With such a cryptic name, you’d be forgiven for not knowing exactly what the London Bridge Rooftop was, so allow us to elucidate.
It’s a rooftop bar. In London Bridge.
More specifically, it’s sitting on top of the sixth floor of a brutalist, ’70s-era office building down on Tooley Street. You’ll know it when you see it, because it looks like a giant shoebox. Only the lid’s been lifted off, flipped upside down, and placed back on top to create a perfectly hemmed, open air space with a 360-degree panorama of the surrounding area.
To get up to London Bridge Rooftop, look for the old Bureau de Change – the entrance is hidden behind those doors. And prepare for a long walk, as there’s no lift (but “it will be good for your daily steps count”, they helpfully remind us).
The first thing you’ll notice when you’re up there is probably the Shard. It seems like you can almost reach out and touch it, and it feels very much like the younger, taller, annoyingly over-achieving office block sibling to the building you’re in. But then there’s also a laundry list of other iconic sights that command the London skyline from Tower Bridge to the London Eye, to St Paul’s, and the Tower of London, to name but a few. The space has blankets (no heaters though), a whole bunch of tables, atmospheric fairy lights, plenty of greenery, and even a few umbrellas just in case the weather turns. Oh, and a lot of cocktails.
Should you get peckish, London Bridge Rooftop duly obliges with a menu of burgers and fries, while on the drinks side of the equation, house cocktails span from summery spritzes to clarified takes on the Pina Colada… and of course the bar’s well stocked with wine, craft beers on tap and G&Ts.
Which is another pleasant sight.
NOTE: London Bridge Rooftop is open daily. You can find out more, and book a table, at their website right HERE.
London Bridge Rooftop | Colechurch House, SE1 2SX
Looking for outdoor dining ideas? Behold our list of (really good) places to eat outside in London