Humble Grape Canary Wharf - Wine Bar & Restaurant — Restaurant in London

This review is overdue. Almost a year. Apologies to the team, but at least good things come to those who wait.

First time we came here was the summer of ‘21, when the world was still reeling and smack down mid-Covid crisis. (We went back several months later for a shorter, but no less lovelier visit.)

We stumbled upon it somewhat by accident, having had a drink at a nearby soulless Canary Wharf bar that looked good from far, but was far from good.

The host said ‘hello and welcome’. I mention this because I can count with fingers in one hand the number of times it happens in the dining scene (as opposed to the first greeting words being “For 2?”🙄). More so, he seemed genuine when he did so and we knew almost inherently that we were on to a winner here.

The place moonlights as a wine shop, with shelves and shelves of bottles facing you as you enter. We came to eat though, and we were happy that we didn’t need a booking - and it did have diners there so maybe we were just meant to be.

Everything about the food, the wine, the service and the ambience had a purpose, a reason. Nothing was there by accident or without merit.

The food was amazing - everything on the plate had its place and role to perform. The wine was even better - recommended by the team member.

The team worked seamlessly and almost invisibly to deliver the best experience (as hospitality professionals, we notice and appreciate all the little things.) We had a nominal waitress, but at several points during the dinner we were tended to by another one, by the bartender and by the host/manager himself. They all..completed each other. It was as if they all had a running timeline of what was happening at our table, that no step was missed, none was repeated and no action was too early or too late.

This is a great...

Very very disappointed with the food. The two of us sat down on a Sunday morning at 11am for brunch to an almost empty place. We opted to sit outside with a view of canary wharf which was the highlight of the meal. The head waiter was friendly and helpful: suggested exchanging the chorizo in my shakshuka for halloumi and sweet potato as I don't eat pig. Sadly this was a case of over promise and under deliver. We ordered the pb and j toast, blueberry pancakes, shakshuka and eggs benedict. 25 minutes later, all the dishes came out aside from mine as the chef had forgotten to take the chorizo out so I had to wait a further 15 minutes!! I instead tackled the pancakes-dry, stodgy and the blueberry syrup was a watered down juice - couldn't find anything good about it. My partner's eggs were OK, though the bread was stale and just not edible. We both tucked into the pnb toast-the saviour of the morning! My shakshuka finally arrived but with no halloumi in sight and overloaded with sweet potatoes. I had told the waiter I couldn't eat runny eggs but this seemed to have been overlooked . In his defense, he did offer to take it back and put it under the grill for a few minutes, once I mentioned it wasn't what I'd asked for. I didn't even dare bring up the absence of the halloumi for fear of a longer wait. Unfortunately we were left feeling hungry and with a bitter taste not only from the haphazardly put together dishes with poor quality ingredients but the sheer disappointment of the whole meal, minus the toast! The food at humble and grape does not seem to be their strong point so I can only assume their priorities are their wines. This was definitely not value for money even with the 50% off food discount. We will definitely not be recommending or returning to...

With an hour to spare before a nearby dinner booking, we ordered drinks from tables outside The Humble Grape. This is the wine bar/restaurant at Canary Wharf, overlooking the clean waterways and the pontoon where open water swimming takes place between June and October. We were immediately struck by the friendly and excellent service. We were made aware of the ‘Wine O’Clock’ specials, Monday to Friday, 5-6pm. This was for organic ‘tipples’ for white, red and sparkling rosé, each £5 per 125ml glass. There were organic nibbles too, 2 dishes for £10. This was a great opportunity, particularly as there is an impressive and well stocked wine shop at the far end of the restaurant. They stage special promotion days offering great discounts for purchasing wines. We were so impressed, that rather than remain at the restaurant we dined at, we returned to the Humble Grape. By then, it was busier, people were ordering meals and the popular nibbles. We managed to find a table outside and were warmly welcomed back by two of the members of staff we had met earlier, Viktoriia and Anna. We ordered a delicious carafe of wine, which was served at the perfect temperature too. There were obviously lots of regulars and dogs are encouraged here, they are given a water bowl and even get their own special ‘Humble Grape’ doggie treats. All the dogs were interacting really well, too! We felt so pleased to have discovered such an inviting and great new place to visit. Will definitely be going back soon. It was so nice to experience such a warm welcome and ‘soak in’ a great atmosphere. Top marks to The...