Everyone must have seen London’s aerial view from the Sky Garden on Instagram. After constantly seeing it on my feed, I knew I had to see that the view. So, on my most recent trip to London, I did just that.
After a long day of basically ticking things off my checklist including dining at Dishoom and checking out Borough Market, I finally got to Sky Garden. We waited for my cousin outside the building that literally looks like a giant walkie-talkie, and then headed upstairs for a drink.
While entry is free, reservations must be made. However, after 6PM, you can visit without a reservation, you just need to queue up to get in. We luckily reached early, so didn’t have to queue for too long.
At the front desk, they checked if our outfits matched their dress code. All visitors are required to be dressed in smart casual attire. Because we had been walking all day, Mom had sneakers on; and so she had to buy suitable shoes from the Marks & Spencer across the road. What turned out to be Sky Garden-worthy is now my dog’s favorite chew toy.
Jaini’s TIP:
Dress smart casual, even on weekdays, as they are quite strict about following the dress code.
We met our cousin and quickly got onto the 35th floor to the Sky Pod Bar.
Sky Garden has about six different restaurants: the Fenchurch Restaurant, with a gorgeous west-facing view of the capital, offers British contemporary foods with a wide choice of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes. The Fenchurch Terrace is a secluded, exclusive space adjacent to the Fenchurch Restaurant offering unspoiled views of London from the top of Sky Garden. The Darwin Brasserie is an all-day Brasserie allowing visitors to have a bite whenever. The City Garden Bar is an all-day bar with idyllic garden settings. The Sky Pod Bar is an all-day drinking and dining rooftop space situated amongst the impressive gardens and offering the best views from Sky Garden.
Once we reached Level 35, we found a table, and the server immediately brought us menus.
I decided to indulge in a Coco Loca – a fruity tropical cocktail with Capucana cachaça (a Brazilian sugarcane spirit), Koko Kanu (a Jamaican coconut flavored rum), orange liqueur, mango, lime, coconut, and pineapple. It was decadent and went down really well 😉
Diva got the Berry Mojito with Havana 3YrO rum, Chambord (a French raspberry liqueur), berries, fresh mint, lime & sugar, while Mom got the pretty-looking Botanic, a gin cocktail with Tanqueray gin, Gin Mare (a Mediterranean gin), rosemary, basil, lemon & pine nuts. They thoroughly enjoyed their drinks.
Dad and my cousin got Beers and a side of nuts. The nuts were okay, and I thought they needed more seasoning.
Later, my other cousins joined us and it was nice to be able to catch up!
The sun had begun to set, so we made our way upstairs upon finishing our drinks. I fell in love with London all over again as I gazed at the golden hour and Diva and Dad snapped some incredible shots. Meanwhile, Mom, having a green thumb, admired at the range of plants in the garden.
I loved the spectacular views of the city from the Sky Garden and highly recommend it. Though pricey, it is worth it if you’re celebrating something special or just want to pamper yourself. 
Having spent a wonderful day in Central London, I was ready to head back home to my babies (my doggies) all happy and satisfied. And, as a bonus, we saw the beautiful sunset on our way back home.
Sky Garden is located at:
1 Sky Garden Walk (20 Fenchurch St)
London
EC3M 8AF
Photos by Hitesh & Diva Shah
