Hawksmoor heads to Canary Wharf for biggest restaurant yet
Spread over three floors and set to open later this year, the restaurant will include a 150-cover dining room and 120-cover bar, as well as an outdoor dining terrace.
“It has been a real joy planning a new restaurant and bar after all this time and uncertainty," says Huw Gott, who co-founded the group in 2006 with childhood friend Will Beckett.
"It marks a turning point for all of us at Hawksmoor, as well as our farmers, producers and suppliers. An exciting space that floats on the water, it will include our most ambitious bar to date, with plenty of river-side seating.”
Hawksmoor Wood Wharf, which will be housed in an eco-friendly floating pavilion built by Glenn Howells Architects, will be located on the opposite side of Canary Wharf to where rival steakhouse group Rare Restaurants is set to open a huge 550-cover M Restaurants site next year.
Made from sustainably sourced timber decking and aluminium extracted from hydro sources, the fully floating pavilion will have a green roof planted with wildflowers and grasses, to encourage visits from insects and bees and to improve carbon capture.
It will be primarily powered by energy from Canary Wharf’s combined heat and power network to help lower the impact on the environment.
“A silver lining for Covid was that it viscerally reminded us how much Hawksmoor matters to us: the people, the restaurants, the suppliers," says 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 first Hawksmoor restaurant opened in London's Spitalfields.
Its estate has since grown grown to include six restaurants in the capital, as well as one in Manchester and another in Edinburgh.
Following a lengthy delay as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, the group is also expected to open its first restaurant in New York later this year.
