5th View Bar and Food @ Waterstones in City of London, Westminster

Gave us menus and told us to sit at any table (the place was mostly empty) and then we were ignored for more than 20 minutes while all the while, three other parties came in, sat and the waitress took their orders. We were completely ignored like we weren’t even there so in the end we stood up and left and no one even bothered to ask why. Terrible… I was trying to figure out why we were ignored but really the only reason I could think of was because we were foreigners. Then again this is London so it shouldn’t be such a problem… All in all terrible service

Honestly beggars belief. Staff like prison workers - I asked if the hot chocolate came with marshmallows, she sneered and said “we don’t do that”. Reminds me of don’t tell the bride when the groom will book a horrible local sports pub and put a few table cloths on tables and pass it off as a wedding venue

Happy hour is good, service is rude, £11.50 for a guineess, beer overpriced

Great location. Okay food, great service.

We stopped off here for drinks on my son’s birthday after visiting the bookshop (he’s a bit of a bookworm!). Tom in the bar took such good care of us, made it a such special experience, it really made our day! Thanks Tom!

We were tired with shopping / walking and wanted a coffee break and this place sounded promising, however, we found a kind of cheaply put together place with cheap black tablecloths and chairs.. not very welcoming. Scone was rock hard, earl grey tea acceptable. Wouldn't go back..

The view is great, the breeze is just right, and the atmosphere is very comfortable. Perfect for a relaxing tea time. You can read the book you bought at the bookstore downstairs.

It was relatively low-key experience, but the Margarita was well made and yummy 😋

This used to be a nice restaurant with good food. Went today at lunchtime, virtually empty so told to take any table. Given a menu but then ignored. More people arrived got their drinks and were asked what they wanted. We then gave up and left and nobody was even bothered enough to ask. I would like to give no stats but don't think you can. Optimistically they were having a bad day but doubt it.

I dropped in for lunch. There were not many customers. This may have to do with the menu, which is largely burger bar food. Perhaps in consequence, the menu itself was greasy. Not a good start. Ordered the one thing which wasn’t - crushed avocado and poached egg. It wasn’t unpleasant, but the egg was vinegary, and could have been hotter. The staff were friendly, but everything seemed to take a long time, and when I went to pay, there was a pile of dirty washing up on the counter. Not really good enough. This could be a memorable place to eat - for the right reasons - if someone got a grip.

Great view. The actual bar itself feels flimsy and cheap, although the cocktail was good.

Went to the bookstore really excited and felt like eating after my day out. Arrived there to have little to no service, i felt completely ignored by the waiter. I had to get up and go after him to ask for the bill since nobody came to see me when i was clearly in the middle of the room. Come to pay, they do not take cash so i try to explain i dont come from here so im not sure if my card is going to work, I can clearly see that the waiter doesn’t understand what i’m saying but he doesn’t try to understand the situation. So I end up paying cash but not getting any money back, which is okay since they don’t take cash and made an exception for me. But, the waiter doesn’t even thank me for leaving more money and look at me with disgust. So, if you want to go there for the view, absolutely. But, the service and the food was not it. Would not recommend.

Went into Waterstones Piccadilly to sample two for one cocktails from 5.00 pm until 8.00 pm. The price had risen considerably since the last time we visited but when they had the ten per cent service charge on top it’s not a good deal you can get better deals elsewhere in London, think twice before going there.

Nice bar at top floor on book store. View over Westminster area. Just there for drinks, they had some food to order as well.

We were celebrating a friend's 50th birthday and Mahir went out of his way to make exactly the sandwiches we asked for. Staff couldn't have been nicer or more welcoming. The table was reserved for us when we arrived and the whole experience was a pleasure. Cannot recommend too highly. CS

Nice views over London and a nice hidden gem. The only downside here is that it feels like a school cafeteria with the plastic chairs. But cocktails here we still good and the service was friendly.

The only positive about this bar is the view. Terrible food and wine with staff that were desperate for us to leave. Such a missed opportunity for this space.

It’s relaxed and peaceful here, and feels far away from the crowds of Piccadilly. We had a lovely afternoon tea with excellent avocado toastie. The scone arrived warm! Also included an exceptional ginger and orange cake, very spicey. All the other diners seemed happy too. It’s a great Waterstones store and our tea was a genuine treat.

After a trip to Europe's largest bookstore, it's good to end with a pint on top.

Wonderful birthday cocktails and great customer service We came to the 5th floor bar for cocktails for my mums 60th birthday to celebrate with family. Franco and Christopher were both exceptionally helpful and attentive. They let us decorate a lovely area at the back of the bar with comfy seats and a nice long table. We had a fab range of cocktails- Aperol spritz, Tom Collins, Dirty Martinins and they even sorted my cousin out with a lovely cup of tea. Brilliant service, lovely drinks and fab location. My mum had a great time ! Highly recommend:)

Had a drink here because we would have a view here. There was a view, but that's all.

Sadly this lovely location is now very shabby, serving low quality food. The vibe is 80s cafeteria. It really needs modernising!!

Staff totally ignored me - I tried to get their attention and order but in the end left after 15 minutes of waiting to be served.

Perhaps it was an off night but our early Saturday evening visit was disappointing. Nothing about the place was inviting or welcoming. We were reluctantly directed to our reserved place (a low table with sofas), the waitress didn't seem very happy to be there, the food was luke-warm both in temperature and substance and the atmosphere was flat. Such as shame as it has so much potential.

The food and the staff were good but the interior design is truly awful. Has no one spent more than £25 on the decor Black tablecloths and grim overhead lighting??? It’s a great space and needs some love and attention

Dreary and dull. Miserable. Came to use the WiFi for an urgent call after WiFi in the cafe downstairs stopped working after I’d paid for refreshments (solely to use the WiFi). Came up here and was continuously pestered whilst on a client call (not very professional). Then I offered to pay something since I used the miserable space, and was presented with a list of very overpriced teas (I am clearly not the first to try this), settled on a £4.50 bottle of sparkling water, served without a smile. Bleak place. Looks like a dying Wetherspoon in the suburbs of Scunthorpe. Happy Christmas everyone 🤶🏼

Very bad, the service was not friendly. And their prices don't match what they charge. And if you tell them, they have a strange explanation that the drink you took is supposedly more expensive than what it says...

Off hand staff, no ambience, poor service. Eventually acknowledged, grudgingly given a menu then ignored for 5 minutes… so we left

NOT SUITABLE FOR SOLO ATTENDEES If you are attending as an individual you will not get table service. On multiple occasions have had to wait up to 90 minutes before staff (who know you are there because they seated you) will take an order. Very expensive (e.g. soft drink bottle is £5.25).

Super fun bar at the top of the bookstore. 2 for 1 cocktails. Brilliant service and great drinks. Not to be missed. A real gem.

I’d seen reviews recommending this place for its views, so I walked there especially to check it out. Very disappointed, after waiting to be seated in a half-empty cafe at 3.10pm, to be told that they weren’t serving for an hour, not even coffee. They were, however, taking out trays of coffees to existing customers. So, I didn’t get to see whether or not there was a good view or to try the coffee. The basement café was ok, but no view. The bookshop itself is excellent.

서점 5층에 있는 가게입니다. 무난한 정도이니 큰 기대는 하지 않으면 됩니다.

The food is great the people are sweet ate here two times both times really enjoyed it

Unfortunately let down today by poor service as we waited ages to be served others actually walked out after waiting ages... Food was ok but not exceptional...

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.

Lovely staff and atmosphere. Went in with a friend and had a very good time. Very good hazelnut latte!

Au dessus de la libraire , si vous voulez vous rafraîchir ou manger un bout. Pas exceptionnel mais dépanne pour un petit 4h

Not child friendly at all! My sister and I got shoved in a corner at back of the room because we had two prams with us. There was plenty of room on the view side was but the waitress insisted there wasn't and ushered us to the dingy dark side which was absolutely baking hot. The chairs and carpet were filthy also. I really wouldn't recommend, especially if you have children with you.

Had a nice drink there while waiting for hubby and daughter book shopping. Nice atmosphere.

Bad service and simply way too expensive

Tl;dr: this was the worst brunch I ever had in my entire life. Went there for lunch on a Sunday. Nobody brought us to a table; the staff told us to pick up a menu and choose a table. There was no A/C but the windows were wide open and we had a “view” from the top floor - that’s the only positive. The menu is basically a classic pub menu with burgers, roast and fish and chips; plus a brunch section (variations around a basic avocado toast). I went for the avocado toast with a poached egg & bacon. We asked do the same thing for our 5y old daughter but if they could scramble the egg. The waitress asked the kitchen and they REFUSED. (I still don’t understand how you can’t scramble an egg when you serve poached eggs). So I ordered a fish & chips instead… My wife ordered the quinoa salad as she’s celiac. 20mn later the waitress comes back saying they don’t have any quinoa… we asked for the gluten free options and the only one they offered was their roast chicken… alright… 20mn later we get the dishes. Fish & chips: chips were ok - just missed salt. Fish batter was really bad; overfried (I suspect they pre-fry them and re-fry them on demand…). And there was a ton of coarse salt on it. Chicken: meat was ok - nothing special. The veggies were definitely pre-cooked and reheated on demand - bleh. Avocado toast: first, it wasn’t a toast since the bread wasn’t toasted… the avocado wasn’t fresh - they use that guacamole paste you can find in supermarkets - yuck!!! And the poached eggs were over cooked (not runny at all) BUT also cold… no salt, no pepper. Bacon was cold as well. It was so disgusting that we ate quickly. The waitress was cleaning a table next to us so I politely asked for the bill. She shushed me (yep!) to ask (shout) for a bottle of water to the front desk and then was ok for me to ask for their bill. Paid 63£ for that “meal”. Worst service, worst meal ever. Avoid like plague.

For the location we were expecting more. The decor is dated and quite shabby and the menu is limited. However the friendly prompt service made up for it.

Booked a table for 8 of us to celebrate Mum's birthday. Staff were lovely and the food was too. We very much enjoyed the view over London and were delighted when they presented Mum with a homemade treat from the chef! It is a real find in the heart of London and half price cocktails were appreciated! Would recommend! Thanks especially to Kay our waitress and Mahir the chef!!!!!

Just had a coffee here, bit was great. Next time for cocktails.

Good spot to meet for a pre theatre drink and meal above Waterstones on Piccadilly. Nice spacious top floor location with good views. Decor getting tired but staff very friendly and food and drink met our varied tastes. Particular mention for our waitress Kay and the chef Mahir.

We went to the cocktail after a few books shopping, around 20:15 waitresses was telling us all the time than they close in 30 min, however we order quick and the glasses of wine arrived 15 mins later at 8:45 she was telling us guys you have to go we are closing, she was rude and very pushy. They could have take less time too to bring three glasses of wine. She even clean the table with the drinks no even finished. Customer service very poor she didn’t have manners.

A very nice place to drink something with great views :)

The food was good, but the service was quite unfriendly when we asked to pay separately. Also it took very long

Massively over-priced uninspiring cocktails, Bar/restaurant was fairly quiet yet tables left uncleared until we sat down and the staff were too busy chatting to each other instead of serving customers. Very disappointing visit and do not recommend, plenty of other nice places to go for a drink.

Excellent view of the city from the vantage point from the top floor of Waterstones at Piccadilly. Latte was smooth but not generous. Service was too attentive and constantly disruptive of conversation. As it gets busy, a queue builds. In the end for peace of mind, we adjourned to Chinatown to continue over dinner.

Looked appealing when we walked in but the menu is very bad and expensive. Ordered the avocado and egg and the avocado was inedible because of whatever they put into it, there was also a horrible sauce on the burger my partner got that wasn’t mentioned on the menu, then when we asked for the bill the waitress brought over the card machine without even showing us the bill. It was after we paid she put the bill down and we seen a 10% service charge. For two people getting lunch I found this ridiculous. Wouldn’t recommend or come back again.

Nice lounge if you are looking for a quiet beer or cocktail!

Eat in the restaurant over priced for average food

I love the place its an oasis of tranquility in a very unexpected location

Went for a cup of tea up on the 5th floor and found it has become very expensive now. The slice of cake we shared was okay but nothing special and to be honest, the carrot cake from sainsbury is much nicer and you get a whole cake for half the price. The staff were a bit sniffy too :(

Dated decor and exceptionally expensive soft drinks, would not recommend.

We were recommended this place, so we don’t know whether this is a one-off bad experience or not… We arrived, waited awhile to be served so went up to the bar to order, where we were told by the waitress that she would come to us to take our order. 20 minutes go by, and no one came to us so we decided to leave. Decor was a bit shabby and in need of TLC too.

A nice quiet place for lunch with a good menu and professional friendly service

Experiência ótima. A janela bem posicionada consegue proporcionar raios de sol gostosos, enquanto se degusta um ótimo cappuccino. Atendimento impecável do Marcus. Super atencioso e eficiente. Recomendo e voltarei!

Stunning view at sunset, oasis of calm with reasonable priced tasty food

Don’t ever come here for the afternoon tea, we prebooked for my friends birthday all veggie. We got unmelted cheese on slice of toast, when we questioned just got told it’s the best they could do. Avoid

Someone has taken their eye off the ball! Fantastic location, great potential, amateur errors for ridiculous prices. Apple and cinnamon pie with custard: great idea! Came with ice cream rather than custard. When queried, waiter returned with cold bought custard!! Even the apples could have come from a tin ☹️. All for £7!! The noise didn’t come from customers - it came from the staff stacking dishes and talking loudly. The ladies toilets were out of order and there was no soap in the one functioning toilet. Fantastic space - but so so primitively furnished. What has gone wrong???

Suggested by waiter to try mushroom soup, however when it turned up it was Thai soup, re-ordered a minute steak sandwich was not a minute more like 10 would not go again.

Staff are lovely, and prices are reasonable. But this is so shabby, Waterstones should be embarrassed this is the bar/café in its flagship London shop. Picture the grottiest Wetherspoon you've been in and you'll come close to the decor. Carpets are threadbare and tables are damaged. The seating on the side of the room with the view is weirdly arranged not to take advantage. And you have the choice between plastic covered sofas or plastic school canteen style chairs. On the plus side the place was basically empty on a Friday evening so if you can't find anywhere to go it's a great option.

Nice staff and good food. Decor needs updating as it's old and damaged.

To be asked as a customer three times by the waitress if you want the bill is extremely inhospitable and unwelcoming. It was us feel offended, uncomfortable and we left the place. Despite being overpriced this would not have mattered if they treated us with respect and courtesy. Please invest in training your staff on hospitality

I held some Christmas drinks at 5th View this week and they were fantastic. We had a huge space to ourselves and they'd set everything up we'd asked for and were really communicative. A great venue!

Genuinely awful. Service slow, food mediocre at best. Wrong food arrived. Used to be half decent spot this but clearly not now.

Ten years ago, I loved this place. Mostly quiet, a unique view over London rooftops, nice cocktails, and perfectly good food. Came recently, and I felt like I was in the kitchen of some backstreet restaurant or a school cafeteria. Instead of background music, there is a CONSTANT clanking noise of crockery and cutlery. Constant. My watch makes fewer ticks than the kitchen clanks things together in a minute. And there is nothing to absorb that sound, or the sound of all the voices. And food is average. I am deeply regretting sitting here at all, as the noise is making it exhausting to be here. And I have noise-cancelling headphones on… which help, but the clanking does cut througuh too clearly for comfort. Would NOT recommend visiting, unless you have poor hearing, or excellent earplugs. Because this is auditory hell.

Quiet and cosy place. Despite having *literally* nothing to do, the woman who took my order took over 15mins to bring me a small bottle of sparkling water. I left and figured it would be faster to get it somewhere else. Very disappointed.

Just had a simple glass of wine and the view was amazing. The food im sure would be amazing but sadly can't comment on it..

Looked like a really nice bar and looking forward to 2 for 1 cocktails but everything with mint was not available so no mojitos. We asked for a dark and stormy with no mint but they had run out of rum. ‘What about an espresso martini’? Sorry no kahlua….I asked for a pint of moretti only to be told they had run out of that also

I cannot praise the staff enough for a great service especially Muhammed. They can defo improve on the sandwiches, but I loved my fish and chips meal. 5th View is cozy and not to forget a great view. Great place to grab lunch after shopping.

Came here for Afternoon Tea as a gift but left deeply embarrassed. The sandwich fingers (two) were shockingly bad but one was genuinely a bright yellow cheese slice. The scones were nice and the staff were incredibly friendly but honestly, this was awful- bearing in mind what people go to afternoon tea for- to be treated. £35 for two 6p cheese slices and choc torte dryer than a 4,000 page history of Brexit? I'd genuinely be ashamed to serve that.

So 5 or 6 years ago this place was buzzing and bustling with great food and fab cocktails, a hidden gem within a bookshop. It is now tired, deserted, faded and sad. Although there were only two tables with people, on both occasions I waited 20 minutes for a menu or any staff contact and both times ended up walking out, still with no menu or order taken. When I came in no one greeted me or seated me or acknowledged I was there. This seemed to be the experience of one of the other two tables and we exchanged rueful glances. The upholstery is stained and torn, the carpet and wallpaper dirty and faded. The views are still spectacular and the bookshop itself a delight. Why is this embarrassing remnant left to moulder on the top floor, such a let down. I won't be back and judging from the tumbleweeds neither will anyone else. Sad....

Apparently “fully booked” when there were at least 15 empty tables. I’m sure somewhere else will happily take my money.

Nice place at first sight, but super slow waiters who ignored us for 15min, no chance to receive a menu or even order something. Absolutely disappointing, will never try again.

Der "Ausblick" liegt zum Innenhof. Cola 5 Pfund, Aperol Sprizz 14 Pfund. Das Aperol Glas war am Fuß defekt. Der Spiegel an der Wand war dreckig von mindestens einer Woche Kinderhände. Die Einrichtung hat Kantinen Charme.

The view is very nice but the service is poor. Very rude staff.

I’ve been a fan of this bar for years but haven’t been since the pandemic. All I can say is that everything has failed. The service was shocking. We were purposefully ignored by staff. Served substandard cocktails and talked down to the whole time. I literally saw a bar man pour Ribena into one of our “blackcurrant” cocktails. It’s a shocking drop in standards

Booked through Groupon but unable to use due to administrative error in booking, limited warmth from the staff ( we got a free prosecco) who did nothing really to help other than blame Groupon and told me voucher had already been used. ( It certainly hadn't as I've never visited the place before) The food/furniture was nothing like the picture on the website and I really would not pay £35.49 for a latte, diet coke, 4 sandwiches, 2 scones and 3 cakes considering, Ive visited quite a few places recently and they had been warm, clean, welcoming, helpful and no issues with accepting a Groupon voucher

Lovely view, but overpriced £7 for mixed nuts

Somewhat of a hidden gem, with one of the best views in the West End. Great for a coffee and cake pitstop, afternoon tea or dinner.

Food is just not good. Everything seems a bit old and worn, the view is okay but not worth coming here for more than a coffee.

This restaurant could be so much nicer than it is...lovely view and layout, but the food is really bad. Very limited and slightly odd menu (2 types of chicken burger but no beef burger??) The food we had tasted oily and was just frozen food chucked in a fryer. The tea was nice though!

I used to visit this lunch restaurant at the top of one of the finest book stores in Europe and fell welcome and inspired. But not anymore.. It’s sad for the Waterstones brand and the booklovers of London. The food and menu is under average, the restaurant is worn down and the staff is doing their best in a sad situation.

Myself and my husband visited the 5th View Bar at Waterstones today for afternoon tea . We ordered this amazing deal through Groupon! The whole team at the bar were friendly and courteous ! We would definitely recommend this deal to anyone, We will definitely be back for lunch or even just drinks! A very calm and relaxing atmosphere! Thanks once again team, your hospitality went above and beyond !

Excellent service. Cocktails amazing 🤩…

What a lovely afternoon, Franco, Oscar and rest of the team made our visit amazing, we didnt want to leave but had to dash to theatre show. So pleased with their attentiveness from them, and those cocktails, wow. They made us feel like Queens on the Jubillee Weekend. THANK YOU X

Ótimo espaço, com funcionários muito atenciosos, com o destaque do Marcos que atendeu a gente muito bem. Além de que das 17 as 19 tem promoção de dois drinks pelo valor de um. Muito bom, super recomendo.

La vue ne vend pas énormément de rêve, contrairement à ce qui est dit dans certains guides. En revanche, le fish and chips est à tomber ! Le premier que nous avons goûté et nous n'avons pas été déçues. Depuis, nous en avons mangé un autre dans un autre restaurant et en toute honnêteté je ne peux que vous conseiller celui de 5th view. La qualité du poisson est excellente, tout comme la friture et les 'chips' qui sont parfaits. Un peu déçues par le second plat, un toast avocat oeuf poché, qui n'a pas su nous séduire.

Befindet sich im 5. Stock von Waterstones Bestellen muss man beim Tresen KellnerInnen sind sehr langsam und können sich die Bestellung kaum merken

I felt sorry for the staff, they tried, but I think they knew it was done for. The food was absolutely hideous. We sent it back. The drinks were ok but the laminated menu is so tacky and doesn’t fit with the area. I’m upset for them as the 5th has many opportunities to be an amazing getaway from the bustle of London life.

Welcoming & friendly service. Great spot to get away from hustle and bustle of the city and unwind with a drink and/or a bite to eat in a tranquil surrounding with beautiful skyline views. Love their fresh mint tea & veggie panini. Wish they had more vegan options on the menu.

Had a lunch at 5th view, it was lovely and enjoyed my time here very much. Would definitely come back again for the experience.

Excellent Service. I had the 2 for 1 cocktail promotion. Unexpectedly I decided to have a tea and finally I got the cokctail offer. Nice and quiet place to read or have a nice talk. I suppose it would be busier as it was shut for a while.

Came here for a quick bite and thought it would be your average waterstones cafe... it was not. Asked for a minute to order and 15 minutes later we were still waiting. After catching the attention of the waiter we asked to order, he came back not once but twice to tell us what we wanted was sold out- though it was still early in the day so I question if they actually had any to begin with. When our "chocolate and orange tarts" arrived they were nice enough, maybe a bit stale (matching the damp peeling walls). Now the real issue arose: a small cup of coffee, 330ml of diet coke and two slivers of tart (that was our third choice) came to around £15. And they had the gall to add a 10% service charge? If I wanted to pay that much for the little amount we got, I would have walked the 5 minutes to Fortnam and Mason. Would not return and could not recommend. Its safe to say that "London's best kept secret" is infact, best if its kept as a secret. EDIT: I forgot to mention the table next to us, who were served out of date clotted cream and were not given a replacement when asked.

This is not the "5th View" we have enjoyed several times in the past - it was totally lacking any feel of a hospitable place - staff ignored you - lacked the old feel of comfort - cheap plastic seating - qr menu code couldn't...

Charged a service charge, for really poor service! Overpriced and quite a tacky area. Staff unfriendly and didn’t know the menu

Slowest waitresses ever. Can't speak basic English either. What a disappointment !