Summer in South London is a wonderful prospect with a social calendar full to the brim of events and attractions to make yourself a part of. One of the most impressive and important elements of this season is the ritual of enjoying drinks out in the open air. It acts as the perfect evening starter, or even afternoon, where friends and family can meet for a refreshing catch-up. As this area has seen so much development over the last decade in particular, there are also plenty of new neighbourhoods appearing with exciting rooftop bars to try. With Old Father Thames providing the foundation for some fantastic views across landmarks in the city, there is a real opportunity to experience an emerging scene that is making its mark amongst the most attractive nightlife economies in all of Europe.
Our guide profiles a collection of the very best to help you decide on where to begin.
Frank’s Café, Peckham
There is something inherently alluring about a bar that only operates during the summer season. Everything about Frank’s Café in Peckham is a celebration of socialising in sunnier skies, created from a wooden decked rooftop on the 10th floor of a multi-storey car park. From May to September, this place is a full-hearted reimagining of the urban spaces created by the boom of the 20th century into a truly unique cocktail bar. Created by Practice Architecture in 2009 for the Bold Tendencies art collective, it works as a living gallery with a collection of fixed and rotating installations from renowned artists. The now iconic pink stairwell on Rye Lane transports you into a South London sanctuary amongst the art pieces with views that take in The Shard and St. Paul’s Cathedral. It seems that everywhere the eye falls, there is beauty to observe.
Frank’s Café has made quite a name for itself as a not-so-hidden gem in 2025 and claims to be the spiritual home of the Sunset Negroni for the capital. Watching the sun set below the river with a glass in hand, it becomes difficult to argue against that being true.
Eighteen Sky Bar, Greenwich
The fabulous east-facing terrace of Eighteen Sky Bar provides one of the most enviable 360-degree panoramic views of London from the South. From the 18th floor of the InterContinental London, this is a slick and sophisticated affair that plays with hushed tones, charcoal hues and metallic columns to bring the night sky into the venue for a seamless transition on the rooftop. There is a pleasing formality and refinement to proceedings here, with a smarter dress code and more classic atmosphere than most of the new generation of rooftop bar options in South London. An expertly crafted cocktail menu upholds this energy with Goji Fizz and the appropriately named Sky Breeze, featuring amongst the highlights. The status that Eighteen Sky Bar holds amongst the attractions on the Greenwich Peninsula does inevitably mean that it can get rather busy. This doesn’t mean that the experience is ever compromised, but it does make sense to book ahead in order to fully appreciate the best vantage points for those thrilling views. If the London weather does disappoint, then the floor-to-ceiling windows of the interior allow you to enjoy them safe from the elements too.
Seabird, Southwark
The 14th floor of the Hoxton on Blackfriars Road in Southwark is home to Seabird, a bar with some impeccable food options that are difficult to beat anywhere in South London. Here, the design of the space owes much to the industrial past of the area, with functional and striking elements that surrender to lush greenery looking out over the city. It feels at once part of the fabric of the capital and akin to a Mediterranean retreat. Although the selections of frozen cocktails and biodynamic wines are definitely worth the visit alone, it is the sea-to-table small dishes that really set this rooftop bar apart from the competition. The Spanish-Portuguese influence is evident with grilled fish and Octopus Hot Dogs, but it also holds one of London’s longest and most comprehensive oyster menus. They act as the perfect starter for an evening spent staring in wonder over the River Thames with the South Bank looming large in view.
This year, the legendary Jazz venue Ronnie Scott’s is also curating a special program of live entertainment at Seabird. Dancing the night away under the stars at this incredible bar is just one more stellar ingredient thrown into the recipe that makes this place a fantastic addition to the South London scene.
Bussey Rooftop Bar, Peckham
The Bussey building acts as the perfect monument to the rise, fall and regeneration of South London. It was originally a sporting goods factory built by George Gibson Bussey in 1887 that fell into disuse and disrepair for half a century as the industrial heart of Peckham was gradually eroded. In the 2000s, it was saved from demolition and became the hub for a creative renaissance in the area that eventually led to the rooftop bar becoming an informal and accessible destination for local artists and visitors. Lush plantings in biophilic designs, vibrant neon art installations and bohemian furniture all add to the cool and laid back ambience of what is now recognised as the highest drinking spot in Peckham.
In 2019, Bussey Rooftop Bar received a LIV Hospitality Design Award to reinforce its fascinating journey of almost 150 years at the heart of the community, in different guises. It offers views of an ever-changing city that demands reinvention and flexibility to ensure that the needs of its people are catered to. And Bussey’s does exactly that in such a style that it has to be experienced to really be appreciated.
South London looks set to continue its considered evolution well into the next generation. These rooftop bars demonstrate how exciting it can be to observe an area of London regenerate and grow alongside the people that it serves. Raising a glass to this continued success from such an elevated perspective does present an appropriate way to watch it happen and be a part of it.
