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What are the best rooftop bars in San Diego, and which is best for sunset or a group?

6 min read Checked November 3, 2026 Report a correction

The rooftop bars that show up most across San Diego Magazine, Time Out and the San Diego Tourism Authority lists are Mister A's, Top of the Hyatt, Catania, Garibaldi, Cannonball and Kairoa, with The Nolen and Kettner Exchange close behind. For an ocean sunset pick Cannonball or Catania; for a big group, Kairoa; for the cheapest way into a dressy rooftop, Mister A's $20-$30 weeknight Aperitif specials.

On all 3 lists
6 rooftops

Mister A's, Top of the Hyatt, Catania, Garibaldi, Cannonball, Kairoa

Highest
40 stories

Top of the Hyatt, Manchester Grand Hyatt

Cheapest dressy entry
$20-$30

Mister A's Aperitif specials, Sun-Thu 4-6:30 p.m.

Strictest dress code
Mister A's

No shorts, hoodies, hats, flip-flops or athleisure at dinner

The short version

  • 6 rooftops appear on all 3 lists we checked (San Diego Magazine Aug 2025, Time Out, San Diego Tourism Authority June 2026)
  • Mister A's (12th floor, Bankers Hill) runs walk-in Aperitif specials Sun-Thu 4-6:30 p.m., such as a $25 Wagyu burger with a shake or ale
  • The Nolen (14th floor, Gaslamp) has happy hour daily 3-6 p.m. and is 21+ after 8 p.m.
  • Top of the Hyatt is 40 stories up at 1 Market Pl, open daily 4-11 p.m., business casual
  • Cannonball in Mission Beach takes no reservations and closes at 9 p.m.; its rooftop looks from Bird Rock to Sunset Cliffs

We built this list from three published rankings: San Diego Magazine's '20 of San Diego's Best Rooftop Bars & Restaurants' (Aug 14, 2025), Time Out's rooftop list (July 2023) and the San Diego Tourism Authority's rooftop guide (June 26, 2026). We could not open Eater San Diego's map, so it is not counted. We kept only places we could confirm open in 2026 from their own sites, OpenTable reviews or 2026 events, then checked hours and rules on November 3, 2026.

Which San Diego rooftop bars show up on the most lists?

9 rooftop bars, checked November 3, 2026

  • Mister A's

    Where
    Bankers Hill, 2550 Fifth Ave, 12th floor
    Hours
    Bar Sun-Thu 3:30-10 p.m., Fri-Sat to 11 p.m.
    Lists (of 3)
    3
    The view
    Skyline, Balboa Park, the bay and planes landing

  • Top of the Hyatt

    Where
    Downtown, 1 Market Pl, 40th floor
    Hours
    Daily 4-11 p.m.
    Lists (of 3)
    3
    The view
    Bay, Coronado and downtown

  • Catania

    Where
    La Jolla, 7863 Girard Ave, 3rd floor
    Hours
    Sun-Thu 4-8:30 p.m., Fri-Sat to 9 p.m.; weekend lunch
    Lists (of 3)
    3
    The view
    Pacific Ocean and La Jolla village

  • Garibaldi

    Where
    Downtown, 901 Bayfront Ct (InterContinental)
    Hours
    Thu-Sun 4-9 p.m.; drinks to 10 p.m. Fri-Sat
    Lists (of 3)
    3
    The view
    Embarcadero, USS Midway, airport

  • Cannonball

    Where
    Mission Beach, 3105 Ocean Front Walk
    Hours
    Daily 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
    Lists (of 3)
    3
    The view
    Beach from Bird Rock to Sunset Cliffs

  • Kairoa Brewing

    Where
    University Heights, 4601 Park Blvd
    Hours
    Mon-Thu 4-10 p.m.; Fri 11 a.m.-midnight; Sat 10 a.m.-midnight; Sun 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
    Lists (of 3)
    3
    The view
    The University Heights sign

  • The Nolen

    Where
    Gaslamp, 453 Sixth Ave, 14th floor
    Hours
    Sun-Thu 3-11 p.m.; Fri-Sat 3 p.m.-1 a.m.
    Lists (of 3)
    2
    The view
    Downtown, Coronado Bridge, Petco Park

  • Kettner Exchange

    Where
    Little Italy, 2001 Kettner Blvd
    Hours
    Mon-Sat 5 p.m.-late; Sun 11 a.m.-midnight
    Lists (of 3)
    2
    The view
    Down to San Diego Bay

  • Altitude Sky Lounge

    Where
    East Village, 660 K St (Marriott Gaslamp), 22 stories up
    Hours
    Daily 5 p.m.-1 a.m.
    Lists (of 3)
    1
    The view
    City, bay and Petco Park

Source: each venue's site, OpenTable or the San Diego Tourism Authority listing; list counts from San Diego Magazine, Time Out and sandiego.org. Checked Nov 3, 2026.

Cocktails on a rooftop bar ledge with a city skyline at dusk

Mister A's, Top of the Hyatt, Catania, Garibaldi, Cannonball and Kairoa appear on all three lists we checked.

Photo: Ahmed Alghali / Unsplash

Which rooftop bar is best for sunset, for groups, or for dressing up?

Our picks by occasion

  • Ocean sunset: Cannonball

    Why
    Rooftop over the Mission Beach boardwalk facing the Pacific
    Booking
    No reservations; first come, first served
    Rules
    None posted
    Price signal
    Not posted online

  • Big view: Top of the Hyatt

    Why
    40 stories up; Time Out singles it out at sunset
    Booking
    OpenTable
    Rules
    Business casual
    Price signal
    OpenTable: $31-$50 per person

  • Groups: Kairoa

    Why
    SD Magazine calls it a large rooftop, dog-friendly, with its own brewery
    Booking
    OpenTable
    Rules
    None posted
    Price signal
    Not posted online

  • Dress-up: Mister A's

    Why
    12th-floor dining room with a 180-degree view
    Booking
    OpenTable; Aperitif is walk-in only
    Rules
    Business casual, enforced
    Price signal
    Aperitif $20-$59.50; OpenTable: $50+

How much do drinks cost at San Diego rooftop bars?

  • Mister A's Aperitif (bar and lounge, Sun-Thu 4-6:30 p.m., walk-in): Tuesday classic cocktails $20 for two or $25 for three; Wednesday Wagyu burger with a shake or ale $25; Monday lobster grilled cheese with a cocktail $30; Thursday fried chicken with Champagne $28. A 4% surcharge applies.
  • The Nolen runs happy hour daily 3-6 p.m.; its menu prices were not readable online when we checked.
  • Top of the Hyatt and The Nolen are both listed at $31-$50 per person on OpenTable.
  • Catania adds a 4.75% surcharge to every check and says you can ask your server to remove it (more in our restaurant surcharges guide).
  • Sunset timing: sunsets come early now that daylight saving time has ended, so check our winter sunset times, or skip the bar tab with our best sunset spots.
  • Garibaldi gives 3 hours of free self-parking if you spend over $50; Mister A's valet is $20.
A craft cocktail on a bar top

Mister A's weeknight Aperitif pairs a drink with a small plate for $20-$30.

Photo: SpotOn / Unsplash

Where are San Diego's rooftop bars?

Rooftop bars on this list
6
7
8
9
5
Leaflet © OpenStreetMap contributors

Downtown

Little Italy

Bankers Hill

University Heights

La Jolla

Mission Beach

Downtown has the most, but the ocean-view rooftops are in La Jolla and Mission Beach.

See these on the full San Diego map

Staying near one of these? Our where to stay by area guide covers downtown, La Jolla and Mission Beach.

What about rooftops not on this list?

Some well-known names were hard to pin down. The Andaz San Diego rooftop at 600 F St (once Rooftop600, later The Rooftop by STK) appears in the Tourism Authority's 2026 guide, but its listing had garbled hours and we could not confirm current hours on the hotel's own site, so we left it out. Lumi in the Gaslamp is on San Diego Magazine's 2025 list, but its website gave us nothing to verify. The Tourism Authority also lists Topside Terrace, Glass Door, Born & Raised, Coco Maya, Float, Leave of Absence and The Pool House at Pendry; we did not check those this round.

Is this still right?

We last checked this tip against its sources on November 3, 2026, and we re-research every tip on a schedule. Things in San Diego change, sometimes overnight.

Prices, fees, hours and rules change, often at the start of a year or season. Confirm with the official source linked below before you rely on a number.

This is general information, not legal, financial, tax, medical or safety advice.

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SOURCES

Everything above traces back to one of these. Follow them — if one has changed and we haven't, that's our mistake, not yours.

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