Look, Canary Wharf gets written off as a dinner destination more than it deserves.
Yes, it’s the financial district.
Yes, there are suits everywhere.
But tucked in among the glass towers and the riverside walkways is a food scene that’s been quietly getting VERY good, and the Indian restaurants here are proof of that.
We’re talking a cult London favourite with one of the city’s most obsessed-over menus, a critically acclaimed spot that started life in a shipping container (genuinely), and a waterfront gem specialising in South Indian and Sri Lankan cooking that most people outside the postcode haven’t discovered yet.
So if you’ve been defaulting to the same three places near the office, or you’re heading to Canary Wharf for the evening and wondering where to book, this one’s for you.
1. Dishoom
Address: 13 Water Street, London, E14 5GX
If you’ve somehow avoided Dishoom until now, Canary Wharf is as good a place as any to fix that. The menu takes its cues from the Irani cafés of 1970s Bombay, and the signatures have earned their cult status honestly: the black daal, the biriyani, and the bacon naan at breakfast. The black daal in particular is the kind of thing people talk about unprompted, which tells you everything. Book ahead. The queues are not a myth.
2. Kricket
Address: 6 Frobisher Passage, London, E14 5HA
Kricket started as a pop-up in a 20-seater shipping container and somehow became one of the most talked-about Indian restaurants in the city. The Canary Wharf outpost sits right by the river, which makes the terrace worth angling for on a warm evening. The menu combines British ingredients with Indian cooking: samphire pakoras, Keralan fried chicken, and Tandoor-cooked dishes. Inventive without being the kind of place that makes you feel like you need to do homework before you go.
3. Manjal
Address: Drewry House, 213 Marsh Wall, London E14 9FJ
The one for a proper occasion. Manjal specialises in Sri Lankan and South Indian cuisine, with chefs bringing over 35 years of experience to dishes built around premium ingredients and bold spicing, served in a panoramic waterfront setting with private dining available. It sits near South Quay DLR rather than the main Canary Wharf cluster, which means it tends to be quieter and more relaxed than its neighbours. Worth the extra five minutes on the DLR, genuinely.
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4. Holy Cow
Address: 51 Narrow Street, London, E14 8DN
The most neighbourhood-feeling of the lot. Holy Cow sits over in Limehouse, just along the water from the main Canary Wharf drag, and it makes absolutely no effort to feel like a destination restaurant—the food is simply the point, and it delivers. Reviewers consistently call it one of the best Indian restaurants in London, the kind of place that earns that description without a PR campaign behind it. If your usual instinct is to book somewhere with a bit of buzz, this is the one to try when you want to feel like you’ve actually found something.
5. Grand Cholan
Address: 3 Turnberry Quay, Docklands, London, E14 9RD
The detail that tells you everything about Grand Cholan: over 60% of its regulars are Indians living and working in London. For a restaurant serving Tamil cuisine inspired by the Chola dynasty, that’s the kind of endorsement no PR campaign can buy. The menu spans signature dosas, rich curries, and fresh rotis, prepared by chefs with over 40 years of combined experience and a strict no-compromise-on-quality philosophy. The waterfront setting at Turnberry Quay is genuinely lovely too—the kind of place that earns a second visit before you’ve finished your first.
ALSO WORTH A LOOK:
- 10 Best Cafes In Canary Wharf
- Area Guide: 15 Cool Things To Do In Canary Wharf
- The Ultimate Guide To Bottomless Brunch Spots In Canary Wharf
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