The Observatory Rooftop Bar + Lounge

Sorry to the server who had to deal with my 5.5 year old cranky daughter and her complaints of no strawberry shortcake. I just wanted to watch the sunset with some ice cream and a Prosecco for me and my wife. Nope. Even ordering a red velvet cake didn’t work! Probably because the cake wasn’t very good. But the view was great! I took her to the basement game room. Which went..

The Observatory rooftop bar in Asheville is an absolute gem and easily one of the best spots in the city for a night out. From the moment we stepped in, the vibe was perfect—chic, relaxed, and full of great energy. The views from the rooftop are stunning, especially around sunset, and really add something special to the experience. The drinks were top-tier. Creative cocktails made with fresh ingredients, and everything was well-balanced and delicious. The bartenders clearly know what they’re doing. We tried a few different ones throughout the night and loved every single one. The food was just as impressive—elevated small plates with bold flavors that paired perfectly with the drinks. You can tell they put real thought into the menu. What really made the night was the atmosphere. The music, the lighting, the overall layout—it’s the kind of place that makes you want to stay all evening. Me and my friends had a blast just hanging out, laughing, and soaking it all in. The staff was friendly and attentive, too, which made the whole experience seamless. If you’re in Asheville and want a classy, fun spot with amazing views and great vibes, The Observatory is a must. Five stars, no question.

This is a great rooftop bar. It is not as good as Flat Iron in terms of mountain views. However, it feels roomier and you’d an have a conversation without feeling like you have to hear a neighboring conversation. Service was friendly. Outside area could use some more shade, as could Flat Iron

This review is to warn future patrons, particularly those with food allergies, of a serious safety incident I experienced at the bar at The Observatory Rooftop Bar + Lounge in Asheville. I visited this bar this past weekend to order the "Spritz Flight." The visit resulted in a near-medical emergency due to staff negligence. The spritz flight advertised on the hotel's website was different from the one on the in-house menu. I placed an order based on the menu provided at the bar. When the flight was served, the drinks did not match the menu's descriptions. After I started drinking them, a friend in my group identified Lychee in one of the drinks. I am severely allergic to Lychee. When I asked the bartender about the substitution, their response was, "Oh, well, I mentioned it." . This "mention" was stated so negligently and quietly that only one person in my party of three barely heard it. At no point did the bartender confirm this substitution with me (the person who ordered) or take a moment to ensure I was aware of the change—a change that involved a common allergen. Upon explaining that I had consumed the drink and was severely allergic, the staff member was entirely dismissive. They demonstrated zero concern for my wellbeing or the dangerous, panicked situation they had just created. This level of service is not merely "bad"; it is reckless negligence. Failing to clearly and verbally confirm an ingredient substitution, especially one involving an allergen, with the customer is dangerous and unacceptable. I asked to speak to the bar manager and provided my full name and contact information to the staff at the front desk in the lobby. It has now been a couple of days, and management has made no attempt to contact me. This silence indicates a systemic lack of accountability and a disregard for patron safety. I strongly advise against visiting this establishment.

We came here for my birthday and though the menu was limited the food was delicious! We had a flatbread and the Caesar. Steven provided great service and Chelcie made amazing mocktails! We are locals and tend to only go downtown during the week and it was a lovely experience.

Hidden gem!!! If you want to enjoy a beverage with a view in Asheville, this is the place. We had early afternoon snack and drinks. Very relaxing. Great service. Great views on the rooftop.

This past Friday DJ David Donald, D&D Productions, Party & Wedding DJ had an event at the Restoration Hotel. Dave had such a good experience there that he insisted we come back for dinner at their rooftop bar, The Observatory Asheville. They have a simple menu, but they do what they do very well. I enjoyed the laid back atmosphere, the view overlooking Prichard Park and the Grovepark Inn, and the friendly and attentive service. Chelsea from the bar was also serving tables tonight and she went out of her way to ensure we had great service. The price was way less than I had anticipated. I started with a dirty vodka martini that was the best I've had in a long time. Dave ordered the Italian and asked for it hot and pressed. This sandwich comes with quality Italian salamis, sopresetta, calabrese, . (What's the plural of salami?) Ham, provolone, lettuce, red onion... he ordered it without the pepper relish and it was delicious and had a peppery kick even without it. I had the roasted tomato and basil toasted sandwich on focaccia. It comes dressed with roasted garlic ricotta, basil pistou, pickled onion and arugula. There was a bit of spice and the pickled onions & basil together gave it a lovely bright flavor. The sandwiches both came with chips that I would have sworn were made in house. I haven't had a good house made chip in a while. Chelsea said no, they are Dirty chips and even brought out the bag to show us the brand so we can get some at home. 😅 I love the rooftop resturant experience, and Dave and I have decided to seek out more good rooftop food. If you have recommendations, we appreciate it! The Restoration Hotel also has a Crave Dessert bar that we couldn't find, but we stumbled across The Draftsman Asheville bar and lounge on the lower level of the hotel. This is such a cool place with a beautiful bar, some retro video games, skee ball, jenga, and a couple lanes for bowling. I love the vibe here and hope to come back with friends!

Steven served us carefully crafted cocktails as we enjoyed fabulous weather. Weather permitting, 100% recommended.

Beautiful!!! Enjoyed my time at The Observatory. We attempted to sit out side but the wind and lack of sun due to cloud coverage had other plans for us and moved us inside! lol! It was nice for the 10 minutes we did last. The view is great and the inside reminds me of a French cafe with giant floor to ceiling windows and doers. There was a small two person table perfectly centered near the windows that overlooked the outside city. I would you have taken a photo but there were people sitting there lost in the pure bliss of that spot and each other. It was beautiful Anyway...onto the food. It was wonderful. Had the sliders and the kale salad. That salad was DELICIOUS and huge. They do take reservations but if you go later on in the night, you can find a spot at the bar!! Have fun!!

Had an amazing time! Very reasonable priced cocktails and food.. best sliders ever for $11??? My boyfriend and I spilt and left fully satisfied. Stunning view and sweetest bar tender. Cass/Cassidy (my hearing is awful). Super helpful and very social. In the heart of all the shopping so highly recommend after a day of walking around!

We sat in the inside dining area as it was really cold out and didn't see a reason to sit outside--cloudy day so no chance of seeing the sunset. We did make a reservation for 5:30pm for the outside seating area but the restaurant was relatively open so we were able to change our seating no problem. Food: our favorite thing that we shared were the truffle fries. Can never go wrong with truffle. The sliders were good. And the drinks were my least favorite. The spiced hot chocolate was not my cup of tea... tasted like fireball in my opinion & the margarita was too lime-y. The restaurant itself was really cute and would revisit if given the opportunity again.

Located on the top floor of the Restoration Hotel in downtown Asheville, The Observatory Rooftop Bar is a cool spot with nice vibes and tasty food. We went there on a busy Friday night and grabbed seats at the bar. The bartender was friendly and made killer drinks. We tried some fancy drinks like the Lavencello and Pisco Sour, which were really good. Prices are a bit high so we opted for just drinks and appetizers. We dug into the Steak Tartare and Chicken Nachos, which were big and yummy, especially with the extra white hot cheese. The balcony overlooking downtown was lovely, all lit up with twinkling lights. Even though it's a bit pricey, The Observatory Rooftop Bar is worth it for a special night out in Asheville.

I don't really have much to say, it was very average and I don't feel the need to come back. We only had drinks and a charcuterie board. The charcuterie board was over priced for what we got. Staff was nice though!

We came for the marvelous evening weather - we ordered mojitos with orange blossom crème brûlée... we weren't disappointed. We joy-wept a little when Rocket Man was playing on the radio and we realized the busser was wearing a pink bandana wrap with his teal shirt... We ... actually just loved our time here.

Enjoyed a fun evening at this beautiful rooftop bar. The Sunset Spritz was a refreshing choice, and the ginger-based cocktail delivered a satisfying kick. Managed to secure a bar seat on a Saturday without reservations, but I'd recommend booking during peak hours.

I very enjoyed this drink very much!! Highly recommend!! Perfect balance of sweet, sour and taste! We didn't try the food, but we'll be for that;-)

Such a cute spot! We easily made a reservation for a Friday night, with indoor being the only option. (The website says outdoor is first come first serve) We had been advised it was a cocktail only menu that night due to a private event, which was ok with us, and when we got there they had an outdoor table available for us. Our server was wonderful, and the view and ambiance was really lovely. You don't have a direct view of the sunset, but it's still a great time to be there! We really enjoyed our drinks and for the quality and the setting, I felt like the cocktails were pretty reasonably priced. Definitely great stop if visiting Asheville and planning to be in the area!

I loved the atmosphere and decoration here - fresh, bright, spacious and super clean. The server was friendly and helped me decide which drink was right for me. I was asking for something with light alcohol taste, a little bit bubbly and sweet and sour. She recommended Sunset Spritz and I immediately fell in love with it in the first sip :x ; not to mention that the color of the drink was really beautiful. Highly recommended this rooftop bar!

Beautiful views and great event space! Come here and grab a drink but I'd recommend skipping the food. The service is very slow and there's so many good options around here. Reservation only for outdoor tables but the couches are first come first serve with little to no table service so order at the bar yourself.

Lovely rooftop bar! Great cocktail options and great service. Recommend checking it out. When we got there, it was already ~6:30PM. All the outdoor seatings were full so we sat inside right next to the window. Not bad, you get to see outside a little bit and you don't get cold. The decor of this bar is so beautiful: tall, bright, spacious. I love the plants and flowers that they add to the place. Make it so fresh/refresh :) Our server was very nice, polite, attentive and helpful with suggestions. What we ordered: -Lovely lemon lady: this was an interesting drink because I saw it had Lemon curd and toasted meringue in the drink. With the word "lemon" in the drink, I thought it would be sour but it wasn't. It's sweet (not overly sweet) but I like something sour so this wasn't my favorite. My server said I could change it if I hate the drink but I didn't hate it so I felt bad returning it. -From the ashes: my husband ordered this and I tried a sip. I don't remember much what I thought of the drink, unfortunately. That probably means it's okay but not my cup of "cocktail". -Sunset Spritz: my sister ordered this one. It's sour, fruity (my glass of cocktail is here) and light on alcohol taste so if you like something light, order this. -Korean chili chicken wings: generous amount of wings. They looked really good but they didn't taste as good. Not enough flavor. They need to add more sauce so we can taste it.

I wanted to love this place. It's so cute and the view is great. That being said, we've been here twice now and the service is so slow. It takes forever to get your drinks or food. We ordered food this past time and it was just okay. Someone let me know when they speed up the service and we'll be back!

Excellent rooftop bar. The bartender was great! Outside seating is the way to go. Ordered a mojito and an Ultra. $18

We came here on a Halloween weekend because everyone in Asheville recommended it for the view. We thought we weren't going to be able to see much of the view since we got there at night but boy were we delightfully surprised! Because it was a full moon night (magical), it lit up all the mountains in the distance. One of the guys who I met in the elevator up gave us an overview of all of the hills and valleys we were looking at. While I didn't find my drink to the best (it was some milk based drink), the view is just stunning.

Asheville, I'm highly impressed. I never thought I'd find so many hidden gems in a city like Asheville. This place was neck and neck to a NYC rooftop experience with spectacular views. The waiters were friendly and even looked out for me when a guy pressured me to have a drink with him. I appreciate that a lot as a single traveling woman. I didn't try any food, but the drinks were impressive. The lemon drink was too sweet for me but worth trying! I loved it! I can't wait to return! Thank you!!

Went here one night visiting Asheville, and had WONDERFUL service & incredible views. We loved it so much, we went back a second night. However, the second night wasn't as great of experience. There were two servers for the patio area, and neither one of them would serve us but they were both serving other customers who sat down after us. Both servers had been looking at us too so they knew we were there. So we got up and left, and the host asked us why we were leaving. We told him "nobody was serving us after 15 minutes but were serving other tables." The host then said, "oh okay," and never offered to grab us a server. It was really too bad, because I would love to come back here for the gorgeous views, but did not feel welcome the second night there.

Make your way up to the 6th floor of the new The Restoration Hotel to find this gem of a rooftop bar and lounge. Beautifully decorated with plants on the inside and a view of downtown both inside and out. Drink prIces are reasonable for downtown and service was friendly. The food menu includes a selection of light bites and dessert. This is definitely going to be the new hot spot in Asheville.

Stopped in on a Sunday afternoon to check out the new hotel with it's bars. Went up to the rooftop bar - "The Observatory". Very nice! The bartender named Jami was so attentive and made some extraordinary cocktails. Cocktail menu is quite interesting - one where you want to try more than one. Deviled eggs were amazing as a snack. Great ambiance, great drinks, and really pleasant conversation along with great service. Will be going back!

Great vibes, beautiful interior, great drinks and food. Picturesque interior, great service

Open on Sunday. Server great. Aperol Spritzes decent. definitely worth it for the views!

Cute rooftop bar! Our server was excellent and enjoyed the cocktails. It was a great first time!

the website is gorgeous and the rooftop bar setting is great. the menu is a lot of fast type food (burgers, fries, nachos, chicken wings) and they list V for vegan and VG for vegetarian but there are NO VEGAN OPTIONS on the entire menu and only 2 vegetarian and they are both appetizers and not great for anyone being health conscious. i do not understand the point of having a menu that lists vegan with literally nothing vegan on it as an option?

Came here for the first time on a girl's trip. We planned the itinerary around our reservation. When we were seated at our table, the waiter told us they got rid of their main menu two days ago and all they had was their appetizers. Furthermore, half of their items on their appetizer menu was gone as well. This was a disappointing experience.

Great food. The service was fantastic. It was a busy night with a band. The music was a little loud. The view was beautiful

Beautiful patio and excellent service. Our server, Christine, was awesome! We are locals and will definitely be back.

Unreal atmosphere, beautiful view of Asheville. Great drinks and very nice hosts and hostesses.