Top, Best & Fun Rooftop Bars in St Albans

"The ferns, fig trees and purple African lilies that clamber up the final three storeys of the 'Walkie Talkie' skyscraper are mere wallflowers at this 155m-high rooftop garden – it's the rather extraordinary 360-degree views of London (the best in the City) that make this vast, airport-terminal-like space so popular (advance booking recommended). Located on the 35th floor of 20 Fenchurch St, the Sky Garden has front-row seats for the Shard and vistas that gallop for miles east and west."

"If a trip up to the stunning viewing gallery of one of London’s tallest buildings sounds like a pocket drainer, think again. Situated inside a glass oasis at the top of the “Walkie Talkie”, Sky Garden is London’s highest public garden, filled with greenery and boasting panoramic views of the capital. It’s totally free to head up there, but you’ll need to book in advance, with post-lockdown visits starting up again from July 29."

"Number two on our list of the bests building and architecture in London is the stunning sky gardens. This is one of the most modern buildings found in the city. Also, its one of the highest public gardens to be found in the United Kingdom."

"With its zany prints and neon signs, The Parlour at Sketch feels more appropriate for cocktails than it does brunch, but its menu of breakfast dishes, served until 11am, suggests otherwise. The focus here is on eggs, and you can have yours in six different ways, including scrambled and served with feta cheese and sourdough bread, poached with streaky bacon and Hollandaise sauce or tempura with avocado, asparagus and ‘Sketchup’. There is also a selection of pastries and sweeter dishes, such as waffles, acai bowls and fruit salads."

"Sketch is an experience and it definitely lives up to the hype, with its multiple dining rooms that each have their own unique decor. Each room has a different aesthetic, but you're faced with the same feeling – bewitchment. The food is impeccable and the staff treat you like royalty."

"From artwork plastered on the walls to the egg toilets and that pink gallery room, this Maddox Street restaurant is instantly distinguishable amongst Londoners and tourists alike."

"We love the classic schmoozy charm of this place, set in the heart of Theatreland. The food is a little like very upmarket pub food, so think half pints of prawns, fish pies, lobster thermidor (what do you mean you've never seen that down the King's Head?), and platters of shellfish galore. There’s an oyster bar next door, too, which made it onto our list of the best oyster bars in London"

"It’s a piece of prime gastronomic real estate, but M&Ms aside, there isn’t much to eat in Leicester Square itself. A claw-cracker’s throw from the neon, though, is some of London’s best seafood, courtesy of J."

"One of the swishest Champagne bars in London is back in business this spring. Head over to Kings Cross St Pancras where Searcys has dusted off its pretty patio to welcome you in for fine fizz and outdoor dining."

"This long-standing Soho institution houses a members club and restaurant, with Jeremy Lee at the stoves. Comfort and good taste exudes from the leather banquettes, crisp linen and floral displays, as well as the cooking. Jeremy achieves a rare combination of hearty and delicate British food with the skill of French technique – the baked salsify with parmesan and the smoked eel sandwich have both become house specialities."

"Everyone seems out for a good time at this intimate, 23-seater restaurant. The food is regional, seasonal, and thoroughly British, from suet-crusted pie and mash to deviled kid-liver skewers. The wine list is lengthy, and the cocktail menu offers punchy house creations alongside classics."

"Chef Jeremy Lee’s seasonal British and Mediterranean menus — spanning pies, salads, and old-fashioned puddings — are the reason to visit this classic Soho restaurant. A handful of outside tables on Dean Street are the way to go."

"This big, swanky restaurant in the City of London is worth a visit for the décor alone. The ornate cornicing is the ideal accompaniment to the upmarket Italian cuisine and polished service. An import from Russia (the restaurant’s founder is Sicily-born Remo Mazzucato), Piazza Italiana has brought with it a Muscovite enthusiasm for caviar, which is served with pancakes, quail eggs, crème fraiche and butter."

"This is the first London opening for a restaurant group that started out in Moscow. They'll have high end Italian food in a very impressive location."

"Restaurants Japanese Holborn. Just like everything else it does, Roka offers a slick and perfectly presented brunch offering, with a scarily tempting option to add unlimited wine. The Han Setto menu kicks off with ten sharing dishes (think chicken and sesame gyoza, prawn and vegetable tempura etc.) ahead of your chosen main (perhaps salmon teriyaki or glazed baby back ribs with cashews), while the finale is a stunning dessert platter."

"We had a memorably good delivery from this Bethnal Green restaurant at the beginning of lockdown. They do seasonal special sushi platters and their wagyu and foie maki rolls are amazing. Read our Test Drive."

"You don't have the time for kaiseki, or the means for Nobu, and you're not gonna get too up in arms about the state of your shibasu. You Me Sushi is the takeaway service (with a few tables kept inside each bit-more-than-hole-in-the-wall) that fits of the people, and they're conveniently spread across the city. A 36-piece "Sea Box" will get you ten salmon nigiri, six salmon and avocado inside out rolls, six crabstick and avocado inside out rolls, six salmon maki rolls, and eight pieces of salmon sashimi, all for just £27.45."

"One of London's most beloved art collections, the Courtauld is to your right as you pass through the archway into the grounds of the…"

"The Jack the Ripper Museum is devoted to one of London's most notorious and terrorizing serial killers. The museum recreates the setting in which the unsolved Jack the Ripper murders took place in 1888. The collection has original objects related to the crimes."

"The Walthamstow Pumphouse Museum sits in a Grade II listed former Victorian waste water pumping station. The museum is dedicated to chronicling the technology, transport and industrial history of the Walthamstow area. The collection houses an impressive list of transport and machinery from steam engines to workshops to original tube cars to firefighting equipment."

"The Jack the Ripper Museum is devoted to one of London's most notorious and terrorizing serial killers. The museum recreates the setting in which the unsolved Jack the Ripper murders took place in 1888. The collection has original objects related to the crimes."