Darwin Brasserie in City of London, Westminster

⸻ My husband and I were recently in London celebrating my birthday. A colleague recommended that we visit the Sky Garden and have lunch at the Darwin Brasserie — and we are so glad we did. It was a wonderful experience all around. The Sky Garden itself was incredible, and having a delicious lunch made it even more memorable. We both enjoyed the burgers, starting with the olives and bread basket, and we also tried the Cherry Blossom Collins (a refreshing non-alcoholic beverage). The view from the restaurant was absolutely stunning. Another bonus: having a reservation at the Darwin Brasserie allowed us to skip the main line for the Sky Garden, making the visit even more seamless. We highly recommend it!

Thank you Hanna and the whole staff for this very nice moment, including my birthday ‘s celebration. We enjoyed a couple of heures in this amazing location, on the top of London 🙏

Servizio eccellente, cibo ottimo, vista su Londra incredibile. Hanna è stata un'ottima cameriera, molto disponibile e precisa anche in fatto di allergie. Ci hanno anche offerto un dolcino per festeggiare un compleanno.

Expensive but great breakfast. Had the English Breakfast and the porridge, very delicious, scrambled eggs cooked to perfection. Porridge was nice and available with oat milk.

Papa nuestro camarero ha sido una maravilla, súper atento y servicial. La comida estaba bien, nada de otro mundo, pero bien. Realmente en el sitio pagas por las vistas y el servicio

Food took over an hour to come out and was incredibly boring. My Dads food was ok but bland, mine (the pork dish) was incredibly tough and tasteless. Felt like a dry piece of meat that just had a ridiculous amount of butter slapped on it to hide that it had no flavour underneath. The deserts were nice enough but none of the food was worth the ridiculous prices they set. Would not go back. You pay for the view, which I will admit is amazing, but you also have to pay 10 GBP extra per person to even sit by the window and see anything. That cost doesn’t get deducted from your final bill either. They also automatically add a 13% gratuity charge for terrible service and make you feel awful if you ask to have it removed. We felt like we were being shamed and called poor just for not feeling like we should pay 15 pounds extra after waiting for an hour for bad food and rude waitstaff. To top it off, while we were waiting for our food to come out (again, for over an hour) the staff were not at all attentive to service such as water or updates. They kept promising it would be out and strung us along for 40 more minutes. Meanwhile, they were yapping and laughing with their coworkers, completely ignoring the other customers too. In the end, it all came to well over 100 GPB in the end for poor service, bland mediocre food, and an overpriced view. Just go up for free and don’t eat there. Get food outside before and just go see the view from the balcony, it’s better anyways. Overall, just know what you’re getting into. If you want a noisy restaurant with kids wandering around and screaming while you eat, pompous staff, a prissy atmosphere, and to waste a lot of money, this place is perfect for you. Unprofessional, overpriced, tourist trap. Don’t fall for it!

A wonderful family experience at Darwin! We had planned to visit the Sky Garden but couldn't get tickets because we're last-minute bookers! Then I saw that we could also have lunch there, so I booked at Darwin 5 days before our visit, and we were very glad we did! A truly fantastic restaurant, an incredible view, fresh and well-prepared produce, and a very friendly and welcoming team!! Special mention to Leidy, a really nice young woman (who speaks French) who took great care of the four of us (2 adults and two children aged 9 and 2)! We took our time with our meal and then enjoyed the view from the heights of the Sky Garden. Thank you again for this wonderful time!!

Be careful ! Concept not clear, a brunch is not a brunch at Darwin Brasserie. Manager no welcoming, no listening. Apparently not understandable for them that a French tourist don’t understand all et make a mistake. Good cooking but ruin by the bad reception. I don’t recommand at all. Just the waitress was nice with us.

Had a wonderful lunch for my partner's birthday. Impeccable service by our server Telmo Berges who made our experience extra special. Food was delicious.

Excellent place to grab a bite to eat with a wonderful view

Our server Richard was very attentive and easy-going when we asked him to get us things. He was also very easy to talk to.

Great view over London. A very delcious breakfast. Thanks to Richard for the very good service!

The service with Richard was amazing!

It has been surprising to get up there and see the Tower Bridge of London for the first time, incredible views, very well-kept interior gardens, but above all, meeting Richard, the restaurant's waiter who has been super attentive to us, really charming. Out of 10 👌🏼

Telmo was a wonderful server who made us feel special throughout our lunch service. We had a wonderful time, the views were spectacular and the food delicious! Thank you

Fab food, views, and service! Our server, Telmo, was very welcoming and helpful - thank you!

We book this restaurant to be skip the lines for the Sky Garden since we did not have reservations. Restaurant had a great atmosphere with very nice setting and great service. We were served by Alin who did a terrific job. -thank you Alin for a wonderful experience!

We had a mid afternoon lunch here for my husband's 60th birthday with 15 family members. The place is stunning - with views stretching across London in all directions. It was very busy and lively and the food was delicious - a good range of meat/fish/vegetarian - even vegetarian plus gluten free caused no difficulties - and the staff were really attentive and pleasant. Sruthi was our server and was a delight - nothing was too much trouble. I would totally recommend Darwins for a celebratory meal with the wow factor of the views!

The food was hot and delicious. The staff was mostly friendly.

The price is totally unjustifiable for so many skyscrapers and so many views, before going I knew more or less what I was going to pay but I thought the food was going to be better, you can't pay 150 pounds and get frozen fries. It is a 20 euro menu anywhere in Spain and I understand that for the place I have to pay double, but not triple. The views are good although there is a lot of construction ahead and the Tamesis carries more shit than the Thajo through Aranhuez. If it had cost me 100 pounds I would give it a better rating

This was a tough review. The views were unbelievable. Great atmosphere. The service was exceptional. Sruthi provided the best service we've had in the UK. Service and atmosphere are amazing. The food and wine were OK. It tasted good but way overpriced for what you received. I had salmon fish cake (potatoe and salmon) served on a small bed of sauted spinach topped with a poached egg and white sauce....$30 pounds.

One of a kind service! Visited the Darwin Brasserie for my birthday with my mom and I can confidently say everything was flawless. We were greeted at the door and shown to our table by a lovely lady and we had Telmo serving our table, he went above and beyond to accommodate us and was extremely kind and professional. My mom’s peanut allergy was handled so well, they made sure to have the food checked by multiple people and we had constant reassurance. The food was lovely and was brought out promptly and was always hot. Furthermore I had a birthday plate brought out to which made the afternoon even more special. Cannot thank Telmo in specific for the extremely great service and attitude and the rest of the staff for creating a great birthday!

Low review but full explanation given.... This doesn't reflect the food, the food is OK, but it reflects the level of customer experience I expect for this price point... Food should be good at this price...it was good, though my poached eggs were not heated enough... But customer experience let's this place down and it's the whole reason to visit here.... I've eaten at the shard restaurants several times and this sky garden one was disappointing in comparison. The kids menu is typical uninspired kids stuff so we tend to either share, or get the child off the adult menu. But they wouldn't let us order a single main meal. They insisted it had to be the full 3 course....crazy for a child. So they would "let us share". Not a single place has ever said we can't share so this language got me annoyed. We wanted to pay for her to have a meal. I will add, on the website there are main meal prices so we had not expected this issue. Out of principle we always have tap water for the table....but having asked for this, we got charged for water....we got it removed from the bill but we shouldn't have to ask for free water in the UK where is a legal requirement to provide when asked... The room is also really in need of some acoustic help. It's so loud you can hardly hear the wait staff or eachother. And the chairs and tables are so old and worn....they just need a recover and I thought maybe it was a look they were going for, but it was clear as you look around, it's just tired as some were not worn out. They also refuse to take cash whilst having no signs suggesting this on booking or in the menu etc. I hate that out of principle. That's the legal tender we want to use. Again, the review isn't to reflect the food, it's reflecting the customer experience. At this price point, I expected more... having had a far better experience at similar price point places and similar locations, it makes it poor, they can do better. For a better experience I'd strongly recommend the shard, the savoy and the theater royal (which was massively cheaper and so special and beautiful that we stayed and really enojoyed our time there, so it was an unexpected impressive treat!)

Richard and Oksana were very attentive, food was delicious

Excellent!!! Great service from Richard and Oksana!!

Perfect service by Telmo! Thank you!

what a disappointing experience....had family visiting from Italy and wanted to make sure their experience was perfect but far from it unfortunately. 14 emails exchanged just to understand if a kid menu was available, we arrived earlier but not allowed in as the kid was not allowed even if was a weekend (friday night) , waited in the cold over 1 hour downstairs with the child, host not helpful and no empathy, service average, unfriendly senior staff and food very overpriced.....get a free ticket and then go for dinner somewherelse

A very enjoyable evening with great foodAlso excellent customer service and compassion for an elderly member of our visit Thank you

Breakfast was delicious with a great view and great service from Richard!

I came in Darwin restaurant with my daughter and we have a very nice time. Thank you to Telmo for taking care of us, Andrea from the reception, Catalina, Joella and of course Papa.

Richard was an excellent waiter

Great experience to eat at a restaurant that over looks the capital city of London. It is a set menu that has great choices at the Darwin restaurant and you could not ask for better service than from Telmo. I recommend this experience to others.

Excellent. Only issue was the hostess clippty clopping around like a horse on pavement dragging her shoes making that awful noise, almost as if they were doing it on purpose. I caught the eye of several diners rolling their eyes and shaking their heads everytime the hostess came by. It cut right through the "good time feeling" there

My son and I went to Darwin Brasserie for dinner while on Easter 🐣 City break in London. We had a very enjoyable time making beautiful memories to cherished. Breathe taking Panoramic Views of London City / River Thames all light up at night. We can also see the moon up in the shy while having our dinner and London underneath us. A wonderful experience. Chanade that book us on the phone was very helpful, informative and friendly. £10 per person for table by the window but absolutely worth it. We had 3 Courses A La CARTE menu . Starters nothing special, main course was better my son enjoyed his Rump Steak, my Tandoori Chicken Supreme was lovely but the sauce not so much, too strong. Puffing was ok. Ashwin was our waiter, he was alright. We’ll definitely recommend it. All and all a wonderful and enjoyable experience. Dj lower deck as we arrived was brilliant, love the vibes and atmosphere at the bar with great music. Great security check, it makes you feel safe. Clean toilets. 20% gratuity a bit much. It’ll be lovely to have more chicken varieties on A La CARTE Menu. My son really loved his Rump steak 😊 he said it was cooked to perfection MR. I’ll definitely recommend sky garden.

Great place, lovely food, incredible service...Richard was a great waiter. Thank you for the lovely experience

Great view (obviously 😅). Alin was very helpful, friendly and attentive without being too intrusive. Lovely brunch, food was delicious.

The Brasserie was great – delicious breakfast, lovely atmosphere, and very friendly staff. We were served by Richard, who was exceptionally attentive, warm, and made us feel truly welcome. Thank you - see you again :)

A restaurant located one floor higher than the Sky Garden Observatory. It's a bit pricey, but the atmosphere is so good that I highly recommend it!! But you have to make a reservation!! I ate chicken breast steak and truffle fries. The steak was delicious, but the fries were the best. Must stop by

We looked after by Alin very well. Thanks.

Brilliant service and very attentive. We’ve had a wonderful time and didn’t have to worry about anything thanks to Alin.

Alin was a very attentive server.

Alin was great, super attentive and kind. Lovely morning!

Alin was a very thoughtful and great server who made the experience top knowledge.

Richard made the experience great !!!

The waiter Richard was very nice and attentive to our table

Brilliant day thank you. Of course the view was amazing and the food was brilliant and good value . However the star of the day was our waiter Ashwin . Star garden you are lucky to have him. His attention to detail including one members food allergy was exceptional. I wanted to tip him but unfortunately had no cash and the card system didn't allow it. Thank you sky garden and enormous thanks Ashwin we had a wonderful lunch.

My partner and I had a wonderful evening at the Darwin Brasserie, we were served by the lovely Alin who was super helpful and his recommendations were very much appreciated. The food was fantastic! We look forward to coming again.

Alin has been really professional and friendly Very nice person

Alin was perfect , nice view, good food.

Alin was an awsome waiter, his service was top notch, he even brought me a little birthday plate in my language.

Everything superlative ! Amazing place and very beautiful view!

Food and view was excellent Alin our server was amazing. Mulţumesc

Really great omelette from the brunch menu. Service was great, location and view obviously tremendous. Really couldn't be better.

It was a very special experience and Telmo was fantastic with us! Looking forward to come back

Richard was our server and he was amazing! The food and atmosphere was well worth the trip.

Ours waiter "Richard " was the most professional waiter we've had in London! Continue the great job Richard.. 💪

Excellent food as well as the waiter Richard, helpful, kind and polite!

Waiter Richard excellent service !

Amazing food with great customer service by Richard

Richard absolutely made our start in the day a perfect one - great place to go with amazing views and nice food and service!!

Stunning view from Darwin restaurant window seat, food was amazing. Alin our waiter was very attentive and polite Sky garden is definitely worth a visit to see the city from a different perspective

Good experience! Excellent service by Telmo!

Decent food and the atmosphere is excellent. The only problem is the service is poor. Andreea passed us off to another waiter half way into service apparently and never checked up or told us till we had to flag her down for the check. Also never received my drink. View was great, service is left wanting

We had an amazing service from sruthi. The food food she recommended was outstanding.the best view and service was the top most rating thank to sruthi for making our day best

What an awesome dining experience we had at Darwin’s Brasserie The food was amazing and praise must be given to our fabulous waiter - Telmo - he made the experience even more wonderful. A true credit to the Darwin team - he was personable, courteous and polite - with just the right amount of personal attention to our table. The special occasion plate was truly “the cherry on the cake” of our day. Views over the city were awesome - just a shame the Sky Gardens were closed for maintenence - but a great excuse to return again!

We had a very pleasant experience throughout the evening. The food was fine and justifies the price to some extent. The main thing here is the ambience and it is nothing less than exceptional. The view from here, especially at night, is indeed a rare catch. We were guided throughout by Andreea in the most professional but friendly way. The experience here is worth the bucks, as special occasions are meant to be special. Make sure you reserve the table in advance, especially the window ones. We would love to be back here someday.

Good food and stunning view but what made this experience special was the service provided by Telmo amazing guy

Thank you a lot, we were well served by Alin, a really nice experience in London. Here's one happy customer !

A unique experience at a height of 150m. Sunset and then the sea of lights of downtown London with all the landmarks around. The best table in the corner with Telmo, the best waiter and the best weather London has to offer. Simply beautiful!

Served today by Alin really friendly and couldn’t do enough for us xx

Alin is very friendly, professional and accommodating

Very nice experience to have brunch with such a nice view. The food was delicious and Alin explained us every dish and was very friendly and courteous.

We had a wonderful experience here at Darwin Brasserie, had a delicious breakfast and our waiter Alin was very helpful and offered a great customer service ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you! We will definitely recommend this place to all our friends and family! 🙂

Lovely breakfast and great views, cheers Alin for the great service!

Excellent food, service and views - a perfect start to the day

Not really worth the hype. I paid $50 for eggs Benedict and bacon, OJ and coffee. Food was just ok, definitely not worth the price.

Very friendly and welcoming service, great food and spectacular view.

Alin was very attentive and made our visit at the restaurant relaxed. Food was delicious, especially the sea bream and the coconut cheesecake. We will definitely come back!

Great food with a phenomenal view! Our waiter Alin was very friendly and courteous. I would recommend the brasserie to all who visit London and want to enjoy a great view with tasty food

Good start of the day , with lovely views and good breakfast, thank u Alin for recommendation

Nice view, delicious food and excellent service! Thanks to Alin

Excellent. The only bad thing is that at 11 pm we asked for bread and they told us NO BECAUSE THE KITCHEN IS ALREADY CLOSED. unusual. And the reservation was at 10:30 pm.

The view is stunning, the food is delicious, Telmo served us just perfectly good! Thanks for the special Start into our day!

Lovely food very attentive service could not fault it at all

Lovely breakfast and great service. Our waiter l, Alin was very helpful.

View, food, and service were great. Alin was an outstanding host.

Telmo was sooo friendly and helpful

We enjoyed our meal and time at the Darwin Brasserie at the London Sky Garden—but be warned, getting a reservation here is no joke. I had to book at least three weeks in advance to snag a spot, because otherwise you’ll end up waiting in a long line outside just to get into the Sky Garden. Once you have a reservation for any of the restaurants, you can skip the line entirely, which is such a relief. During the day, the vibe is super casual, perfect for a relaxed meal with an amazing view. Come evening, though, the atmosphere transforms—you’ll see people all dressed up, and the live music adds a really special touch, especially with the city lights in the background. Honestly, I think you get the best view of London from here. While entry to the Sky Garden itself is free if you book a ticket, I highly recommend making a restaurant reservation. It just elevates the whole experience to enjoy a meal while overlooking the breathtaking cityscape. Highly recommended if you’re looking for a memorable night out in London!

The service from Telmo was exceptional. His attention to detail and kind manner made our lunch a lively occasion to remember.

Excellent food venue and sevice and value for money Telmo our waiter was exceptional

A wonderful experience on this Sky Tower. A breathtaking view of the entire city at night and a warm welcome from all the staff. We had a great meal there, both main courses and desserts (no starters were particularly appealing). Plan a good budget for your meal and remember to add a tip to the final bill! Enjoy your meal!

A highly recommended place to enjoy unparalleled views of London and share that moment with your companion. The food was very good and we were very well served by the waiter (Telmo).

Very nice dining experience. The view is breathtaking from over there. The staff is friendly and welcoming, we were welcomed by Ocsana and Andreea. Surely will come back.

Food was great and good to have vegan choices, friendly staff, and as expected, an amazing view 😃

Great food and view and our waiter Alin made sure all was nice :)

In all honesty you are paying for the view here and not the dining experience. £20 cocktails not anything to write home about and although the food was fresh & tasty, it's not a menu that you couldn't find in many other city venues. I liked the fact you can have wine by carafe and share without the extent of a bottle. The wine selection was very good. The views are obviously vast but equally, you cannot actually sit directly by window unless booked very far in advance. It is definitely a nice experience to do as a one off, or special occasion but this is not somewhere you'd come back to just for the food. Also be mindful to explain you have reservation when arriving in the vast queue for security otherwise you'll have a long wait unnecessarily at the entrance.

We had a great lunch yesterday. Both vegan meals were really delicious, compliments to the chef. Also, our waitresses were so lovely. Great views of course. We’ll definitely be back.

We wanted to enjoy the Sky Garden but tickets were no longer available. So we decided to book Breakfast at the Darwin Brasserie to have access to Sky Garden. It was much better than expected. Both breakfast were delicious and the stunning view was the cherry on the cake. You have to pay an extra fee to have a table close to the windows. It is definitely worth it. We enjoyed every minute and could not stop watching the Tames. The weather was amazing which made this experience even more enjoyable. The service was impeccable. This experience was a highlight. We will come back. Thank you.

Phenomenal views! The food was wonderful and the service was excellent! Bonus, they brought a beautiful cake to celebrate my friend’s birthday!

Food, environment and the view was gorgeous, however if u want sit by the window u have to pay extra £10 per person and the service was same as Wetherspoon🤬😡