Roast Restaurant & Bar

Words by Simon Difford

Address: The Floral Hall, Borough Market, London, SE1 1TL, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 845 034 7300
Website: view Roast Restaurant & Bar’s website
Door: Make reservation
Style: Restaurant bar
Food: Set menu
Established: 2005

Review

Roast is perched in a lofty position overlooking the stall holders' cages of Borough Market. It is chiefly a restaurant of some repute, but does have a dedicated bar area offering bar snacks and equally tasty cocktails.

Part of the transformation of Borough Market into a fashionable foodies' destination involved the on-going refurbishment of its antique structure. Part of this work brilliantly used the former Portico of Covent Garden's Royal Opera House to create Borough Market's new Floral Hall. Roast is housed in the upper part of this vast cast iron glasshouse with the fruit and veg market sprawled beneath.

There always seems to be a table for you at Roast's Bar, be that 8am in the morning for a much needed Bloody Mary and breakfast or that late night cap. There's no music, just the relaxing murmur of the restaurant beyond - the exception being late week and particularly Saturday when a pianist plays and seemingly all of London and its tourists descend on Borough for a foodie day out.

The cocktail menu errs towards the experimental and makes full use of both the readily available fresh produce and the large kitchen behind the wall of glass overlooking the bar and restaurant.