Restaurants with a View in London: 14 to Try

We live in one of the greatest cities in the world, and sometimes you just want to get a look at it, you know? Mind you – there’s a fair few places to do that (Sky Garden, The Shard, The London Eye), but how many of them let you have a great meal while doing so?

The joy of dining with an outlook truly cannot be overstated. It elevates your experience to new heights (pun intended) and proves that setting and food truly can be equally as important when it comes to restaurants.

Unfortunately, a lot of places capitalise on the views without putting as much time or emphasis onto the food, charging astronomical prices for sub-standard dishes and average drinks in restaurants that end up being nothing more than oversubscribed tourist traps.

Here in London, one of the best cities in the world for dining, you’re a little spoilt for choice when it comes to dining destinations with views over the city’s wonders – old and new, natural and man made – and we’ve dug out the good ones, both in the sky and on the ground, that give you more than just a feast for the eyes.

14 restaurants with a view in London

Duck & Waffle

110 Bishopsgate, EC2N 4AY

Located on the 40th floor of one of London's tallest buildings, Duck & Waffle doesn't do anything in half measures

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It might be top of every tourist's list, but Duck and Waffle is far from a gimmick. Open 24 hours throughout the tail end of the week, it’s not simply the panoramic views of the city that serve as the drawcard here, but also the fact that you can sidle up at 4am for a hefty plate of waffles, slow cooked duck leg and mustard maple syrup. It might not seem like your standard midnight fare but trust us, it’s something special.

duckandwaffle.com

The Portrait Restaurant

National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Place, WC2H 0HE

View on Instagram

Imagine if someone took most of London's iconic buildings – Big Ben, Westminster Abbey; The London Eye; Nelson's Column, and well, yeah, you get it – and arranged them conveniently in one expansive panorama, and you basically have the view from The Portrait Restaurant. The eatery, which sits atop the National Portrait Gallery, was recently taken over by Richard Corrigan, and food is underpinned by his classic approach to simple perfection. Expect the classic Bentley's oysters with Vietnamese dressing, elegant steamed whole artichoke with crab mayonnaise, and perfectly grilled lamb chops accompanied by a highly drinkable wine list. A turn through the gallery (which has also recently been given a face lift) followed by lunch in the restaurant is about as quintessential London afternoon as they come.

theportraitrestaurant.com

JOIA

15th Floor, 1 Electric Boulevard, SW11 8BJ

View on Instagram

The first thing that strikes you when you enter JOIA is the colour palette; millennial pink, as far as the eye can see. That is, until you clock the view. With sweeping vistas over the recently renovated Battersea Power Station to the river and Chelsea beyond, it's a pretty spectacular bird's eye view of an area of London that has undergone swift and thorough redevelopment. If anything will distract you from that bold colour scheme and impressive outlook, though, it's the food. Two-Michelin-starred Portuguese chef Henrique Sá Pessoa has designed a menu inspired by his roots and the Iberian peninsula, so expect big flavours and oodles seafood. Don't leave without taking a quick trip to the rooftop, poolside bar, it's the perfect place for a pre or post-dinner cocktail.

joiabattersea.co.uk

Seabird

40 Blackfriars Road, SE1 8PB

Seabird serves excellent seafood and offers one of the finest rooftop dining experiences in the city

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The only thing that can beat a sunny lunch of seafood by the sea is a sunny lunch of seafood on a rooftop in central London with sweeping views across the city (if you squint one eye and tilt your head slightly the Thames can look…. slightly tropical?). Seabird has gained something of a cult following for its enormous terrace, killer views and modern seafood menu that includes the city’s longest oyster list and a serious cocktail selection to ensure your meal is a jolly one.

seabirdlondon.com

Galvin at Windows

22 Park Lane, W1K 1BE

Galvin at Windows is a Michelin-starred restaurant with a pretty close-to-the-actual-stars view thanks its perch on the 28th floor of Park Lane's Hilton hotel

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The Galvin Brothers’ restaurant at the top of the Hilton Park Lane has been a must-visit for a fair few years now, with their brand of elegant, French-accented British fine-dining food complemented by – as the name suggests – giant windows that offer incredible views of Mayfair, Hyde Park and out across the capital. It’s the kind of place that’s a hit with tourists but still very much delivers on the food front, with affordable set menus in place for those who don’t quite feel they can stretch to the full tasting menu.

galvinatwindows.com

City Social

Tower 42, 25 Old Broad St, EC2N 1HQ

The food is Michelin starred, the service is immaculate, and – located level 24 of Tower 42 – the vista of London at City Social is one that'll ingrained on your mind forever

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Jason Atherton’s restaurant empire shows no sign of slowing down into its second decade – that’s probably because his reputation is still furnished by the excellent Pollen Street Social and City Social restaurants, which have both retained Michelin stars and acclaim pretty much since they opened. For a show-stopping dinner with a view, the latter is the place to head to – through a reasonably inconspicuous passage into Tower 42 in the City and up a lift to the 24th floor. There’s a cracking bar, Social24, too, for a drink before or after dinner.

citysociallondon.com

HIDE

85 Piccadilly, W1J 7NB

Nest egg at HIDE

Herdwick lamb, green asparagus, savoury pine nut praline at HIDE

Asparagus, this morning's ricotta, chervil at HIDE

Canapes at HIDE

Warm hay custard, Jerusalem artichoke soup at HIDE

HIDE is a restaurant and bar collaboration between Hedonism Wines and Ollie Dabbous

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You don’t have to be at the top of a skyscraper to hoover up classic London views – sometimes the first floor’s enough. Ollie Dabbous’s HIDE is a three-storey venue, with a basement bar and a more casual offering at ground level, but head up the show-stopping steam-bent oak staircase to Hide Above – the space that earned the restaurant a Michelin star for its beautiful tasting menus – and if you’re lucky you’ll snag a table in front of the floor-to-ceiling window that looks out onto Green Park. It’s like being ported into a cinema playing a slice of haute-couture West London life.

hide.co.uk