Pergola Paddington Central
Rooftop Bar and Street Food
5 Kingdom St, London W2 6AE
£
Pergola on the Roof originates in White City, but this summer they opened up a second venue in Paddington due to the increased success of the former. Claimed to be a 'unique alfresco dining experience', Pergola Paddington Central has two bars, 5 restaurants and 7 day beds for its customers to enjoy.
You can book for up to 199 people for zero cost, however with 850 seats there isn't really any need to book in advance for just a few of you. We rocked up around 7:30pm on a Friday evening, there was no queue and although busy, there were still places around the upstairs bar to sit. Although claiming to be a rooftop location for both venues, the view wasn't anything spectacular, in fact there wasn't much of a view at all, apart from some flats and a train station...
Upstairs has a few day beds you can book which would be nice on a sunny day, and some other tables as well as communal bench style seating. Downstairs is where the five 'restaurants' are located - a choice between Patty and Bun, Decatur, Mamalan, Raw Press and DF/Mexico. The plastic 'Pergola' which is used to protect from the rain downstairs makes for terrible acoustics. You have to pretty much shout to the person sitting next to you in order to be heard, and whilst upstairs had quite a few seats going, we ended up walking around the downstairs dining area like characters from an awkward teen movie in the school canteen trying to get a spot.
The food choice was Patty and Bun, as I've never had a burger from there before, and have heard they are amongst London's best. Sure, it was good, but nothing to write home about and I was pretty underwhelmed. The food choices in general weren't all that impressive, so I think this is more of a place to come for a drink or two than a meal out. Prices were standard for street food in London - £8 a burger £3.50 for some chips... pints were around £5.50 each which is slightly above average.
Overall, I think Pergola is very overrated and a bit of a let down. It would be a good place to grab an after work drink with colleagues if you work nearby, as it has enough space to accommodate for big groups. I would, however, advise to only go in good weather, as whilst it caters for 'all circumstances', you don't want to be stuck under the deafening plastic cover they label a 'Pergola' all evening.
OVERALL RATING: ***
https://www.pergolaontheroof.com/paddington-central/
