It's a good time to be in the retractable awning business with several new rooftop bars opening in Sydney over the past few months. Hospitality operators say it's only the beginning of the trend to "build up" in Sydney pubs.

"Even though COVID regulations [for capacity in pubs] have been lifted, people's attitudes have shifted and fresh air seems more healthy than ever before," says Laundy Hotels creative director Justine Laundy. "If the building has the bones to add a rooftop space up, it really should."

Laundy Hotels has more than 20 NSW venues in its portfolio, including Woolloomooloo's Woolly Bay Hotel which reopened after a $14 million makeover in late October. A whole new floor was built for Arturo's Rooftop, a 120-seat bar with views of the Art Gallery of NSW and Woolloomooloo Bay.

"There's also a beautiful city vista when the sun goes down over the west," says Laundy. "Any rooftop has a novelty aspect, even if it's just looking at the building next door. But once you add a great view, it's become pretty much a given that we'll try and create something special."

Mediterranean-channelling Arturo's was designed by Surry Hills studio Luchetti Krelle and features a snack menu with lobster rolls and caviar-topped potato scallops. Other rooftop spaces to open in recent months include The InterContinental Sydney's new Aster bar with panoramic harbour views, Kiln restaurant on the 18th floor of the Ace Hotel in Surry Hills and Barangaroo's Sussex Rooftop (also Mediterranean-inspired).

"Rooftops are such a different way to engage with the city," says Tom de Plater, principal architect for Public Hospitality, which owns The Strand Hotel with a new rooftop bar high above William Street in Darlinghurst.

"You get to experience something familiar from a different height and different angles. It makes every rooftop that you can get onto unique and interesting. The City of Sydney has been encouraging more outdoor spaces too … gone are the days of stuffy pubs with permanently closed windows."

The next rooftop bar to launch will be late-night Italo-disco cocktail lounge Casa Rosa at Broadway's Abercrombie hotel. Solotel hospitality group will reopen the heritage-listed corner pub (formerly the Australian Hotel) with a 36-hour party beginning December 23. It will be the first time the pub has traded since 2014.

"When we discovered the Abercrombie had an entire upper level and rooftop terrace that had never been open to the public, we knew we had to do something special there," says Solotel chief executive Elliot Solomon. "It's a hidden gem away from the busy beer garden and club space downstairs."

De Plater says Public Hospitality is currently assessing many of its venues in the CBD to see if there are further opportunities to build on the rooftop, while Laundy Hotels is looking to enhance the open-air spaces of its suburban pubs such as The Oxford in Drummoyne.

"Rooftops are the way that we're heading at the moment," says Laundy. "The Oxford is a beautiful old building like the Woolly Bay, and now we're adding a third level for stunning views to the east.

"We've got a couple of other potentials we haven't put to council yet, but in the suburbs opening a rooftop is all dependent on your neighbours [and possible noise complaints]. We always try to get advice from town planners, but it's likely some of them won't get through. It really depends on the suburb."

Sydney's Best New Rooftop Bars

Sky Bar, CBD

Plush chairs, a beautiful timber bar and luxe cocktails are the drawcard at this chic lounge centred around Shell House's hulking clocktower, not to mention near-panoramic city views. Try the Sicilian Margarita with tequila, limoncello and Sichuan pepper. shellhouse.com.au

The Strand, Darlinghurst

The top level of this century-old pub is now open to soak up the afternoon sun with oysters and a magnum of Billecart-Salmon champagne. Warm timbers and festoon lighting create and intimate vibe at night, and DJs hit the turntables every Friday and Saturday. strandhotel.com.au

Arturo's Rooftop, Woolloomooloo

Champagne is more or less a prerequisite of all rooftop bars, and Arturo's has no shortage of Veuve to clink alongside tapas such as octopus with romesco. Tiles, terracotta and frilly umbrellas mean the relaxed joint looks more Amalfi Coast than Woolloomooloo Bay. woollybayhotel.com.au

The Sussex Rooftop, Barangaroo

Populated by plenty of succulents and a canopy of grapevines, the 120-seat rooftop of heritage-listed Sussex Hotel is the kind of place that encourages at least one more gin-and-tonic and certainly two more salt-cod fritters. thesussexhotel.com.au

Aster, CBD

InterContinental Sydney is now permitting public access to its 32nd-floor bar for the first time in several years. What the terrace lacks in space, it makes up for in sweeping views of the harbour and Royal Botanic Garden, plus Krug champagne sold by the glass. sydney.intercontinental.com