Rooftop bars

Sunday

Jane Stannus

The charm of Toronto’s Park Hyatt Writer’s Room

From our US edition

Foie gras doughnuts, check. Rooftop location, check. Framed collection of fountain-pen nibs on the wall, check. Where should a scribbler with aspirations to the higher life turn his feet in Toronto, if not to the Park Hyatt Writer’s Room? At seventeenth-story level, the higher life seems within easy reach. The Writer’s Room is the renovated and rechristened edition of the historic Rooftop Lounge, a famous hotel bar that first opened its doors to the public in the Thirties. Before the renovations, it boasted Toronto’s longest-serving bartender, Joe Gomes, who worked there for fifty-seven years. His fondest memory, he said on retirement, was meeting John Wayne. Everybody who’s anybody seems to have popped by for a drink at some point: Leonard Cohen, Brangelina, Hunter S.

writer's room toronto

Wednesday

Marianna Hunt

London’s finest rooftop bars

London has one of the most distinctive skylines on the planet - and what better way to enjoy it than sipping a cool beer or cocktail? As we approach peak summer season, rooftop bars are popping up across the capital. Follow our picks of the top places for great atmosphere and a privileged bird’s eye perspective of the city.  Tattu, Denmark Street Tattu's Cherry Blossom Negroni Rise above the buzz of the West End with this latest addition to the WC2 food scene. A Chinese restaurant and bar with sweeping views of the city, Tattu challenges the view that London sets the nation's foodie trends; it first burst onto the scene in Manchester and Birmingham before opening in the Capital. The cocktails are as easy on the eye as they are on the tongue.

Tuesday

Marianna Hunt

Seven summer terraces for al fresco drinking

While most of us won’t be making it abroad to sip Apérols and swan around piazzas at dusk, London offers the next best thing. From rooftop feasts in Mayfair to fine dining among a wildflower meadow, these are the best summer terraces for al fresco drinking and dining. Kutir, Mayfair The rooftop of this Mayfair townhouse-turned-restaurant has been covered with a lush lawn and borders of topiary to create the feeling of a private garden, suspended among the chimneys of the surrounding mansions. Cosy candle lit tables sit among the shrubbery surrounding a glass skylight with views into the restaurant below. Ring the posh doorbell outside to enter. Kutir specialises in contemporary Indian cuisine, drawing inspiration from the country’s wildlife.