There is a moment on London’s South Bank when the city suddenly makes sense. You are walking along the Thames, past street performers and book stalls, and then you look up and see it: three tall windows stacked on top of each other, spelling out OXO against the sky. It is one of London’s cleverest jokes — an advertisement that was never allowed to be an advertisement — and at the top of the tower that carries it sits one of the best rooftop dining rooms in the city. This guide tells you everything you need to know before you go to the OXO Tower: what the building is, which of its three venues to choose, what the views are really like, how much it costs, and how to get there without a wasted journey.
What Is the OXO Tower?
The OXO Tower is a landmark building on the South Bank of the River Thames, in the London Borough of Southwark, best known for its Art Deco tower and its eighth-floor Restaurant, Bar and Brasserie. The full site is called OXO Tower Wharf, and it is far more than a restaurant: the ground and first floors hold independent design, arts and crafts shops and two galleries, gallery@oxo and the Bargehouse, while the floors above house designer-maker studios and homes. Most visitors, though, come for the top floor, where floor-to-ceiling windows and a long garden terrace look straight across the Thames to St Paul’s Cathedral and the City of London skyline.
It is worth being clear about what the OXO Tower is not. It is not a free public viewing platform like Sky Garden, and there is no ticketed observation deck. The way in is through the venues on the eighth floor — the Restaurant, the Bar or the Brasserie — so a visit here is a meal or a drink with a view, rather than a viewpoint you simply walk into. If you want a completely free London panorama, read our guide to the best free view of London first, then treat OXO Tower as the special-occasion stop on the same South Bank walk.
The Story Behind the OXO Windows
The building began life towards the end of the nineteenth century as a power station supplying electricity to the Post Office. In the 1920s it was bought by the Liebig Extract of Meat Company, the makers of OXO beef stock cubes, who converted it into a cold store. The company wanted a tower carrying illuminated signs advertising its product, but permission for skyline advertising along the Thames was refused.
The workaround was brilliantly simple. Company architect Albert Moore rebuilt the building in Art Deco style between 1928 and 1929 and gave the tower four sets of three vertically aligned windows, each set shaped to spell out the letters O, X and O. The windows were not signs, technically — they were just windows — and they have spelled OXO over the Thames ever since. After years of decline, the building was rescued in the 1990s by Coin Street Community Builders and remodelled by Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands, with shops, studios and homes below and Harvey Nichols’ first-ever standalone restaurant on top. The OXO Tower Restaurant, Bar and Brasserie opened in September 1996, and it has been a South Bank fixture ever since.
The Three Venues on the Eighth Floor
All three venues sit on the eighth floor of OXO Tower, all share the same sweeping Thames views, and all are linked by a 250-foot garden terrace. Choosing between them is really about budget, occasion and atmosphere, so here is the honest difference.
The Restaurant: fine dining for a special occasion
The Restaurant, on the east side of the central tower, is the formal, elegant option: white tablecloths, seasonal British produce, an à la carte menu and a tasting menu with matched wines, plus an extensive wine list built around the Harvey Nichols portfolio. This is the table to book for an anniversary, a birthday or a proposal — and the one where prices are highest. Tables are allocated on arrival, so you cannot book a specific window table, but booking well ahead gives you the best chance of a prime spot.
The Brasserie: the best-value way in
The Brasserie, on the west side of the tower, is the relaxed, buzzy alternative, with an open kitchen and an all-day British dining menu of small plates and seasonal dishes. The views are the same, the room is livelier and less formal, and the bill is noticeably kinder than the Restaurant’s. If you want the OXO Tower experience without the fine-dining price tag, this is the smart choice — and the one most first-time visitors should start with.
The Bar: cocktails, brunch and the terrace
Nestled between the two dining rooms, the Bar is the most flexible option: morning coffee, an express lunch on weekdays, bar bites in the evening, and a weekend rooftop brunch. It is also the easiest way to enjoy the terrace with just a drink in hand, which makes it ideal for a sunset cocktail or a pre-theatre stop. Note that the Bar does not take bookings on Friday and Saturday nights, when tables are allocated on arrival, so arrive early for a terrace table at sunset.
What Are the Views Like?
The views are the reason most people come, and they do not disappoint — with one honest caveat. You are looking north across the Thames, so the panorama takes in St Paul’s Cathedral, the dome of which sits almost directly opposite, the towers of the City of London behind it, Blackfriars Bridge to the east and Waterloo Bridge to the west. At sunset the light falls across the river and the whole skyline turns gold; in the evening the City lights come on and the view becomes a glittering backdrop to dinner.
The caveat is that this is a dining view, not a 360-degree panorama. You see the north bank brilliantly, but you do not get the all-round sweep of a dedicated observation deck. The terrace helps, because you can step outside and look along the river in both directions, but if a full circle of London is your priority, combine OXO Tower with a free viewpoint — Sky Garden is the obvious partner — rather than expecting one venue to do everything. Our lunch at Sky Garden guide explains how that free booking works.
How Much Does OXO Tower Cost?
There is no entry fee for OXO Tower Wharf itself — the shops and galleries at ground level are free to browse — but the eighth-floor venues are restaurants, so your cost is whatever you eat and drink. Prices vary a lot between the three venues, and menus change with the seasons, so treat these figures as a planning guide rather than a promise: the Brasserie is the most affordable route in, with mains typically well below Restaurant prices, while the Restaurant’s tasting menu is a special-occasion spend. A glass of wine at the Bar is the cheapest way to buy yourself an hour of that terrace view.
A few money-saving truths are worth knowing. Lunch is generally better value than dinner in both dining rooms. The Brasserie and the Bar both suit a lighter spend — a couple of small plates or a drink — without any pressure to order a full three courses. And afternoon tea, served Monday to Saturday, can be a memorable middle ground: a set occasion with the same view, usually at a clearer fixed price than ordering à la carte. Always check the current menu on the official OXO Tower website before you book, because prices and set menus change.
When Is the Best Time to Visit?
Sunset is the obvious answer, and it is popular for a reason — but it is also the hardest time to get a good table, especially on Friday and Saturday. If you can be flexible, a weekday lunch gives you the same daylight views, a calmer room and often better value, while a late lunch that runs into golden hour gives you two moods of the river in one sitting. Winter has its own appeal: the room is warm, the City lights reflect on a dark Thames, and the terrace, while colder, is quiet enough to step out and take photographs without a crowd.
For photographers, the terrace is best in the hour before sunset, when the north-bank buildings are lit from the side, and again just after dark, when St Paul’s is floodlit. Keep in mind that the terrace is an outdoor space in London weather: it is wonderful on a clear evening and far less inviting in rain or a cold wind, so have an indoor table as your plan rather than counting on sitting outside.
How to Get to OXO Tower
The address is OXO Tower Wharf, Barge House Street, London SE1 9PH, on the South Bank between Blackfriars Bridge and Waterloo Bridge. The nearest Tube stations are Blackfriars, Waterloo and Southwark, each roughly a ten-minute walk, with Southwark (Jubilee line) about nine minutes away and Waterloo (Bakerloo, Jubilee and Northern lines) about twelve. Several buses, including the RV1 and 381, run between London Bridge and Waterloo and stop close to the Wharf.
The most enjoyable approach, though, is on foot along the Thames Path. From the north bank, cross Blackfriars Bridge and turn left along the riverside; from Waterloo, walk east along the South Bank past the National Theatre and Gabriel’s Wharf. Either way you arrive through the Wharf’s courtyard of shops and galleries, which is worth ten unhurried minutes in itself. If you are planning a wider day out, OXO Tower sits neatly between Tate Modern, Shakespeare’s Globe and Borough Market, and it fits easily into our roundup of the top things to do in London.
Booking Tips That Actually Help
Book ahead, especially for the Restaurant and for any weekend visit. Tables are allocated on arrival rather than by specific request, so a booking secures you a table, not a particular window seat — arriving a little early and asking politely about a window table costs nothing and sometimes works. There is no formal dress code, but most guests dress smart casual, and you will feel more comfortable doing the same, particularly in the Restaurant.
Check the opening hours on the day you travel, because lunch and dinner sittings differ between venues and between weekdays and weekends: as a rough guide, lunch runs from around midday to mid-afternoon and dinner from early evening, with the Bar open through the afternoon. If you have accessibility needs, dietary requirements or a large party, contact the venue directly before booking — the team deals with these requests every day, and a short message in advance avoids an awkward conversation at the door.
What Else Is at OXO Tower Wharf?
Do not rush straight to the lift. The ground and first floors of OXO Tower Wharf are home to independent shops selling jewellery, ceramics, textiles and design-led gifts, and the two galleries — gallery@oxo on the ground floor and the Bargehouse on the upper floors — host rotating exhibitions, often free. The whole Wharf is run as a community-owned project, which gives it a different feel from a shopping centre: the shopkeepers are usually the makers, and a chat about how something was made is part of the experience. Pair a browse here with a walk to Gabriel’s Wharf and the Oxo Tower’s neighbours along the South Bank, and you have a half-day that costs very little until you choose to sit down for that view.
Is OXO Tower Worth It?
Yes — with the right expectations. OXO Tower is not the place for a free panorama, and it is not the cheapest meal on the South Bank. What it is, uniquely, is a piece of London history you can eat dinner inside: a former power station turned stock-cube cold store, saved by a community project, topped with a restaurant whose windows spell out a brand name that was never allowed to be a sign. The food, particularly in the Brasserie, is genuinely good British cooking, the wine list is serious without being snobbish, and the view across the Thames to St Paul’s is one of the great dining-room views in Europe. Book the Brasserie for value, the Bar for a drink at sunset, or the Restaurant for a celebration — and arrive hungry, early, and ready to look out of the window.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a ticket to visit OXO Tower?
No. OXO Tower Wharf itself is free to enter, and the shops and galleries at ground level need no ticket. To use the eighth-floor Restaurant, Bar or Brasserie you book a table and pay for what you order, just as in any restaurant.
Which is better, the OXO Tower Restaurant or the Brasserie?
It depends on the occasion. The Restaurant is more formal and more expensive, with a tasting menu and fine-dining service — best for celebrations. The Brasserie is relaxed, buzzy and better value, with the same views — best for a first visit or a casual meal.
Can you just go to the OXO Tower Bar for a drink?
Yes. The Bar serves drinks, bar bites, an express weekday lunch and a weekend brunch, and you do not need to order a full meal. Booking is advised, and on Friday and Saturday nights tables are allocated on arrival rather than booked.
What is the nearest Tube station to OXO Tower?
Blackfriars, Waterloo and Southwark are all about a ten-minute walk away. Southwark (Jubilee line) is roughly nine minutes on foot, and Waterloo (Bakerloo, Jubilee and Northern lines) is roughly twelve minutes.
Is OXO Tower free, like Sky Garden?
No. Sky Garden’s public viewing galleries are free to book, while OXO Tower’s eighth floor is a restaurant, bar and brasserie — you pay for food and drink, not for entry. The ground-floor shops and galleries at OXO Tower Wharf are free to browse.
