Sky high

Guardian (Union Square)

BARS • First Round

Sitting 23 stories up, gazing across an open early-evening view of the New York skyline stretching from Wall Street to Midtown, I found myself living the city summertime dream earlier this week. A civilized rooftop scene? In Manhattan?

Indeed, the secret isn’t yet out (and the masses not yet in) at Guardian, the new rooftop bar opened this spring at the remade W Union Square. Rooftop bars have an obvious allure, but almost all such spots in NYC end up some combination of overcrowded, loud, and bro-y. Not Guardian, where access is managed via reservation (with occasional walk-ins allowed, space and vibes permitting).

Most of the rooftop space here sits inside a glassed-in, greenhouse-esque room, but arriving early, I snagged one of the two-tops on the narrow patio running along the western side of the roof. It was a sublime perch from which to take in the skyline while sipping a Queens Gambit (Bombay gin, Aperol, melon, and egg white). Behind me, on an open patio that’s the other outdoor option at Guardian, the giant W of the hotel’s sign loomed, almost close enough to reach out and touch. In moments like this, it’s hard not to be romantic about New York City.

After a round, I retired to the half-filled bar inside, where I enjoyed the tuna poke tostada, spiced up with a salsa macha, from the short menu of bites. (One strong move: Combine a visit to Guardian with dinner at Seahorse on the hotel’s ground floor.)

A note on access, which the venue says is still a bit of a work in progress: Entering the hotel, I was directed up the lobby staircase to the second floor, where a host handed me an elevator access card. From there, by elevator to the 22nd floor, then down a hallway to another elevator, this one carrying me just one more floor up to the roof. A bit of a trek for a chill, refined Manhattan rooftop situation? Worth it. –Lockhart Steele

→ Guardian (Union Square) • 201 Park Ave South • Sun-Thu 4-10p, Fri-Sat 4-11p • Reserve.