Sky high boozing: 18 new London rooftop bars to enjoy in the sun

Here are 18 new London rooftop bar concepts to raise a glass this spring

Feel that? That’s the sun. After a washout year so far, it’s finally time to climb to the top of the closest tall building and order their most extravagant cocktail. We’ve rounded up some of the best new London rooftop bars to go for a drink this summer. Bottoms up – and pray the sun lasts.

TT

It’s been a joy watching this Shoreditch bar flourish in its short life, morphing from the sort of spot you’d expect to survive for a year then quietly shut down into a stalwart of the area; it’s now a more grown-up spot with very serious food. TT Liquor, be gone: new for 2024, ‘TT’ includes a rooftop restaurant with sprightly, unusual dishes, with a focus on smoking and pickling. Try the dry-aged ribeye with chimichurri for a proper mouth party. 17B Kingsland Rd, London E2 8AA

RUCOLA

Covent Garden members club The Conduit is launching a new rooftop bar for spring. It’ll be open to the public on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and chef’s plating Northern Italian dishes like Barolo braised Iberico pork cheeks, globe artichoke pansotti and vanilla and black peppercorn ice cream. Enjoy the decent views from this central enclave without the hordes shoving past. 6 Langley St London WC2H 9JA

JIN BO LAW SKYBAR

This city bar and hotel was Formerly the Dorsett City Hotel, but has been reimagined as the Hotel Saint. There’s a renovated feel throughout, and at the Jin Bo Law Skybar there are views over London Bridge, the Walkie Talkie and the Shard. Get your smackers around a ‘City Jingle,’ a sour with pomegranate liquor, egg whites and lemon. Hotel Saint, 14th floor, 9 Aldgate High St, London EC3N 1AH

THE OLD WAR OFFICE

Is the most significant London hotel opening in years. The first Raffles in the capital, it occupies the former administrative buildings used by Churchill in the Second World War. The hotel is open, but the final phase, the rooftop bar and sushi restaurant, is due to launch this spring. There will surely be brilliant views over St James’ Park.Whitehall, London SW1A 2EU

WAGTAIL

Okay, so not brand new, but Wagtail opened in the Square Mile just over a year ago and is one of our favourite places to go for a tipple. It’s a sophisticated spot for drinks that doesn’t draw in the loud, drunken crowds that often go to these places – and there’s decent food too. Book dinner in the inside restaurant then venture outdoors onto the terrace for post-dinner drinks. 68 King William St, London EC4N 7HR

THE EMORY

New from the Maybourne Group, behind some of London’s best hotels including Claridge’s and The Connaught, The Emory will open this April as one of the capital’s swankiest new places to stay. Any new rooftop space is particularly exciting, but The Emory’s Bar 33 – which will be invite only and open exclusively for hotel guests – is sure to be talk of the town. Old Barrack Yard, London SW1X 7NP

LLAMA INN

This new London rooftop bar and restaurant in the heart of Shoreditch is particularly lovely when the sun comes out. Above the Hoxton Hotel, there’s a suntrap terrace. When you’ve finished gawping at the view, the Peruvian food on the menu and killer mezcal cocktails are another welcome distraction from ordinary life going on all those floors below. 45 Curtain Road, Shoreditch London EC2A3PT

FORZA WINE

The National Theatre on the South Bank has some fantastic balconies overlooking the Thames, but none – until now – have had a bar on them. Welcome Forza Wine, a fancy pants wine bar with some excellent food, too. There’s indoor and outdoor balcony seating, and we’d recommend the mussels with white beans and wild garlic, and the purple sprouting broccoli with anchovy, capers, bread crumbs and duck fat potatoes to kick things off. National Theatre, London SE1 9PX

POCKET SQUARE

No one seems to know this rooftop bar exists, other than lucky guests who check into this new London hotel that opened just after the pandemic. The Hyatt Place London City East has artist’s residencies so there are some amazing art pieces scattered throughout this rooftop bar, which serves particularly creative cocktails. Staff get to suggest new drinks for the menu and proudly show off about their creations, which is pretty cute. Black Lion House, 45 Whitechapel Rd, London E1 1DU

QUEEN OF HOXTON

This stalwart of the Shoreditch bar scene changes its rooftop decor every season so there’s always a fresh vibe. For winter they’ve decorated the area in homage to ‘Gothic Venice’ and while the summer theme hasn’t yet been announced, if previous iterations are anything to go by it’ll be pretty impressive. The streets of Cuba and ‘Lost Vegas’ have both been themes before. 1 Curtain Rd, London EC2A 3JX

HORIZON 22

The newest London rooftop is Horizon 22, which is free to enter. Offering the capital’s highest no-fees viewing platform, there’s also a basic but functional food offering, with a cafe offering snacks, and hot and cold drinks to enjoy while you look out over the city. There’s more food options on the ground floor, but if you’re after a proper meal you might want to just pop up here for a look and then head on elsewhere. 22 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AJ

THE CROSS

The Cross was a famous nightclub in the nineties, but now, over two decades later it has returned with a new look. Over six floors, the venue culminates with a rooftop bar with views over the redeveloped King’s Cross area. There will be Mediterranean-inspired small plates and cocktails and on the floors below, DJs spin tracks every night of the week. This’ll be a solid new spot for spotting the fashionistas and cultural movers and shakers. Our recommendation? Go in trainers so you can have a dance in comfort after you’ve had dinner. Thecrosslondon.com 

OYSTER CART

The Ham Yard hotel is an enticingly plush, relatively new, addition to Soho, but what is positively sparkling-fresh is the hotel’s new oyster cart. From mid-June it’ll be making a show of itself in the Ham Yard’s gorgeous outdoor seating area where they serve everything from afternoon tea to a lobster and avocado cocktail. So, if after three bloody marys you fancy shucking something fresh and salty, they’ll have your back. From second week in June, firmdalehotels.com; 020 364 2200

CAVO

If you’ve wandered past the Tottenham Court Road junction with Oxford Street recently and thought, ‘by jove, there’s a lot of new stuff here, including a big outdoor space with a light installation on the celing and loads of people staring at it,” then you’ll be delighted to discover Cavo, the new rooftop bar that’s a part of that redevelopment. There are nice views, although nothing special ‘cause, you know, you’re in central London where rooftops hardly offer the panoramas you get from further out. Expect Mediterranean dishes like carpaccio of octopus and spins on classic European cocktails. Cavorestaurant.com; 020 3409 1035

CLAYS

Clays is the place you go to go virtual clay pigeon shooting, which we can confirm is a day out we never knew weneeded but it turns out we did. But as of this year, it is also a place to go for a thoroughly real, non-virtual sunbathe. The Canary Wharf terrace has been designed to make you feel like you’re in the exact opposite of a sprawling metropolis, so think lush foliage, floral tones, subtle blush green and pink shades and plenty of comfortable furniture from which you can scoff Italian-inspired food with cocktails. No, there’s no actual pigeon on the menu. No virtual one either. Clays.bar; visit website to book

VICINITY BAR

Us Londoners should all spend more time simply sitting and staring at the majestic buildings our city has around every turn, and one of those buildings is, obviously, Tower Bridge. On the south side there’s the classic French restaurant Le Pont de la Tour and now on the northern bank, Vicinity Bar will celebrate its first summer Thamesside with sharing plates and decent drinks to guzzle while snuggling by a plush fire pit. Perfection. Vicinitylondon.co.uk; 020 7206 7562 

ART’OTEL’S ROOFTOP

The new Battersea Power Station development has a plush hotel, the art’otel, which has a stunning new rooftop bar and pool situation with hot-tub with views over the Power Station. The pool is only for hotel guests but we’d say booking a room one weekend is an absolutemust. Drinks can be booked up on the roof if you just fancy a lounge around without swimming. On the ground floor, the Tozi Grand Cafe has outdoor seating too, and a menu of contemporary dishes inspired by nature. Artotellondonbattersea.com; 0333 400 6154

ROYAL HORSE GUARDS

This hotel perched on the banks of the Thames has given its terrace a facelift for the summer season. Guests are immersed in nature, with floral displays covering seating and arching over heads tangling with umbrellas. Go for a drink but end up staying for dinner to properly enjoy the setting. This hotel has plenty of history, and was once used by MI6 for offices. Try the Terrace Spritz, a mix of gin, elderflower tonic, cloudy apple juice and mint. Food-wise it’s sharing plates, small plates and pizzas, and the space is available for private hire with its own barbecue if you want to go all out. Guoman.com; 0207 523 5062

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