Duck & Waffle

As restaurants in the UK are slowly starting to resume service and welcoming back customers, I wanted to share this review of this special London restaurant, from where you can take in amazing views of the impressive London skyline while enjoying tasty food and drinks. Please note that there are certain restrictions regarding the dress code. More on this later.

Duck & Waffle welcomes its customers high up on the 40th floor of Heron Tower near Liverpool Street. Duck & Waffle is an impressive restaurant, boasting some of the best "free" views of London. What's even better: it's open 24 hours a day, serving food for breakfast, lunch dinner as well as a small menu all throughout the night and it has a bar area where you can grab a drink before or after dinner. It's the perfect spot for tourists, couples on a date, or people looking for that perfect Instagram picture.

Aldgate Station as well as Liverpool Street Station are the closest underground stops near the restaurant. You can easily walk from there to Heron Tower, which is located at the corner of Bishopsgate and Wormwood Street. The entrance to the restaurant can easily be overlooked and is located on the right side of the main entrance. You will most likely spot the large red neon sign for SushiSamba, the sushi restaurant located on the 38th floor of Heron Tower. Just to its left is a door with a small yellow sign above it. That's the entrance. If you look closely, you will recognize the Duck & Waffle logo. The sushi restaurant and Duck & Waffle actually share an entrance and an elevator, which brings you up to the restaurants.

At street level, you will be met by a receptionist, who will inquire after your reservation. For Duck & Waffle it is very important to book your table ahead of time, not only weeks but months ahead if you can. This will not only ensure that you will get a table but it will also help to get a seat with a good view. You can easily book your table via their booking tool. You will be asked to provide a credit card number to guarantee the booking.

Make sure to put your seating request down in your booking request, for example, a first-row seat or maybe one of the comfy booths in the second row. The staff usually does their best to accommodate your wishes. Tip: people who struggle with fear of heights might be more comfortable in a second or third-row seat. As three out of the four walls in the restaurants are huge floor to ceiling windows. You will have an incredible view of London, including the Swiss Re Tower, also known as The Gherkin, and Tower Bridge.

After you check in, you will be taken to an elevator, which takes you up to the 40th floor. Please be aware that this is a glass elevator, meaning you will have an incredible view of London but this might be an issue for those who are afraid of heights. Chris is not the biggest fan of heights, so the elevator ride as well as sitting in the first row was a bit uncomfortable for him until the food came, and he got distracted. He actually enjoyed the food that much the first time around, that he didn't mind coming back a year later.

The obvious catch here is the price. Duck & Waffle is a bit more expensive than other breakfast restaurants you find throughout the city. It always seems that dishes are always about three to four pounds overpriced, but you are obviously paying for the view. In this case, I actually don't mind, considering that the ticket price for the Shard viewing platform is about 30 Pounds per person. For less, you can enjoy the views of London, while sitting down and enjoying a drink and some delicious food. That's still a win in my book.

The restaurant is very popular with tourists and people like to walk around the room, take in the views and foremost take loads of pictures, though we have never felt bothered by that and people so far have always been quite respectful. So, no need to feel shy about posing in front of one of the windows or with your beautiful plate of food to get the perfect Instagram shot. Staff will also gladly help and take a picture. It is actually quite a comfortable, yet fancy place, where you do not need to feel awkward for wanting to take pictures.

On their website, Duck & Waffle states that they have a dress code, which they define as smart casual. We've only visited the restaurant for breakfast, and wearing trainers and shorts as well as ripped jeans was not an issue. However, they can be quite strict regarding the dress code during the dinner service and in case you wanna have a drink at the bar in the evening. Of course, this also depends on who is stationed at the reception desk, but I would probably not worry too much about the dress code during the daytime (maybe still avoid turning up in something like gym wear and flip-flops), whereas after dark, definitely make sure to observe the "no-trainers" rule and try to put on some jeans without tears. This might be a bit of a hassle, but it will keep you from having any unpleasant surprises.

We have only been to Duck & Waffle for breakfast, so we can only really judge the food they serve in the morning but their lunch and dinner menus also do look very interesting. Obviously the menu changes over time but a variation of some of their classic items is usually always available, such as waffles. With a restaurant name such as Duck & Waffle, you do kinda expect to see some waffles, and even more of that, you can expect to find their signature breakfast dish, waffles with duck leg, and a crispy duck egg. My personal favourite however are the sweet waffle creations. Portion wise, I feel the dishes are often a bit too small, for example, you technically only get half a waffle, so a third piece would surely be nice but presentation-wise all their plates are on point. However, their coffee is great and served with a lot of care. Their cappuccino is amazing and served with lots of frothy milk foam on top.

We have tried waffles with caramelized bananas as well as one variation with peaches, and they are usually served with a scoop of ice cream. The duck waffle might be a somewhat acquired taste for breakfast but the duck leg was actually very well cooked and the yolk of the egg was perfectly runny, so this might be a good option for all the carnivores out there.

Other classics on the menu include porridge, eggs the way you like it as well as avocado toast. There is also a healthy section. Though if you wanna do it right, I definitely recommend you get at least one of the waffles. The breakfast menu is served between 6 am and 11.30 am and the Duck & Waffle staff is very friendly and welcoming and it is impressive to watch the well-coordinated kitchen staff in the large, open kitchen in the back of the restaurant.

Overall, the food and drinks are well presented and do taste very good but are a bit overpriced, especially in regard to portion size. Nonetheless, it is absolutely worth paying a couple of pounds more, as this restaurant really is different. The views over the city are amazing and you can take it all in while enjoying some good food. If you want to take some stunning pictures go right ahead, or just sit back and relax. When in London, I absolutely recommend this place for a unique restaurant experience.