Discover London's best riverside restaurants...
Daisy Green Collection - the Australian restaurant group also behind the Darcie & May Green barges (see below) on the Grand Union Canal in Paddington - have lovingly restored the historic Jesus College Boat Race Barge, on Richmond riverside. Expect intimate indoor dining inside the much loved barge alongside fire-based open air riverside dining on the huge pontoon for warmer days - with unparalleled views of the Thames, Richmond Bridge and Richmond Riverside. An ideal daytime spot for long and lazy bottomless brunches to more sophisticated dinners served in the evenings. Expect dishes such as the hot sausage pizza with cold fermented jalapeno hot sauce to fresh calamari cooked over fire.
The undisputed kings of steak have opened this riverside restaurant and bar on a floating pavilion - made from sustainably sourced timber decking and with a green roof planted with wildflowers and grasses - in the docks of Wood Wharf. The main restaurant at dock-level is joined by a 120-seat waterside bar, The Lowback. Both include terraces with views across the water and the dramatic docklands skyline. The interiors feature a series of banquette seating and round tables as well as corner booths. With a double height ceiling and a sprawling bar the space feels generous and lively, while the hanging pendant lights add a contemporary twist. Expect carefully-sourced, sustainable beef - everything from a T-bone, to bone-in prime rib. Traditionally British dishes featured include potted beef with bacon and Yorkshires. The cocktails, too, are sure to impress with everything from traditional martinis, to proper Old Fashioneds.
Neighbourhood restaurateur Sam Harrison was also behind Chiswick’s Sam’s Brasserie and Harrison’s in Balham, had previously run Rick Stein's Padstow operations - so find seafood featuring heavily on the Anglo-French menu of this modern Thameside, British brasserie style restaurant. The open kitchen is overseen by Head Chef Harvey Trollope (The Ritz and Richard Branson's Necker Island), in collaboration with Culinary Director Rowley Leigh. The 90-cover family-friendly restaurant has "an informal but glamourous feel" and features a cocktail bar (with counter dining), open kitchen and an outside terrace (weather permitting) and views overlooking the Thames and Hammersmith Bridge.
A luxurious riverside destination with iconic views, Le Pont de la Tour (named for its views) combines traditional yet innovative French cuisine, thoughtful (and rather glamorous) design that evokes the Parisian chic of the 1930s and is reminiscent of an art-deco ocean liner (recently updated by Russell Sage Studios) with stunning views of the City and Tower Bridge. Occupying one of the best riverside locations in the city housed in a former warehouse building right by the Thames, the revamped terrace is now split into two distinct areas: a lounge bar and an outdoor dining space for the restaurant - which serves up 'high French luxury' focused on the freshness and provenance of British produce, cooked simply and elegantly. Alternatively visit Skylon, a modern European restaurant in London's Southbank Centre, where floor-to-ceiling windows frame river views.
The River Café famously began life in 1987 as the staff canteen for the Richard Rogers Partnership, with Rogers’s wife Ruth and her friend Rose Gray in charge of the cooking. By 1996, it had evolved into what The New Yorker called "the best Italian restaurant in Europe". This Michelin-starred restaurant is located on the north bank of the Thames in Hammersmith, in the former Duckhams oil storage facility. This hugely influential restaurant (which has spawned many a successful chef such as Jamie Oliver and Theo Randall) focuses on uncomplicated Italian dishes, sublime ingredients and rustic simplicity. The restaurant has a pretty garden area with views of the River Thames and features a variety of Italian salad leaves, vegetables and herbs, which make their way onto the daily changing menus. A slice of la dolce vita.
Rick Stein's Barnes Seafood Restaurant
After years of stating that he would never open a restaurant in London, celebrity chef Rick Stein has opened a residence in Barnes. The chef, who is from Cornwall and has built up an impressive culinary empire (with more than 10 restaurants, hotels and a Seafood Cookery School) out of the fishing village of Padstow, said he couldn’t resist an opportunity to acquire the tranquil riverside site. The restaurant takes over what was The Depot, situated near the centre of Barnes and is nestled in the Tideway Yard, a renovated Victorian cobbled courtyard, forming part of an award-winning conversion with a secluded, south-facing entrance patio and magnificent views of the Thames. Order some of Rick Stein’s most iconic dishes such as the Dover Sole a la Meunière and salt and pepper prawns as well as a selection of inspired new dishes.
This outpost of the Argentinian grill chain is scenically located on the banks of the River Thames in Richmond along the towpath in a low-slung, boathouse inspired building. Inside, the glass-panelled walls offer panoramic sights of Richmond Bridge and Petersham Meadows, so you can enjoy glorious views at any time of year. And in the summer months – under the branches of a towering plane tree – the waterside terrace hosts an alfresco kitchen, serving up seafood barbeques alongside their authentic Argentine steaks. Or search out the boutique Bingham hotel and their light and airy dining room with French doors that open onto a balcony, for al fresco riverside dining.
Award-winning Australian restaurant group, Daisy Green Collection, is behind this floating bar and restaurant, formed of 2 barges named Darcie and May Green on the Grand Union Canal in Paddington Central. Situated directly outside Paddington Station, the two (50-metre) boats boast an eye-catching exterior, designed by legendary British pop artist, Peter Blake. The restaurant, Darcie Green, offers an all-day, laid back menu featuring fresh and distinctive Antipodean-inspired food for which the group is renowned. By night, the barge transforms into a buzzing restaurant, offering Aussie dinner favourites, contemporary cocktails and an array of natural New World wines and local craft beers. The second boat, May Green, houses a café and a floating exhibition centre showcasing Paddington’s rich history via interactive displays and anecdotes.
Ideal For
Food with a view, tables by the Thames
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Riverside Dining
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Riverside
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