Bangkok

Bar.Yard, Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok — The obvious answer in Bangkok is one of the Chao Phraya sky bars, and the obvious answer will cost you a queue, a dress-code inspection and a mediocre cocktail. We'd send you to the 40th floor in Lumphini instead. Bar.Yard has been named Best Rooftop Bar in Bangkok at the BK B.A.D Awards three years running — 2023, 2024 and 2025 — and that isn't a fluke of voting.

The terrace looks out over Lumphini Park, which is the detail that separates it from the pack: greenery in the foreground gives the skyline depth that a wall of towers alone never does. It faces east, so you don't get the sun dropping in front of you — what you get instead is the slower, better show of the whole city switching its lights on. The kitchen is run by Peruvian chef Julio César Concha Muñoz and reads as Pan-Latin crossed with Thai: ceviche, fire-grilled meats, the Lomo Saltado. Drinks follow the same logic, and the BDSM — tequila, pomegranate, smoked chipotle, a mist of lime — is the one to start with.

Get there for happy hour, 5pm to 7pm daily, when everything is THB 350++ and you can watch the light go while the DJs are still warming up. Book ahead Thursday to Saturday. Dress code is "Contemporary Cool", which means look like you tried.