Fun in the sun means taking things al fresco and, ideally, up on the roof. It is, after all, warmer that much closer to the sun.
Perhaps not, but at least the view tends to be better. Whereas once rooftops to dine on where reasonably few and far between, now near enough every flat spot with a building beneath it is game for cocktail hour. Below is a non-exhaustive list of our favourite rooftop bars, listed in no particular order. Helicopter landing pads have never been so out of style.
USP: Knightsbridge-sur-Mer
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Can’t make it to the Maybourne Riviera this summer? Save your private jet fare to Nice and take to the skies instead at Knightsbridge, where the poolside bar at the Berkeley hotel exists. It will reopen to residents in April, before “something special” opens to all in May. So keep a look out, because it is one of the best spots in London, with 360-degree views over Hyde Park all the way to the Wembley Arch, and south to Battersea Power Station.
Wilton Place, SW1X 7RL, rooftop-pool-bar/”>the-berkeley.co.uk
USP: The hanging gardens of Bank
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Green spaces in the City of London are as rare as branches of Poundstretcher, but a notable exception is the rooftop lawn of this restaurant which takes up the postmodern prow of No 1 Poultry, jutting towards the Bank of England and Royal Exchange, seven floors below. Half a dozen gin and tonics are categorised by flavour (“fruity”, “citrusy”, “herbal” et al), there are another dozen in-house creations, plus the bartenders will mix together pretty much any classic cosmo or collins, martini or margarita. There’s a comprehensive, 37-page international wine list, too, and don’t forget to eat something from the bar menu of French-accented finger food before negotiating the elevator back down to street level: prawns and mayo, sausages in red wine sauce, charcuterie and cornichons.
USP: Top food above a cool hotel
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Perched above the Hoxton in Shoreditch, on the seventh floor, is Llama Inn, a New York import serving modern Peruvian food. It is an outstanding restaurant. On the terrace, pisco sours, snacks, and plenty of sunshine, weather willing, thanks to its south-facing position. There are lighter dishes to match the rose and cocktails: lamb empanadas, leeks with gazpacho, cod and yuca cream and sugar snap peas, and chicken skewers with shiso and aji verde.
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The latest branch of Los Mochis is situated in Liverpool Street and boasts an al fresco space rising high above Broadgate Circle. It is enormous, 3,000 sq ft, with a landscape of views from St Paul’s Cathedral to the London Eye. On the menu, Los Mochis’ Mexican-Japanese food — plenty of tacos — and a vast selection of tequila and mezcal. It is a party. Enjoy the 3am licence.
USP: Chic cocktails out east
Nic Crilly-Hargrave
TT Liquor is a sweeping East London attraction, with a cellar bar, a cinema room, and food and drink offerings split across multiple floors. On the roof is a menu of snacks, crudo, and wood-fired sharing plates, among them barbecued pork belly, grilled Cornish cod, lamb koftes with sumac and onions and garlic. Find too well-crafted cocktails, a hefty wine list and plenty of good beers.
One Hundred Shoreditch
Above one of Shoreditch’s most popular hotels is a rooftop designed for “sundowners”. Until midnight, drinkers might enjoy a space full of succulents and cacti, a pink colour scheme, and spritzes ahoy. There are panoramic views across East London to be enjoyed over rose and champagne, and a concise menu of tacos and snacks such as garlic prawns and fried chicken.
USP: Seafood and tequila high above the Thames
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Seabird, the jaunty seafood palace above the Hoxton in Southwark, is to become Casa Seabird from late May, shifting emphasis towards Ibizan summers. And so, city views with Mediterranean-inspired food, and refreshing tequila-based drinks from maker Casamigos. To the soundtrack of resident DJs — Thursday to Saturday — guests will be able to sit on a terrace full of tropical plants and drink frozen palomitas and truffle mezcal negronis and eat sea trout ceviche and salt cod croquetas.
USP: Sh*thouse to public house
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Next to the canal, Hackney Wick practically jingles with the sound of pints clinking at the Crate Brewery (cratebrewery.com), with the Alfred Le Roy cocktail barge especially enchanting when its roof is pulled back. But around the corner is the revived Lord Napier Star, the pub once famous for its dilapidation. Now restored, the graffiti covered boozer, most famous for its “Shithouse to Penthouse” tag, is still crumbling outside but all shiny and new inside. The newly opened rooftop is one for pints galore and cheap margs.
USP: An oldie but a goodie
Little tops a pint in the sun: the Culpeper’s rooftop is built for it. Ever popular, the garden vibe here is made by the produce growing around the tables, much of which is harvested for the pub’s restaurant two floors below — though a well-priced set lunch is on up here. The rooftop opened this Monday, and while bright sparks will book, space is kept for thirsty walk-ins wanting a beer from the regularly changing pumps on the ground floor.
USP: Omnipresent Negronis
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Out of all the Peckham rooftops repurposed for pale ale at sundown, two outshine their siblings. Frank’s, if you believe the stories, invented negronis, rooftops and Peckham itself. The views are ace, its drinks are decent and while its a basic affair it has this strange pulling power: you may well lose unintended hours to Frank’s. Sometimes that’s just how it goes.
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Sometimes nothing matters but the skyline. Attached to Aldgate’s Dorsett City Hotel, Jin Bo Law sits 14 floors up, with views out over Tower Bridge, the Shard, the Gherkin, the Walkie Talkie, the Cheesegrater and all the other totemic towers of capitalism with silly nicknames. The yellow-and-brass chic, as well as its Japanese-leaning cocktail list, draws a fun-loving, scrubbed-up set who don’t mind flashing the cash: more than a few bottles are in the £000s, but luckily glasses of wine are poured from £11.
USP: Local beers, and plenty of ‘em
Situated right at the heart of Hackney, Netil 360 is a no-fuss, no-frills east London hideaway. The indoor constituent of the bar appears to be made largely of chipboard, but beyond that is a seriously relaxed suntrap of an al fresco terrace. The drinks menu touts largely local breweries and distilleries: beer comes courtesy of Truman’s and Five Points, among others, while East London Liquor Company provides the spirits.
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Perhaps the only major disadvantage of the rooftop at Pantechnicon, aside from its clumsy name, is that while up there, one can’t see the truly handsome building it sits upon. The roof garden looks out over west London; inside, it’s perhaps more of a restaurant than a bar. It’s one for a cool glass of crisp wine, but food is too tempting to ignore: the short rib sando, for instance, or the Cornish crab freshened with wild herbs. It’s open near enough all day, as good for morning cappuccino as the nightcap cocktail.
USP: The Amalfi Coast comes to town
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A little bit of the Amalfi Coast on Oxford Street. You’ll find it on top of Selfridges, an oasis of Italian chic ready to rescue shoppers from the crowds below. The restaurant boasts a fully retractable roof, while the beams of its al fresco terrace are festooned with lemon-laden branches and hanging lanterns. Guests underneath can tuck into plates of pasta and cicchetti or simply kick back with a spritz.
USP: Modern Italia on the Southbank
Caitlin Isola
Forza Win was the modern and fun Italian restaurant where the pasta is beautiful and where custard coffees were born. First Peckham, then Camberwell, it was a wonderful restaurant but closed this year. Forza Wine, the offshoot bar and small plates operation, remains. It is an aperitivo haven and a place for fritto misto, tomatoes flush with garlic and olive oil, fine salumi, and bream with pickled fennel. Nestled within the Brutalism of the National Theatre, the views are stunning and the natural wines abundant. Look out too for the brand’s second terrace, Forza Taps, on the floor below.
The Rooftop at The Standard
Tim Charles
USP: Buzzy cocktails at a celeb favourite
The Standard is one of London’s coolest hotels and, while its rooftop isn’t as fortified or expansive as some, it remains a place for good cocktails and a hit with celebs. Visit any day and there will be people drinking champagne, admiring from all angles a happy stretch of north London. There are landmarks aplenty, too, not least the St Pancras clocktower over the road. The bar makes for a place to watch the hustle and bustle with a Manhattan. There’s a faintly New York vibe. Just ignore the astroturf.
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In Shoreditch, at the Boundary Hotel, is a rooftop terrace and glass orangery with panoramic views across the City and East London. Come spring and summer, the space is billed as a “Mediterranean oasis,” with olive trees, seasonal plants and flowers. In the kitchen is head chef Roberto Branca, who grills meats and fish over charcoal and serves them with salads. Here is a destination where rose is poured generously and cocktails pack a punch.