If you’ve heard people rave about duck and waffle and want the full picture before you book, here it is. Duck & Waffle is the restaurant famous for its namesake dish — crispy duck leg confit, a fried duck egg, and a waffle finished with mustard maple syrup — originally served 40 floors above the City of London from the top of Heron Tower.
What began as a single sky-high spot has grown into a small, connected group. Duck & Waffle now has restaurants in London, Edinburgh, and Dubai, each with its own hours, dress code, and menu quirks. Whether you’re chasing the view, planning a brunch, or trying to work out if the menu fits your dietary needs, this guide covers it.
What Is Duck & Waffle?
Duck & Waffle opened in August 2012 on the 40th floor of what was then called Heron Tower (now also known as Salesforce Tower London) at 110 Bishopsgate. It launched under head chef Daniel Doherty, who trained under Herbert Berger at the Michelin-starred 1 Lombard Street before taking the reins here.
The duck and waffle became a rare thing in the London dining scene: a genuinely 24-hour restaurant. That means breakfast at 6am, brunch at noon, dinner at 9pm, and a late-night plate at 2am are all fair game at the original site.
Three things built its reputation:
- The signature dish that gives the restaurant its name
- The view, thanks to a glass lift ride up one of the City’s tallest buildings
- The round-the-clock format, which was a genuine novelty when it launched
Since then, the concept has expanded well beyond its original home, with sister restaurants now serving their own regional takes on the same idea.
Where to Find Duck & Waffle: London, Edinburgh & Dubai
Each location keeps the core identity — the signature dish, the buzzy energy, the cocktail-forward bar — but adapts the setting, hours, and parts of the menu to its city.
Duck & Waffle London (Heron Tower)
The original duck and waffle heron tower location sits on the 40th floor of 110 Bishopsgate, EC2N 4AY, right by Liverpool Street station. That’s a genuine perk: Liverpool Street is served by the Central, Elizabeth, Metropolitan, Circle, and Hammersmith & City lines, plus National Rail, so getting there without a car is easy.
You reach the restaurant via a glass-walled lift that climbs the tower’s exterior, which is half the experience before you’ve even sat down. Once you’re up, floor-to-ceiling windows wrap three sides of the dining room, so the duck and waffle view genuinely lives up to the hype, day or night.
London runs true 24/7 dining, seven days a week, with breakfast, all-day, and late-night menus rotating through the day.
Duck & Waffle Edinburgh
The Edinburgh outpost sits inside St James Quarter at 400–402 St James Crescent, EH1 3AE. Unlike London, it isn’t open around the clock — hours run Sunday to Thursday from 10am to 10pm (last dinner sitting 8pm), and Friday and Saturday from 10am to midnight (last sitting 10pm), with all-day brunch available daily from 10am to 4pm.
The duck and waffle edinburgh menu keeps the core namesake dish but adds Scotland-specific twists, including a deep-fried haggis bar, Angus beef tartare, and a whole roasted sea bass. The space is built around a 360-degree walk-around cocktail bar, so even a casual drink here feels like part of the show.
Duck & Waffle Dubai
The newest branch opened in DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre), inside Innovation One on the Concourse Level, in late 2024. Instead of a rooftop, it leans on interior design — a radiant central dome, a metal “tree,” and a greenhouse-style dining room — plus views toward the Burj Khalifa.
The Dubai menu blends modern British and American comfort food, with additions like a spicy ox cheek doughnut, foie gras crème brûlée, and beef-bacon-wrapped dates alongside the signature dish itself.
Location Comparison at a Glance
| London | Edinburgh | Dubai | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address | 110 Bishopsgate, 40th floor | St James Quarter, EH1 3AE | Innovation One, DIFC |
| Hours | Open 24/7 | Sun–Thu 10am–10pm; Fri–Sat 10am–12am | All-day, roughly midday to late |
| Standout feature | Rooftop view, glass lift | Walk-around cocktail bar | Burj Khalifa views, garden-style room |
| Dress code | Smart casual | Smart casual | Smart casual |
| Halal status | Not halal-certified | Not halal-certified | Reported halal by diners; confirm directly |
The Duck & Waffle Menu: What to Order
The menu structure is broadly similar across all three sites, split into breakfast/brunch, all-day, dinner, and dessert, with the namesake dish holding pride of place on every single one.
The Signature Dish
The duck and waffle itself is crispy duck leg confit, a fried duck egg, and a buttermilk waffle, brought together with a mustard maple syrup that balances the richness of the duck against the sweetness of the syrup. It’s built to be eaten any time of day, which is exactly the point of a menu that never really “closes.”
Duck & Waffle Breakfast and Brunch
Duck and waffle breakfast options in London range from shakshuka to a full English, while the brunch menu leans into shareable, indulgent plates — think a Duck Benedict or the “Full Elvis,” a peanut butter, jelly, and caramelised banana take on French toast. Duck and waffle brunch is popular enough at busy locations that weekend slots get booked out well in advance, so plan ahead if that’s your goal.
The Bar
Every location treats its bar as a destination in its own right, not an afterthought. The duck and waffle bar menu covers classic and inventive cocktails — Edinburgh’s walk-around bar service even brings drinks like the Bone Marrow Cosmopolitan directly to your table or seat at the counter.
Dress Code: What to Wear at Duck & Waffle
The duck and waffle dress code is consistent across locations: smart casual. In practice, that means:
- Smart trainers are generally fine
- Avoid tracksuits, denim shorts, flip-flops, sliders, or beachwear
- Staff can refuse entry at their discretion, particularly in the evening when it gets busier
- London also runs security checks and restricts large cameras or changeable lenses on entry
Several diners note that daytime visits, especially breakfast, tend to be judged more leniently than a Friday night dinner service, when the door policy gets stricter.
Is Duck & Waffle Halal?
This is one of the most searched questions about the brand, and the honest answer depends on which location you mean.
Duck & Waffle London is not halal-certified. Pork appears on the menu (including dishes like slivered pig’s ears), and the restaurant does not carry halal signage or certification, though it does offer vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-conscious dishes as alternatives.
Duck & Waffle Edinburgh follows the same British/European-style menu as London and, based on publicly available information, isn’t marketed as halal either.
Duck & Waffle Dubai is where things differ. Diners and social media posts have described the Dubai menu as halal, which would make sense given the local market, but this isn’t something we could confirm through an official certification statement from the brand at the time of writing. If halal dining is a firm requirement, call the Dubai restaurant directly before booking to confirm current certification.
The View From Duck & Waffle
The London location’s view is arguably its best-known feature. Sitting 40 floors up with windows on three sides, it takes in the Gherkin, the Shard, and the wider City skyline, and it looks different — arguably better — after dark, when the whole of London lights up below you.
If you want proof before you book, plenty of duck and waffle photos circulate on Instagram and TikTok showing both the daytime skyline and the night view, and they’re a fair representation of what you’ll actually see from a window table. Dubai’s newer branch trades height for design, offering glimpses of the Burj Khalifa rather than a full rooftop panorama.
Duck & Waffle Reviews: What Diners Are Saying
Across duck and waffle reviews on Tripadvisor, Google, and food blogs, a few patterns show up consistently.
| What people love | What to know before you go |
|---|---|
| The view, especially the glass lift ride up | Prices sit at the higher end for the portion sizes |
| The signature dish itself — a genuinely distinctive combination | Food quality can be inconsistent between visits |
| Attentive, friendly service | It gets loud and club-like on weekend evenings |
| The novelty of true 24-hour dining in London | Reservations, especially for brunch, need to be made well ahead |
| Edinburgh’s cocktail bar experience | Dubai’s view is more limited than London’s rooftop position |
A duck and waffle review worth reading in full before booking is usually one written by someone who visited more than once — first impressions of the lift and the view are almost universally positive, but food consistency is where opinions split. Duck and waffle edinburgh reviews tend to praise the atmosphere and Scotland-specific menu additions, with the odd complaint about noise levels on busy nights.
Duck & Waffle and the Harry Potter Connection
Searches for duck and waffle harry potter usually stem from the restaurant’s location rather than any official tie-in. Duck & Waffle London sits close to Leadenhall Market, a covered Victorian arcade that was used as a filming location for scenes set in Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter films. It’s a genuinely nice five-minute walk from the restaurant, so combining the two makes for an easy half-day itinerary, but there’s no Harry Potter theming inside Duck & Waffle itself.
Tips for Booking Duck & Waffle
- Book brunch slots two to four weeks out at busy locations, especially weekends.
- Ask for a window table when you reserve — the view is a big part of the experience, and not every table gets it.
- Check the current dress code page for your specific location before you go, since policies can be tightened seasonally.
- Confirm halal or dietary needs directly with the restaurant, rather than relying on secondhand reviews.
- Try the late-night or early-morning slots at the London branch if you want a quieter, less rushed version of the same menu.
FAQs About Duck & Waffle
Is Duck & Waffle halal? London and Edinburgh are not halal-certified, though both offer vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-conscious options. Dubai has been described as halal by diners, but it’s worth confirming directly with the restaurant before you book.
What is the dress code at Duck & Waffle? Smart casual at every location. Smart trainers are fine, but tracksuits, flip-flops, and beachwear aren’t, and staff can refuse entry at their discretion.
Is Duck & Waffle really open 24 hours? Only the London branch runs a true 24/7 schedule. Edinburgh and Dubai keep set hours, so check the specific location before planning a late-night visit.
How do I get to Duck & Waffle in London? It’s on the 40th floor of 110 Bishopsgate, right next to Liverpool Street station, which is served by the Central, Elizabeth, Metropolitan, Circle, and Hammersmith & City lines as well as National Rail.
Does Duck & Waffle have a Harry Potter theme? No. The connection is geographic — Leadenhall Market, a Harry Potter filming location, is a short walk from the London restaurant, but there’s no official theming inside.
Is Duck & Waffle expensive? It sits toward the higher end of casual dining, reflecting the location and experience as much as portion size. Mains and shareable plates are priced accordingly, so check the current menu online before you go if budget matters.
Do I need a reservation? It’s strongly recommended, particularly for brunch, dinner, or a window table. Walk-ins are sometimes possible at the bar, especially during off-peak hours.
Is the Edinburgh branch the same as London? The concept and signature dish are the same, but Edinburgh has its own hours, its own Scotland-inspired menu additions, and a distinct 360-degree walk-around cocktail bar.
Final Thoughts
Duck & Waffle earns its reputation less from any single element and more from the combination — a genuinely memorable dish, a view worth the lift ride, and (in London’s case) the novelty of a kitchen that never really closes. Whichever city you’re in, the smartest move is the same: book ahead, dress smart casual, and go in knowing exactly which version of the restaurant — London’s 24-hour rooftop, Edinburgh’s bar-forward space, or Dubai’s design-led room — matches what you’re after.
Ready to book? Check current availability and menus directly on each restaurant’s official booking page before you head out, since hours and dress codes can shift by season.
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