Average. Not terrible, but nowhere near as good as it could be.

Positives:
- Location on top of a bookstore is of course charming.
- View is nice, although more of rooftops than a far-reaching one.
- Waitress was very pleasant even though overwhelmed.
- Drinks menu looks impressive, if they get everything in stock.

Negatives:
- Room is a bit soulless for some reason - the acoustics and ambiance and even the lighting just don't work.
- They used to have superb cocktails a few years ago, but the drink selection and quality is more like a small local pub than a cocktail bar these days.
- Particularly annoyingly, the at-first-impressive-looking list of beers turned out to be a red herring, as none of the unusual beers were actually available! It was almost a joke - the poor waitress had to come back 4 times in a row, as the first 4 beers that I selected were all out of stock! They seemed to have decided to just focus on 3-4 bog-standard beers, which is fine, but don't get our hopes up with a fancy menu then!
- Seriously understaffed. One very pleasant Slovak girl tried to service a room of maybe 30 tables, ordering both drinks and food, so it was tough to get served. Her boss, ostensibly maitre-d/supervisor, did jump in too, and both were very pleasant all the time, but they needed at least one more full-time waiter.
- Food edible but very basic and very average. Club sandwich made with those thin plasticky slices of ham you buy in a plastic container in Asda. Not horrible, just disappointing. The burger looked better admittedly but we didn't have one. Wouldn't eat there again.

Stuck in town, too early for dinner, too late to go home and come back in, what to do, the solution is to to Waterstone, just off from Piccadilly Circus, get to the lift and go to the top floor, and relax in 5th view bar! A couple of dirty martini's later, relaxed, and ready for diner, perfect!

Absolutely fantastic food, service & funky cocktails!

Hi
I used to really loved 5th View untill a month ago.
It look like the management change and it is a big mess .
35 min to get a drink and 50 min for food.
I don t think i will go back there.
By the way the previous drink list was much better without those boring classic cocktails that you can find everywhere.
I tink it is time to do something,may be change food,cocktails,management.
Shame because it is a great venue.

I tried it a couple of days ago and I liked the atmosphere. It was late afternoon, so I went for a drink and a snack: pomegranate juice and patatas bravas. The food was simple but full of flavours. The drink was refreshing. The service was excellent. I would definitely recommend it.

Many times I have spent a mad shopping day down Oxford and Regent Street, gagging for a cocktail break and not knowing where to find one. Thank you ViewLondon for introducing me to 5th View - the perfect shopping stopoff. The Cocktails are delish and for a lady on her own about town, there is no stigma in sitting in a book shop!

I love this big book shop and the 5th View Bar & Food is simply fab. I don't come to Piccadilly that often as it is so busy, but 5th View Bar & Food may well tempt me over more often.

5th View Bar & Food is a big improvement on the previous place. I love the idea of a place to eat and drink in a book shop, but the reality is a bit different. The staff will let you browse with books in the cafe, but too many people are absorbed in their books to look after their children that are running amock. I really like 5th View Bar & Food, but feel that more could be done to preserve the grownup atmosphere here.