London‘s best rooftop and terrace restaurants for summer 2024
The sun has finally started shining!
And if like every other Londoner you’re on the hunt for the nearest available rooftop for an Aperol Spritz, we’ve got you covered.
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Llama Inn
Best for: discovering before everyone else
Under industrial black beams engulfed in green foliage, you’ll discover a sun-drenched summer terrace with an inventive food menu (do not leave without trying the Lucuma Tart with irresistible matcha creaminess and a heavenly aftertaste).
Irresistibly cool and chic, Llama Inn deserves to be one of London’s top rooftop bars this summer.
Cocktails from £13, small plates from £12. 1 Willow St, Shoreditch.
Dalloway Terrace
Best for: making your IG grid look pretty
It’s terrace-central now the yellow blob in the sky is shining. Cue the garlanded Dalloway Terrace, which feels like the grounds of an Italian villa, 3-minutes walk from Tottenham Court Road station. For a limited time, sip Maison Mirabeau cocktails made with their Dry Rosé Gin or La Folie Sparkling Rosé, or both, in the case of the Brigitte Spritz.
Either that or grab a glass of one of their lipsmackingly fruity Provence rosés – I’m not fussed which, they’re both exquisite. Ask for Giovanni, Dalloway’s charismatic GM who runs a super-friendly dynamic team, and pop into the Coral Room next door for drinkies before you head off. Sidenote, there’s a Mirabeau supper club there on 17 July for fans of the brand.
Cocktails from £15. 16-22 Great Russell St, Bloomsbury.
Catching up with family? Kids eat free when adults order a Sunday roast at Dalloway Terrace – choose from Hereford Beef, Porchetta or Mushroom Wellington. Find out more here.
Florattica
Best for: posing with The Gherkin
Nestled amongst the clouds and skyscrapers that loom over the City is Florattica: a rooftop bar that can safely boast about having one of the best views over London. It’s also got some of the best ceiling decor.
Order one of their lovely floral cocktails and – if you’re peckish – a posh toastie.
Cocktails from £16. Top floor at Canopy by Hilton, 11-15 Minories, The City.
Los Mochis
Best for: a sundowner (or several)
At dusk, the evening sun (entirely unobstructed by any other buildings) illuminates the central bar at Los Mochis’ new rooftop central London location in golden light.
The menu is an exciting fusion of Mexican and Japanese cuisine, and though it is excellent (our strong recommendations are the spicy hiramasa maki with yellowtail and the ube panna cotta), at Los Mochis you’re paying primarily for the wow factor.
None of this comes cheap, but come here for golden hour, sip on a cocktail, and you might well find yourself in Tulum with a stopover at Tokyo, for less than the plane ticket.
Cocktails from £12, mains from £16. 9th Floor, 100 Liverpool St. Alto By San Carlo
Selfridges – The Rooftop
Best for: post-shopping recovery
If the price tags in Selfridge’s have left you in need of a sit down, take the express lift to the roof where a charming, lemon tree-laden oasis awaits.
This isn’t your standard department store grub – refuel with silky lobster taglioni and delicious Sicilian desserts off the old-school dessert tray.
Mains from £13.95. Selfridges, The Rooftop, 400 Oxford St.
Coq D’Argent
Best for: sunny Sunday lunches
It’s no secret that the City is something of a wasteland at weekends, but that could change with the recent launch of rooftop restaurant Coq D’Argent’s new Sunday Menu.
Among the highlights of the set menu are venison tartar and the leg of lamb – served with all the trimmings – but it is the French cornfed baby chicken that steals the show as something a bit more upscale than the usual Sunday lunch offerings.
2 courses for £35, 3 courses for £40. No1 Poultry, The City. Book here.
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