Dalston Roof Park – East London’s Secret Garden

Dalston Roof Park is a bar with terrace overlooking East London and as you can guess from the fact that its view is not over the most picturesque part of the capital, being on the roof contributes to the distinctive vibe of the venue rather than taking its visitors’ breath.

A view of East London

Even though Dalston Roof Park provides a view of London’s skyscrapers we shouldn’t underestimate it – after all, that is a part of London, thie view allows us to see another side of the capital which is actually not an insignificant one. But still, this bar is situated on the open last floor mainly to make the venue look wider, to inoculate a sense of freedom and vent – both literally and figuratively. This is what makes Dalston Roof a venue known to almost all Londoners and a loved place to spend spare days and evenings.

That is why most of Dalston Roof’s clientele consists of hippie souls, young people, more culturally enlightened, artists/artist wannabes and so forth. And what is happening in the bar itself is intriguing enough to leave the view in the background.

What is actually distinctive about this venue is that it indeed looks like a park – herbs, hops, flowers, vegetables, grass on the floor, everything you have in your garden. It is undeniably an innovatively built spot with its garden furniture presumably bought from many different yard sales and making the roof look as if it is your own garden somewhere in the province where you would gather with friends every possible and warm enough weekend.

Dalston Roof Park

As or the menu, these vegetables and herbs you see in all the pots are not just for decoration. The food which Dalston Roof Park offers can brag about including its personally grown ingredients. As a whole, the place offers some bar food to go with their very creatively executed drinks. You could try a few fresh cocktails – or no more than £7 – or many kinds of beer, wine or cider. The rooftop bar’s prices are really affordable and in combination with the friendly easy-going staff it can turn into your regular place for drinks in no time.

Dalston Roof’s event hosting

I shouldn’t forget to tell you about one of the park’s best features – all the events.  Almost every night there is a different scene in Dalston Roof; it’s the summer center of gigs – covering pretty much any music genre from disco to reggae, hip-hop, funk, RnB, soul, indie, electro; parties – clothes swaps, black and whites and so many more; film screenings; poetry nights; even yoga clubs. There is something for basically everyone…

Dalston Roof Park

Here comes the part with the few downsides. Firstly, you should keep in mind that to enter Dalston Roof Park you are going to be asked to pay a membership fee of £5 for the summer. It is not something to worry about, the price is almost symbolic but still, some visitors find it odd that at the door of an ordinary bar they’re trying for the first time, they are charged for a membership fee. And another predictable thing about the park is that it is open only from May to September.

Still, these are small flaws and if I were you, I wouldn’t exclude Dalston Roof Park from my list with cute places to relax over drinks with friends in the summer evenings – it is popular among young interesting people, playfully furnished, creatively decorated, has an unconventional menu and all this comes at a rather low price, what more do you need?