What is summer in the city without a little razzle on a rooftop bar?
The views? Stunning. The light? Damn, girl! The air? Fresh. The perspective? Godly.
In a city like Windhoek, blessed with 300+ days of sunshine and the most spectacular sunsets, rooftop bars should really be far more of a thing.
Happily, there are three spots elevating the rooftop game as they boast superior service, signature cocktails and incredible views of the city.
If a rooftop bar crawl seems like a worthy excursion at summer’s end, here’s my itinerary from a random Tuesday evening.
Sky Lounge: At the opulent The Weinberg Hotel is a boast of plush lounges, a monochrome mosaic bar and a pretty perch on Roman Hill overlooking the verdant suburb of Klein Windhoek.
Heavy on the casual glam that marries old-world aesthetics with modern lines and accents, Sky Lounge is most popular on Fridays and Saturdays when friends swan in from 15h00 until late. Offering an eclectic selection of eats including rice paper wraps, hamburger sliders, baked Camembert, glazed chorizo, delicious rustic fries and pink peppercorn cheesecake, Sky Lounge does bar snacks dainty and with a solid selection of cocktails and premium sparkling wines.
Sky Lounge bar staff recommend their ever popular frozen strawberry daiquiri, a Lynchburg Lemonade or a good old Singapore Sling.
Sky Bar at the Hilton Hotel: Windhoek’s OG rooftop bar and the closest thing the city has to a beach club is a sexy, central situation with a sparkling pool, duo of cabanas and a gorgeous view of downtown. The clientele is cosmopolitan and the vibe is dynamic as the pool bar graduates to a chic lounge when night falls and the drinks begin to flow.
Most popular on Fridays and offering a monthly DJ session as patrons party under the stars, Sky Bar’s best-selling dish is their beef burger, which goes down a treat with a Sky Bar Breeze, a rainbow cocktail created by Uschi ‘the guru ‘.
Gin lovers will love this joint for its great selection of Namibian and South African craft gins served with pride and a smile.
Stratos: Hands down the best view in the city and one of my personal favourites, Stratos at Avani Hotel is next level. Situated 15 floors up replete with see-through walls for uninterrupted views of the central business district from one angle and otherworldly sunsets from another, swanky Stratos is simply the height of Windhoek’s rooftop bars.
Offering everything from prawn pad thai and honey soy pork belly to West Coast oysters and local tripe in the main restaurant as well as gourmet burgers, kapana and tacos on the sky deck, Stratos ‘ eats are as delicious as their cocktails.
Bar staff recommend Boston’s Gin Cocktail or the Hakuna Matata. The latter is described thus “for the original ‘Lion King ‘ fans out there, you know, the ones who are now old enough to drink – be warned! This is a strong drink. Literally have ‘no worries ‘ after one of these”.
Most popular on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, Stratos is a must for date night, girls ‘ nights, random mid-week vibes or whenever you want to feel on top of the world.
– martha@namibian.com.na ; Martha Mukaiwa on Twitter and Instagram; marthamukaiwa.com
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