If you've been a long-time follower, you'll know I'm clearly no stranger to Rooftop Film Club. For those of you who are not yet familiar, they are an open-air cinema based across several London locations; as well as NYC and LA. Opening from the summer months, they host a series of cult and modern-day classics on London's rooftops - offering a film, snacks and cocktails with one heck of a view.
I hadn't been to Rooftop Film Club the last few years. Unfortunately, my last experience there was not all that positive (through no fault of the cinema themselves) and it sort of put me off going back for a while. However, having seen that they Bussey gotten a fresh make-over, we were excited to head along and check it out it's summery new look.
You can get a bit of an idea as to what the old rooftop looked like here, but this year they've gone all out with peacock chairs, neon lights and a splash of vibrant colour. As well as the Bussey bar area, this year's rooftop also saw the return of Rockadollar - serving a selection of tacos and topped fries. Now, myself and Fran were kindly given some discount vouchers for our drinks and food so I can't complain about the cost as such. However, if I'd paid more for it - I think I'd have been a bit more annoyed. The drinks themselves are fine and they have a good selection of cocktails, but personally I don't think it's good practice to use soft drinks from a plastic bottle. It makes them flat and it just doesn't look good in front of customers.
With regards to our food, I also feel like the quality could be improved. Just my opinion but I feel that if you're charging up to £11 for a box of topped fries, you should try and hide the ASDA Value boxes from view of customers. Nothing against ASDA, but at least try and disguise it for branding alone. Regardless, we placed our order and I decided to go for the Steak and Fries with garlic butter. Now, when I finally got my food, it was actually delicious and I did enjoy it. That said, when I placed my order I was told that my rare steak would take 20mins to cook. But why would a rare steak take 20mins to cook? Because it's a frozen ASDA steak. Again, not the best but I said that was fine.
After 30mins, I went back and asked if it was ready and was told that "I forgot to do it so I'm doing it now". Not the best response. So, 45mins later I had my food. It was very tasty but had I paid £11 I probably would have been a little unhappy, especially as the service was so poor. So if you're heading to Bussey Building to eat, I would say expect to pay quite a bit for not the best quality of service or dishes. It's important to point out, though, that this is nothing to do with the Rooftop cinema itself and you don't have to per-take in the Bussey Bar before your film.
You can get a bit of an idea as to what the old rooftop looked like here, but this year they've gone all out with peacock chairs, neon lights and a splash of vibrant colour. As well as the Bussey bar area, this year's rooftop also saw the return of Rockadollar - serving a selection of tacos and topped fries. Now, myself and Fran were kindly given some discount vouchers for our drinks and food so I can't complain about the cost as such. However, if I'd paid more for it - I think I'd have been a bit more annoyed. The drinks themselves are fine and they have a good selection of cocktails, but personally I don't think it's good practice to use soft drinks from a plastic bottle. It makes them flat and it just doesn't look good in front of customers.
After 30mins, I went back and asked if it was ready and was told that "I forgot to do it so I'm doing it now". Not the best response. So, 45mins later I had my food. It was very tasty but had I paid £11 I probably would have been a little unhappy, especially as the service was so poor. So if you're heading to Bussey Building to eat, I would say expect to pay quite a bit for not the best quality of service or dishes. It's important to point out, though, that this is nothing to do with the Rooftop cinema itself and you don't have to per-take in the Bussey Bar before your film.
So having enjoyed a catch-up with Fran with our drinks and food, it was finally time to head in to Rooftop Film Club. I've always found the Rooftop staff to be super friendly and helpful. Having been greeted and received our wristbands, we made our way in to enjoy the Premium package.
The first thing that strikes you is the amazing views of London as the sun is going down. Being a beautiful clear day, we were treated to an incredible skyline before pulling up a double deckchair, donning our headphones and blanket in front of the big screen. Of course, it wouldn't be a true cinema experience without some snacks and so we grabbed some sweets, popcorn and ice-cream and made ourselves comfy.
As it got dark, the film took us from sunset to night sky which made for a fantastic atmosphere. The Premium Double Double Bottomless Popcorn and A Glass Of Prosecco package is available for £26.95. This includes the double deckchairs you can see above. These chairs are ideal for sharing and are located in a reserved area, behind the lounge seats to give you optimal views of the screen. This package also includes bottomless sharer salted popcorn and a glass of prosecco each. You can find out more about tickets via their website.
So, if you're looking for a nice evening out amongst fellow film lovers, why not give Rooftop Film Club a go? All in all, we had a lovely visit and I'm always looking for new and fun ways to enjoy films. It's a great way to see some of your old favourites, as well as some new titles on the big screen. I only thing I think could be improved is that their screen means you have to wait until it is dark enough to actually see it, meaning the start times aren't always that reliable to please factor this in when making your booking. I would recommend Rooftop Film Club although it's not something I feel I have to revisit time and time again.
Well, that's it for my honest review of Rooftop Film Club at the Bussey Building, Peckham. Have you tried it out yet? What are some of your favourite cinema experiences? As always, I love reading your comments below so please do let me know your thoughts.
Until next time film fans,
*Disclaimer - We were gifted tickets, food and drink discount vouchers and the Premium package by Rooftop Film Club in exchange a review. As always, all opinions are my own and do not reflect those of the brand.
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