Terra Plata's rooftop garden, an hour before sunset

Terra Plata’s roof is less a deck than a working garden that happens to have tables in it. The first time I ate up here I watched a server clip herbs from the planter behind my chair and walk them downstairs — the “earth to plate” tagline is the rare one that actually holds up, and it’s why I keep coming back on nights I want dinner to feel like an event without dressing like one.

The food

Order the paella. It takes a while, and that’s the correct amount of time to work through most of a bottle of rosé while the light gets good over the Melrose Market rooflines. I’ve tried ordering around it; I always regret it.

The catch

The roof is small and they don’t take rooftop-specific reservations, so timing matters more here than at any other spot on this list. I’ve struck out twice on warm Saturdays.

Best time to go: arrive an hour before sunset, put your name in, have a drink downstairs while you wait. It’s part of the ritual now.

Photos courtesy of Terra Plata.