The Wit Hotel, overlooking the State and Lake intersection just steps outside the Loop, features a number of restaurants, bars and attractions but none of them will garner the attention nor the crowds that the indoor/outdoor bar called Roof will. Located atop the hotel on the 27th floor, Roof features an indoor bar and lounge clad in muted greys, whites and blacks, offset by an indoor fireplace and plush seating. If the indoor lounge is understated, it must be because Roof's view of State Street is the best you're going to get without a high-roller job, a helicopter trip or a pricey room in the Wit itself (or the Renaissance across the street).

While the view from the south side of the building inside the lounge is top-notch, the rooftop outdoor patios look pretty good as well. The view north (basically just a chunk of the river and Marina City) isn't as good, but Roof compensates with a long outdoor fireplace, heat-lamps for year-round revelry, another large bar and huge vertigo-inducing panes of glass that allow you to truly feel like you're at the top of the world. Just one TV is outside for cinema viewing or to keep the big game available for observance - other than that, there's just your fellow patrons and the view to keep you distracted.

If you find yourself needing a drink or two to kill that pesky terror of heights, you'll find them in spades at Roof. A full bar with a wide selection of beers as well as mixologist-approved cocktails will ease the tension, and the small-plates menu inspired by the hotel's Cibo Matto restaurant (carpaccio, sliders, crudo) as well as pizza/flatbreads cooked in Roof's 500-plus degree pizza oven will take care of those stomach-centric butterflies.

Prices are what one would expect for hotel drinks - in the $8-$12 range for cocktails and beers - but considering you're getting more than just four walls of a hotel bar to look at, it's a fair enough tradeoff.

Roof is available for private parties as well, and will no doubt be a destination for big-budget wedding parties and company gatherings.

Average cost: $10-$20

Centerstage Reviewer: Karl Klockars