Wapping, Fish & Seafood Restaurant Guide

This “elegant-looking restaurant” on Wapping High Street “oozes class, its big, bright dining room opening to views of Tower Bridge”. The London offshoot of Essex institution Smith’s of Ongar, it provides “a wide choice of fish served simply, with an emphasis on freshness and quality”; plus a level of “service which is becoming increasingly hard to find in the post-pandemic and Brexit era”. A good number of best meals of the year are reported here from diners in our annual poll.

2023 Review: “Sustainable, fresh, well-cooked with interesting Korean and Caribbean influences” – this avant-garde seafood operation in Wapping, from Dorset-based fish supplier Shaun Henderson and chef Neil Wager, opened in stages through 2022. The chippy came first – “but what fish ’n’ chips!”, with ten chip varieties, including ‘extra-large smoked with togarashi and okono sauce’ – followed by a full-service seafood restaurant and a ‘butchery’ specialising in dry-aged fish. Reports are too limited for a rating but initial feedback is very positive.

A small (6-8 covers) Thames-facing terrace adds to the appeal of this small (28 cover) newcomer, opened in mid 2025 by the team behind Legare on the other side of the road. It opened too late for feedback in our annual diners’ poll, but features biodynamic wines accompanied by oysters, crudos and carpaccios.