City skyline and croquet as Skylight London returns for the summer season

Long days and warmer temperatures mean summer is fast approaching. When the sun comes out, then I believe there’s nowhere better to be than a rooftop bar. Boasting one of the best views in the capital is Skylight, which is returning to East London for the summer season. Situated near the borders of the City of London and the East End, Skylight boasts a stunning skyline vista, plenty of food and drink options and the opportunity for lawn games. Having visited the original launch last summer and its winter makeover last November, I returned this week to check out its new summer 2018 look.

Cheers! Seasonal cocktails and classics such as G’n’Ts are on the extensive menu

Skylight spans three floors of bars at the top of Tobacco Dock’s car park. There’s plenty of space both alfresco and undercover so there’s somewhere to take cover if the weather changes. We particularly liked the top-level, platform bar with its comfortable lounge-style seating and the best views in the place for sunset. The vista includes The Shard, Gherkin and the Walkie Talkie, as well as the nearby Hawksmoor pepper pot towers of the St George in the East church.

The bars were well equipped with a range of drinks to suit all tastes, including seasonal cocktails, spritzes, pitchers, bubbly, wine and craft beer on tap. We tried the refreshing Watermelon Mojito and a traditional G’n’T as perfect sunset downers. There’s also culinary options downstairs in the covered lower floor, with Yiro serving Greek food, while Flip Side is offering burger and chips options. We had some halloumi and salad wraps from Yiro which were nicely chargrilled and tasted lovely.

As well as the typical rooftop options of drinking and eating, Skylight offers a range of lawn games and other activities. There are four croquet lawns and two pétanque courts, as well as a penalty shoot-out football game, with tournaments and prizes giveaways. We tried the croquet and I was just as spectacularly bad as my previous attempt last year – it’s a lot harder than it looks! If you prefer to spectate rather than play, Skylight will be showing World Cup and Wimbledon matches on the big screen. Throughout the summer, there will be regular DJ nights from residents Gold Teeth and Coastal Haze, as well as daytime events such as rooftop yoga.

• Skylight, Tobacco Quay (Pennington Street entrance), Wapping, E1CW 2SF. Nearest station: Shadwell or Wapping. Open from 3 May until 23 September 2018. Open Thu-Fri 5pm-11pm, Sat-Sun 12pm-11pm. Free entry, but large groups over 10 are recommended to pre-book. Croquet: Indoor £25, Outdoor £35 (45 min game), Petanque: £15 (2-4 players). For more information, visit the Skylight London website.

The platform bar (right) boasts comfy lounge seating and the best sunset views

For a guide to what’s on in London in August, click here.

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