5th View

This is a hidden gem. From its name, you know that you’re paying for the view from its 5th floor perch Located in the Waterstones on Piccadilly, take the lift (or walk if you’re fit!) and you’re rewarded with views over the rooftops towards the Thames. Food is standard fare but a good place for a view

Came in for a working lunch, very peaceful spot with comfy seating and a broad menu, nice to work from for a few hours and meet for a working lunch. Had grilled vegetables & avocado on toast which was a nice healthy lunch, coffee also good and staff were attentive.

We have nipped in for a pre-theatre cocktail and we were not disappointed. Delicious Espresso Martinis and a view to die for. Our waiter Mohammed was amazing.

Surprisingly grim and really out of kilter with the Waterstones brand. On the ground floor there is a lovely cafe that is sadly always too busy to get a seat. Fifth Floor is like a rundown cafeteria that you find on holiday…paper table cloths and word decorative vinyls on the columns. I had an overpriced avocado on toast which I can only describe as…wet. All soft drinks are around £5 which feels a lot too. Service is pleasant, and it is nice and quiet - but that’s because it’s dreadful. Genuinely surprised Waterstones is choosing to keep this open.

The singular staff member had a lot to do..... setting up, meet & greet, serve the drinks, take the orders, serve the food. He did his best and was still smiling throughout. Could be a great place, but seems to have been under invested both in staff for service and infrastructure, so looking a bit shabby and tired. The 2 months out of date sauce sachets tell their own tale. Had a drink and did not stay for lunch.

The prices for drinks were actually okay. This is what we got for a £24 cold cuts board. They may have a terrace but wasn't an open, anyway the view is mostly roofs of the neighbourhood, nothing fancy. You can access it entering Waterstones. It did got busy, but I would say if you're a tourist, it's not worthy. But if you work in the area, and only wanna have a simple drink, it is a good stop. The service was good, but I think they need one more person on the front.

We went for the cocktail happy hour which is betweek 5-8. There isn't really a view, the room just overlooks the street. Cocktails weak and our first was too sweet. Then just into our second (different) cocktail at 7 the waiter came over and gave us the bill, asking for payment as "happy hour is ending soon ". Huh. Then all the staff disaapeared except one. This one stood at another part of the bar with his back turned to the room - we had to go over and speak to him to get his attention. Not a good experience and we wont return. Also unexcting food menu with very few non meat dishes.

On the 5th floor of a bookshop, what's not to like. There are couches and chairs throughout the store which were well used by potential clientele. Plenty of room in the bar/cafe when we got there at 1445hrs and we chose to be seated at the windows. Service was prompt, but not everything was on the printed menu, niether the carrot cake nor apple and cinnamon pie were there. Nice atmosphere, quiet, only two kids with maw and paw next to us and they were well behaved. 10% service charged added to the bill, when I asked if there was a tips jar the staff didn't seem to know what I was on about- maybe just my provincial West of Scotland burr.

To paraphrase Foreigner "I've been waiting...for a girl like you... to take my freakin' order" Whose leg do you have to hump to get some service around this place? Walked in for a quick bite and was going to sit at the bar, but the eager guy said "no, sit at a table, we have table service!". Fifteen minutes later I was considering him a liar. Finally grabbed someone to take my order. And they're out of the London sausages! So had to go with the burger. Food and beer (Leffe Blonde...mmmm!) came quickly, which in this case was a good thing. Burger was benign....somewhat forgettable. The chunky fries are worthy of their own mention. Very tasty! Again, had to hunt someone down to get the check and they add a service charge. Decent food, poor service. This place has a nice view (you can see the London Eye) but I don't think it's worth the ride to the fifth floor. I say pass.

I was surprised how affordable the food here is! There's a variety of options on the menu to select from, both healthy and comfort foods. We had to wait quite a while for our food, so the waiter decided that our drinks would be on the house. How sweet!!!

What's a better place to go to when you've browsed your way through 5 floors of books, than a nice cafe/bar at the top of the Waterstone's building. It's a great place to grab lunch, afternoon tea or post-work drinks. I had the 5th View Burger for lunch - a juicy beef patty, lettuce and thousand island sauce in a sesame seed bun, served with onion rings, hand cut fries and relish on the side. I was impressed at how tasty the burger was. My experience with bookstore/department store cafes haven't been the best, and I was expecting average quality. The burger was filling but definitely hit the spot. The fries and onion rings, while cripsy, were bland and a little greasy. The relish had a nice tangy flavour that went well with the burger. I've heard good reviews for their fish and chips too. A great place to take a break in the middle of the ever busy and bustling Piccadily Circus.

The 5th View bar is on the top floor of the Piccadilly's Waterstones. It is a lounge bar. It stretches across a large part of the top floor and has panoramic views across London. My Dad used to work in the area and we met here a couple of times for drinks. It is a nice place and the views are incredible. They also sell a range of tapas style nibbles to accompany your drink which are all pretty tastey. It is a good place to stop off for a drink if you want to escape the rush of central London, or have just finished work.

Bar review: I wandered in here after spending entirely too much money at the actual bookstore sitting the 4 floors beneath this (no regrets!) and was rewarded by finding their happy hour. I didn't try any of the food, but enjoying the lovely view and a 2 for 1 drink special was more than an ideal way to cap a busy day of wandering around the city. I tried their mojito and dark & stormy and both were perfectly balanced. I love cocktails, but HATE when they're poured so strong its like drinking lighter fluid. Everything was tasty, well presented and more than adequate for what I was looking for. If you want a happy hour w a view of Westminster (and some of the rooftops, but who's complaining?!) after having fun wandering the stacks at Waterstones, I'd recommend popping up here for a nightcap.

How can a restaurant mess up Cob Salad? Filled out with croutons and otherwise largely lettuce. Another irritation was my Virgin Mary came in a glass half the size of the others. Would be one star if it weren't for the view.

The 5th View is absolute genius. Take one of the world's largest bookstores, add an amazing view (rooftops galore, Parliament, Big Ben and the London Eye), throw in an interesting crowd of regulars (& tourists alike), and top it off with a nice wine list/cocktail menu! The result is a fantastic post-work/pre-dinner meet-up venue located in the heart of Piccadilly. The late-lunch appetizer tapas menu is wonderful. Since this is London, we have to start with the cocktails... The Piccadilly Rum Punch is superb; four different rums (shots) served with a fruit blend. The Angelita; tequila and Italian lemon liqueur with pink grapefruit juice. The Raspberry Bella is awesome; prosecco and gin with pureed raspberries. Their mojitos and mai tais are great too. If you survived the pre-food drinks, you'll be rewarded with their great tapas. The stuffed pepper with charred vegetables and couscous is enjoyable. Scottish smoked salmon and the fried calamari are great too. There are a few meat dishes as well.

This place is a gem for a work-related meeting. Spacious, light, quiet, sophisticated, and nice. I have never found a good place for meetings in that area and now the problem has been solved. (And you can book a table). Look forward to going there one day for a drink to enjoy the view and a meal.

This was a surprise! We were wandering around the area wanting coffee AND beer but not finding any coffee shops offering both. And then we stumbled upon a placard outside the Waterstone's advertising coffee, bar, and view. SOLD! We went through the book shop, directly to the elevators, and went to the 5th floor. The dining area is divided into relaxing coffee shop (with no view) and 'please wait to be seated' coffee/dining area (with view). We waited to be seated, which really wasn't a wait at all. Although our table was away from the windows, we still had an okay view of the London Eye (5th floor view is what it is). I had a latte with marshmallows, Friend had a hot chocolate with marshmallows (out of Cadbury flakes) and Husband had a Guinness. Beers are only available in bottles. The service was good and friendly and the total was just over £12 (including service charge). I'll definitely be returning. I love the amenities of having coffee or beer with dessert and a view and away from the crowds on Piccadilly.

Happy hour cocktails two for one... Roasted winter vegetables was amazing as was the Caesar salad with really good albino anchovies

This place is a little strange. It seems to sell itself as a bit of a swanky eatery, perched at the top level of the gargantuan Waterstones Piccadilly bookstore. If you're coming here for cocktails or food, I probably wouldn't -- the decor and the whole environment is a bit lacking. Although the waiters bizarrely wear a formal outfit, it's more of a casual cafe vibe than anything else, so I find it a better day-time spot to work or have meetings. They've got free WiFi and lots of tables, but only okay(ish) food -- but they do boast a pretty great view over London. As I said, a strange place, but useful if you need somewhere relatively quiet near the chaos of Piccadilly Circus.

Plan A was to have high tea here but a late breakfast turned this into Plan B with a chill atmosphere, champagne, and some dessert. I took full advantage of the wi-fi, beautiful view of the London skyline including Big Ben and the joys of not having a care in the world while on vacation.

Met here first thing in the morning (opens at 9am) at which time it was pretty empty. Great seating area which, if you are near the windows you have a great view. A selection of hot drinks including herbal. I opted for a ginger, lemon and honey to help shift my cold. They do not do a big breakfast but have some pastries available. I passed on those. I could see that it looked like a popular spot for business meetings and with its free wifi, this was useful to ensure you are keeping connected and to clear down emails whilst you wait. I expect there are a few people that, after selecting their next book, would come up to 5th floor to sit with a cuppa and get started on their next great read with the natural light and comfy seating.

The Fifth View is on the fifth floor of Waterstone's - it's quite versatile - there's a lovely view of London from which it's a nice place to watch the world and enjoy some tea and scones. It's a general meeting place for friends, professional coffee chats, and even those just trying to get some reading done. It's broken up into a loungy "study room" and the glass walled room with a view. The tea here is much more reasonably priced than its neighbor Fortnum and Mason (5.95 for a pot of tea and scone, 11.95 for the full high tea). My one complaint is that the wifi here - which is free - hardly works. The loungy study area is supposed to be worker friendly - outlets under other table, but the lack of dependable wifi makes working here quite unsustainable. I'll be coming back, but more likely for quick coffee chats, then long work sessions over copious amounts of tea.

We had dinner there one night last week, and a friend joined us later for tea. The ambiance was perfect; a lovely view, quiet (with pleasant background music instead of the loud noise we frequently encounter), subdued conversations and just an overall nice feeling. Both of the servers who waited on us were really pleasant. And, the food - which I'd categorize as nouvelle cuisine - was delicious (I can't remember what appetizer my husband ordered, but mine had goat cheese and something else. For our main course, we shared the seafood board and it was a real treat. The portions were perfect; not excessive, but certainly sufficient). The bill - which included our friend's tea and a 12.5% tip that was automatically added - came to 34.31 pounds.

The only reason this place doesn't get 5 stars is because it's so pricey - cocktails aren't a cheap option for a night out and it's so difficult to just have one that you almost have to resign yourself to the fact that you're going to drop at least £15 in this place if you go in. That's fine if the drinks are great - and they were amazing when I visited last summer - but I'm perturbed by the latest review below which suggest standards have slipped. Aside from anything else, 5th View is the perfect escape from the madness of nearby Piccadilly Circus; cool and quiet with an air of refinement about it, I'd happily spend a few hours there using their free wifi and enjoying the peace. And as it's situated atop a bookshop, a nice browse on the way back down would be good zen preparation for the onslaught of crowds outside. The famed view is a bit exaggerated - yes you can see over London but the bar isn't high up enough to make it anything more than a view of a load of rooftops with some squint-or-you'll-miss-them landmarks off in the distance.

This place used to be lovely. It used to be really rather exclusive (well, as exclusive as a bar in a book shop can be, anyway). Because of the Costa downstairs, it didn't get many tourists or passing trade - they'd go there instead. But, the Costa has gone, and they've turned the whole of the top floor into a bar/restaurant now. Which means that the fancy bit on one side (with the really really good view) is out of bounds unless you're spending money on food, and the other half is a bit less pretty. Much less pretty actually. But, it's a nice place to pop for a cuppa. And it was nice tea as well £2.75 for a pot, and friendly service. But for me, it's lost that special thing that it had when it first opened. I was meant to come here for evening cocktails a little while ago and I've been planning to come back to try them. I'm not sure I'll bother now. It's lost its shine for me. Which is a shame, because bars in bookshops is such a heavenly idea. But yeah, I'll come in for tea after book shopping.

Wandering around Piccadilly / Regent Street yesterday I had a sudden - yet not uncommon - urge for a hot chocolate. Having heard good things about the bar atop the flagship Waterstone's store I decided to give it a try for the first time. As soon as the lift doors opened (yeah, like I'm gonna walk up five storeys' worth of stairs) I was immediately greeted by a maitre-d'-type-fellow and shown to a table. 'Err, I'm only here for a quick drink...' I said. 'That's fine, that's fine,' he replied earnestly. Glancing at the menu, the hot chocolate with marshmallows and a flake predictably caught my eye, but before I got the chance to order (table service) I flicked through the rest of the drinks on offer. And, before I knew it, I heard myself ordering a rum punch. The cocktail was delicious. However, it was not cheap - they add on a service charge of 12.5%, so one drink came to a rather whopping £10.12. Not that I was expecting any less, of course. I was perfectly content to spend 40mins in 5th View with my rum punch and my thoughts for company, it's just a shame it's not ever so slightly cheaper, really. If I wanted to go out with friends for cocktails we'd either go somewhere really swanky where the cocktails aren't much more expensive than here, or somewhere with a cheap and cheerful happy hour. 5th View sits strangely in between these two categories, so although my experience there was not unpleasant, I think I might stick to hot chocolate next time.

More expensive than the Costa Coffee in the basement - but comes with lots of daylight and views out over London. The views are mostly of the ugly side of buildings, so they aren't that great, though it is fun to see where some of the famous landmarks are in relation to each other from a different angle. Lots of sofas too, which is a nice change from the places that have one sofa for show, but no more - meaning you can almost never can find a space. Here they are enough sofas to go round. Service was rather patchy when I went, not too pushy but slow even when I wanted to leave and pay the bill.

I've been going to the 5th view for years and it's my default stop for coffee if I'm in the West End during an afternoon or an early cocktail if I'm there in the evening. To me, this is a hidden gem in central London and one of those special places I recommend people to go, especially to out of town tourists who are going to be walking around in the area and will need a place to relax for a bit. The 5th view is all about the setting, at the top of the flagship Waterstone's on Piccadilly and with gorgeous views looking over Westminster (yes, you can see parliament). The best part about it is that since it's tucked away on the 5th floor of the bookstore most people don't know about it. So, even with the gorgeous view it tends to be much less crowded than the Costa's and Starbucks in that area on ground level. I've tended to go just for coffee or cocktails so can't comment on the fairly extensive menu including salads, sandwiches and desserts. As for the cocktails though, the martinis made tableside are really good, though come at the usual steep central London prices. My only complaint is with the service, which tends to be uninspired at best. Servers take a long time to come to your table and usually you have to call them over if you want anything. I have not once had a friendly server at the 5th View. Then again, its central London so fairly par for the course.

This was our worst dining experience in London. The server gave us our drinks and then went on her break. No order placed. 30 mins later we asked about our salads and were told they weren't ordered. When we told them we were leaving. They asked us to wait for 5 more mins. With many restaurants in the area, we were done. Bye bye

I gotta say I truly love this place! What's not to like about a swish bar with sexy staff who let you read while you eat!! The choice in this huge Waterstones is staggering and the food is top-notch. It's not super great value but you can linger and everything tastes v fresh. The best place to come on a rainy day when you're trying to fill some time between central london appointments! x

The 5th view bar is located on the top floor of Waterstones Piccadilly. Take the elevator up and there you will find a nice bar / cafe area and also a restaurant. I will update my review when I get a change to test the restaurant area out too. In my opinion the bar is a perfect place to have a business meeting - in fact I will definitely make this place one of my go-to meeting places in London. During the day it's nice for a coffee and after your meeting you can do some book shopping downstairs. In the evening you can enjoy for example an after work drink or just relax. Nice place, good service and great for meetings - works for me!

Booked a table to celebrant a family birthday. 4 of us rolled up and they weren't ready for us. That said they couldn't do enough.. Moved tables around didn't keep us waiting very prompt and very obliging. Staff very friendly and helpful...a bit pricey but it is Piccadilly and the view is stunning! Food was ordered along with 4 Cocktails.. They made sure drinks came before the food which was well cooked and good VFM. Very enjoyable surroundings staff even made time to take some photos for us. No negatives at all hence 5 stars...Many thanks 5th View!

This is a good place to stop and have a drink in London if you're in the area. There is a decent view and a good selection of drinks including coffee, tea, wine and liquor. The service was friendly as well, but there could have been another server working, as it was a busy Sunday afternoon. While it is a good place and I would come back, it could be a great place with some renovations. Also, I suspect that it would be better mid-week when it's a bit less crowded.

This place has recently been refurbished and the results are good, definitely an improvement. I went with four friends and we each just had some tea and sat around chatting for hours. Although it was a Friday night and the place was busy we didn't feel pressured to order more drinks, cocktails, or food which is unusual for London. The service was good, the drinks were fine, and it was a nice and laid back vibe.

Stopped by for something quick to eat before the Harry Potter Book Night. The restaurant was busy so we sat in the more cafe type area with small tables. The menu isn't particularly interesting but I had a peach ice tea and a bakewell tart. Portions were good but a bit on the expensive side and certainly nothing to write home about!

I have to update my review. As this place has sadly changed in the last 2 months - quite considerably. Nipped in there on Friday night for a couple of cocktails, and even before sitting down I noticed they have changed the layout slightly to add more tables and chairs. OK I can understand that as the place does get busy, but what is with the school style plastic chairs.?! This is meant to be a classy place! After sitting down under the glaring and uber romantic fluorescent spotlights above our table (what's wrong with a couple of candles and dimmed lights?!?) I was excited to see they have added quite a few more cocktails to the menu - great! So I ordered a Moulin Rouge Champagne jobby which sounded yummy and my partner in crime ordered his usual Dirty Vodka Martini. For one my cocktail tasted of no more than champagne with a bit of fruit juice (not as suggested in the menu - after all I didn't order a Bellini) and the Martini which is normally made at the bar by the mixacologist was actually made at our table by the waitress who unfortunately didn't have a clue. She might as well have served a glass full of neat vodka. Feeling a bit peckish we ordered the Chef's platter to share. Asking our waitress what that exactly was, she said the chef decides each day but we wouldn't go hungry. Well for £16.00 you would expect some substance, but instead you got tiny portions of meatballs and falafel's with some hummus and pitta and some olives and tomatoes thrown in for good measure. Appalling for that amount of money and not what I have experienced on previous visits. We did order a further two more cocktails, but unfortunately these did not live up to the hype either. Boo. I won't be going back unless they change the chairs, dim the lights at the front of the bar and sack the cocktail makers. (I won't call them mixocologists as they are definitely not that worthy of that). Definitely one of my trusted haunts to meet up with friends for a pre dinner cocktail (the bar closes at 10pm). This classy yet unstuffy bar is infamously known for it's glorious views over London, however this is only to be enjoyed if you book a table by the window. O.k..ok so I must admit the views are quite nice especially on a summers evening looking out over Nelsons Column and the London eye, but there are better ones out there to enjoy. With that said, the cocktails are great so as view/cocktail combinations go - this one works. It's on the top floor of the Waterstones Building (no separate entrance). If your looking for food it has a relaxed contemporary Mediterranean style menu, with plenty of bar snacky type platters to share. It's tasty and not too pricey for what's on offer, but don't expect any surprises with the food. The place can get busy especially Thursday and Friday evenings so it is worth booking.

The place is spacious and has got some nice views. But the prices for drinks are ridiculous expensive. The variety is also limited. They charge an 'optional' service fee (even if you order at the bar) that makes the drinks even more expensive.

Well, I have to completely disagree with the other reviews given. I went here with a couple of friends on a Wednesday evening for a drink. We ordered a whisky sour, a cocktails i have had in many different places. Firstly the service was shocking, our drinks took 20mins to arrive. Secondly It was disgusting. Decided to give the barman the benefit of the doubt until I took a second swig and was left with a mouthful of egg white and a dollop dangling out of my mouth (I completely agree with this being added to a whisky sour but it shouldn't be separated out on the bottom!). My friend had the same and even some egg shell in his drink! When we complained, the manager initially said it was normal to have egg white in a whisky sour until we showed him a multitude of websites showing how to do it properly! He then offered to knock 10% off our bill for 2 out of 3 cocktails that were undrinkable. We then pushed further, he offered 25% and finally we got him to knock the 2 drinks off. Cheeky **** still added service charge though. And as for the view, a glimpse of the London eye & Big Ben, have had far better views at places that know how to make a drink and are cheaper! Could not recommend this place at all. AVOID!

This bar on the 5th floor of Waterstone's is a popular place for author signings, talks, live bands, quizzes and network meetings. The bar features a small terrace which looks out to Big Ben. They offer a fine selection of cocktails, beers, non-alcoholic beverages and a range of healthy salads and pastry tarts. Service on the whole is good. The only downside is that it shuts at 10pm.