Head up to the roof of The Conduit in Covent Garden and you'll find this chic Central London members' club has a lovely terrace and restaurant - called Rucola - perched on the rooftop. The expansive al fresco terrace has been opened in collaboration with Ruinart Champagne, and boasts views over the Covent Garden's rooftops, as well as lots of covered space in case the weather turns. The rooftop restaurant also has lots of indoor space too, with a smart, industrial chic dining room that features a long, copper-accented bar, alongside rattan lampshades, polished wooden tables and plenty of greenery.
The terrace is restricted to members only for the majority of the week, but on Saturdays between 12-8pm, the public are also welcome to head on up to the top floor of the Conduit and enjoy the terrace restaurant.
The bright, airy atmosphere is complemented by a seasonal Italian menu that covers lots of bases, from pizza, pasta and antipasti to a compact cicchetti menu that takes particular interest in biodiversity and reforestation. Cicchetti are often compared to Italian tapas, but these little bites are very specific to the north of Italy, and often comprise of a small piece of bread or crostini, topped with cured meats, cheese or vegetables. The cicchetti menu at The Conduit includes bruschetta with fennel, courgette and truffle, summer garden vegetables with bagna cauda, and deep fried whitebait with aioli.
There's also a summery a la carte menu that features a mixture of antipasti bites, salads, pasta and risotto dishes and fully-fledged mains. Dishes include courgette flowers with ricotta and lemon zest, linguine with clams, panzanella salad and pan-fried chicken supreme with hispi cabbage. On top of that, there are a few classic pizzas on the menu too, so you can order a few to share with the table!
Alongside a carefully curated wine list, cocktails are the order of the day on the rooftop - there are seasonal negronis, highballs and aperitivo cocktails, as well as slushy frozen margaritas to keep you cool.