Disclaimer – We were sponsored for this visit but all thoughts and views are our own.
In the heart of Holborn, amongst the offices, sandwich shops and on the edge of the West End, the NYX Hotel sits on the edge of Southampton Row and Theobalds Road. The hotel, which is part of the Leonardo Hotels group, has converted the top floor to the Glasshouse Bar. With views across London looking north to south, the rooftop bar has some wicked cocktails to match. We went to visit over the weekend (the Glasshouse is currently only open at weekends for the winter) and tried out the cocktails, and the views!
The entrance to the hotel is actually on Old Gloucester Street, then the bar is on the 9th floor. The ‘L’ shaped bar is on the corner of the building, with floor to ceiling windows all around. The views are breath taking with the Oxo Tower, London Eye and Big Ben visible in a glance. In summer, the windows open so that you not only get to bask in the summer heat, but see the view clearly. Whilst we were there, the windows were opened for us, and immediately the rest of the clients in the bar came over to both see the views and take lots of photos. There’s so much to see from this vantage point, it must be even better in the summer. There are also glass ceilings which open up to show the stars at night and provide another backdrop for photos.
The bar has an array of well known cocktails and then a list of their own. My colleague and I had a Cosmopolitan, then Mint Hint (Sapphire Gin) followed by a Caramel Pop and then I had a Sweet Escape – one of the mocktails on the menu. You can also order wine and flatbreads, all of which are in the extensive menu. We sat on comfy chairs around intimate low level tables but there are high bar stools at the windows to look out over the view, a corner sofa at the far end of the room and small tables dotted around. The cocktails were delicious! It’s difficult to make a good Cosmopolitan but the bar staff nailed it.
The Glasshouse is a fantastic way of viewing London from the rooftop, with some brilliant cocktails and a setting that makes it ideal for after work, after dinner or even apres theatre!
Pros
Breath taking views
Lovely cocktails
Cons
You have to enter the hotel via Old Gloucester Street, not Southampton Row
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