Complete guide

Rooftop Bars Johannesburg

2024 update
South Africa Flag
Country South Africa
Currency South African rand
Best time to visit September - April
Rooftop grade 6/10
Rooftop Bar Johannesburg
Courtesy of Alto234

Johannesburg Rooftop Guide

Updated:January 18, 2024

The financial and political center of South Africa is also growing into an urban city with a great nightlife. To get the best of the vibes, mixed with a pleasant breeze and lovely views, you should head up to one of the Johannesburg rooftop bar. This complete guide will take you right to the best venues, packed with all info you need about every Jo'burg rooftop: opening hours, dress codes, pics, maps and much more.

Spread out over the city, quite a few of the Johannesburg rooftop bars work as both event venues and public spaces, so it is always worth checking availability before visiting. But which is the best rooftop bar Johannesburg? Just scroll down and find the Johannesburg rooftop bar best suited for you.

The list

11 best rooftop bars in Johannesburg

Rooftop bar Johannesburg Alto234 in Johannesburg
1

Alto234

$$$$ | 57th floor | Sandown
  • Highlights
  • Modern
  • Amazing 360° views
  • Africa’s highest

Opened during 2021, Alto234 is Africa’s highest urban bar, offering a truly elevated Johannesburg experience. Perched 234 meters up, on the 57th floor The Leonardo in Sandton, the modern and minimalist rooftop comes with both interior and outdoor seating, surrounded with absolutely breathtaking 360-degree views over Johannesburg and its surroundings. Up here you can enjoy a luxury tapas menu, along with fun, trendy and edgy signature cocktails, premium spirits and a great selection of wines. Open daily, from the 'Afternoon Experience' to the 'Night Light Experience'.

Rooftop bar Johannesburg Artistry JHB in Johannesburg
2

Artistry JHB

$$$ | 3rd floor | Sandton
  • Highlights
  • Food & culture
  • 3 venues
  • Unique

The brainchild of award-winning musician J’Something, Artistry offers the best of the culinary, cinematic, theatrical and musical world, divided into a trilogy of spaces: a street-level lounge bar, a middle level for live music and theatre performances, and a top floor urban rooftop restaurant and bar. Bright, airy, lush and modern, the spacious rooftop blends the inside with the outside, and here you can indulge in food made with love and an impressive selection of drinks, during a sunny lunch, a romantic dinner, or a fun night out with friends.

Rooftop bar Johannesburg The Ivy in Johannesburg
3

The Ivy

$$$ | 3rd floor | Bedfordview
  • Highlights
  • Social space
  • Amazing views
  • Morning to night

Located at the HQ Building in Bedfordview, The Ivy Champagne Bar invites to high life leisure under the African Sun. Airy, lush and vibrant, the rooftop comes with a retractable roof and infrared heating, so no matter the weather it's a prime spot for amazing views over the Johannesburg skyline and the worlds largest urban forest. Open for breakfast, lunch and social evenings, the rooftop menu features Afro-Asian cuisine and a wide selection of drinks, served in an intimate and relaxing atmosphere.

Rooftop bar Johannesburg Living Room Rooftop Café in Johannesburg
4

Living Room

$$$ | 5th floor | Maboneng
  • Highlights
  • Urban oasis
  • Weekend live music

An urban and lush rooftop café and event venue, located on the 5th floor of the Main Change Building in the heart of Maboneng. From this inner city rooftop oasis you get lovely views over the Johannesburg skyline, especially around sunset which is really something extra up here. Closed for private events a few days of the week, the Living room rooftop bar otherwise offers chill weekday vibes and very vibrant weekend gatherings with live music and lots of people. Natural and fresh in setting, which also shine through in the quite large food & drinks menu.

Rooftop bar Johannesburg Flames at Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff in Johannesburg
5

Flames at Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff

$$$$ | 4th floor | Westcliff
  • Highlights
  • Beautiful terrace
  • Grill
  • Luxurious

At the Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff, located close to the Johannesburg Zoo, you find a beautiful and luxurious rooftop bar and restaurant called Flames. Offering both stylish indoor seating and a spacious outdoor terrace, the rooftop is not sky-high, but the elevated position of the hotel means you still get some amazing views across Johannesburg and the surrounding greenery. Up here you can indulge in fine cocktails and a great selection of champagne, along with grilled regional favorites.

Rooftop bar Johannesburg San Deck, Bar & Restaurant in Johannesburg
6

San Deck, Bar & Restaurant

$$$ | 6th floor | Sandton
  • Highlights
  • Large terrace
  • Sunset views
  • All-day venue

San Deck is an all-day dining and drinking rooftop terrace, situated on the 6th floor of the fabulous Sandton Sun Hotel. Located north of the city center, this large venue offers several unique outdoor spaces and a lovely view over Johannesburg’s economic and lifestyle hub skyline. Open from morning to late night, here you can enjoy cusine being a fresh take on South African flavours along with a drink menu that also takes inspiration from the local, from wint to signature SAN cocktails. Relaxed and sophisticated vibes, with live DJs Thur-Sun.

Rooftop bar Johannesburg E|Bar at Thaba Eco Hotel in Johannesburg
7

E|Bar at Thaba Eco Hotel

$$$ | 2nd floor | Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve
  • Highlights
  • Lush & natural
  • Nature reserve views
  • Luxurious

Nestled in the majestic Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve area, the beautiful Thaba Eco Hotel offers a lush, natural, environmental and luxurious rooftop bar and terrace, called E|Bar. Surrounded with panoramic views over the nature reserve, here you can indulge in a menu filled with everything from chilled champagne, signature cocktails, craft beers and high-quality wines, to delicious bar bites and platters. In an atmosphere that is both vibrant and modern, yet sprinkled with tradition, E|Bar rooftop is a prime spot to unwind in style, highlighted by live music performances monthly.

Rooftop bar Johannesburg Elevate in Johannesburg
8

Elevate

$$$ | 16th floor | Marshalltown
  • Highlights
  • 360-views
  • Stylish lounge
  • Popular event venue

Elevate is a hot and trendy rooftop bar and lounge, perched on top of the Reef Hotel in the heart of Johannesburg. Equipped with a stylish indoor lounge and a terrace with white lounge furniture, the 16th floor location means some fantastic 360-degree views over the city skyline. The rooftop bar offers a wide range of both drinks and bites, and it is a great spot for a cool after work while overlooking the city, or late nights with more of a club lounge atmosphere.

Rooftop bar Johannesburg Sir James van der Merwe in Johannesburg
9

Sir James van der Merwe

$$$ | 3rd floor | Kramerville
  • Highlights
  • Event venue
  • Public Wednesday nights
  • Beautiful setting

Located in Kramerville, Sir James van der Merwe is one of the most stunning venues in all of Johannesburg. Situated in a converted warehouse space, it is part of Katy's Palace Bar, and the venues are mostly used as event spaces, but every Wednesday night Sir James opens up to the public and becomes the perfect spot for after work drinks. With impressive views over the Sandton skyline, you can enjoy a trendy, hip and lively atmosphere, complemented with a fully stacked bar, bottles of champagne and tasty buffet-style snack boards.

Rooftop bar Johannesburg Copper Bar in Johannesburg
10

Copper Bar

$$$ | 3rd floor | Bryanston
  • Highlights
  • Event venue
  • Thu + Sun public
  • Live DJs

Exclusive and trendy rooftop bar, nestled away on a rooftop in Bryanston. With a garden-like setup, the terrace is both charming and stylish, and comes with lovely panoramic views over the surrounding landscape. Extra fantastic when the sun sets behind the majestic Magaliesberg mountain range. Working as a private event venue most of the time, the rooftop is only open to the public on Thursdays and Sundays. Then you can enjoy fine drinks and bites in a fun and vibrant atmosphere, usually with live DJs creating the soundtrack.

Rooftop bar Johannesburg The Roof Fourways in Johannesburg
11

The Roof Fourways

$$$ | 2nd floor | Fourways
  • Highlights
  • Event venue
  • Breakfast + Lunch
  • Contemporary

A stylish, contemporary and exclusive Johannesburg rooftop, situated on the second floor of the Infinity Serviced Office Park in Fourways. From the rooftop terrace you can enjoy a 180-degree view of Fourways, along with magical sunsets over Broadacres. First and foremost an event venue, The Roof is suited to hold corporate functions, product launches and premium events and celebrations. But it is also open to the public for breakfast and lunch Monday to Friday from 8am to 4pm, and evenings the first Thursday of every month from 5pm.

Hans Ebenman
Hans Ebenman

Hans has visited over 500 rooftop bars, 200 rooftop pools and 300 rooftop restaurants since 2015. This vast experience has made Hans a true rooftop expert, and one of the most knowledgeable in the field. Today, numerous of travel magazines, bloggers and media websites contact Hans to get his expertise on rooftops.

Johannesburg Rooftop Map
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City info

Rooftop bar Johannesburg

Rooftop-grade: 6/10

Prime season: Sept-April

Residents: 4,4 millions

Climate: temperate

Johannesburg has a warm climate all year round with an average temperature of 27 degrees celsius in summer and 20 degrees celsius in winter. As a result the rooftop bars in Johannesburg are open all year round.

Which are the best rooftops in Johannesburg? The roof terraces here offer breathtaking views of the skyline and the Johannesburg neighborhoods. At most of these great view spots, there's a pleasent atmosphere and nice feeling.

About Johannesburg

Johannesburg is South Africa's largest metropolitan area with about 4.4 million inhabitants. Here you also find Africa's largest and busiest airport, and it is also a gateway in terms of both train and road traffic. The city is situated on a plateau in eastern Africa, 1 753 meters above sea level. The city is fairly divided in terms of classes. Johannesburg is South Africa's main trade - and finance center.