Spring in London is finally here: the skies are lighter for longer and the streets are lively and animated. Make the most of this weekend’s spring equinox with dinner and drinks at the best terrace and rooftop restaurants in London.
Including fresh, handmade pastas in Italian-style terraces and Iberian seafood restaurants perched atop hotel rooftops, here are our favourite al fresco dining spots in London to enjoy this weekend – and all spring and summer long.
Mandarin Oriental, Mayfair
With temperatures on the up in London, Mandarin Oriental Mayfair’s rooftop bar welcomes visitors with its glorious outside terrace. Just the views alone, extending as far as Hampstead Heath and the London Eye, are enough to lure guests here. Start with one of Hanover Bar’s signature cocktails, which take inspiration from the neighbourhood’s longstanding heritage. Those staying for snacks can make the most of the bar’s refined small bites. Sample plates of sushi and decadent desserts to finish, paired with succulent Wagyu beef tacos or yellowtail crudo. Should the weather take a turn, the interiors inside are just as atmospheric; the airy colour palette takes inspiration from the sky, where a striking chandelier dangles from the ceiling.
Novikov Terrace, Mayfair
Novikov’s open-air terrace in the heart of Mayfair is primely located for leisurely catch-ups or balmy business lunches. Overlooking Berkeley Street, the sun-dappled terrace feels like it is in a world of its own despite its central location. Start with the Yuzu & Elderflower Spritz, a light and refreshing concoction made for warmer days, though the floral yet bitter Sakura Negroni is just as tempting. Fresh pasta dishes are on offer at the Italian restaurant, paired with earthy truffles and grilled fish or meat. The Asian restaurant serves up freshly prepared dim sum with colourful plates of sushi and sashimi.
10 Greek Street, Soho
Soho’s restaurant scene seems to be thriving more than ever, with old and new restaurants opening on every street corner. If you’re in the area and it’s a sunny day, 10 Greek Street offers an atmospheric terrace tucked away in the heart of Soho’s ever buzzy centre. Feast on seasonal dishes that highlight only the finest ingredients, including rich Devon crab, piquillo peppers, Highland wing rib, crunchy cabbage, fried potatoes and horseradish – not forgetting the chocolate tart topped with salted caramel and crème fraiche. A curated wine list by the co-founder, Luke Wilson, is the cherry on top.
Franco's, Mayfair
Franco’s is something of an institution in Mayfair, tucked away on Jermyn Street. Established in 1945, remnants of its storied past have been maintained today, including the restaurant’s delectable Italian cuisine and impeccable service. The (heated) outdoor terrace offers a refined yet laidback spot for long, leisurely lunches or elegant evening dinners. Feast on a variety of classic Italian dishes, including burrata with peas, broad beans and Sardinian artichokes, mouthwatering linguine with lobster and fresh seabass with a herby gnocchi.
Mercer Roof Terrace, Vintry & Mercer
As the seasons shift, Mercer Roof Terrace lures guests with its sprawling roof terrace, offering sweeping views of St Paul’s Cathedral to The Shard. New standouts on the seasonal menu included Roasted Chalk stream trout with English asparagus and wild garlic paired with Salt Marsh spring lamb rump. A selection of rhubarb-led desserts bring a lighter, seasonal feel to the menu. Celebrating a civilised occasion? Mercer Roof Terrace will also continue to serve up its Crown Afternoon Tea, featuring all the classics – scones, pastries, sandwiches – inspired by royal residences.
Yasmin, 1 Warwick Soho
Opened in Spring 2023, 1 Warwick is Soho’s vibrant yet boutique members’ house, where colourful velvets and sleek woods make for stylish interiors and a welcoming ambience. Climb six floors and you’ll find the newly opened Yasmin by executive chef Tom Cenci. Middle Eastern sharing plates take centre stage here, promising lots of flavour, colour, and a relaxed atmosphere – all you need for a slow afternoon of al fresco dining with friends. Menu highlights include sumac cured salmon with smoked yoghurt, a za’atar-spiced mushroom skewer and a baklava and pistachio ice cream ideal for cooling down on a sunny day. Food aside, the panoramic views of London’s bustling Soho are worth stopping by for, for a quick post-work aperitif or late-night cocktail.
Seabird, The Hoxton Southwark
With interiors just as beautiful as the panoramic views of London you’ll have access to from Seabird’s expansive terrace at the top of The Hoxton, this restaurant is a feast for the senses. Although firmly positioned amongst London’s iconic skyline, Seabird whisks you away to coastal dining with its seafood-focussed menu. You’ll find all the flavours of Southern Europe during Oyster Happy Hour serving a selection of fresh oysters, sea trout ceviche and grilled octopus. However, there are delicious vegetarian and vegan dishes too, including the crowd-pleasing asparagus paella. The menu is served all day, though book a terrace table for early evening to watch the sun set over the horizon.
Lita
Tucked just off Marylebone’s high street, Lita has introduced a refined style of European cuisine to London. And it shows: less than a year after opening in March 2024, Lita was awarded with the most prestigious award in the industry: a Michelin star. Founded by Daniel Koukarskikh with a menu headed up by head chef Luke Ahearne (previously at Luca, The Clove Club, Corrigan’s), the menu offers an appreciation for core Mediterranean produce, with the likes of Kentish radishes served with smoked cod’s roe, chopped Hereford beef with Amalfi lemon, and Fuentes Bluefin tuna with corno peppers and capers. A rhubarb pisco sour to start the weekend off? Cheers!
The Berkeley Rooftop Bar
The Berkeley’s rooftop and poolside bar made waves in London three summers ago for opening up a beautiful space usually only reserved for guests. Atop the chic five-star hotel in a former 1700s coffee house building is the rooftop pool and bar, where seasonal spritzes and iced Granitas are served waterside for cooling aperitifs. For food, try a selection of the seasonal Mediterranean small plates including mushroom and truffle maki rolls and yellowfin tuna tartare. Vibrant parasols and striped sun loungers the colours of the French Riviera pierce through London’s horizon, making The Berkeley one of the city’s most covetable al fresco summer spots.
JOIA, Battersea
Perched atop the incredibly chic art’otel in London’s new hotspot, Battersea Power Station, is JOIA, the Portuguese restaurant by chef Henrique Sá Pessoa. Daring flavours, colourful interiors involving lots of pinks, oranges and greens, plus beautiful ceramic pieces and the hotel’s rooftop pool make for a bustling ambience regardless of the season, but especially when the sun appears. When it comes to the menu, the two-Michelin head chef is leading the way to the Iberian coast and back with his seabass crudo served with green oil vinaigrette, and the very traditional bacalhau à brás – a salted cod with shoestring potatoes. Spanish and Portuguese classics appear on the drinks menu too with signature wines and vermouths from lesser-known Iberian producers. JOIA, meaning ‘jewel’ in Portuguese, is a London gem shining bright in London’s al fresco dining scene.
Dovetale, Mayfair
On the ground floor of London’s chic and sustainability focussed 1 Hotel Mayfair, find Dovetale, the restaurant where two Michelin star chef Tom Sellers moves through the seasons with his menu. Focussing on market-sourced foods, the restaurant’s menu is customised to regional and seasonal ingredients to ensure a mindful approach to the environment but also optimal flavours, textures, and colours. Dishes are cooked over the grill – both fish and meat – and there is an extensive vegan menu too, championing white asparagus, celeriac, and wild mushrooms. To trial a range of the menu, try the two- or three-course set menu. For an after work or pre-diner aperitif, a couple of oysters and a cold cocktail at the raw bar are a perfect way to settle into a warm evening. Seating 36 guests and enshrouded with greenery, the terrace is an intimate affair, perfect for a quiet and balmy date night.
Sessions Arts Club, Clerkenwell
Perhaps one of London’s most Instagrammed restaurants – and rightly so – the stunning and wonderfully romantic Sessions Arts Club has been the centre of London chatter since it opened in 2021. With its pastel hued, fading walls and tall arching, the Grade II listed building is at once a restaurant, bar, and art gallery with regularly changing artworks. While the interiors capture the hearts (and cameras) of all visitors, the rooftop bar and garden is equally as elegant with green seating and crisp white parasols. Previously headed up by former head chef Florence Knight, the restaurant has just re-opened with their new spring menu with dishes and flavours just as elegant and enchanting as always. From mammal artichoke and verjus to duck rillette served with pear, this restaurant doesn’t wait for a special occasion but makes one when you dine there.
Bacchanalia Mayfair
While Bacchanalia may boast one of London’s most exciting restaurant interiors (Martin Brudnizki, of course), you’ll want to grab a spot on the terrace of this fine Mayfair establishment, inspired by the ancient wonders of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Semi-enclosed with potted plants, you can still peek out to stylish passersby walking from Berkeley Square towards London’s stylish Mount Street. All whilst feasting on the Greek-Mediterranean menu set over several courses of sharing options from the new spring à la carte menu. Kick off with the tzatziki and babaganoush with crudités before moving onto the keftedes (greek-style meatballs, tomato relish, smoked yoghurt) and salt-crust sea bass.
Luca, Clerkenwell
Luca, the incredible (and now Michelin-starred) Italian restaurant in London’s Clerkenwell dishes up the best of both worlds: British seasonal ingredients including high-quality turbot from Cornwall and lamb from the Hebrides served with an Italian lens. Each ingredient shines in these dishes, especially the olive oil, produced by La Fornace for Luca, so much so that you’ll want to leave with a bottle and will be happy to hear that you can, in fact, do so. Just ask the waiter at the end of your meal. If you’re struggling to decide between the antipasti, primi, and secondi – each as delicious sounding as the next – we suggest The Chef’s Tasting Menu for a six-course journey through the dishes starting with parmesan fries and ending with a perfectly whipped tiramisu to enjoy either inside under candlelight or at Luca’s beautifully tiled outdoor terrace for the spring and summertime al fresco experience.
Flute in Broadwick Soho
Seven floors up, inside the independent hotel Broadwick Soho, is Flute. This wraparound rooftop terrace is a hidden paradise in central London, with sweeping views and a friendly, relaxed environment. The menu exudes a similar vibe, with indulgent takes on classic dishes including charred hisbi cabbage and Hereford rib-eye steak. Just like the interior design, the cocktail menus caricature the classic with black fig margaritas and vodka palomas. The list of cocktails is never ending and is changed regularly by the dynamic bar staff meaning you’ll always have an excuse to return. There are lots of non-alcoholic options too, sure to satisfy everyone’s sunny-day tastes.
Petersham Nurseries, Covent Garden
Welcome to Floral Court, where a quick turn down a narrow street in one of London’s busiest shopping districts, Covent Garden, leads you to the peaceful Petersham Nurseries Floral Court. This elegant outdoor courtyard connects the florist, the deli and the cellar – and only when the weather clears up and starts to warm do they bring out the tables from the restaurant and offer their dining al fresco. Combining both British and Italian elegance the courtyard is an oasis of calm connecting you to nature, and a beautiful place to sit outside, stay for a while and enjoy the weather – while it lasts. Whether it’s pastries, pasta or a cheese board with a bottle of wine from the cellar, sit back, relax and enjoy while pretending it’s your own private garden.
La Petite Maison
A taste of the Mediterranean’s dolce vita beckons from Mayfair at La Petite Maison. Tomatoes and a lemon decorate each table as a homage to the restaurants core ingredients, and those that champion their signature cocktail, the Tomatini. Every dish – from the hors d’oeuvres to les plats – is fresh and playful, championing good-quality ingredients. These fun dishes are served within a fine-dining atmosphere, with a sommelier on hand to pair each dish with one of France’s finest chablis or a wine from a lesser-known vineyard. Nestled within a quiet mews just behind Claridge’s, and therefore tucked away from the loud bustle of central London, order a Tomatini and the carpaccio de bœuf and close your eyes – you really could be on the French Riviera.
Dalloway Terrace
Bloomsbury, home to the covetable literary group that transformed the UK’s modernist art scene, is also home to the al fresco space at Dalloway Terrace. Named after Virginia Woolf’s – a core member of the Bloomsbury Group – heroine, Clarissa Dalloway from the novel Mrs Dalloway, the terrace affords all the floral, and elegant beauty the upper-class protagonist would love to indulge in herself. Fresh florals by florist Richard Eagleton flit between the marble tables for soft scents of the English countryside in the heart of London’s literary district. This year, the Elizabeth Scarlett Afternoon Tea celebrates British seasonality, featuring rhubarb and hibiscus profiteroles and raspberry and rose mousse. There’s a children’s menu too – of shortbread and scones. Quintessential British delicacies at their finest.
Brooklands by Claude Bosi
Located at the top of London’s The Peninsula hotel is Brooklands by Claude Bosi. Start at the Brooklands Bar to sip on a signature Calabria (a variation of the popular margarita including Calabrian chilli, orange and cinnamon) with views over Buckingham Palace – the only spot in London to offer a scene quite as spectacular. Though, while you could happily sit here all night, the restaurant’s dishes aren’t ones to miss out on. A series of tasting menus await for a true, London fine-dining experience. Start with the Cornish squid and artichoke before moving to the British classic of Lake District lamb. Beautifully presented dishes set amongst the London skyline, Brooklands is the spot for any celebrations or special events on the calendar. We don’t doubt why the rooftop has a Michelin-star.
The Maine, Mayfair
A traditional English townhouse, the original drawing room of the Duke of Montrose, a speakeasy tavern, and probably the biggest chandelier you’ve ever seen, the origins of New England extravagance are revived here at The Maine. While well-known, it still offers a hidden gem in Mayfair: the terrace. Although directly accessed by Hanover Square or New Bond Street, the hand painted vases by George Erdei, colourful cushions, and green foliage enshroud the space in a feeling of calm in the centre of the city. Stop by for the afternoon happy hour or Oyster Shuck Fest for an afternoon under the light sky, or wait until the sun sets and enjoy the best of brasserie-style dining under the candlelight.
Terrazza At Il Gattopardo
You don’t need to hop on a plane this spring to taste Italy’s rich culinary heritage. The Terrazza at Il Gattopardo is an elegant affair, with all the sophisticated modernist minimalism of 1960s Italian design. The menu is seasonal for true flavours of an Italian summer: think gamberoni served with taggiasca olive and tomato, and scoglio (a Neapolitan seafood stew with Amalfi lemon). The most intriguing part of the menu has got to be the negroni gelato. The Terrazza has a fully-retractable glass roof, so rain or shine (we’re all familiar with London’s unpredictable summers by now) an intimate evening awaits.
Los Mochis London City
Set among the towering jungle of London’s iconic skyline, at Los Mochis London City you have a front row seat to the flashing lights of the Liverpool Street district. The menu is just as exciting. Mexican food is fused with Japanese cuisine on the seasonally driven menu of sharing plates. Snack on fresh fish tacos, spiced edamame, and crispy tortilla chips. Even better, every dish is gluten- and nut-free (with minimal dairy too) so all dietary requirements – vegetarians and vegans included – are catered for. Book for a vibrant girl’s night out.
Brigadiers
A social bar and restaurant in central London, Brigadiers is an excellent spot for an animated evening out. Inspired by India’s military bars, the interiors are dimly lit with red detailing, a central bar, booth seating, and private coupiers for a casino-like energy where you can enjoy poker or classic card games while drinking. The outdoor terrace is just as fun. Enjoy the à la carte menu with a wide selection of classic Indian dishes, from smoked aubergine rotis to aloo tokri chaat to share amongst your group. Pair with the house cocktails – the Yashpal Old Fashioned made from the Brigadiers Family Reserve is a standout. Also outside, you’ll find DJ sunset sessions for late night parties.
CLAP Restaurant
There aren’t many rooftop spots in Knightsbridge, making CLAP a rarity in this part of town. Taking over the sixth and seventh floor, the restaurant has a lovely rooftop terrace on its top floor where you can enjoy fire-torched peppers, crispy rice salmon, miniature ice sculptures, the decadent Hyojun Platter of fresh sashimi and nigiri served over a mountain of ice, the list goes on… CLAP brings a show-stopping take on contemporary Japanese dishes. The omakase menu – meaning “I leave it up to you” in Japanese – is an excellent dive into the highlights, and you can leave it up to CLAP to make a lasting impression with beautiful platters. The bar at CLAP is just as impressive with a long cocktail list featuring Japanese takes on signature drinks.
Toklas
London foodies will know about Chris Shaw’s central London spot, Toklas. Mediterranean fare at heart – with a core focus on seasonality – these are plates that will see you through the approaching sunny afternoons. Share the red mullet served with Toklas’ take on a Greek patatas yahni and meats grilled over an open fire. Beautifully designed by Miria Harris with potted plants and blooming flowers, Toklas’ sun-trap terrace is the place to be when the sun shines. If you’re in the area in the morning, make sure to stop by the Toklas bakery for Basque cheesecake or marzipan and strawberry brioche.
The Lighterman
Modern British dishes find an elegant spot amongst North London’s canal circuit at The Lighterman. Stylising classic pub dishes to add a lighter, seasonal and sustainable air, from the beef carpaccio and salt marsh lamb cutlets (with sides of skin-on fries) to the wild sea bass, this spot is a lovely summer alternative to spending Sunday afternoon at the local pub. For outdoor dining, The Lighterman also offers a canal-side menu of chicken salads, broad bean risottos, and Cornish crab.
Wildflowers
Chef Aaron Potter (from both Michelin-starred Trinity in Clapham and Elystan Street in Chelsea) and interior stylist Laura Hart are the two main forces behind Belgravia’s newest neighbourhood brasserie and wine bar Wildflowers. The sophisticated Belgravia spot’s courtyard terrace is relaxed – perfect for a slow Sunday or sunny afternoon. On the menu, you’ll find high-quality, seasonal dishes offering a flavour of the Mediterranean, where plates of Norfolk asparagus and spaghetti alla vongole are best enjoyed with a crisp glass of white wine and great conversations with friends.
Towpath
East Londoners know spring is well on its way when the canal-side cafe and restaurant Towpath swings opens its shutters for the season. Come rain or shine, you’re dining al fresco here, with tables peppering the walkway adjacent to boats steadily moving along the canal. Founded by Lori de Mori and Laura Jackson (and loved by London A-listers including Keira Knightly) this is a rare-gem kind of spot in London, where creative sharing plates from a menu that changes regularly are designed for passing between friends.
Lead image credit: Dalloway Terrace
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