Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in London Canary Wharf
Hardens guides have spent 31 years compiling reviews of the best Canary Wharf restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 33 restaurants in Canary Wharf and our unique survey based approach to rating and reviewing Canary Wharf restaurants gives you the best insight into the top restaurants in every area and of every type of cuisine.
Featured Canary Wharf Restaurants
1. Capeesh
Italian restaurant in Isle of Dogs
4 Pan Peninsula Square - E14
2021 Review: On the 48th-floor of a Canary Wharf skyscraper, right by South Quay DLR – this glossy three-year-old, Italian restaurant and ‘Sky Bar’ certainly enjoys amazing panoramas. As yet, it still generates only relatively limited feedback, but such as there is says it avoids the usual curse of rooms with a view, serving decent pizza, steaks and other Italian fare. There’s ent’s at the weekend, with live DJs on Friday, and Saturday is club night.
2. Boisdale of Canary Wharf
Scottish restaurant in Canary Wharf
Cabot Place - E14
“An evening out – in style” is oft-reported at the Docklands branch of Ranald Macdonald’s Belgravia haunt, dedicated to the high life with a Scottish twist – with whisky, cigars and nightly jazz and soul courtesy on occasion of house music patron Jools Holland. It also proved itself an “absolute stalwart as the go-to place for those still going to the office through lockdown”. Top Tip: “the haggis pizza is a must!”.
3. Obicà Mozzarella Bar, Pizza e Cucina
Italian restaurant in Canary Wharf
1 West Wintergarden, 35 Bank St - E14
2018 Review: This Rome-based chain is inspired by Japanese sushi-bars and serves “tasty small plates of Italian food”. The five “efficiently run” London branches, from South Ken to Canary Wharf, provide a “surprisingly good experience… so long as you like mozzarella or burrata”.
4. Bella Cosa, Drewry House
Italian restaurant in Isle of Dogs
Drewry House 213 Marsh Wall - E14
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5. The Ivy in the Park
British, Modern restaurant in Tower Hamlets
50 Canada Square - E14
“Always ambient and fun” – Richard Caring’s stretching (twisting?) of the Ivy brand is easy to snipe at but has so far avoided degenerating into farce. For sure, “the food is certainly nothing superior”: fans may claim it’s “more than adequate”, but its overall ratings nowadays are only just the right side of poor. That said, even critics of the cooking often feel that the “lovely” interiors and “welcoming service” provide compensation, and fit the bill for making an occasion of a meal. In the capital, the most mentioned outlets are The Ivy Chelsea Garden (“delightful garden tables and ideal for a noisy girls’ night out”); and The Ivy Kensington Brasserie (“huge fun, loads of buzz” and “always a treat”). The Ivy City Garden and Canary Wharf’s Ivy in the Park follow along in terms of volume of feedback. The newest member of the spin-off family is The Ivy Victoria – a vast space with 300 guests over two floors.
6. Roka
Japanese restaurant in Canary Wharf
Unit 4, Park Pavilion, 40 Canada Sq - E14
“The original Charlotte Street site is the best”, but, in fairness, all the branches are superb when it comes to Arjun Waney and Rainer Becker’s sleek Japanese-inspired group, where “a visit always feels like a treat: from the slick service to the buzzy atmosphere to the consistently good food”. Sushi and luxurious bites (for example black cod, yellowtail with ponzu and truffle oil), mostly from the robata grill, are the backbones of the menu. The odd report was slightly downbeat of late (“it was less good than normal, but to be fair they had just reopened post-lockdown with new staff”), but the dominant view remains that a trip is “always a lovely, fun experience” (and some regulars tip a stool at the counter as the best perches).
7. One Canada Square
British, Modern restaurant in Canary Wharf
1 Canada Square - E14
2019 Review: In the lobby of Canary Wharf’s top landmark, this is “a business restaurant primarily, so I don’t really rate the atmosphere” (“it’s too bland for anything else”). “However, it works perfectly for a meeting: breakfast and lunch menus are well thought out and the food well put together”. For its purpose “definitely one of the best restaurants in the Wharf”.
8. Ippudo London
Japanese restaurant in Canary Wharf
1 Crossrail Pl - E14
2021 Review: “Top ramen with great broth and good combinations”, win fans for this genuinely Japanese chain (originating in Fukuoka), which has branches in Holborn, Embankment and Canary Wharf. Ratings, though, fall short of the top heights at the hands of those who feel its food is “not bad, but not memorable”. A fourth branch is to open in Fitzrovia in autumn 2019.
9. Plateau
French restaurant in Canary Wharf
4th Floor, Canada Sq - E14
Stunning views over Canary Wharf are the most reliable attraction at D&D London’s expense-accounter haven, atop Canada Place. Perhaps due to the Covid-inspired closure of the money-factories for much of the previous period, it has inspired limited feedback in recent times, of a solid but unspectacular nature.
10. Goodman
Steaks & grills restaurant in Canary Wharf
3 South Quay - E14
“Portions are similar to what you’d get in any decent steakhouse in the US” at these NYC-style operations (which are in fact Russian-owned), whose comfy styling and “extensive wine list” makes them a natural favourite for red-in-tooth-and-claw business types for wining and dining (particularly in the City, where it vies somewhat with its nearby rival Hawksmoor). “The bill will probably remove all the cobwebs in your wallet, so get ready for that”.
11. Hawksmoor
Steaks & grills restaurant in Canary Wharf
1 Water Street - E14
“Perfectly aged, hung and cooked – this place is steak-heaven”. Huw Gott and Will Beckett absolutely nailed it with this zeitgeisty 15-year-old chain of steakhouses, which they still part-own (and which – in July 2021 – announced the possibility, later cancelled, of floating on the London Stock Exchange to fuel future growth). For a generation of London restaurant-goers, “Hawksmoor hits it every single time” and the increasing introduction of fish from a dedicated buyer at Brixham market is a popular (and wise) innovation. Is it finally becoming a victim of its own success though? Ratings slipped notably this year due to an assortment of non-pandemic-related gripes (“beginning to feel formulaic…”; “just not tasty enough for such high prices…”; “still knocks out a succulent ribeye, but not what it was…”). Still, in late 2021 they’re gearing up for the biggest and most ambitious space yet, and their first branch amidst the scrapers of Canary Wharf. Spread over three levels, it will be housed in an eco-friendly floating pavilion made from sustainably sourced timber decking, aluminium extracted from hydro sources, and with a green roof planted with wildflowers and grasses! [Instead of the wildflowers and grasses and aluminium extracted from hydro sources, should we all maybe just eat less meat!? Ed]
12. Ibérica
Spanish restaurant in Canary Wharf
12 Cabot Sq - E14
“High quality, reasonably priced tapas” – “as traditionally Spanish as ever and properly prepared” – alongside an “interesting selection of Spanish wines (many from less usual wine areas)” is the hallmark of this group that originated in Great Portland Street 15 years ago; now joined by branches in Victoria, Canary Wharf, Marylebone, Farringdon and Leeds. “The paella had just the right degree of socarrat” (the caramelised crust on the bottom).
13. Sticks'n'Sushi
Japanese restaurant in Canary Wharf
1 Crossrail Place - E14
“Absolutely top-notch food” – “pricey but great!” – is the key to the steady growth enjoyed by this Copenhagen-based Japanese group, whose most recent (2019) openings in Soho and Chelsea join established venues across London. It’s “an interesting concept, well executed” – “fresh and delicious sushi”, yakitori skewers, and “colourful, almost art-directed salads”, delivered in dining rooms that combine clean, Japanese minimalism with Danish hygge.
14. Pergola on the Wharf
International restaurant in Canary Wharf
Crossrail Place Roof Garden, Crossrail Place - E14
A ‘botanical, waterside Garden of Eden’ – according to the Canary Wharf PR team – this foliage-filled street food market (with siblings including Pergola Padington, The Prince Earl’s Court and Lost in Brixton) opened on the Crossrail Place roof garden in May 2021 (on a site that was formerly E14’s Giant Robot). A roster of street-food stars inhabit a space that’s a little slicker than its siblings, but there’s also an in-house food offering and three bars.
15. Five Guys
Burgers, etc restaurant in Canary Wharf
Jubilee Place, 45 Bank Street - E14
2021 Review: “When all you want is an old-school burger”, these US-based arrivals of recent years really “hit the spot” – you can “build your own”, with “tons of accessories”; plus “seriously addictive fries”, “thick milkshakes”, and “more soda flavours than is reasonable”. “The eat-in experience is as depressing as McDonald’s”, though, in fact perhaps more so – “some branches have a strangely gloomy ambience” – but fans feel that “if you don’t mind 1980s-rock, a trip can still be surprisingly fun”.
16. Humble Grape
British, Modern restaurant in Tower Hamlets
18-20 Mackenzie Walk - E14
James Dawson’s 12-year-old wine shop/bar/kitchen operation has gathered momentum in recent years, expanding from its Battersea base to branches in a Fleet Street crypt, Islington, Liverpool Street and Canary Wharf. The “great wine list” from sustainable, small-scale producers is the focus, with “lots by the glass” and at “good value”. It’s backed up by “consistently good” small plates, cheese and charcuterie.
17. No 35 Mackenzie Walk
British, Modern restaurant in Canary Wharf
29-35 Mackenzie Walk - E14
A marvellous waterside location, plus large terrace – in the heart of Canary Wharf overlooking Middle Dock – is a key strong point of this early 2020 newcomer. It’s not a foodie hotspot, but a good-looking after-work rendezvous or somewhere to head to at weekends for a bottomless brunch.
18. Vagabond Canary Wharf
restaurant in Canary Wharf
25 Cabot Square - E14
2021 Review: A “wealth of wines by the glass” and “tasty nibbles”, help make this growing group of self-service wine bars a “fun way to try a selection of vintages from a multitude of small producers”. At the Battersea Power Station branch’s school you can educate your palate towards Wine & Spirit Education Trust certification and watch wine being made from grapes grown in Oxfordshire and Surrey.
19. Big Easy
American restaurant in Canary Wharf
Crossrail Pl - E14
“Great lobster and huge quantities of meat” are the order of the day at this American-style crabshack and BBQ, a King’s Road, Chelsea fixture for 31 years, and its more recent offshoots in Covent Garden and Canary Wharf. With the in-house blues and rock bands, they’re ideal party venues for the whole family – “my children were vastly impressed by location, food, view – everything!”.
20. Bokan
International restaurant in Canary Wharf
40 Marsh Wall - E14
2019 Review: “On a clear day the sights across London are wonderful” on the 37th floor of the recently opened Novotel Canary Wharf. This 65-cover venue still inspires limited feedback, but such as we have praises “beautifully presented dishes, tasty drinks and a great atmosphere”.
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