Sky Lounge

You're 35 storeys up at St Thomas Street in Borough, looking out across the Thames while a bartender makes something properly complicated in front of you. Sky Lounge sits inside the Shangri-La hotel, which means the whole operation feels polished without trying too hard—high ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, that kind of thing. It's the sort of place you take someone when you want to impress them, or when you've had a decent week and fancy reminding yourself that London from above actually looks quite good. The crowd tends towards smartly dressed types and couples, and it doesn't really pretend to be anything other than upmarket.