The riverside gastropub bringing fine food to Canary Wharf

Ornate and inviting, The Gun may be Canary Wharf’s best-kept secret

Can anyone find a table in London anymore? With queues abounding on every street corner and Soho weighed down with weeks worth of waiting lists, it’s a marvel that London’s metropolitan diners still have the gumption and hunger to keep searching for that perfect restaurant – one that can offer peace, ambience, and unquestionably quality cuisine.

Luckily, The Gun is one of these. Set in the heart of London’s docklands, and named after the smoking cannon that marked the opening of the West India import docks in 1802, the appeal of this Grade II-listed gastropub has only increased over the years.

The Gun Canary Wharf

A short walk (or drive) from Canary Wharf, crowds of brogues and briefcases slowly give way to the lapping water and quieter bustle of The Gun’s mindful waiters, meandering through oak-panelled rooms laden with nautical decor and a nose-tapping sense of secrecy. The restaurant’s winding staircase will lead to you an out-of-sight ‘River Room’ overlooking the Thames, which was once the favoured location for Lord Nelson’s liaisons with Lady Emma Hamilton – and, apparently, popular with contraband smugglers in London’s shadier seafaring days.

Though now somewhat more respectable for an evening dinner, The Gun has managed to nod to its colourful past while looking forward as a site of culinary aspiration. That’s in no small part due to its head chef, Matt Colk, who brings his previous expertise from the Brasseries, Brooklands and Roast, Borough market to bear on a carefully curated menu.

The Gun Canary Wharf

Seafood and grills are the order of the day, alongside a pub menu brought up to speed for modern tastes and trends. Cue a finely-cut steak tartare, delectable mackerel canapes (elevated by smart use of a horseradish crème fraîche), and a gaspingly refreshing elderflower sorbet. Every detail, down to the drops of cherry sauce or twigs of watercress on your plate, is done with a fine, personal touch. The urge to photograph and Instagram your sightly meal may be as hard to resist as the food itself.

The smoking gun of the menu’s quality, however, is in the countless triumphs edged into each dish, from a wispy scallop mousse to a heatedly-debated onion puree (GJ’s guess was ‘parsnip’). Here each plate is a thoughtful melting pot of competing tastes, where apparently slight or innocuous flavours are allowed to fulfil their potential.

The Gun Canary Wharf

There are naturally a wide range of brews on draft, as well as a thoughtful selection of globally-sourced wines (GJ recommends the Albarino for a dry Spanish white). These summer evenings, however, are best served by popping onto their chirpy, pop-up gin terrace, aided by a botanical flowerbed for growing mint, rosemary and the like onsite. Whether you’re partial to the grape or the grain, The Gun will have something memorable for you to sample.

Despite the inarguable quality on offer, prices are much more forgiving than expected. Starters start at £7.50 and mains start at £16, though more ambitious offerings like the whole smoked hare may see your bill jump. Wine naturally varies but sits at an average of around £25 a bottle.

For more information about this restaurant, click here.

Become a Gentleman’s Journal Member?

Like the Gentleman’s Journal? Why not join the Clubhouse, a special kind of private club where members receive offers and experiences from hand-picked, premium brands. You will also receive invites to exclusive events, the quarterly print magazine delivered directly to your door and your own membership card.

Click here to find out more