Rooftop Restaurants London

Italian Cuisine

Some of the top London restaurants also offer a culinary tour of the place that gives us time-tested hits such as pasta, pizza, and fritto misto. Here’s how you can dine in the sky, Italy-style.

Forza Wine, Peckham

Forza Wine operates as a snacks-and-sips concept. Enjoy the London air as you share plates of cauliflower fritti with aioli, pork ragu with pickled fennel and chilis, and clams with chickpeas and sherry. It can be hard to resist house cocktails such as the Frozen Picante, a combo containing tequila, scotch bonnet peppers, agave syrup, and lime juice.

Alto by San Carlo at Selfridges

Dinner at Alto by San Carlo is the next best thing to booking a flight to Italy. Located on Oxford Street, this late-night restaurant is open 7 days a week. Diners enjoy fritto misto and ham and taleggio cheese croquettes under a stunning canopy of flowers and an even larger spread of stars.

Bōkan Restaurant, Canary Wharf

Bōkan Restaurant isn’t strictly Italian. But, the menu uses Mediterranean ingredients and ingenuity to create dishes that honor the restaurant’s setting. A duo of squid and courgetti spaghetti salad with a squid ink tuille feels like it was flown in from Abruzzo. The coconut dressing and ginger mayo speak to London’s status as a culinary melting pot. Plus, you'll give the fusion two very enthusiastic thumbs up.

British/Modern European Cuisine

British dishes such as fish and chips, steak, and kidney pie are better known as gastropub grub than fine-dining fare. However, modern interpretations of this cuisine have truly evolved, as has the picture of what a British eatery might look like.

These restaurants combine charm, tradition, and award-winning European-inspired cuisine with a mouthwatering view.

Wagtail, Cannon Street

Wagtail is an ode to British purveyors and the importance of seasonality in food. It turns bottomless brunches and business dinners into special occasions suitable for a good time. The restaurant includes not one but two private terraces, plus a covered and heated bar and 360-degree views of the city. Book a table, or a winter igloo, and see how a wild venison tartare or Welsh lamb ragu strikes your fancy.

Coq d’Argent

Coq d’Argent is a lunch and dinner restaurant, a few paces from big-time London sights such as the Tower of London and St. Paul’s Cathedral. This joint is centrally located and full of French elegance. Heated terraces on the roof allow diners to sup under the stars.

You can eat à la carte, with dishes such as pastry-wrapped goat cheese with pepper piperade and a honey and basil dressing, or try a tasting menu, such as the Christmas option that surfaces around the holidays.

Darwin Brasserie at the Sky Garden, Fenchurch Street

Sky Garden’s Darwin Brasserie Snag a reservation for dinner and you can automatically tiptoe through the gardens before or after you dig into seasonal surprises full of English produce and meats. For more greenery in the city, explore the various parks in London, each offering its unique charm and tranquility.

Boundary Rooftop, Shoreditch

There’s a heated glass Orangery in the middle of London, and it sits square atop the Boundary Hotel in Shoreditch. The rooftop and terrace shift with the seasons, going from a Mediterranean oasis in spring and summer to an Alpine ski retreat in colder months. The menu tends to match, creating a year-round, ever-evolving culinary experience.

Angler Restaurant

The powers that be at Angler Restaurant refer to their little slice of London paradise as a “west-facing suntrap.” That sun-soaked atmosphere has probably led this rooftop eatery to be one of the most in-demand restaurants in the Big Smoke.

The decor is Provence in style, but the Michelin-star cuisine is a romantic reimagining of Britain’s best. Picture dry-aged Sladesdown duck paired with crapaudine beetroot, stuffed cabbage, and blackberries.

14 Hills, Fenchurch Street

14 Hills is a hip spot located on the 14th floor of its home building on Fenchurch Street. Step into the lofty lounge and it’s like entering a full botanical garden. Lush greenery abounds. One almost expects an animal or two to peek around a fluffy hedge and try to snatch your burrata starter or buttery chicken Kyiv.

Trafalgar St. James, St. James’s

Pose during dinner and drinks at Trafalgar St. James and you may just have your new social media profile photo featuring the best of the London skyline as the backdrop. It’s also a perfect spot for those seeking creative date ideas in London.

You’ll be even more thrilled once you dig into a cornucopia of small plates, shared dishes, and sides that feature British cheese, vegetables, and accompaniments such as cider chutney.

The Dorchester, Mayfair

The Dorchester's rooftop escape in Mayfair is a seasonal secret. It opens its doors in the summer, tempting guests with a bevy of flowerpots and fairy lights tricking over the open-air deck.

You can almost smell the fresh herbs growing as you dig into seasonal cuisine specially crafted for the warm-air environment. Grilled Cornish lobster fregola and truffle risotto with a glass of rosé, anyone?

The Culpeper, Whitechapel

Like The Dorchester, The Culpeper's rooftop restaurant is strictly seasonal. You may still be able to drop by for after-work drinks in the garden, even after summer is firmly in the rearview mirror.

In warmer months, the greenhouse-like environment—complete with high-top tables and stools pressed up against the skyline-facing glass—is perfect for plant-forward masterpieces (think baba ghanoush with htipiti, crudites, salted almonds, and olives) and expertly seasoned meats (lemon and thyme-dusted free-range chicken leg).

The Mercer Roof Terrace at Vintry & Mercer

Visit the Mercer Roof Terrace and look outward for all London offers. The main menu is a triumph of continental bites, including vegetable tempura with a spicy dip and roasted British stone bass with a smoked pancetta and butterbean stew.

Stop by during winter and there’s an added attraction to behold: igloos. You can book your very own domed escape, heated enough to keep you cozy but with a clear view of the icy London sky.

Aqua Nueva

Aqua Nueva sits several stories above Regent Street. The restaurant wins over patrons and West End ticket holders with pre-theater menus, tapas, and the noted Experience Menu. You won’t have to actually get onto a plane to enjoy your next sampling of Spanish cuisine, but you’ll still soar pretty high. The latter is reasonably priced and bursting with Spanish piquancy and spice, but with a modern twist that will surprise your eyes and your taste buds.

Sabine Rooftop Bar

Sabine serves tasty cocktails and international cuisine in a lovely garden setting, providing hungry diners with views and grub that are sure to satisfy. It’s impossible to ignore the history and majesty of London when you’re eating at a restaurant so perfectly positioned you could throw something at St. Paul’s Cathedral and be close enough to actually hit the dome.

Mediterranean Cuisine

No time for a transcontinental jaunt? These restaurants bring Medi flair to you, paired with views that just won't quit.

OXO Tower Brasserie, South Bank

OXO Tower Brasserie is a bustling spot that caters exclusively to the busy London crowd. There's an open kitchen, adding to the welcome hubbub and energetic vibe, but it's the jaw-dropping view of London's skyline from well above the city's treetops that will have you gasping into your pardon peppers and whipped Somerset brie.

Bring the kids in the middle of a day spent playing tourist. Watch them dig into crispy mini dogs with sriracha mayo and halloumi sticks with a harissa yogurt dip.

The Rooftop at The Hippodrome Casino, Leicester Square

There aren’t a lot of wide-open vistas available from the Rooftop at The Hippodrome Casino, but there's a distinct feeling of becoming one with the cityscape. The neighboring buildings are nearby, so you feel the city’s energy as you pick through long lists of cocktails, other beverages, and tasty food.

The menu appears to be a boiled-down version of what’s served at the casino’s resident steakhouse, Heliot Steak House. However, there’s nothing pared back or basic about Kiwi-Thai mussels or grilled octopus with harissa and chive oil.

Radio Rooftop

Radio Rooftop, offers views of the Thames and the Shard. Restaurantgoers can snap pics of the London Eye while noshing on newfangled versions of internationally flavored cuisine. You don’t have to be a guest at the ME London to take advantage of the central London hotel’s 10th-floor bar and dining venue.

If the pulled lamb tacos and watermelon and feta salad don’t get your mouth watering, the dukkha fried chicken with preserved lemon mayonnaise and alcohol-infused sorbets are all but guaranteed to get your taste buds in full party mode.

Garden Rooftop

Visit the Garden Rooftop, then just try to decide whether you love the panoramic view or the food more.

The menu is mostly Mediterranean with dishes such as piri piri-rubbed chicken peeking through classics such as charcuterie and a burrata salad.

Pan-Asian Cuisine

Are you on a rooftop in London or dancing your way through the streets of Singapore? Get a taste of pan-Asian cuisine with a side of awesome vistas, courtesy of these lauded eateries.

The Rooftop at The Standard London

The Rooftop at The Standard London is all clean lines and perfectly trimmed sod with geometric planters separating diners from the skyline. It feels like a mid-century backyard, albeit with unparalleled views.

There’s also bubbly on tap, cocktails that fit the outdoorsy theme, and bites to help you soak up the alcohol (the 2023 menu was all about bao buns, but that theme could change). It all comes to a halt once fall hits, so make your reservations early in the year to get in some air time while you can.

Aqua Kyoto

Aqua Kyoto is a beautiful experience with its modern and angular decor, but the food is harmonious yet adventurous. Try sashimi, tempura, and robata, or an experience menu that is a trip to Japan delivered plate by plate.

Aqua Spirit, Soho

Dine on Aqua Spirit's contemporary rooftop terrace. Become a part of the fashionable crowd known for these types of see-and-be-seen venues.

For a full meal, you’ll need to duck into adjacent eateries such as the affiliated Aqua Kyoto. Stay here for fun cocktails and bar snacks that seem to come from Kyoto as well, given offerings that include edamame, duck harumaki with wasabi apple sauce, and prawn tempura with chili garlic sauce.

International Fusion

A pinch of Peru, a smidge of Serbia, an iota of American comfort food. It takes a lot of countries to make these restaurant menus come to life, but the results are the epitome of gastronomic greatness.

12th Knot at Sea Containers, South Bank

12th Knot is nostalgia and whimsy, with a heaping helping of award-winning cocktails and shared plates. Only in London can you enjoy a spectacular view of the Thames from a space that boasts dining room ambience reminiscent of the "golden age of transatlantic travel".

Don’t spend too much time thinking about what it all means — just tuck into some smoked BBQ jackfruit sliders and pumpkin crème brûlée and let the evening unfurl.

Madison, St. Paul’s

The best of NYC and London collide at Madison, where the focus is equally split between irresistible steaks and an unforgettable view. Impress clients with a selection of 55-day dry-aged beef to share, or order a range of tapas-style starters like tacos, yellowfin tuna tartare, and plant-based ceviche for you and your BFFs to share.

Savage Garden

Savage Garden serves up tempting cuisine in an untamed atmosphere. Just right for fans of our shows, in other words. This is where people in London come to see the people and the skyline and be seen by everyone who matters.

The completely untethered menu jumps from taro chips with amchoor mango chutney to zhoug-roasted celeriac to nettle and wild garlic arancini, proving the party starts when those plates drop.

Pergola on the Wharf

There’s nothing “faux” about the botanical wonder that is Pergola on the Wharf's roof garden. There are real flowers, vines, and ferns as far as the eye can see, and beyond that, there’s the concrete jungle representing one of the best cities in the world. Drink in the view of Canary Wharf as you peruse a global menu full of seasonal flavor and culinary invention.

Madera at Treehouse London

The food at Madera feels like you’re right back in the birthplace of huevos rancheros, Mexico City. This restaurant with a view is open all day, with breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus to match.

Florattica Rooftop

Centuries ago, the part of East London now home to Florattica Rooftop was the heart of the city’s textile industry. Today, the eatery’s food and drinks are just as luxe and fashionable, with a dynamic menu that bursts with everything from octopus Takoyaki and taro buns to cured salmon and horseradish on warm blinis.

SUSHISAMBA London @ the Heron Tower

It’ll take a minute to ride up to the 38th and 39th floors of the Heron Tower to reach beloved eatery SUSHISAMBA London. It’s well worth the trip to know you’re devouring Peruvian-Japanese-Brazilian bites on one of the highest dining terraces in all of Europe.

Order signature snacks such as pork belly skewers with butterscotch miso while you marvel at the way the sun glints off that huge orange tree sculpture anchoring the outdoor space.

SUSHISAMBA Covent Garden

The SUSHISAMBA Covent Garden is situated on top of a historic building and is part of the well-known Opera Terrace, with a designer glass roof and a living rainforest-like canopy making the space feel surprisingly cozy. The menu adheres to SUSHISAMBA’s signature mix of Brazilian spice, Peruvian freshness, and Japanese ingenuity, all prepared in an open kitchen that oozes energy.

Dinner and Show Like a Pro: London Style

Even the best rooftop restaurants in London can’t compare to an evening with us. Put the finishing touch on your U.K. itinerary by booking tickets to one of our groundbreaking shows in London. It’s proof there’s more than one way to get a new perspective on life and otherworldly entertainment in one of the richest, most diverse cities in the world.