London has no shortage of restaurants with a view, but CÉ LA VI London arrives with a sharper sense of theatre.
Set across the top two floors of Paddington Square, the modern Asian restaurant and bar combines panoramic city views with a menu built for both serious dining and high-energy evenings.
Since opening in September 2025, it has quickly become a west London address for long lunches, after-work cocktails, weekend brunches and late-night celebrations.
At a glance
- CÉ LA VI London occupies the 17th and 18th floors of Paddington Square, combining a rooftop restaurant, bar, terrace, private dining room and Club Lounge.
- Executive Chef Elton Zaka leads a modern Asian menu featuring sushi, Wagyu, black cod, seasonal desserts and winter dishes with global influences.
- Golden Hour runs Monday to Wednesday from 4pm to 6pm, while Saturday Sky-High Brunch starts from £45, with bottomless drinks from an additional £30 per person.
A rooftop arrival for west London
CÉ LA VI is already known internationally for restaurants and bars across Asia, the Middle East and other major destinations, and its London outpost brings that high-altitude formula to Paddington.
The setting is a large part of the draw, with the 17th floor moving from restaurant and bar to open-air terrace, while the 18th floor offers a more secluded Club Lounge and private dining space.
It gives the venue unusual flexibility for the capital’s hospitality scene.
Lunch can feel polished and restrained, sunset drinks add a softer rhythm, and later evenings shift into a more animated mood with DJs and live performances.
Elton Zaka’s modern Asian menu
The kitchen is led by Executive Chef Elton Zaka, whose 19-year career includes time with Sushisamba, Nobu and Amazónico.
His menu leans into modern Asian flavours without losing sight of the room’s social energy.
There are indulgent small plates such as Wagyu beef gyoza with soy sesame dip and black cod croquettes finished with dynamite sauce and fresh dill.
The sushi selection includes hamachi chutoro maki with hamachi mince, green apple and yuzu kosho mayo, as well as softshell crab maki layered with spicy mayonnaise and unagi sauce.
Dessert keeps the aromatic thread going, with vanilla and bayleaf panna cotta served with curry crumble and spiced roasted pineapple.
It’s food designed for sharing, but not in the vague, overused sense of the word.
The dishes have enough precision to hold attention between the view, the music and the pace of the room.
Cocktails, Golden Hour and Saturday brunch
The drinks programme mirrors the kitchen’s appetite for bold flavour.
Cocktails include the Sichuan Paloma, Lychee Moon and Imperial Cosmo, alongside a wine and sake list with a global reach.
Golden Hour gives the rooftop a midweek rhythm of its own, running every Monday to Wednesday from 4pm to 6pm with 2-for-1 cocktails.
It’s a natural fit for after-work meetings that start as one drink and quietly become dinner.
On Saturdays, Sky-High Brunch turns the venue into a more kinetic daytime proposition.
The experience includes 90 minutes of free-flowing drinks, with champagne, cocktails, wines and spirits paired with a curated brunch menu.
Live DJs, dancers and immersive performers keep the afternoon moving, making it less of a conventional brunch and more of a rooftop session with food at its centre.
The brunch menu starts from £45, with bottomless drinks available from an additional £30 per person.
Winter dining above the skyline
For the festive season, CÉ LA VI London is introducing a winter menu under the theme Season of Light in October 2026.
The menu draws on modern Asian influences and seasonal produce, with dishes including roasted kabocha with black truffle, baby squid with strawberry kimchi, yellowtail sashimi, Wagyu tataki and tuna tataki.
Heartier signatures include black truffle “sushi rice” risotto, Wagyu beef fillet and 35-day dry-aged grass-fed rib eye served with kombu butter or black pepper sauce.
A limited-edition cocktail collection follows the same seasonal direction, using warming spices, winter berries and aromatic botanicals.
That timing positions the restaurant as a strong option for Christmas lunches, festive dinners and end-of-year gatherings, particularly for groups looking for a view without sacrificing atmosphere.
CÉ LA VI London works because it understands that rooftop dining is rarely just about height.
The appeal is in the combination of skyline, pacing, flavour and sound, all calibrated to make Paddington feel a little more elevated after dark.
