Coq d'Argent

Two glass lifts carry guests to the sixth floor of No. 1 Poultry, where Coq d'Argent has held its rooftop above Bank since the late 1990s. The Conran-designed restaurant pairs classic French cooking with one of the most recognisable roof gardens in the City: clipped hedges, stone spheres and a clean lawn framing the dome of the Royal Exchange and the towers of the Square Mile. The dining room itself is calm and low-lit, sage-green chairs and a long banquette set against a glazed wine wall, opening straight out onto the terraces.

The terraces are why people come. A covered, heated North Terrace works year-round for seated lunches and standing receptions, while the upper terrace and outdoor lounge areas trade dining tables for sofas, planting and informal drinks. The whole rooftop can be taken exclusively, and the kitchen runs to formal French menus for seated events or canapes for a reception.

For music, the venue already programmes a resident DJ. Sunset Sessions run every Friday from 5pm through the summer season on the terraces, which makes the garden the natural setting for an intimate DJ-led event high above the City streets.