London's best waterside restaurants

Where the food is as good as the scenery, discover the best restaurants to eat near water


Whether it's a pub on a canal or an eatery on the Thames, enjoy scenic surroundings when dining in the capital and discover the best places to eat near water. Below our critics have rounded up their favourite waterside restaurants in London.

The best waterside restaurants in London

  • Shrimpy's

    Rating: 3/5

    A diner in a cleverly redesigned King's Cross petrol station. Fill up on burgers and other US-inspired food while you admire the view of the Regent's Canal

  • Blueprint Café

    RecommendedRating: 3/5

    Perched above the Design Museum, you need t book early to snag one of the tables by the (often open) windows, although every seat in the room enjoys a decent city skyline views.

  • Crabtree

    RecommendedRating: 4/5

    Lounge in the extensive beer garden overlooking the Thames, where many can be seen eating, drinking, and being merry.

  • Dock Kitchen

    Rating: 4/5

    This restaurant, just off Ladbroke Grove, has a terrace next to the Grand Union Canal. Striking design from Tom Dixon provides the backdrop for innovative cooking.

  • Gun

    RecommendedRating: 3/5

    It may be tricky to reach, but this Docklands gastropub is well worth the detour. The waterside terrace is where you want to be when the weather is fair.

  • Skylon

    RecommendedRating: 4/5

    Choose from the Modern European menu at either the brasserie or the more formal restaurant, and take in the sweeping views of the Thames.

  • Stein's

    RecommendedRating: 4/5

    Stein's is a Bavarian beerhouse that doesn't rely solely on its excellent riverside location to draw in the punters. The German menu is a good foil for the free-flowing German beers.

  • Marco Polo

    Rating: 3/5

    The outdoor tables at this Italian restaurant are a brilliant vantage point from which to take in the Thames. There are few better places to enjoy a meal on sunny days.

  • Towpath

    Rating: 4/5

    Just off the Kingsland Road, but right on the Regent’s Canal is the inauspicious setting for a café from food writer Lori De Mori and her team.

  • Gaucho Canary Wharf

    29 Westferry Circus, E14 8RR (7987 9494/www.gauchorestaurants.co.uk).

    The riverside terrace at this Argentinian steakhouse chain’s Docklands branch has amazing sunset views over the water.

Share your thoughts
  1. * mandatory fields

Comments & ratings

Rated as: 0/5 (0 ratings)
  • Water House in Shoreditch on the Regent's Canal is also great - www.waterhouserestaurant.co.uk

    Steve Mon Jul 16 2012
    Report
  • Is Lower East still going? I walked past there about a year ago and it looked like it had shut down. Shame, it was a great restaurant.

    Mark Thu Aug 19 2010
    Report
  • Hotwise
  • Cool brands
  • Star