Review: Savage Garden Rooftop Bar near Tower Bridge

While each have their unique charm, none have left me feeling like I had stepped into the royal life in the way that the Savage Garden Rooftop Bar on Pepys Street did.

The sprawling bar area near the high chairs overlooking the Tower Bridge (Image: Riddhi Kachhela)

Nestled close to the Tower of London, the bar on the top floor of the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel offers stunning views of Tower Bridge and oozes opulence.

The venue is overall divided into two main sections - one with highchairs more suited for casual conversations over a drink with work mates and the other with cosy red couches for a special evening with a partner or family.

The lavish interiors of the rooftop bar (Image: Riddhi Kachhela)

The elegant character of the place however remains a constant in every corner.

After being bedazzled by the décor, we got our hands on the drinks menu that offered a combination of pub classics like lagers and Elephant Gin, to their unique cocktails themed around - you guessed it - the Tower of London.

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There was the Conqueror - with its intense monkey shoulder whisky and plum wine, and the Executioner, that spared no mercy in its blend of Remy Martin VSOP and peach liqueur among other things.

We tried the Fizzy Arabella - a Savage Signature - which was a mix of Absolut Elyx, cacao liqueur, fair passion fruit liqueur and homemade lime and apple cordial.

The Fizzy Arabella- a Savage Signature drink (Image: Riddhi Kachhela)It was fruity with a well-rounded depth to it, with the alcohol being prominent but not overpowering.

To balance this out, we got a liquorless mocktail quirkily titled The Ultimate Heist, which was true to its exciting label with its Seedlip Spice non-alcoholic spirit, honey coconut and coffee top up with ginger ale.

It was beautifully served in a copper mug, and was refreshingly zesty, fiery and fragrant.

The Ultimate Heist mocktail (Image: Riddhi Kachhela)And drinks weren’t the only highlight of course, the bar’s food menu, while limited, had some filling options for a meal. Being a fan of Sicilian food, the nettle and wild garlic arancini instantly stood out for me while for my friend, who loves seafood, the scallop kunafa was a no-brainer.

In my view, arancini can never disappoint and the delicacy served at Savage Garden more than lived up to my expectations. The arancini balls were perfectly cooked - a crunchy texture on the outside and filled with a soft mixture on the inside. The dipping sauce went really well with its garlic taste.

The Nettle and Wild Garlic Arancini and the Scallop Kunafa dish we ordered (Image: Riddhi Kachhela)The scallops too, were largely enjoyable and tasty with the breadcrumb coating making them crispy but not at all greasy.

There were also other healthy food options on the menu, such as a a marinated heirloom beetroot, with sun-dried tomato pesto and goat’s cheese labneh.

The marinated beetroot is a great option for those looking for a veggie side dish (Image: Riddhi Kachhela)For people with a sweet tooth, the menu includes mini churros served with the classic chocolate sauce.

We topped the meal with our final choice of cocktails that were too hard to say no to. I got Pepys' Potion - named after the street - which was smoky, and as the menu describes, not for the faint-hearted.

The Pepys' Potion drink (Image: Riddhi Kachhela)The Bloody Roses - said to be one of the favourites at the bar - was one of the most delicious and aromatic drinks with its rose essence, lychee liqueur and grapefruit adding sweet and sourness to it.

The food and drinks aside, the bar gave me a taste of the uber-rich lifestyle for a night which I believe everyone deserves once in a while, if not for a regular pub night.

The Bloody Roses is a popular cocktail at the bar (Image: Riddhi Kachhela)The prices, while higher than a lot of other places, were not too wild for a special occasion and for a high end venue like this.

During summer, the bar designs a brand new drinks menu, with flavours from the season making it a great spot to soak in some sun.

I left the venue obsessing over the view and thinking to myself “I want to be really rich someday so I can come to places like these more often!”