RFK Rankings · Edinburgh
Best Rooftop Restaurants in Edinburgh 2026
Rooftop dining · Edinburgh · 6 tables ranked · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published June 15, 2026 · Updated June 20, 2026 · Reviewed by Fredrik Filipsson, Editor-in-Chief · How we rank · Corrections
Edinburgh's view is the castle, and almost every rooftop in town points a cocktail at it. The harder truth: most of these roofs are bars that happen to serve food, and only one or two run a kitchen worth the climb on its own merits. Harvey Nichols' Forth Floor backs the Firth of Forth panorama with a proper brasserie; SUSHISAMBA brought Japanese-Brazilian-Peruvian cooking to the top of the W. The rest earn their place on the castle sightline and a decent plate, ranked honestly as such. Height here buys you the Old Town rooflines, not always dinner. For the rooms that out-cook every roof, our Edinburgh dining guide works at street level.
1.Harvey Nichols Forth Floor
Wrap-around terrace over the castle and the Firth, with a real brasserie behind it; reserve ahead.
On top of Harvey Nichols on St Andrew Square, the Forth Floor pairs an indoor brasserie behind floor-to-ceiling glass with a wrap-around outdoor terrace, looking over Edinburgh Castle one way and the Firth of Forth the other. The kitchen is a modern take on Scottish and European cooking, with a strong wine list and cocktails around £10 to 14, served from breakfast through a proper dinner. It is the second roof in town with a kitchen worth the trip on its own terms, not just a bar with a view. The terrace seats go first in summer. Reserve a Forth-facing table and make it dinner, not just drinks.
Book via harveynichols.com.
2.SUSHISAMBA Edinburgh
Japanese-Brazilian-Peruvian plates and 360-degree views from the top of the W; go for it.
Perched at the top of the W Edinburgh in the St James Quarter, SUSHISAMBA brought its Japanese-Brazilian-Peruvian format to Scotland when the hotel opened in 2023. The kitchen runs sushi, robata and ceviche across a dining room, lounge and outdoor terraces, with a three-course set menu from around £35 at lunch and a fuller à la carte at night. This is one of the splashiest rooms in the city, and the food holds its own. Book a window or terrace table and arrive before sunset for the panorama.
Reserve via sushisamba.com.
3.Johnnie Walker 1820
Whisky-led Scottish menu and a clean castle sightline above Princes Street; try it once.
The 1820 Rooftop Bar crowns the Johnnie Walker Princes Street experience, seven floors up at 145 Princes Street, looking over the gardens to Edinburgh Castle. Opened with the venue in 2021, it pairs locally sourced Scottish cooking with a bartender-led, whisky-forward drinks list, cocktails running roughly £12.50 to 15. You do not need to book a distillery tour to come up for the rooftop. The food is more accomplished than most whisky-brand venues manage, even if the view is the headline. The Blue Label Room handles whisky-paired private dinners. Try it once for a Scotch with the castle in front of you, ideally at golden hour.
Book via johnniewalker.com.
4.Chaophraya Edinburgh
Thai cooking and a retractable-roof castle view, good year-round; pencil it in.
On Castle Street in the New Town, Chaophraya serves Thai cooking across a glassed terrace with a retractable roof and an open-air deck, both aimed at Edinburgh Castle. The menu runs the classics plus signatures like the Weeping Tiger steak and a massaman curry, with cocktails around £12 to 14. The retractable roof is the trick that keeps it a genuine year-round rooftop in a city where most terraces shut for winter. The Lunch Club deal makes a daytime visit easy from Sunday to Friday. It is a reliable, good-value castle-view dinner rather than a destination kitchen. Pencil it in and ask for the open side when the weather holds.
Reserve via chaophraya.co.uk.
5.Cold Town House
Grassmarket roof terrace under the castle for Neapolitan pizza and house beer; worth the trip.
In the Grassmarket, Cold Town House spreads fun over three floors, with the roof terrace as the prize, sitting almost directly beneath Edinburgh Castle. A recent half-million-pound makeover added a new bar, two fireplaces, an extended terrace and a retractable roof. The kitchen turns out awarded Neapolitan pizzas and grills, washed down with beer from the on-site microbrewery and cocktails around £11 to 13. It is the most casual pick here, a roof for a relaxed evening rather than a special-occasion dinner, and all the better for it. Worth the trip for a pizza and a house lager with the castle floodlit overhead.
Book via coldtownhouse.co.uk.
6.W Deck at W Edinburgh
The widest 360-degree rooftop in the city, seasonal and drinks-led above the W; come for sunset, not a sit-down dinner.
Two floors above SUSHISAMBA, the W Deck crowns the W Edinburgh on the 12th floor with the broadest open-air panorama in town, a 360-degree sweep from Edinburgh Castle across Calton Hill to Arthur's Seat. It is a seasonal terrace, reopening for the spring and summer run on 3 April 2026, weather permitting, with a short list of small bites and cocktails around £16 alongside DJs on weekend evenings. This is a rooftop bar rather than a kitchen, so rank it for the view and the drink, not a full meal. Arrive before sunset for a rail spot and keep dinner two floors down at SUSHISAMBA or elsewhere.
Book via the W Edinburgh.
Avoid for a rooftop dinner
Castle views you can't book for dinner
Lamplighters Rooftop Bar (Gleneagles Townhouse). The most exclusive roof in town, on St Andrew Square, but it is open to members and hotel guests only, so most visitors cannot book it for dinner. Worth knowing before you try.
SKYbar Edinburgh (DoubleTree). Castle views from a Bread Street roof, but it now runs mainly as an events venue, open to the public only on select dates. Check the calendar before counting on dinner.
How to book an Edinburgh rooftop
Edinburgh's rooftops book up fast in festival season, and the rooms that cook seriously take real reservations: book Harvey Nichols' Forth Floor and SUSHISAMBA a week or two ahead, and ask for a castle-facing edge. SUSHISAMBA and 1820 hold some walk-in space but the terrace tables go first at sunset, so arrive early. Several roofs are seasonal or weather-led: the W Deck reopens for spring and summer from early April, Chaophraya's retractable roof keeps it going year-round, and Cold Town House heats its terrace through winter. Note that Lamplighters is members-and-guests only and SKYbar runs as an events space. For ground-floor rooms that out-cook the roofs, see our Edinburgh dining guide and the wider RFK rankings index.
Frequently asked
Which Edinburgh rooftop has the best food?
Harvey Nichols' Forth Floor brasserie, on top of the St Andrew Square store, is the strongest rooftop kitchen in Edinburgh, cooking modern Scottish and European food with a terrace over the castle and the Firth of Forth. SUSHISAMBA at the top of the W is the runner-up. Most other Edinburgh rooftops are bars with a competent plate.
Which rooftop has the best view in Edinburgh?
The W Deck at the W Edinburgh has the widest 360-degree panorama, from the castle to Arthur's Seat. Cold Town House sits almost directly beneath Edinburgh Castle for the closest view, and the Forth Floor is the only one that also frames the Firth of Forth.
Are Edinburgh rooftops open in winter?
Some. Chaophraya and Cold Town House have retractable roofs and heated terraces and run year-round, as does the indoor side of Harvey Nichols' Forth Floor. The W Deck is seasonal, reopening for spring and summer from early April.
Do I need a reservation for an Edinburgh rooftop?
For dinner, yes, especially during the August festivals. Book the Forth Floor and SUSHISAMBA ahead and request a castle-facing table. 1820 and Cold Town House hold some walk-in space, but the terrace seats fill at sunset.
Can anyone visit the Johnnie Walker 1820 rooftop?
Yes. You do not need to book a distillery tour to visit the 1820 Rooftop Bar at Johnnie Walker Princes Street; it takes its own reservations and walk-ins for drinks and a Scottish food menu, with the castle in view.
What should I order on an Edinburgh rooftop?
At Harvey Nichols' Forth Floor, the Scottish seafood and a glass from the wine list. At Chaophraya, the Weeping Tiger steak; at Cold Town House, a Neapolitan pizza and a house beer; at SUSHISAMBA, the robata and ceviche.
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More from RFK
More Edinburgh from RFK: the Edinburgh dining guide and the best open-late restaurants in Edinburgh. Compare cities with the best rooftop restaurants in London and the RFK rankings index, or read how we score in our ranking methodology.
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