Hawksmoor to open floating restaurant in Canary Wharf

Hawksmoor is to open its first London restaurant in four years on a floating pavilion in the River Thames.

Hawksmoor Wood Wharf will open this winter and sit in an eco-friendly pavilion in the docks of Wood Wharf, a new part of Canary Wharf. It will be set over three levels and feature a 150-cover restaurant, 120-cover bar and outdoor space for eating and drinking.

The site will be the steak-focused group’s biggest restaurant yet and its ninth overall opening.

“A silver lining for Covid was that it viscerally reminded us how much Hawksmoor matters to us: the people, the restaurants, the suppliers,” said Hawksmoor co-founder Will Beckett.

“It reminded us about how much meaning we feel in our lives working at Hawksmoor, trying to build a company with real integrity. However, some of the other things we cared so much about suffered greatly, including the hospitality industry and many city centres, especially London. As well as doubling down on Hawksmoor, we want to make sure we play our part in helping hospitality and London build back better.”

The Wood Wharf pavilion will be built by Glenn Howells Architects and made from sustainably sourced timber decking and aluminium extracted from hydro sources.

A green roof will be planted with wildflowers and grasses and the restaurant will be primarily powered by energy from Canary Wharf’s Combined Heat and Power network to lower the impact on the environment.

Hawksmoor was founded by Beckett and Huw Gott in 2006 and has grown to six London restaurants and one each in Edinburgh and Manchester.

The group found success with its meal kits and retail range during the pandemic and this year appointed Jo Fleet, former managing director at Flat Iron, to oversee the development of Hawksmoor at Home.

Hawksmoor was due to open its first New York restaurant last year but the launch was delayed due to the pandemic.