Restaurant Reviews: St Katharine Docks. This central London marina is a lovely place to explore with waterside dining near Tower Hill, The Tower of London and Tower Bridge. If you’re looking for things to do near Tower Hill, places to eat near The Tower of London or the best restaurants in Wapping, you must visit St Katharine Docks.
Marina
My Favourite St Katharine Docks Restaurants
The docks are home to a string of chain restaurants including Strada (Italian cuisine), Zizzi (Italian cuisine), Ping Pong (Asian cuisine / dim sum) and Café Rouge (French cuisine). Mala Indian restaurant is located here serving South and North Indian cuisine. Tourists seem to enjoy The Medieval Banquet which boasts a show of knights and a hearty meal. Being a vegetarian, the banquet isn’t my kind of thing, but there seem to be very long queues! The Dickens Inn dates back to the 18th century so you might fancy popping in for a pint or fish and chips.
The Dickens Inn
If you explore further, you’ll also find a few independent eateries which are exceptional. Of course, I’ve checked out a few of these for you, here are my favourites: Emilia’s Crafted Pasta is a cute date night restaurant for pasta lovers. They make pasta from scratch every day, which is paired with the ultimate sauce. The menu is concise but offers enough choice whether you’re a vegetarian, fish fan or meat eater. With an open kitchen and cosy seating, it’s a darling little place which is a real gem. Read my Emilia’s Crafted Pasta here.
Emilia’s Crafted Pasta
Last week I dined at Bravas which serves modern Basque small plates and cocktails. It was a lively and buzzy restaurant with quality tapas. Share an assortment of cheeses, Iberico ham, Galician beef short rib with truffle and crispy onion or grilled octopus with toasted garlic and olive oil.
Bravas Tapas
For Allpress coffee try White Mulberries. You can enjoy baked goods such as croissants for cakes for a treat. We ate lunch there today, and I enjoyed a Super Food Bowl brimming with quinoa, avocado, rocket, tomatoes, feta, dill, and basil. Homeboy went for the avocado on toast with lemon drizzle, virgin olive oil, chilli and poppy seeds. For breakfast, you can try the toasted banana bread, yummy!
White Mulberries
These waterside restaurants are situated in an idyllic setting. You can enjoy alfresco dining in style away from the busy tourist hotspots of the Tower of London. It’s a relaxing haven which is worth a visit.
St Katharine Docks History
Back in 1825, an Act of Parliament deemed this area for redevelopment. In the process, 1250 houses were demolished alongside St Katharine, which was a medieval hospital, hence the name of the docks. Thomas Telford designed the project which included a quayside and two linked basins which were both accessed from a Thames lock. Philip Hardwick was responsible for the warehouse buildings. In its heyday, the docks handled cargo from the Far East, the West Indies, Africa, and Europe which included, tea, spices, ivory, wine and sugar. To find out more about the history, you should read the Wikipedia page.
Marina
Today, the docks include offices, public housing, private residents and numerous restaurants. You can admire the luxury marina, which is filled with yachts and barges.
St Katharine Docks Information
To find out more about this area, go to the St Katharine Docks Website. Located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets on the north side of the River Thames, the address is London E1W 1LA. The nearest underground station is Tower Hill. Wapping High Street and Shadwell overground stations are close by. London Bridge, Fenchurch Street and Liverpool train stations are a short walk. You can arrive via riverboat from Canary Wharf if you want!
Author: Homegirl London. Photographs: Homegirl London. Thanks: Homeboy for visiting with me on numerous occasions.
