Alto 19 is a Mediterranean rooftop restaurant, bar and lounge on the 19th floor of Locke London Canary Wharf, run by White Rabbit Projects, the group behind Lina Stores and Kricket. Executive Chef Chris Dargavel heads the kitchen, having previously spent three years as Head Chef at Daphne’s and eight at J Sheekey, after learning his trade at Le Caprice.
Dargavel’s cooking is modern Mediterranean and ingredient-led, with an emphasis on wild fish, hand-cut pasta and big sharing plates. Snacks include cacio e pepe gnocco fritto and rock oysters with grapefruit granita, followed by starters such as bluefin tuna crudo and vongole bruschetta with Amalfi lemon. Pastas run from porcini agnolotti with parmesan fonduta and black truffle to a braised beef shin and Barolo ragu, while mains include monkfish al forno with shellfish brodo and olives. For the table, there’s salt-baked branzino, a dry-aged ribeye cotoletta with fried garlic gremolata, and Sicilian red prawn rice with cured lardo. Save room for the red wine and blackberry soft serve, made with Valpolicella.
Cocktails are built on Mediterranean flavours: the Ionian Tides mixes vodka, mastiha, tomato and sage with olive lemonade, while the Tangier to Turin pairs grappa with sumac bitters and a saffron and orange foam. The wine list focuses on small artisanal producers.
Designed by Holloway Li, the 100-seat room has windows running around its entire perimeter, so the skyline does much of the work as the evening draws in. Velvets and reflective surfaces in tomato red and deep crimson are softened by wood floors and warm lighting, with leopard print, geometric patterns and printed rugs adding a dose of fun. A granite-topped bar has stools for counter dining, and in the lounge, low-slung seating circles a chrome, 1960s-inspired DJ booth. Open in the evenings, the space moves from after-work drinks to dinner to DJs until late.