Where to Eat and Drink Near Canary Wharf: A Local Guide (2026)
Written by James Dawson, Founder and CEO of Humble Grape.
Canary Wharf used to shut down once the offices emptied, but that reputation is out of date. Humble Grape Canary Wharf isn't just a wine bar: with great wine comes great food, from small plates and larger dishes to Sunday Roast, all served alongside 500+ wines. This guide shows where else to eat and drink around the wharf.
I started Humble Grape delivering wine by scooter around London, more than fifteen years ago, running pop-up tastings in whatever room would have me before we opened our first proper bar in Battersea. We've grown into seven wine bars across London since, and our spot at 18-20 Mackenzie Walk, right on the Middle Dock waterfront, is one I keep a close eye on. The area around it has changed sharply in the last few years.
Wood Wharf and the docks around it have come into their own, and Mackenzie Walk in particular is now somewhere you'd plan an evening around, not just refuel between meetings. This guide isn't about any one bar, ours included. It's about how the area works: what you can walk into, what needs a booking, and which of the newer spots by the water suit your evening.
Where should you eat near Canary Wharf?
Much of the area's eating is clustered around three spots: Mackenzie Walk and Wood Wharf on Middle Dock, Canada Square and Jubilee Place nearer the Tube, and Crossrail Place on the eastern edge, with its rooftop garden above the restaurants.
Mackenzie Walk runs along the water and includes venues with outdoor seating over Middle Dock. Canada Square and Jubilee Place work well for a quick lunch between meetings, close to the Tube, DLR and Elizabeth line interchange, with a mix of chains and sit-down restaurants. Crossrail Place is useful when the weather is decent, since the rooftop garden sits above a row of restaurants.
Within Mackenzie Walk and Wood Wharf, five places make up most of a good night out, ours included. Hawksmoor Wood Wharf does what Hawksmoor does everywhere: proper steak and a broad wine list, in a room built for a night that starts as drinks and turns into dinner. Boisdale of Canary Wharf runs Scottish food, whisky and live jazz most evenings, a different proposition to everything else on the water and a good pick if you want the evening to have some occasion to it. Bokan sits high up in one of the towers, restaurant and cocktail bar together, and the view does a lot of the work. Obica runs a mozzarella bar with an Italian menu built around it, a lighter option if you want good food without a long sitting. Roe, also in Wood Wharf, cooks a sustainable menu with a strong focus on where the ingredients come from.
Our own bar sits at 18-20 Mackenzie Walk, with a kitchen serving small plates for sharing, bigger mains, and Sunday Roast, alongside 500+ wines to discover, every one organic, natural, biodynamic or otherwise sustainably made, from small family-run producers around the world. It suits an evening built around the wine as much as the food, which is a different kind of night to Hawksmoor's steak room or Boisdale's jazz.
Where's good for a drink after work?
Mackenzie Walk generally, rather than one single spot on it. It's a five to ten minute walk from most of the main office entrances (One Canada Square, 8 Canada Square, 25 Churchill Place), and because it sits on the water rather than inside a retail mall, it doesn't get that shutter-down feeling once the shops close.
Hawksmoor's bar is a good call if you want a proper cocktail and don't mind the chance of staying for steak. Bokan's height gives the after-work drink a different feel, especially on a clear evening. We take walk-ins on weekday evenings and pour a big by-the-glass wine list on Coravin, which helps when a 5pm "quick drink" message becomes a plan at quarter to five.
At Wine O'Clock, a glass of 100% organic wine from a small family-run vineyard costs £6. On weekdays it runs from 5pm to 6pm at Canary Wharf only, with the last booking at 6pm and last orders at 6.15pm. On Saturdays it runs from 12pm to 4.30pm at Canary Wharf, Battersea and Islington. Kids Eat Free from the Little Grape menu during the Saturday window when an adult dines. The wines on the list rotate, so check what's pouring this week before you head down.
If you want a particular table on Thursday or Friday, arrive early or book ahead.
What about a proper dinner, or a date?
Several Canary Wharf restaurants run full menus as well as drinks and small plates. Hawksmoor is the obvious choice for a steak dinner, Boisdale's kitchen runs alongside the jazz if you want a sit-down meal with more going on around it, and Roe suits anyone looking for a kitchen focused on ingredient sourcing.
For a date, the waterfront setting changes once the sun's down and the water starts catching the tower lights, a good backdrop that Canary Wharf doesn't get enough credit for. Bokan suits a night built around a view and a cocktail rather than a wine list, and Obica suits a lighter, less formal evening if a long tasting menu isn't what either of you fancies.
At Humble Grape, a full dinner means building up from smaller sharing dishes into larger plates, or going straight for a main, with a wine list built around organic, natural, biodynamic and otherwise sustainably farmed producers, a named grower behind most bottles rather than a generic house label. Saturday lunchtime has its own thing going, crispy schnitzel with a glass of Austrian wine, and on Sundays the kitchen serves Sunday Roast.
Where works for a group, or Sunday lunch?
For groups, Humble Grape Canary Wharf takes group bookings and has indoor and terrace space; ask the team about the best setup for your party size. Boisdale is a strong pick for a bigger table that wants some entertainment built in rather than just a meal, and Hawksmoor works when steak is an easy choice for the group.
For Sunday lunch, book ahead. Boisdale, Hawksmoor and Humble Grape each offer a different version, so the choice comes down to whether you want jazz, steak, or a wine list alongside your roast. Our Sunday Roast includes meat and vegetarian choices; check the current menu for today's selection.
Dog-friendly and family notes
Humble Grape on Mackenzie Walk welcomes dogs on the terrace and inside. Families are welcome too. Book ahead for a fixed time or Sunday Roast; walk-ins depend on live availability.
How do you get there, and do you need to book?
Canary Wharf is served by the Jubilee line, the DLR and the Elizabeth line. Mackenzie Walk is a short walk from the Underground and DLR entrances.
Booking is the safest option when you have a fixed time in mind or a group of four or more. Humble Grape accepts walk-ins when there is space; check each other venue's own booking policy and live availability.
Humble Grape Canary Wharf, at a glance
Address: 18-20 Mackenzie Walk, Canary Wharf, London E14, on the Middle Dock waterfront
Format: Wine bar and kitchen, small plates through to Sunday Roast
Wine: 500+ wines to discover, organic, natural, biodynamic or otherwise sustainably farmed
Outdoor seating: Terrace over Middle Dock, weather allowing
Dogs: Welcome inside and on the terrace
Booking: Walk-ins depend on live availability; book ahead for a fixed time or larger group
If your picture of Canary Wharf is still the old estate, chain sandwich bars and a mall food court, walk the extra five minutes to Mackenzie Walk and its neighbours: Hawksmoor for steak, Boisdale for Scottish food and jazz, Bokan for the view, Obica for a lighter Italian plate, Roe for a sustainable kitchen, and us for the wine. None of us do exactly the same job. That's the point.
If Canary Wharf gets you curious about wine beyond the glass in front of you, our Wine School runs WSET Level 1 and 2 courses at Fleet Street, food included at every session. And if you'd rather come back for a proper night out, we run a regular programme of wine tastings and supper clubs across the group, with plenty of reasons to return on a weeknight.
Canary Wharf eating and drinking: quick questions
What's the Wine O'Clock offer at Canary Wharf, and when's it on?
At Humble Grape on Mackenzie Walk, it's called Wine O'Clock: £6 for a glass of 100% organic wine. On weekdays it's 5 to 6pm and Canary Wharf only; on Saturdays it runs 12 to 4.30pm here as well as at our Battersea and Islington bars, and kids eat free from the Little Grape menu during that Saturday window when an adult dines. Check Wine O'Clock for what's on this week, since the wines on the list rotate.
Where should you eat near Canary Wharf?
It depends what you're after. Mackenzie Walk and Wood Wharf on the Middle Dock waterfront have several options: Hawksmoor for steak, Boisdale for Scottish food and live jazz, Bokan up high for a view, Obica for Italian and mozzarella, Roe for a sustainable kitchen, and us for wine-led small plates through to Sunday Roast. Canada Square and Jubilee Place work well for a quick lunch near the Tube.
Where's good for a drink after work near Canary Wharf?
Mackenzie Walk generally, five to ten minutes from most office entrances and on the water rather than inside a mall. Hawksmoor's bar and Bokan's rooftop both do a decent after-work drink, and we pour a large by-the-glass wine list on Coravin and take weekday walk-ins.
Can you get a proper sit-down dinner near Canary Wharf, not just small plates?
Yes. Mackenzie Walk and the surrounding docks have full-kitchen restaurants alongside the bars. Hawksmoor and Boisdale both run proper sit-down menus, and our kitchen goes from small plates through to larger sharing dishes and Sunday Roast.
Is Canary Wharf good for a date night dinner?
It is, if you pick somewhere with a view rather than a chain. A waterfront table at Middle Dock at dusk works well, and Bokan's height gives a different kind of view if you want a cocktail instead of a wine list. Book ahead for Friday and Saturday evenings.
Are there dog-friendly restaurants and bars near Canary Wharf?
Yes. Humble Grape on Mackenzie Walk welcomes dogs, both on the waterfront terrace and inside. Walk-in availability changes by day, so book ahead for a fixed time or Sunday Roast.
Do you need to book, or can you walk in near Canary Wharf?
Walk-ins depend on each venue's live availability. Book ahead if you need a specific time or have a group of four or more, and check the venue's own booking page before you go.
About James Dawson
James Dawson is the founder and CEO of Humble Grape. He started the business delivering wine by scooter and running pop-up tastings before opening the first bar in Battersea, and now runs seven wine bars and kitchens across London.
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