Tate Modern Members Room, Level 6, Tate Modern, Bankside, SE1 9TG, City-South. Has a full bar and its own light lunch menu together with outstanding roof-top views over the City of London and St Paul's Cathedral. Become a Tate Member
Espresso Bar, Level 4, Tate Modern, Bankside, SE1 9TG, City-South. With two riverside balconies, the Espresso Bar serves drinks, sandwiches and snacks. Sun to Thurs 10am – 5.30pm. Fri & Sat 10am – 9.30pm.
Queen Elizabeth Hall Roof Garden, Southbank House Black Prince Rd, London SE1 8XT. 0844 875 0073 Southbank Centre's winter garden roof grotto. The rooftop cafe is serving mulled wine and winter snacks and the garden is the ideal antidote to the busy market down on the Queen's Walk.
Oxo Tower Restaurant Bar & Brasserie, Oxo Tower Wharf, Bargehouse St. London SE1.+44 20 7803 3888. A very pleasant (if very pricey) venue sums up the current form of the posher half of the Oxo experience, where you get a splendid eighth-floor view of the Thames & St Paul’s from a riverside location on the south bank of the Thames. You’ll be able to see most of central London weather permitting. Try to get a table on the patio.
The Heights Restaurant, Bar and Lounge, 15th floor, St Georges Hotel, 14 Langham Place, London, W1B 2QS. Offers stunning views of London through a Wall of Windows allowing you to gaze over the rushing city below.
Aqua Spirit, 240 (Fifth floor), Regent Street (entrance 30 Argyll St), Mayfair, London W1B 2EL. +44 207 851 2433. Mon to Sat 12 Noon – 1.30am.
Century Club Roofgarden, 61 Shaftesbury Ave, Soho London, W1D 6LG. +44 20 7534 3080. Private club.
Soho Sky Terrace, 19 Great Marlborough Street, London W1F 7HL. +44 20 7297 5555. Tues to Sat 3pm - 22.30pm. ph
No 5 Cavendish Square, Marylebone, London W1G 0PG. +44 207 079 5000. ph
5th view Waterstones, 203 Piccadilly, St James, London W1J 9HA. +44 207 851 2433.
Min Jiang Restaurant, 10th floor, Royal Garden Hotel, 2-24 Kensington High Street, London W8 4PT. +44 20 7361 1999. Spectacular views over Kensington Palace and Hyde Park.
The Roof Gardens, 7th Floor, (Entrance on Derry Street), 99 Kensington High Street, W8 5ED. +44 20 7368 3993. Perched high above Kensington & set amid rooftop gardens, Babylon combines an impressive view of London. Restaurant Guide Review.
View from Portrait Restaurant
Portrait Restaurant, Ondaatje Wing, 3rd floor, National Portrait Gallery, St Martin's Place, London WC2H 0HE. +44 20 7312 2490. Just off Trafalgar Square. Rooftop restaurant boasting spectacular views over London. Daily Breakfast:10am - 11.15am. Daily Lunch 11.45am - 2.45pm. Daily Afternoon Tea: 3.30pm - 5pm. Thurs, Fri & Sat Dinner 5.30pm - 8.15pm. Pre Theatre: Thurs, Fri & Sat 5.30pm - 6.30pm.
The Penthouse Skyline, 7th Floor, 1 Leicester Square, London WC2H 7NA. +44 207 734 0900. Bar & Kitchen, set high above heart of London, is the perfect place to relax before a show or on the way home from the office. At The Penthouse you can enjoy a complete dinner in stunning surroundings with breathtaking views of Central London.
Queen of Hoxton Rooftop, 1-5 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3JX. Sun to Wed 12 Noon - 12 Midnight. Thurs to Sat 12 Noon - 2am.
Vertigo 42, 42nd Floor, Tower 42, 25 Old Broad Street, EC2N 1HQ City-North. +44 20 7877 7842. Reckon on reserving weeks in advance if you want to ascend to Vertigo, London's highest bar atop Tower 42 ( the former NatWest Tower). Over-hyped & expensive it may be, but for location & sheer wow factor this skyscraping Champagne bar safely trumps all other City watering holes. email
Rhodes Twenty Four, 24th Floor, Tower 42, 25 Old Broad St., EC2N 1HQ City-North. +44 20 7877 7703. For many, Gary Rhodes’ dining room on the 24th floor of the former NatWest Tower is a pinnacle. A sky-high location makes for a unique dining experience with spectacular views. ph
Coq d'Argent, No1. Poultry, London EC2R 8EJ. +44 20 7395 5000. Perched on the roof of No.1 Poultry, with views over the famous Square Mile and landmarks such as St Paul's Cathedral, Mansion House, Monument and the Bank of England.
Sky Lounge, atop Mint Hotel, 7 Pepys Street, London EC3N 4AF. +44 207 709 1000 Hovering above the hotel's roof, sits the cantilevered SkyLounge. This separate metallic element, set above the surrounding rooflines, contains a penthouse bar and links to external roof terraces which include herb gardens, green roofs and incredible 360º views of London. It has been specifically designed to engage with the London skyline offering spectacular views over Tower Bridge, the historic Tower of London and the river Thames, and the Gherkin and St Pauls from the North Terrace. email
Boundary Rooftop, Entrance in Redchurch Street 2-4 Boundary Street, Shoreditch, London E2 7DD. +44 20 7729 1051 Includes a large bar with seating arranged around an open fireplace, a 48-seat grill restaurant and a garden designed by Nicola Lesbirel. The rooftop is accessible by a direct lift and is served by its own kitchen. Panoramic views range 360 degrees from Canary Wharf, round to the City’s Gherkin and Barbican, and back again to the rooftops and spires of East London. Daily 12 Noon - 8.30pm.
Plateau Restaurant, 4th floor, Canary Wharf, Tower Hamlets, Canada Place, London, E14 5ER. With dramatic views across the rooftops of Canary Wharf and futuristic décor, Plateau is a stunning, light-filled restaurant. All the glamour of Manhattan and the buzz of a big city by day while at night the lights dim to offer a more intimate experience.
Alfie's Rooftop Restaurant, 3rd Floor, 13-25 Church Street, Marylebone, Westminster, London, NW8 8DT. +44 20 7706 2969. Antique Market in Marylebone.
Unon by Nobu, Closed.
Thames Foyer, Savoy Hotel. Has views of the river. Rooftop garden with fabulous view.
the trafalgar roof garden bar, 2 Spring Gardens, Trafalgar Square, London SW1 A2TS. +44 20 7870 2900. May be closed for private parties.
Rockwell, Trafalgar Hotel, London SW1A 2TS. +44 20 7870 2900. Arguably the best-located rooftop bar in the capital.
Roof Terrace, White House, 65 Clapham Park Road, London SW4 7EH. +44 20 7498 3388. Terrace is only open Fri & Sat 8pm - 5am. 4 mins walk from Clapham Common Station. facebook email
MacBeth, 70 Hoxton Street, London N1 6LP. +44 20 7749 0600. The Macbeth
Egg Niteclub, 200 York Way, Kings Cross, London N7 9AP. +44 20 7609 8364. On Fridays, they operate from 10pm to 7am. On Saturdays from 10pm - 11am carrying on for Breakfast at EGG (the Sunday morning after party). Tube: King's Cross St Pancras and Caledonian Road. The 390 bus route stops just opposite the venue and operates 24 hours. They run a FREE shuttle service Fridays & Saturdays from 10pm, picking up on York Way - outside the American Car Wash. Nightclub is spread out over three floors. email