Best rooftops in Medellín: how to choose yours for the plan

Anyone searching for the “best rooftops in Medellín” tends to find lists that contradict each other. That is no accident: there is no best rooftop for everyone. What decides whether the evening works is whether the place fits the plan you have in mind. This guide is not a ranking; it is the criteria for choosing sensibly.

First, decide what kind of plan you want

Rooftops in Medellín fall, roughly, into four types. Hardly any is only one, but almost all lean toward one:

• Dinner with a view. A restaurant terrace, a reserved table and a full menu with main courses. The plan for couples, celebrations and anyone who wants to talk without shouting.
• Drinks and music. A rooftop bar with a DJ, a night-time crowd and often standing room. It tends to liven up on weekends and works best in a group.
• Pool and brunch. Hotel terraces with a pool, built for daytime and weekends.
• Just looking at the city. Viewpoints and hills, almost always free. We have a separate guide for that.

Five questions before you book

1. What time will you go?

Medellín sits six degrees from the equator and the sun sets around six in the evening all year round. If you want to watch the sunset from your table, arrive before then; the half hour after, with the city lighting up, is often the best part of the evening. It is also the busiest slot.

2. Do you need to book?

For dinner, yes, especially on Fridays and Saturdays. Message on WhatsApp or whichever channel the venue lists and ask about the area: on most terraces not every table has the same view.

3. Is it a restaurant or a bar?

Look at the menu before you go. A menu with starters, main courses and desserts is a restaurant; one with sharing plates and cocktails is a bar. Neither is better than the other, but arriving hungry at a bar without a kitchen ruins the evening.

4. How much does it cost per person?

Ask for the priced menu before you decide. If a venue does not publish one, that is a signal: you will have to ask on WhatsApp or find out at the table. We publish ours in full and up to date.

5. Do they accept non-guests?

Some rooftops belong to hotels and do not always admit people who are not staying there. Medellín’s official tourism guide warns about this; ask before you go up.

How to read the reviews

A high rating with few reviews says less than a slightly lower one with hundreds. Look at three things: how many reviews there are, how recent they are and whether they include photos taken by diners. Reviews that mention something specific — the service, the wait, a dish — are worth more than ones that only leave stars.

Where Nemoratto fits

Nemoratto is a restaurant and gastrobar on the 6th-floor terrace of the 4 Sur Hotel, in the south of Medellín, minutes from El Poblado. It is open to the public every day from 12:00 to 23:00 and the cooking is Italian fusion, with a full menu. It is a dinner-with-a-view plan; if you want a club or a party, there are other terraces in the city built for that. Reservations are made on WhatsApp.

Rooftop in Medellín: what it is and where to go·Five rooftops, with details from their official websites·See the priced menu·Sunset dinner·Guide: where to watch the sunset in Medellín