1864 Rooftop Bar & Kitchen, Oxford Street — Restaurant in London

Firstly this is the only way to leave a review for the current Giz and Greens at willows on the roof, which is what I am doing, despite these reviews being lumped in with other iterations, thus making Giz and Greens look like it’s had much better reviews than it actually has. Probably one of, if not the worst restaurant experience I’ve ever had. My sister booked the opening night and the 3 of us were excited to go after seeing videos of professor green saying come on down he’d be there serving, which was obviously a cheap ploy to get people interested as he was nowhere to be seen. My sister arrived first and was put inside despite booking an outdoor table and then When we arrived we were seated at a tiny table in a dark corner and waited 40 minutes to be moved to another table that was actually near other people and any sunlight. We were not told anything about the menu when we were given them and chose our starters but when the waiter arrived to take our order we were told they weren’t doing starters, so we ordered 2 cocktails, a cider, 3 pizzas and the tater tots with pizza dip. The service was useless throughout with clearly no training whatsoever having been given to the waiters, and it took an hour and 45 minutes since arriving for us to receive our pizzas. The cocktails were poor and I was given a lager instead of a cider and the staff were more concerned as to who took my drink order rather than changing the drink. The pizzas were much too heavy and all of us could only manage 3 slices each of these glorified dominoes slabs of bread and cheese. Everything was served on disposable crockery yet still the bill came to £120 and we were there for about 3 hours in total. We were initially told there were no desserts but then told there were, and shown the ice cream sandwiches on the menu, some of which had silly names so we had to ask what flavours they were, and of course the waitress didn’t know so spent about 15 mins going to ask the manager. My sister was keen to have a picture with Gizzie Erskine who was there drinking with her mates the whole time instead of actually doing anything to try to improve the terrible evening, as there was always someone having to make a complaint at any one time. Gizzie came over to take photos with us for social media, and told us they had much more customers than expected, and went on to say that she was bloated and I quote “full of farts” which is just what you want to hear after a meal! Avoid at all costs, I’m sure it won’t be there long anyway! The terrible service, blaring music and vulgar host could have been somewhat forgiven if the food and drink was good, but it really was no better than dominos and cocktails are better in the most basic pub. I’m aware this review makes me sound like a grumpy old complainer but the average age of the 3...

Booked an outside table online as Willows advertises a 'heated roof terrace'. Arrived at the specified time and we were directed to an empty table in a corner with no heater, despite there being lots of empty tables with heaters seemingly available (the heaters were the plug in type that you can move around).

When we tried to move across to an empty table with heater, staff told us the tables had been booked online. We expressed we'd also booked ahead online, and asked why we couldn't have a heater. Staff told us the tables with heaters had been booked by customers who had attended previously and knew to specifically ask for a heater. I explained there was no option to select 'heater' when booking online, to which the staff member replied that you have to write in the comment box that you want a heater at the time of booking. I said there were no instructions for this, and the staff member said "people who have been here before just know". So essentially, we were being penalised for being new to the venue and not being aware of this 'secret hack'.

I asked if we could just move one of the heaters that wasn't being used to the table they wanted us to sit at - my question was ignored whilst Willows colleagues insisted we couldn't sit at the desired table. We then asked if we could at least have blankets (as many of the other guests had blankets at outdoor tables), to which the reply from Willows staff was "if you can find them on the empty tables you can take them". Luckily, I was able to find a couple of blankets as it was extremely cold.

The final punchline? The free table with the heater sat empty for over 45 minutes whilst we had our drinks in our cold corner, with the heater gently warming nobody... We just had to laugh!

I have given 2 stars because the drinks were nice and the atmosphere was pretty - but clearly if you aren't a regular guest you can't guarantee you'll be treated nicely here.

Top tip! Don't forget to request a heater! Though, as Willows staff reminded us they 'don't guarantee a heater' - and they can't bring any additional ones up on the roof because they said "everything will fall down"; it was like a comedy show. One could argue that if the structural integrity of the roof is compromised by a couple of extra plug in heaters that's a separate...

1864 Rooftop Bar & Kitchen – A Hidden Gem Above Oxford Street

I stumbled upon 1864 Rooftop Bar and Kitchen almost by accident, and what a happy accident it turned out to be. Tucked away on top of John Lewis, right in the middle of Oxford Street’s chaos, this place is like a secret escape from the hustle below. The second you step out onto the rooftop, you’re hit with this incredible view of London—modern, buzzing, but somehow still peaceful.

There’s something effortlessly cool about this place. The mix of open sky (thanks to the retractable roof) and moody evening lighting gives it a laid-back but stylish feel. It’s the kind of spot where you could show up in jeans and still feel like you’re somewhere special. I went just as the sun was starting to set, and watching the sky change colors over the city with a drink in hand? Absolute magic.

I wasn’t expecting the food to be as good as it was—sometimes rooftop bars lean too hard on the view and forget about the menu, but not here. We ordered a few small plates to share, and everything was fresh, flavorful, and actually felt worth the price (which, let’s be real, isn’t always the case in central London).

But the real star? The mocktails. My friends are picky about drinks, and these didn’t disappoint. They’ve got all the classics, but their signature mixes are where they really shine. I don’t drink, and even I was raving about the mocktails—they clearly put as much thought into those as the boozy options.

What really stood out was how warm and attentive the staff were. No rushed orders, no disappearing acts—just really nice people who seemed to genuinely enjoy working there. Our server even recommended a cocktail based on what flavors I usually like, and it was spot on. Little touches like that make a difference.

1864 is one of those rare places that gets everything right. Amazing views without being pretentious, great drinks without the gimmicks, and food that’s actually worth ordering. Whether you’re a local looking for a new go-to or a visitor wanting a break from Oxford Street’s madness, this rooftop is a no-brainer.

I’ll definitely be back and bringing...