The best restaurants in Canary Wharf

A cosy French brasserie, with a menu overseen by Rob Aikens (brother and sometime-collaborator of twice Michelin-starred Tom). Despite access via a designated waterside bridge, there is nothing ostentatious or needlessly showy here. Rare is the Instagram-approved dish that eats as well as it photographs, but Marceline's ravioli dauphiné is just that. Mains are classic; moules frites; rotisserie chicken; a fillet steak au poivre, while desserts have a little fun with the formula. Profiteroles are elevated with slivers of banana (a game changer) and a substitute of cold, smooth ice cream instead of creme patissiere. Chic, delicious and worth it. 

From the team behind Fallow, Roe's follows a similar sustainable ethos; cooking with regenerative crops, highlighting underused British produce and using ingredients that even Fergus Henderson might think a little outré. There's cuttlefish fried toast, snail vindaloo flatbread, and deeply decadent yet pleasingly trashy blooming onion was. Their high-end take on fast food is dotted across much of Roe’s menu, which also includes a baked potato with cheese sauce. Both pleasingly odd and comfortingly familiar.

Bringing Manhattan to Canary Wharf’s temples of mammon, this branch of the Russian-owned steakhouse chain is a well-upholstered venue specialising in grass-fed beef from both sides of the Atlantic. Peruse the tray of raw cuts before ordering, say, a 400g Yorkshire Ridings fillet or a USDA 150-day sirloin with sauces and sides.  

With Canary Wharf Pier next door and a terrace surveying a wide sweep of the river, this branch of Royal China goes big on location. Inside it’s a picture-box of black and gold lacquer, but everyone’s here for the superior daytime dim sum – spot-on steamed dumplings – alongside roast duck, crispy rolls and much else besides.

The first Mallow opened in Borough Market in 2021, from London mainstay veggie chain Mildreds, which has been on the scene since the late eighties. This second branch on Wood Wharf, feels a little less upmarket than its elder sister. The menu spans cuisine from all over: Middle Eastern, Italian, Indian, Malaysian – or just burger and chips. 

The swankiest branch of Scottish-themed Boisdale to date, this Canary Wharf outlet has all the tartan-tastic trademarks – a north-of-the-border menu headed by Aberdeenshire steaks, plus an oyster bar, a cigar ‘library’, an encyclopaedic whisky list and a rolling programme of live jazz overseen by ‘patron of music’ Jools Holland.

Swathes of pale wood and bamboo, plus the thrilling theatre of on-show robata grilling, add up to a winning package at this glam Docklands branch of modern Japanese hotshot Roka. When the workers vacate Canary Wharf at the weekend, this venue rolls out the red carpet for residents with its family-friendly ‘koten’ brunch.

Roti Chai’s Canary Wharf cousin is a slick post-industrial space for satisfying, moreish, complex dishes with a South Indian slant – their butter chicken is a ripper.   

There’s a Ramblas fantasy vibe about this glamorous branch of tapas-themed Ibérica – although the kitchen goes way beyond the tortilla clichés for a menu spanning everything from artisan charcuterie to nuevo riffs such as tempura chorizo lollipops with pear alioli. Ibérica La Terraza nearby offers more of the same in dressed-down alfresco surrounds.  

Chandeliers, cowhide, black leather, moody lighting and a rocking alfresco waterfront terrace – welcome to Gaucho Canary’s macho spin on an upmarket steakhouse with big-money aspirations. Myriad cuts of pampas-reared beef dominate the show, although the menu spans everything from ceviche to dulce de leche cheesecake. Serious Argentinian wines too.