London does not need another rooftop bar. The city has them stacked on top of skyscrapers, tucked behind hotel lobbies, and squeezed onto buildings where you’d swear there isn’t room for a bar, let alone a view. So when a new one claims to be worth your evening, it has some convincing to do.
Florattica, perched on the 11th floor of Canopy by Hilton London City, did the convincing. It just recently picked up its first PIN from The Pinnacle Guide, and after a night spent working through its cocktail menu (slowly, responsibly, mostly), it’s easy to see why.
A love letter to East London’s textile history
Florattica takes its design cues from East London’s silk-weaving past, when 17th century French Huguenots settled in the area and turned it into a hub for intricate woven patterns. That history shows up overhead: the ceilings are covered in floral installations that mimic those silk designs, set against interiors that feel elegant without trying too hard.
We sat outside on the terrace, mostly because the weather gave us no reason not to. It’s a genuinely great summer spot, with an open-air setup that makes you forget you’re still inside city limits. The indoor space looked just as good, maybe even better suited for a proper sit-down dinner if that’s more your speed.
The cocktail menu has a moral compass
The drinks menu is built around the seven virtues: Hope, Love, Courage, Ambition, Wisdom, Temperance, and Integrity, with plenty of other options rounding things out. It’s a clever framework, and the bartenders clearly didn’t treat it as just a gimmick.
I started with Temperance: Seatrus Gin, lavender, coconut milk, and blueberry cordial. It was soft and floral without veering into dessert territory, which is a tightrope a lot of botanical cocktails fail to walk.
My boyfriend went with Wisdom, a far more ambitious build featuring The Dalmore 12, Jameson Irish Whiskey infused with toasted walnuts, Nocino liqueur, homemade orange bitters, and a sage and walnut tuile on the side. It tasted like autumn decided to become a drink.
For round two, I switched to Savoury Passion, the menu’s answer to a dirty martini, made with Corte Vetusto mezcal, passion fruit, and a caper mix. It’s louder and more intense than a standard martini, but in the best way. If you like your cocktails to fight back a little, order this one.
Small plates that pull their weight
We ordered a charcuterie board to share along with two Caesar salads, and the food held its own against drinks that were clearly the main event. The charcuterie was the standout, helped enormously by homemade sourdough that I’m still thinking about. The small plates menu is built to complement the cocktails rather than compete with them, and it does that job well.
The view is good because it isn’t trying to be the tallest
Here’s an unpopular opinion: not every rooftop bar needs to tower over the entire skyline. Florattica sits at 11 floors up, which sounds modest by London rooftop standards, but it puts you right in the middle of the action instead of staring down at it from a distance. We had clear views of St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Gherkin, and we happened to be there as the sun went down, which is about as good a time slot as you can book.
The roof itself is retractable. It started closed when we arrived, then opened up about halfway through the night, letting in a rush of fresh air and better light right when the evening needed it.
And then we just walked back to our room
We also stayed the night at the hotel, in a King Premium Room on the same floor as the bar, which meant the commute from last cocktail to bed was about fifteen feet. Not a bad way to end a night out.
The hotel design leans industrial, with the same East London influence running through the public spaces, and breakfast the next morning was seriously impressive. It’s easily one of the better hotel buffets I’ve come across at a Hilton, and after a night at Florattica, a big breakfast spread is exactly what’s needed.
London will keep building rooftop bars. Most will lean on the view and call it a day. Florattica backs its view with a cocktail menu that has actual ideas behind it, food that doesn’t feel like an afterthought, and a setting that makes you want to linger rather than snap a photo and move on.
