CÉ LA VI is a rooftop drinking and dining destination which opened in September 2025 on the 17th and 18th floors of Paddington Square, an arresting cube shaped building which the architectural firm Renzo Piano Building Workshop designed, moments from Paddington Station.
It is undoubtedly the highest rooftop restaurant in west London and is reached by a dedicated glass lift which rises swiftly past Paddington Station leaving it far below.
It dwarfs rooftop rivals to the south such as Kensington Roof Gardens off High Street Kensington (6th and 7th floors), CLAP London in Knightsbridge (6th and 7th floors), Min Jiang in the Royal Garden Hotel near Kensington Palace (10th floor) and Brooklands by Claude Bosi of The Peninsula London next to Hyde Park corner (10th floor). You get the picture.
CÉ LA VI is owned by ADMO, the global hospitality brand which has outposts in Dubai, Singapore (Marina Bay Sands obviously), Taipei and Tokyo. The inspiration is crisp and clear and the cuisine, naturally, is modern Asian.
It is a dynamic space which has a huge private dining room and event space on the upper floor and a restaurant and bars on the lower floor. The restaurant has a fantastic terrace with a clear, fixed canopy above and sliding doors which can be opened in fine weather. There is even a wide walkway around the terrace for diners and drinkers who wish to take full advantage of the panoramic view. Thankfully, a high glass parapet surrounds the terrace.
It is far from being a neighbourhood dining or lounge bar and the crowd is more metropolitan than cosmopolitan and is seemingly drawn from all parts of London and beyond. Without doubt, this is attributable to the great transport links which Paddington offers, including access to the Elizabeth line, the comfortable rapid transit service which spans London and the Home Counties which opened earlier this decade.
The executive chef Elton Zaka, a native of Greece and a veteran of Nobu Old Park Lane, Amazónico London and Sushisamba in the City of London, brings energy and flair to a modern Asian offering at CÉ LA VI whose central theme is sharing dishes.
The baby squid, bathed in strawberry kimchi, shiso (a minty herb) and cabbage, all from China, was particularly delicious. The crispy duck salad with pine nuts, pomegranate and crunchy pomelo was tender and light and perfect for a summer’s evening.
Our favourite raw dish was the stone bass ceviche with avocado, red onion and kalamansi, a small, orange citrus fruit from Asia which is sweet smelling and tasty and increasingly popular in Europe.
The main courses include a variety of fish and meat dishes and I recommend the Chilean sea bass marinated in chilli and sea bass unless you are unable to resist the Wagyu beef from distant Japan.
The drinks and wine list is simply vast and accommodates all budgets. I particularly enjoyed the Rathfinny, an English sparkling wine from a family owned vineyard on the South Downs in East Sussex.
I am deeply regretful that I overlooked the orange wine from the Mosel region of Germany lovingly named “Little Bastard” from the Staffelter Hof, one of the oldest wineries in the world. The discussions about the name must have been lively.
CÉ LA VI is an unusual and exciting venue with a bird’s eye view of west London. It is definitely the only place from which one can clearly discern – from east to west – the Walkie-Talkie, the Shard, the columns of Battersea Power Station, the London Eye, Knightsbridge Barracks, the Serpentine, the Royal Albert Hall and the World’s End Estate.
I wonder if it is already fully booked on New Year’s Eve for what will be a spectacular view of the fireworks on the south bank of the Thames.
CÉ LA VI is open from noon until midnight on Monday, Tuesday and Sunday, from noon until 12.30am on Wednesday and from noon until 1.30am from Thursday to Saturday.
Bookings may be made through CÉ LA VI’s website or by telephone on 020 4630 7888. CÉ LA VI is in Paddington and its address is 17 & 18, Paddington Square, London W2 1DL.
