Guides Guide Any time Updated 9 Sep 2026
Alto by San Carlo: the Selfridges rooftop with a roof that closes
Alto sits on the roof of Selfridges on Oxford Street, with lemon trees, an Amalfi theme and a fully retractable roof, which is what makes it a winter rooftop as well as a summer one.
London has a rooftop problem every October: the views are the point and the weather is not. Alto solves it with an engineering answer rather than a patio heater.
Checked on the venue’s own site on 9 September 2026. It is on the rooftop of Selfridges, Oxford Street, London W1A 1AB, and it is run by the San Carlo group rather than by the shop.
The retractable roof is the whole point
The terrace has a fully retractable roof. That single feature moves it out of the category of London rooftops that are wonderful in July and shut or miserable in November, and into the much shorter list that works in either. If you are booking a rooftop between October and April, this is the question to ask of anywhere, and most cannot answer it.
The setting is Amalfi rather than Mediterranean-in-general: lemon trees, greenery and bright colours, with the panorama over Oxford Street and the West End behind it.
What it is for
An Italian menu built around sharing, with antipasti through to larger plates, and a rooftop bar doing cocktails, wine and aperitivi. It runs from relaxed lunches through to late-night dining, which in that part of London is genuinely useful: Oxford Street empties when the shops shut and the options thin out fast.
For private events the rooftop takes up to 30 guests, which is a small number and worth knowing before you plan a party around it.
Getting the timing right
Two practical points. It is on top of a department store, so access is tied to the building and the entrance is not the shop floor; check the arrangement when you book rather than wandering in through menswear. And a rooftop above Oxford Street is a different proposition at 6pm and at 10pm, so pick the one you actually want.
The other rooftops, and which are open in winter
Rooftop bars in London covers the category and marks which are covered, heated or free. Wagtail is the City’s late-licensed one, Pergola on the Wharf is under cover inside a roof garden, and Horizon 22 is free and the highest view in the City but closes early.
Roof East is the opposite case and a useful contrast: no roof, and it shuts for the winter at the end of September.
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All 2189 listingsThis guide is rewritten each year before the dates come round. For what is actually happening this week rather than what happens every year, the listings below are dated, checked against the venue and carry the venue's own link.
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Questions people ask
Where is Alto by San Carlo?
On the rooftop of Selfridges, Oxford Street, London W1A 1AB. It is operated by the San Carlo restaurant group rather than by the store.
Is Alto Selfridges open in winter?
It is built to be. The terrace has a fully retractable roof, which puts it in the short list of London rooftops that work in bad weather rather than the long list that closes or turns miserable from October.
What kind of food does Alto serve?
Italian, built around sharing: antipasti through to larger plates with seasonal specials, plus a rooftop bar doing cocktails, wine and aperitivi. It runs from lunch through to late-night dining.
How many people can Alto take for a private event?
Up to 30 guests on the rooftop, which is smaller than most people assume when planning a party around a department store roof terrace.
This guide is rewritten rather than refreshed, and everything named in it is checked against the venue's own page. Times and prices change; where a listing links to a venue, that link is the one to trust. How we choose what goes in.