New restaurants planned for Canary Wharf development

Workers at Canary Wharf in London's Docklands are set to reap the benefits of a spate of new restaurant and bar openings.

The 80-acre office development is now three-quarters full, housing 13,000 workers, and despite the gloomy forecasts of the early 1990s it appears to be turning into a thriving market for restaurateurs.

October sees the opening of a second restaurant by the Pelican Group to complement its existing Café Rouge. The more upmarket, 180-seat Pelican restaurant will provide white tablecloth French dining, with bar and restaurant menus.

Also opening for business in October will be Chili's and a Japanese noodle bar, both Restaurant House operations. Chili's, the first of the brand in the UK, will be a 230-seat Tex-Mex outlet with an average spend per head of less than £15.

The Japanese noodle baris still in the planning stages but should be less expensive than Chili's and will seat about 100.

Wine bar operator Davy's, which has 50 branches in London and the suburbs, is also planning to open at Canary Wharf by Christmas, taking the total number of eating and drinking establishments there to 15.

Nicola Jackson-Bush, vice-president, retail, at Canary Wharf, said the outlets also stood to benefit from the increasing number of tourists to the area and from local trade.