Bloomsbury gets a shiny new rooftop bar as Arcus takes over the top of The Imperial hotel on Russell Square

Updated 29/7/26 with opening date and menu details

The Imperial Hotel in Bloomsbury is getting a (much-needed) overhaul at the moment, and a large part of that is focused on the roof. Up there, they're opening a brand new rooftop bar called Arcus. 

It's going to be pretty huge, as they'll be able to fit over 300 people and, given that Bloomsbury isn't quite as high-rise as other parts of town, you should be able to get some fantastic views. They're promising views of St Paul's, the London Eye and, much closer to them, a bird's-eye view of the British Museum. There are a lot of tables open to the elements, but if the weather is more typical of London, there's a large covered area too. There's also a private dining room up here which should have a pretty great view. 

Running the show is chef Abismael Urena Castillo, who has plenty of experience in this area, having headed up the kitchen at City rooftop spot Wagtail before this. His small plates menu will include dishes like heritage pork loin with rosemary, pesto and black olives, yellowfin tuna tartare with honeycrisp apple and campari gel, and breaded aubergine with green olive dressing and aioli.

Cocktails will be the focus of the drinks menu, and they'll have late-night DJ sets too. 

London loves a rooftop bar right now, so we can see this doing rather well, particularly as there's nothing else quite like it in the immediate area. We'll have more news closer to the opening date.