There’s something cinematic about being swept up 60 floors in one of Europe’s fastest lifts. Your ears pop, the doors open, and suddenly, you’re inside a space that’s more akin to an exclusive penthouse lounge than a restaurant. The city stretches out in every direction — London laid bare beneath a halo of light — her most iconic landmarks starting to twinkle as dusk fades to dark. Welcome to Lucky Cat at 22 Bishopsgate.
This is Gordon Ramsay’s fourth Lucky Cat venue and his boldest yet: a high-altitude Asian-inspired dining room that leans into its views, its theatre, and its sense of occasion. The space is sleek and moody, with low lighting and lacquered finishes designed by Russell Sage Studio to make the skyline the star. The atmosphere is unapologetically slick — music, mirrors, marble and martinis — but it avoids the sterile gloss that so often comes with high-end hospitality. Instead, the room pulses with life: there is real joy in the guests here, smiling families sharing dim sum and loved-up couples laughing over languid glasses of wine, all looked after by a well-drilled front-of-house team that handles the glamour and the grind with charm.
We were seated at what I think was one of the best seats in the house: a table perched right next to the floor-to-ceiling glass ‘walls’ overlooking The Shard, Tower Bridge and the sprawling city beyond — all of which looked miniature from this dizzying height. Menus arrived quickly, as did the first round of cocktails. Mine, the signature Kakigori made with Absolut Elyx vodka and served over a mound of shaved ice, was sweet and slightly tart from the passion fruit and citrus — a perfect prelude to the meal ahead.
The food, described as modern Asian, is designed to share, so we opted to go à la carte, selecting a few of our favourite-sounding dishes. But there are also 3 set menu options for those who want to leave the decision-making up to Gordon’s adept team. We kicked off with the yellowtail tartare, a glittering jewel of a starter, cool and clean on the tongue with a soft creaminess from the avocado, all lifted by a delicate yuzu dressing and crowned with a dollop of caviar that added a nice pop of salinity. The only thing that was missing was a bit of crunch — it could have done with a crisp of sorts for some textural contrast.
The sashimi selection that followed was textbook in its execution: glistening slices of sea bass, salmon, tuna, and buttery botan ebi, all immaculately sliced and served without fuss or frill. The kind of simplicity that only works when everything — the cut, the temperature and the quality of the fish — is flawless. Ours was. It’s the sort of sashimi that reminds you why raw fish became a global obsession in the first place.
Then, there was the Australian wagyu beef tataki, lightly seared and draped in truffle ponzu. This was one of my favourites of the night — umami-rich, faintly smoky, with the wagyu melt-in-your-mouth tender. But Lucky Cat isn’t just a shrine to elegance. It knows how to have fun, too. Enter Gordon’s Fried Chicken — the GFC, a signature of the Lucky Cat brand — one of those cheeky acronym dishes that doesn’t just land with branding but backs it up with crunch, spice and juicy heat. It’s lacquered in a Korean-style hot miso glaze, served with kaffir-laced cucumbers and black sesame, and tastes like the best possible outcome of a late-night fried chicken craving met with Michelin-level execution.
Speaking of cucumbers, the Kyoto ones deserve a mention, too. Dressed in sesame and sliced with monastic precision, it brought a welcome freshness to the table — a palate cleanser, a pause button, a little cool-down after the fireworks.
Our final savoury course was another highlight: the bonito-fried duck leg bao, prepared tableside, was rich and aromatic, with just the right amount of heat from the Szechuan-spiced hoisin. The bao itself was soft and cloud-like but not overly sweet — a perfect vehicle for the deep, gamey duck. Served with paper-thin apple slices and crisp cabbage, all this dish needed was something pickled to brighten up the palate.
For dessert, we opted to share the iconic Lucky Cat — fashioned from chocolate, this sculpture-like treat was draped in a steaming chocolate sauce at the table, and as it melted, unveiled layers of texture from the soft pear, crunchy honeycomb and velvety caramel miso filling inside. This sweet finale epitomised the restaurant: a well-thought-out blend of theatre and comfort — and this is exactly what makes Lucky Cat so special. There’s drama in the setting, but there’s also an ease to the way it’s delivered. You can lean into the opulence or just sit back and enjoy the fact that you’re dining in the clouds. It feels like a place for special moments, but not so rarefied that you couldn’t return on a whim.
Lucky Cat at 22 Bishopsgate may not reinvent the wheel, but it doesn’t need to. It’s about atmosphere, occasion, and executing a high-wire act — quite literally — with poise. If you’re looking for a dining experience that wraps you in mood, flavour, and a little bit of altitude-induced magic, this is it.
To find out more about Lucky Cat by Gordon Ramsay at 22 Bishopsgate, visit the links below:
LUCKY CAT BY GORDON RAMSAY
22 Bishopsgate
City of London
London
EC2N 4BQ
Web: gordonramsayrestaurants.com/lucky-cat-bishopsgate/
Tel: 0207 592 1617
Email: luckycatbishopsgate@gordonramsay.com
Instagram: @luckycatbygordonramsay
Facebook: @luckycatbygordonramsay