In recent years there has been something of an explosion in the so called rooftop bar within London, but where are the best places to watch the world go by?
According to John O’ Ceallaigh and Natalie Paris of the Telegraph there are a few select locations which fit the most important criteria of style, good drinks & food and of course a view worth gazing over.
From these we’ve picked a smaller selection based on a select number of categories:
Best view: Aqua Kyoto bar is probably the best of the bunch if you’re looking for a real London view, which isn’t surprising considering its run by the Aqua Group who are responsible for the rather stunning Aqua Spirit rooftop bar in Hong Kong.
Admittedly the London version isn’t based on the 30th floor of a tower block with magnificant views of the harbour, but give global warming time and perhaps this will be an option one day.
For now however the garden sits atop the Trafalgar Hotel with views over the famous Trafalgar Square and Regent Street. For the first time the public get to see what Nelson has been watching over for years, without needing to worry too much about the pigeons.
Use of space: Queen of Hoxton serves up a mean hipster pub grill during the evenings and although perhaps a little out-done by the height of the surrounding evenings, the bar does have a nice feel to it.
The pièce de résistance of the Queen of Hoxton is the evening film shows whereby all the seats are rearranged and the audience get to enjoy some classic films in the open air and above the hussle and bussle of the city.
Don’t worry, these aren’t “arty” films, they do play everything from the timeless Casablanca to more modern day films such as Robocop. Popcorn is of course available, and if you’re worried about the neighbours, you need not be – everyone listens to the film via wireless headphones. You do need to book via the Rooftop Film Club web site.
Genuine garden: Coq d’Argent is situated right in the heart of London with views of the Swiss Re Building (aka. the Gerkin), but best of all it contains real grass and the odd box-hedge for good measure.
If you visit during the week, you can see the bankers flooding out around 5pm like an army of ants, although it should be noted quite a few of them do flock to this location so perhaps a weekend is safer. A little tip is not to stand around the edge of the building for reasons we won’t go into here (see article if you really want to know).
The restaurant itself serves a French menu which is popular with “the locals” (if there is such a thing in central London), and offers bargain prices on weekends too, so double good reasons for swapping hoards of bankers for hoards of tourists to watch.
For fuller details on the rooftop gardens of London see this Telegraph article.
More London Links:
Things to see and do in London
Hotels within central London
One Comment
There’s also a great book out called Quiet London that has a ton of places to watch the world go by in London.