London's Best Rooftop Bars

Sitting on the seventh floor of The Stratford hotel in East London, Allegra has a 50-seat terrace from which to indulge in small plates and snacks and quaff drinks to cool down on balmy evenings. Head inside to the restaurant for a taste of chef Patrick Powell’s British produce-led cooking should the need for a more substantial feed take you.

The Provence-inspired terrace and adjoining bar at Angler, atop the South Place Hotel in Moorgate, is a City of London sanctuary. Relaxed and refined, with great cocktails and bubbles, the terrace is the extension of a fish-focused, Michelin-starred restaurant that is one of London’s hidden gems.

Popular with the after-work crowd, this rooftop restaurant and terrace bar on top of the Montcalm Royal London House hotel offers stunning views of the City’s (endlessly multiplying, seemingly) glass towers. Fill your own glass with a choice of cocktails, bubbles, beers or spirits and mingle with the movers and shakers, as they let their hair down over a drink or several.

Boundary is one of London’s original rooftop bars. Its Rooftop Grill follows the seasons: in summer, expect a Mediterranean vibe with plenty of chilled rosé, salads and grilled meat and fish keeping the vibrant, creative crowd at this popular Shoreditch spot satiated, whilst winter is all about warming cocktails and oozy cheese, Alpine-style.

A haunt of City types (located, as it is, just around the corner from the Bank of England, at the amusingly named ‘No. 1 Poultry’), the grass-lined roof of this restaurant and bar is the perfect place to sip drinks whilst watching the wheels of British financial institutions being oiled. A menu of classic French dishes compliments the English garden party atmosphere.

Perched atop a co-working space in Peckham, South London, this fun bar-restaurant does a great line in frozen cocktails (and wine of course), with Italian-inspired small plates to keep the hunger pangs at bay. Panoramic views across the city are the cherry on top.

The rooftop at the Prince of Wales pub in Brixton is one of the liveliest elevated party spaces in the city. This is not the place for a quiet aperitif or a refined cocktail experience: expect live DJs and plenty of up-for-it revellers. However, if you have the energy, you’ll find nothing but great vibes and rumbling bass at this legendary South London boozer.

Located on the roof of an old BBC broadcasting hub – hence the name – now the ME hotel, the panoramic views at Radio Rooftop take in some of London’s most iconic landmarks, including St Paul’s, The Houses of Parliament and Tower Bridge. The look is minimal and monochrome, whilst the Mediterranean menu and the well-heeled party set that frequents it are anything but. However, be sure to book ahead: those views are hugely coveted.

Located at Sky Garden, London’s highest public garden at the top of the ‘Walkie-Talkie’ tower, Sky Pod is a wonder. 360-degree views of the city will stop you in your tracks, whilst live DJs will get you moving again. There’s an open-air terrace too, should you want to take in the din of the city over 500 feet below in between rounds of drinks and bar food.

Unashamedly fusion, this restaurant and bar at the top of the Heron Tower mixes Brazilian, Peruvian and Japanese influences. One of the coolest things about the experience is being whisked up in panoramic glass elevators, Willy Wonka–style, to what are the highest dining terraces in Europe. There’s probably no better place in the city to drink in the sunset.