Duck & Waffle – Highest Restaurant in London, With Stunning Views and 24/7 Casual Dining In The Sky

Duck & Waffle is one of the most famous restaurants in London. After reading all its rave reviews online, I finally got to check it out during my recent holiday in London. Dining here was quite a pleasant experience – I enjoyed wonderful views of the London skyline while indulging in their delicious eponymous dish. This is my complete review of the restaurant!

Duck & Waffle

Duck & Waffle is the highest restaurant in London. Located on the 40th floor of 110 Bishopsgate (formerly Heron Tower), it offers 24/7 casual dining in the sky.

The menu offers traditional British cuisine, with varied European influences.

The restaurant is open 24 hours, 7 days a week.

Duck & Waffle is extremely popular with both locals and tourists, so make sure you book way in advance if you are looking for prime time slots.

I booked one week in advance and only managed to get a slot for 6.45am.

One day before the booking, the restaurant called me to confirm the booking. Do note that if you do not confirm the booking via this call, the restaurant will cancel your reservation.

The dress code is “Smart Casual”, which I guess to mean no slippers and shorts? Anyways it’s important to take this seriously because you can be refused entry if your appearance is deemed unsuitable.

Duck & Waffle Menu

this is just the breakfast menu. Refer to their website for the full set of menus

The food menu consists mainly of small plates and main dishes. It was created by group executive chef Dan Doherty and executive chef Tom Cenci. The bar is run by Richard Woods.

The culinary creativity of this trio is the reason for Duck & Waffle’s playful take on its menu. Below are some of the popular items.

Small Plates
The Bacon Wrapped Dates (£3.50), which are dates stuffed with sausage and wrapped in bacon, is a favourite.

The Spicy Ox Cheek Doughnut (£12), served with apricot jam and paprika sugar, is well-known too.

For something more exotic, go for the BBQ-Spiced Crispy Pig Ears (£5), which are crispy strips of fried pig ears served in a paper bag.

Main Dishes
The Duck Egg En Cocotte (£13) are basically baked eggs served with wild mushrooms, Gruyere cheese, and truffle soldiers. This breakfast dish has received many good reviews.

If you are looking for something simple but satisfying, I recommend the English Breakfast (£16), which comprises the usual good stuff like sausage, eggs, bacon, tomato, scone, etc.

The most popular item is of course the Duck & Waffle (£18), consisting of a waffle topped with duck leg confit, fried egg, and mustard maple syrup. This is my favourite dish!

Getting to Duck & Waffle

entrance at bottom of building

the elevator brought us directly to the 40th floor

took some photos while waiting in the bar

On the day of our reservation, the wife and I dragged ourselves out from bed at 5.30am.

We took the tube to Liverpool Street Station, and walked for about three minutes to 110 Bishopsgate.

At the bottom of the building, there was a separate entrance just for Duck & Waffle. We walked through the glass door and was greeted by a friendly staff who checked our reservation before directing us to the elevator.

Entering the lift, we were whisked up directly to the 40th floor at a speed of 5 metres per second. While this wasn’t exactly extreme g-force, I did experience some mild pressure in my ears.

The glass lift was elegantly-designed, and we got to see the city skyline on the way up.

On the 40th floor, we exited the lift and walked through a bar to the restaurant entrance, where a female staff told us to wait in the bar first. This was a little strange considering that we had arrived punctually for our time slot.

On the bright side, the bar had an eclectic design with Portuguese-style floor tiles, distressed wooden ceilings, whimsical chandeliers, plush red leather couches, and great views of London.

Casual and Convivial Atmosphere With Decent Service

After waiting for about 15 minutes, we were informed that our seats were ready. Walking into the restaurant, I was happy to see that we had been assigned the coveted window seats (though the view was slightly obstructed by a crane just outside).

I settled down in my seat and looked around. The restaurant had a casual and convivial atmosphere, where people were dining in comfort while enjoying paranomic views of the city skyline through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The most prominent building is The Gherkin, but we also managed to see The Shard, Tower Bridge, and the Tower of London.

The open kitchen allowed us to see the chefs in action, though we were seated quite far away.

Based on my observation, the crowd was a mixture of locals and tourists.

Service was decent. The staff serving us was quite polite, though it was rather hard to get his attention sometimes because he was quite busy. He was nice enough to help take a photo of us though.

English Breakfast

The wife ordered the English Breakfast (£16), a classic breakfast dish comprising Lincolnshire sausage, two eggs, dry cured bacon, plum tomato, mushroom, hash brown, Cheddar and buttermilk scone.

The portion was quite big so the wife had to share the dish with me (#perksofhavingawife).

Even though this dish was quite simple, I was pleasantly surprised by how good it tasted. All the ingredients were very fresh and delicious. I really enjoyed this non-pretentious and sumptuous dish.

Duck & Waffle

The pièce de résistance was of course, the famous Duck & Waffle (£18)!

This signature dish consists of a fluffy waffle topped with a hunk of crispy duck leg confit and fried duck egg. It is served with a small pitcher of mustard maple syrup.

Despite having really high expectations for this dish, I’m glad to report that I was not disappointed.

The duck skin was crisp and crunchy to the bite, giving way to the tender duck meat which was really smooth and juicy.

The waffle, mustard maple syrup, and duck actually tasted really good together, with the combination turning into a pleasant mush in my mouth as I chewed.

I liked that the syrup was not your typical cloying syrup, but rather it had a moderately sweet taste, enhanced with a slight tinge of spice.

After the meal, I finally understood what all this fuss about Duck & Waffle was about.

Conclusion

one more pretty flatlay

With its delicious food and knockout views of the London skyline, it’s easy to see why Duck & Waffle is so popular with both tourists and locals.

Do note that this is a casual dining joint, so you should not expect fine-dining standards. That said, the good food and awesome views will definitely make this a special dining experience.

And remember to book way in advance if you want to get window seats and your favoured time slot!

If you are travelling in a large group, you can consider booking the restaurant’s private dining room, which seats up to 18.

Duck & Waffle (London)
What to Order: Duck & Waffle (£18), BBQ-Spiced Crispy Pig Ears (£5)
Reservations: https://duckandwaffle.com
Opening Hours: Open 24 hours, 7 days a week
Directions: Three minute walk from Liverpool Street Tube Station
Address: 110 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AY, UK
Phone: +44 203 640 7310

Menu Timings*
Weekdays: Breakfast 6am – 10.30am, Lunch 11.30am – 4pm, Dinner 5pm – 11pm, Late night 11.30pm – 5am
Weekends / Bank Holidays: Breakfast 6am – 10.30am, Brunch 11am – 4.30pm, Dinner 5pm – 11pm, Late night 11.30pm – 5am
*some items are only available at certain timings