London’s best outdoor bars and drinking terraces

An indie brewery and open air taproom which benefits no end from its next door neighbours – live fire restaurant Acme Fire Cult. They offer a short version of their menu, alongside cocktails, cans and 10 taps pouring fresh beer that's brewed on site.  

A longstanding al fresco spot on the banks of the Lea Navigation in Hackney Wick, this pizzeria and brewery one of London's best spots in the summer. Sipping beer, crowds spill out on to the banks of the Lea, with families of fowl and narrowboats tootling past – this is proper East End bucolic.

The sprawling Five Points space is ideal for a sunny day spent supping their own Five Points Pale and JUPA - a rather juicier pale ale - all served straight from the tank. Food here is always impeccable too, with From The Ashes bbq masters now in permanent residence. 

The drinking-focussed offshoot of the boombastic, 1970s-styled Dear Jackie restaurant at the Broadwick Soho hotel, Bar Jackie's terrace plops you pretty much in the middle of the pavement. Perfect then, for Soho people-watching while you sink yet another cocktail named after a Federico Fellini movie. Choose from La Dolce Vita with gin and lavender, an 8 1/2 with Aperol, or a non-alcoholic Amarcord. There's also an all-day aperitivi menu of snacks, pasta and Italian classics. 

We already know the views of the Thames and South Banks are great but the team behind the new for 2025 Setlist are equally eye-opening. James Dye of Bambi, Frank’s and the Camberwell Arms and Clement Ogbonnaya of the Prince of Peckham are behind the custom soundsystem as well as a full-throttle events programme. Food is also a strong point, with a focus on female chefs such as Opeoluwa Odutayo, Sophie Wyburd, and Terri Mercieca of Happy Endings. 

Peckham's al fresco drinking scene continues on apace with this spot that features an open fire BBQ grill and two (two!) cocktail bars. There's also a gallery, live music and regular DJs, making the 600-capacity garden terrace perfect for a rowdy al fresco summer. This summer food will come from the excellent Ruben's Reubens, who'll be slinging meat and veg BBQ trays and pulled mushroom and pulled pork buns.

Head deep into this Tottenham industrial park and find independent brewery Pressure Drop. The large warehouse has a compact bar and, out the front, rows of benches teeming with beer bods expounding their knowledge and imbibing the brewery’s best.

Situated in the swanky 1 Hotel Mayfair, Dovetale knows how to do summer right - and that’s with a build-your-own-marg menu out on the sunny terrace. In collaboration with Casamigos tequila, you can order customisable fro-margs, or strawberry and apricot versions of everyone's favourite summer cocktail. If you get peckish, even better, because the restaurant is run by Michelin-starred chef Tom Sellers and the summer menu includes buttermilk fried chicken sandwiches with hot honey and pickles, lobster spicy roll, grilled peaches with burrata.

Into cycling? This vermouth-peddling/pedalling bar and all-day café in Coal Drops Yard is a mass of classic Italian bike memorabilia. Crucially, it offers a cute little terrace complete with heaters for chillier London nights. There’s no truer taste of summer than a spritz – and this bar does them by the dozen.

A Hackney Wick bar and kitchen, Number 90 boasts a great canalside location. Expect DJ line-ups, a tempting burger menu and craft beer from east London’s finest. 

The Hawk's Nest has the biggest retractable sliding glass roof in the UK, ideal for London's unpredictable summers. The garden has space for 300, so you'll be among friend in this plant-filled patch in Shepherd's Bush. Sourdough pizza is on offer alongside picantes, fruity margaritas, spritzes, and an entire menu dedicated to G&Ts.

You might think that Gordon's is all about exposed brickwork, flickering candlelight and low basement vaults, but in the summer, the stretch outside near-ish the river is just as charming. Sink wine in the sun as damn near close to the very middle of town as it's possible to get.