Rooftop bars in Shoreditch: Queen of Hoxton, Boundary and more

The rooftop to head for in Shoreditch this weekend is Queen of Hoxton on Curtain Road, because it is the one that does not shut when the clocks go back: the roof stays open all year and swaps its summer setup for a heated yurt. Behind it come Boundary's glass orangery above Redchurch Street, the seventh-floor Kaso terrace on Shoreditch High Street and the new roof at Village Underground on Holywell Lane, where two old Jubilee line carriages now serve drinks. One thing first: at the end of October, check before you climb. Several of these roofs keep shorter winter hours, and one is closed until spring.

Queen of Hoxton, Curtain Road

Queen of Hoxton at 1 Curtain Road, EC2A, is a bar and club with a roof that changes its theme each season. For 2026 that has meant a Caribbean BBQ with frozen cocktails from the Rum Shack, and in colder months the heated winter yurt goes up. BARBs, a Bajan kitchen, cooks on the roof. The roof opens 5pm to 10pm Wednesday to Friday and 2pm to 10pm on Saturday, and the bar downstairs runs until 2am Thursday to Saturday. The Thursday deal is the one to know: Clock Off at Queen, from 5pm, with selected beers and cocktails at £5 and free entry. It is closed on Mondays, and the venue says roof hours depend on the weather, so ring ahead on a wet night.

Boundary Rooftop, Redchurch Street

Boundary is the grown-up option. The entrance is on Redchurch Street, E2, and the roof has a glass orangery beside a large terrace, with a wood-burning fire and views of the City skyline. Because the orangery is enclosed, this is the rooftop that works in November rain. It currently opens Tuesday to Saturday, noon to 11pm, which it calls seasonal hours. It is over-18s only, cashless and does not allow dogs. Book a table if you want to eat; it has its own rooftop menu and wine list.

Kaso, One Hundred Shoreditch

Kaso sits on the seventh floor of the One Hundred Shoreditch hotel at 100 Shoreditch High Street, E1, with Istanbul-inspired dishes from chef Ilknur Celik and a terrace with views across the East End. The hotel says walk-ins are welcome until late. Kaso Yappy Hour runs on Thursdays and Fridays from 5pm to 7pm, and Kaso Sounds puts DJs on from 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

Village Underground Rooftop, Holywell Lane

For years the two carriages on top of Village Underground were something you looked up at. They are hollowed-out Jubilee line trains sitting on an old Victorian warehouse at 54 Holywell Lane, EC2A, and the venue says they were never open to visitors until this summer. Now the roof has a heated terrace, cocktails served from the carriages and 12-inch pizzas from Bad Boy Pizza Society. Current hours are 4pm to 10pm Wednesday to Friday and 3pm to 10pm on Saturday. Note that the roof is reached by stairs only, with no step-free route.

Llama Inn, Willow Street

Not strictly a roof, but high enough to count. Llama Inn is a Peruvian restaurant and bar on the seventh floor at 1 Willow Street, EC2A: look for the yellow door, take the lift and press seven. The dining room is a greenhouse, which makes it a safe bet in any weather. It opens from noon every day and stays open until midnight Thursday to Saturday, with the bar taking last orders half an hour before close.

Vagabond, Principal Place

If wine matters more than the view, Vagabond Shoreditch at Principal Place on Worship Street, EC2A, has a heated roof terrace with blankets, more than 100 wines and draught beers you pour yourself, and cheese and small plates all day. Vagabond gives Liverpool Street station as its nearest landmark.

Closed for winter: The Culpeper

The roof garden at The Culpeper on Commercial Street, E1, where salads and herbs grow in planters, is one of the best in the area in summer. Its open-air rooftop is closed until spring 2027, though the greenhouse up there can still be booked for private dinners for six or more. The pub downstairs is open daily from noon.

How to plan it

Thursday after work: Queen of Hoxton's £5 Clock Off from 5pm, or Kaso's Yappy Hour from 5pm to 7pm.
A wet Saturday: Boundary's orangery or Llama Inn's greenhouse, both under glass.
Something new: the Village Underground roof, open from 3pm on Saturdays.
Tuesday: Boundary is the only one of the main roofs open from lunchtime.

None of these is a skyscraper bar. Kaso and Llama Inn are on the seventh floor, the rest are a few storeys up, which is the point: you are above the street rather than above the city, and you are never more than a short walk from the next one.