Me'Bar
La Quinta Manhattan
17 W 32nd Street
New York, NY
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This insider's joint is the most guardedly undiscovered on our list. Located atop the lowbrow La Quinta Hotel in Koreatown in midtown Manhattan, MéBar is kept hush-hush among in-the-know New Yorkers who don't want anyone to realize the existence of this teeny treasure with its reach-out views of the Empire State Building. This is an after-work bar, drawing suits and the occasional hotel guest. While not remotely resembling the tacky tourist traps operating on the same street some 14 floors below, the rooftop retreat is a friendly, start-a-conversation-with-your-neighbor sort of place, making meeting someone easy if she happens to turn up when you do. When it comes to decor, don't expect much beyond large sliding glass doors leading out to the open air except a red plank floor, utilitarian-style benches lining the white-picket-fence border and a handful of simple café tables. Twinkling white Christmas lights sparkle along the perimeter, evoking a feeling of being at your best friend's backyard graduation party -- if the person hosting just happens to live in the shadow of one of the most famous buildings on the planet. There is no food available on the lofty premises but if you want to eat, ask the bartender to lend you his book of delivery menus covering every imaginable cuisine. Our favorite: tasty Korean grub from local eatery Mandoo (get the Kimchi dumplings), quickly delivered to your tableside after a cell phone order. A down-low session of spirits and take-out at MéBar is a laid-back respite up high in the otherwise expensive heart of the Big Apple.

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Photo by Hal Horowitz