This secret London rooftop bar has incredible views
Rooftop bars in London – especially in the good weather – are often booked up or overly busy. But little known is the Hyatt Place London City East’s public bar, with incredible views over the City, creative cocktails and friendly staff, many of whom contribute to the cocktail menu with their imaginative creations. It’s well worth a visit
Original prints, paintings and photographs from London artists line the walls at the Hyatt Place, the Whitechapel hotel which has turned its public spaces into art galleries with a collective value of £150,000. One piece is an ecstatic contrast of primary colours splashed across a canvas, another is muted in monochrome.
They’re absorbing distractions to get lost in while you sip your drink at the hotel’s rooftop bar. The PocketSquare Skyline Bar and Terrace has decent views that most Londoners don’t know about – but is well worth putting on the radar.
Cocktails are technical and showy, and some take a molecular approach. An enthusiastic bubblegum-haired mixologist told me she’d come up with my drink herself. Warm indoor seating at a tabletop offers a lesser-seen view over the capital towards Stratford, and there are plenty of cosier banquette seating areas and an outdoor terrace for summer. Against the chaos of the City’s loud, overfull rooftop bars, this is a welcome spot to relax away from rowdy workers, with decent drinks too.
The London hotel, which has been receiving awards for its visitor experience and air quality, is an interesting building. Near Brick Lane and the Whitechapel Gallery, the hotel occupies a former office block, and the rooms retain a little of that feel. My room had a wrap-around balcony with outdoor access and views across east London (100 rooms have capital views). The outdoor space still feels like the rooftop breakout area of an old office block, with sterner design and neat rows of plants. The room is very comfortable with more than enough room for yoga or doing a few hours’ work, and is properly blackout overnight, with a decent bed.
There’s also a restaurant in the foyer area, Zoom East, focusing on Sicilian food and breakfast is served there too. The bigger brands may not be so romantic, but they’re functional, and this Hyatt offers a great deal of practicality with a few generous dollops of fun, too. We’ll be back for the rooftop bar.
The Hyatt Place London City East has rooms from £120
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