails around $16 to $18.
The Rooftop at The Vendue, named Best Rooftop Bar by the Charleston City Paper every year since 2007, sits above Waterfront Park with a sweeping view of the harbour and the Ravenel Bridge.
Tip: No reservations taken; lunch through late evening seven days. Live music on weekend nights; arrive before 18:00 to claim a bridge-side rail seat.
Prohibition on Upper King runs a 1920s speakeasy theme across a 300-seat room, with the 547 Manhattan and a Bacon Maple Old Fashioned anchoring the bar list and a dance floor that opens after dinner.
Tip: Brunch Thursday to Sunday 11:00 to 14:30; dinner nightly until 22:00. DJs Friday and Saturday 22:00 to 02:00, 23+ on the dance floor.
The Gin Joint on East Bay is the long-running craft cocktail room from MariElena Raya and Joe Raya, with a no-reservations house rule and a dealer's choice menu built around a written flavour brief.
Tip: No reservations or call-aheads; walk-in only, first come first served. Closed early on Sunday at 20:00.
The Cocktail Club on Upper King runs an upstairs cocktail room in an 1881 building, with reclaimed timber, a rooftop garden of cocktail garnishes and a Thursday to Saturday live music slot.
Tip: Tuesday to Sunday 17:00 to 02:00. Live music Thursday to Saturday from around 21:00; walk in early to grab the back room sofas.