Aviary

Unfortunately, I didn’t have a great experience at The Aviary. While the venue itself is stylish, the space was extremely crowded and noisy, making it hard to hear each other and enjoy the meal. The ambience felt more chaotic than relaxing. I ordered the seafood pasta, but from the very first bite, the tomato sauce tasted unpleasantly acidic, so I had to send it back. I replaced it with the sea bass, which was a decent dish, but the wait for it was so long that my family had already finished eating by the time mine arrived — it really spoiled the flow of the lunch. They would’ve had to eat cold food if they’d waited for me, so I asked them to go ahead. Another disappointment was the so-called “large octopus salad,” which cost £23. It came with just five small pieces of octopus, no dressing, and very little flavour — definitely not worth the price or the name. I did raise the issues with the manager, who politely apologised and offered a dish replacement, but that had already been done. She also suggested we try the terrace for a drink — not complimentary, of course. I want to be clear that I wasn’t looking for compensation, but I would’ve appreciated a more thoughtful response, especially since these kinds of mistakes can affect a special occasion. Overall, it felt like a place more focused on image than experience. I left disappointed and wouldn’t be in a hurry to return.

Good selection of drinks The Montcalm hotel’s rooftop bar, good atmosphere and panoramic views of the city skyline. The seating strikes the perfect balance between comfort and style. Good selection of drinks. Ahmed provided exceptional service throughout our visit, maintaining just the right level of attentiveness without being intrusive.

Spent a nice evening at the Aviary. Professional grouping for drinks and chat at summary evening. The views over Finsbury Quare are fantastic The place was packed and warm inside. DJ playing ensured good vibes but chitchat was harder indoors. Far better table outside in hotter weather. Food was OK and drinks were even better. Service was kind but slow with very busy restaurant. Still, overall the setting and experience were great. Would love to visit in different times when not as busy.

Despite having above average food, Aviary misses on the fundamentals. We went for brunch at 12pm and were escorted to our seats by a flustered hostess who apologized for the delay as she was in her morning huddle. Well, the huddle continued as we walked by and so we heard all about their service goals for the day. 🥴 Our server was a bit odd and seemed overwhelmed, although we were her first table. Our drinks took 10-15 minutes to be delivered although they sat at the bar for more than half that time. The seafood platter was well made and worth the £20 supplemental fee to our brunch set menu. The vibe was definitely “Girls Brunch” and all you can drink. We were surrounded! 😆 Not a bad restaurant. Just not our scene.

Excellent service, excellent views, good food. (Starters and desserts were excellent, mains just good.) Wagyu burger isn't as good as Gaucho's was. The urinals have a great view too! Note that the whole place, including it's terrace is on the wrong side of the building to see the sun set. You can see the reflections though!

Exceptional as always. Fantastic steak (Ribeye) with truffle fries! Fantastic views too in an awesome venue. Must check out the roof terrace too, one of the best!!

Bottomless brunch was a mixed experience. We enjoyed it in the winter igloo which was amazing, they left bottles of Prosecco and Champagne at our table and you could also get other bottomless drinks and cocktails with that. Brunch options were great however bit disappointed about the octopus salad, lacked flavour and was a tiny portion for a main.

The brunch options were quite underwhelming, so we decided to go for the side plates instead, which came at an additional cost. Unfortunately, the kitchen was out of chicken, so none of the chicken dishes on the brunch menu were available. Additionally, the seafood sharer was missing key items — there were no S&C smoked salmon blinis with crème fraîche and caviar, as listed on the menu.

Atmosphere was great. Ate in an igloo with family for late weekday lunch. Food was hit or miss. Some family members said it was the best meal they had during the 10 day trip. Others thought it was fine. Hot Chocolate is VERY dark chocolate. You will love it or hate it. We all took one sip and could take another. Wait staff was friendly but not too attentive. That was fine for us but there were definitely moments we were looking for staff and couldn't find anyone. Men's restroom is original with quite the view.

This is my first time here, although the restaurant itself is great. I was hoping for more food options. I had the chicken and avocado salad with no side. The side choices are limited, and the main menu choices are too. The chicken was good, and the salad was salady.salad. Nothing to brag about there. The appetizer chicken was ok, not really seasoned, but the sauce added flavor. We will have to stop back by the next time we are in London....in 2/3 years. The menu will have changed up a bit by then.

Can't recommend this place given the number of other OK to Great restaurants around. Ended up leaving early given the quality and service was so lackluster. Received menu and asked about the "Market Fish". Server said oh, there should be a slip. Came back to say the "Market Fish" was fishcakes (LoL). I asked what kind of fish. The response was "It's probably cod". Not a good start. £8.5 bread (a joke) - Three pieces of bread (2 stale, one ok) and some butter. Butter was nice. Bread was unbelievable stale. Showed up warm'ish (think microwave for 15 seconds), but after a minute it cooled down the two roles were hard as a rock. Clearly old bread. Ordered Soda - Small warm bottle of soda and a glass of ice showed up. Warm soda and ice, when mixed turns into a very fizzy pour and you instantly end up with a glass of flat soda. I was already annoyed but I still went on to order the main and app. Made the order...server came back to say the Dorset Crab /jam wasn't available would I like something else. That was it and I just asked for the cheque, paid cash and left.

Tortellini with shaved truffle 8.45/10- this was so delicious and filling! The tortellini pieces were huge and it was pretty buttery. Mr Kato cocktail 7.32/10- made with gin, elderflower licquer, chai tea syrup, rose water, lemon juice, and cranberry bitters. This was so good and refreshing! The rose water taste was quite evident in the drink which made it taste floral but in a delicate way. Incredible complement with the elderflower liqueur and gin. Hendrick's gin serve 9.32/10- absolutely delicious. The gin was from Girvan, Scotland. Incredibly refreshing and paired with lemonade. This place is an incredible rooftop restaurant with an indoor lounge in addition to the restaurant, as well as an outdoor patio lounge. The vibes are immaculate. Their cocktails are quite popular, in addition to their different gin serve selections.

If you like to have your time wasted and be rude by staff this is your place to visit. Three main issues with this place 1) when you advertise igloo seating and an RSVP request for igloo seating don't be shocked when we show up for igloo seating and you say "we got rid of it 2 weeks ago." And when we do get a table (not igloo as advertised) we get told how to book a reservation the right way 2) when you charge 22£ for a charcuterie board and you get a disassembled Italian sub containing 8 pcs of cold cuts I could get at subway for 7£ and it takes 35 minutes to make, this is an issue. 3) when someone orders a burger and a cheese plate gets brought out 10mins after 2 cod entrees and 2 gnocchi entrees and you get charged for the wrong something you didn't even order. Oh yeah getting remarks on your way out by the manager was a nice touch. The only saving grace that gives this a 1 star instead of 0 is the drinks were good. If you want to spend money and be treated rude by staff save your money and invest in a trip to France.

I went to the restaurant based on a recommendation and me staying in the same hotel. The service was very poor and the food was very bland. Terribly expensive for what was served. I also had the peppers starter and the lepers were visibly and taste wise very old.

Lovely espresso martini! Service was attentive and personable. I felt very comfortable eating as a celiac after talking to our server. She double checked every dish I was served and sent one back to redo because she was uncertain about the prep.

I am a SUCKER for a good rooftop bar. Fortunately enough for us, this one was located atop our hotel. The bar is bright, airy and spacious. The igloos were so pretty and cool! I wish we could've been seated in one but instead we admired from afar, and that was fine too :). The igloos seem to only be there from November - March so keep that in mind when booking, or if you're planning on visiting this place outside that time frame. The drinks we ordered were strong and delicious. We got the "honey rider" and the "take it sloe". Glad they were strong because they were quite pricey; but it's to be expected from a rooftop bar. Ordered some quick table snacks which included beef tartare and chorizo croquettes. The croquettes were really yummy and flavorful. I personally didn't try the tartare cuz I'm not into that, but the two people I was with enjoyed it and cleaned the plate. Put this spot on your to-do!

Had a reservation for 2 this New Years through Open Table. When we arrived they didn't have our resi and said it was a private party. I showed him/manager the email I received from OpenTable, confirming our reservation, but he said to bad, no room for you, it's a private event. I explained to him I'm not sure what we can do at this late notice to go to another restaurant as it's New Year's and asked if we could just eat and leave. Said we don't need to stay for the party, we will leave after we eat. His answer was, I don't know what to say, open table is this issue. Bad vibes. Skip Aviary as there are so many restaurants in London who provide better service.

Date of Visit: 08.06.18 Review: Having had a long day at a car show we were looking for a place to eat, a few options came to hand but nothing really stood out and by chance we looked up and saw a lot of people on a roof top so headed in that direction and came across the Montcalm on Finsbury Square and lucky we did. Hotel entrance even has some air hockey style games which was a nice surprise and to get to the Aviary you have to go up in the elevator and head to the reception area of the Aviary. You are greeted by a light art deco interior with glass walls and I am told the WC is worth a visit also for the glass walls. Menu was described well and wine paring also done so you get a full fine dining experience. I personally ate the chicken and dessert was shared by all. Dress Code: Everyone looked smart as some must have come after work in the city but casual is fine as there was dress code stipulated but you may want to just dress up a little as you get some great views on the terrace and makes for some nice photos. Booking Process: Walk in and they managed to squeeze us in but they were busy so would advice you to book. Location: 22-25 Finsbury Square , London, EC2A 1DX Decor & Lighting: Decor is Art Deco style but not excessive and pleasant. Light and airy with space between tables so you don't just feel like a number. Wall to wall glass so lots of light pouring in but was there during daylight so cannot comment on evening light levels. Heating and Cooling: Perfect temperature, it was a very warm summers day out and nice and airy and cool but not cold inside. Just right. Ambience & Acoustics: Lively place and busy hence you get the usual crowd noise but although you have to raise your voice a little you can still manage to have a good conversation. Drinks: The bar was happy to make up a mock-tail although they don't have any specific ones on the drinks menu which they should consider. Food: 1. Longhorn beef burger, Montgomery Cheddar, 17.5 maple bacon, tomato relish, onion rings, French fries - Friend had this and said it was ok just a little dry but I cannot comment as I did not try it. 2. Roast fillet of sea bream, seaweed gnocci, 22 clams, samphire, Noilly prat liquor - Another friend had this and was impressed but again I cannot personally comment as I did not try it. 3. Chicken with corn - sorry but they had a new menu so I cannot explain the full dish in detail - Moist and cooked well with a nice base of corn and roast potatoes. Desert: Keylime tart with sorbet - A nice dessert and really refreshed and cleansed the pallet. Please note they have a new menu which at the time of writing this (11.06.18) was not on the internet. Bill / Cost: £120.00 for three Conclusion: Great place to visit and we were very well looked after especially by Feri who was very attentive and offered the best service which really pushed up the score. The only let down would be the staff at the entrance I am afraid as they just did not really seem to care or explained anything to us. However the food, views and all the staff upstairs really made up for the experience. At first there were no tables available but they asked if we can give a table back within 1.5hours so they really tried to accommodate us. Highly recommend this as a place to visit if in the area and easy reach of many stations.

Absolutely terrible bar. Managed to run out of all three of their craft options, leaving only fizzy euro lager.

I have not been here but this place deserves 5 stars for their customer service! I am from America and my boss in London wanted reservations here.. he was confused on booking so he had me call them. The woman on the phone was so sweet, funny, nice, and HELPFUL! My colleagues made it to their reservations and had a nice time.

The drinks were tasty (though expensive) and the view was spectacular, but the staff was horrible. I was there with a group of friends for a birthday party and we were treated horribly. The staff act like you should be grateful to even be there. It took them forever to take our drink orders, and another good amount of time for them to actually be brought to our table. We actually packed up and went elsewhere instead of sticking around for a second round. There are so many other great roof bars in town where you can relax and have fun, not feel like you are bothering the staff when you want to order a drink.

Beautiful people but inhospitable and rigid. I am visiting from outside the country and was so excited to check out the views. First I was told I could get my drink at the bar then go on the rooftop to enjoy the views. Then I was not allowed to enter the outdoor rooftop space bc "no more patrons were allowed on the outdoor roof with drinks." (Before 10pm). ??? After scouring the bar for a single seat, I was then told I couldn't sit in the dining area bc that space was only for "diners." And there were no seats at the bar or lounge area. I came here for the views and outdoor seating and basically was told I couldn't enjoy them. Then why come? I want my money back for my overpriced drink. Thumbs down.

Great views. That is all. The noise level registered 95db. Horrid millennial thumping house music. The watermelon and feta salad was 90% couscous. The medium rare ribeye was thin and grey inside. Triple fried chips were downright soggy. Will never return.

Went up to grab a bite to eat after arriving on a long flight from the US and while waiting for my room to be ready. It was a beautiful day which lent itself to sitting outside and enjoying the weather and views. I simply ordered the cheeseburger, which was very good- one of the better burgers I've had. Staff was very nice. Only drawback was the price- pretty expensive, even though the quality was right up there.

Had the opportunity to try this rooftop bar. It's fairly new, so everything was pristine looking. The view itself is pretty nice and the service was very great. Nice bartenders and very polite staff. It was a bit crowded on a Friday night, and my only gripe was it was a bit pricey, but overall a great experience.

The view is pretty nice but the selection of beers is lacking and all the drinks are overprices (even considering the location and view). It's OK to go for a drink and enjoy the view once but then no more.

Terrific Breakfasts and excellent Dinner at Aviary London! We stayed at the Hotel and were pleasantly surprised with the upstairs restuarant Aviary. Dined here on a busy Thursday evening. the place was lively with professionals and smart set enjoying gorgeous views at the Terrace Bar. I particularly like the "flightly"ambiance of Aviary with bold paintings and stylish decor including colorful birds - all with awesome views of London. Dinner was excellent, we had Duck and the Bream. We also enjoyed 3 really lovely breakfasts. Their buffet is outstanding and staff was amazing and attentive. Their homemade breakfast bars are the best high protein bars!! Olivier, one of the nicest managers ever, even sent us off with 2 extra buffet protein bars for our journey. Enjoyed them immensely later. Highly recommend!

Great service and great food! Our waiter Kim was so sweet and gave us recommendations that truly did not disappoint! Cocktails was nice and strong with beautiful presentation and our dinner was all perfectly cooked! Definitely a place to visit!

Gee. Only Americans reviewing this place. Three stars? What gives? OK, we had a bit of an unusual introduction as we ended up sharing a communal table with one of the owners over across the street at The Sichuan (amazing, see my review) and he walked us across to take a look. Well, the view is astounding as he had promised. I can't comment on entry issues as he magically spirited us up but my impression was of a well run and welcoming operation. It was a FRIGID night and so we only hung out on the terrace for awhile. They have the clear plastic igloos that you can apparently reserve for your group - which would be the way to go on these Winter evenings. We befriended and chatted with a couple who were sitting on one of the comfy outdoor couches under a heater and extended our stay for awhile - sweet welcoming folks as I find most Londoners. Then we went into the gorgeous main room. The bar/lighting, etc is quite nice. The bartender we settled in with was outstanding and enjoyed watching him prepare rows of complex shots. We had "Finsburys" for our nightcap and they were delicious. Later before leaving, I wanted a tequila shot and the bartender was genuinely disappointed that they were out of that particular one and ended up giving me a conciliatory free shot of some other concoction that was very tasty (Tom please don't fire him). This space is gorgeous and beautifully designed with attractive but comfy mid-Century furniture and a well-done bird life art theme. Over on the other side was a glittering restaurant area that looked quite posh. It was a very festive, and well turned out London holiday crowd and we felt (and honestly looked) rather tatty (well, we weren't expecting to visit such a posh place that evening) but I never felt anything but welcomed. Apparently the terrace closes rather early as someone complained about but rules is rules - perhaps noise related or seasonal? We got out and took in a final gaze across the glowing, glittering schizophrenic City skyline before departing. The height is prefect and the South facing aspect towards the river provides a great vista. This is arguably one of the nicest, hippest views in London. I can only imagine sitting out there on a warm summer evening sipping a cocktail as the sun dips down - and hope to experience that on a return visit but even on that cold night we enjoyed every minute. If you're driving (why?) the Finsbury Sq car park is literally a few steps away. Aviary is a truly unique and well staffed/run venue providing great booze (can't comment on the food) with a truly wonderful view. Cheers!