5th View Champagne and Seafood Bar

 

Elevated bookshop café/bar with rooftop views.

Offering some of the best views in London and the chance to catch up on a good book, this slick bar located on the 5th floor of Waterstone’s (the biggest book shop in Europe) is worth putting your reading glasses on for. Views from the café - stretching south over the rooftops all the way to Westminster and Big Ben - are best enjoyed at dusk when the light starts to fade and the neon lights flicker into action. Essentially a bar attached to a bookshop, reading at tables is positively encouraged. Select a book from the regularly refreshed Authors’ Table, or pick up a tome from the store’s many groaning shelves. Settle down at a table with a cup of coffee or a loose leaf tea, take in the view and then get reading. There’s free wi-fi access too. While 5th View, admittedly, doesn’t serve the best coffee or tea in town, the views, fresh airy atmosphere and burgeoning in-house library combine to make this a great choice for refreshment in the middle of town.

Best for:
Refreshments and reading, rooftop views, book clubs and wi-fi.

Did you know?
This building was Britain's first shop to feature an uninterrupted curved-glass frontage.