Back in May, I visited Big Easy in Canary Wharf for my friend’s 21st birthday. I’d never been there before, (or even heard of it) and was pretty excited to see what it would be like.
Location
I work in London but rarely head over to Canary Wharf. We were heading there on a Saturday night and it felt really strange! Usually, London on a Saturday night is full of hustle and bustle but it was like a ghost town. Super strange to experience. We got the DLR and then took a short 5-10 minute walk to the restaurant. We got a bit lost on the walk there as we were confused with which way we’d exited the station and which bridges we needed to cross. Then it took us a little while to realise we needed to head up to a roof garden sort of area to actually reach Big Easy. Once we headed up some very nice escalators (they only moved when you were standing on them, fancy ay?) we found other human beings and were reassured that it wasn’t the apocalypse and we were in the right place.
It was hot the evening we went and it felt very much like we were on holiday as we walked through a swanky roof garden. Annoyingly we didn’t stop and take any photos here but it really didn’t feel like London at all!
Atmosphere
Once we were in sight of the restaurant, you could just sense the buzz coming from within. As we walked in and were seated at our table, I saw that the restaurant was absolutely heaving. This is where all the people were! There was a bar area you could order drinks from which was pretty busy and lots of tables. The restaurant was a bit dark, but quite a cosy dark if that makes sense? It didn’t feel dingy at all, just very comfortable, and the decor fitted in with the seafood theme. There were also some nice neon lights dotted around the place.
The atmosphere, although welcoming, was a little bit loud. This isn’t necessarily a negative thing but I did struggle to hear my friend sat opposite me because the music was loud. I actually didn’t realise until about halfway though that there was a live band playing - so no wonder it was loud! I wish I’d known this from the start as I would have paid them a bit more attention. I thought it was just very loud background music!
Food
I personally don’t enjoy seafood. It’s not really for me. Consider this a miniature guide for what to order if you don’t want to fish option! I didn’t have a starter, instead went straight in with the main course of Iron skillet Home-Cooked Chilli. It was as delicious as it sounds. It came with nachos and a small salad, and the chilli was topped with sour cream. I also ordered a side of chips because I was super hungry. The portion sizes were pretty good, just enough so that you were satisfied and had room for pudding!
Now onto the best bit, dessert. I’m usually a starter/main gal, but on this occasion, the waffles had caught my eye. I had a warm waffle with two scoops of vanilla ice cream, with a jug of hot chocolate sauce on the size. Oh. My. God. Even just looking at the photos makes me want it again. This made my evening. The waffle was perfect, and the ice cream and chocolate sauce on top made it divine. I’d highly recommend the waffles if you visit Big Easy!
Cocktails were a little pricey here, so I only had one whilst we were here (a mojito of course, rather nice) and drank tap water during my main course.
Would I go there again?
All in all, this restaurant was set in a lovely location and the vibe is good inside. It has lots of hustle and bustle, feels very America, and the service was good. If you’re in the area and are a seafood lover, I’d say give it a go! If you don’t like seafood, like me, then be aware that you’re going to have limited choice but it’s still good tasty food. I would be happy to visit again in future.
Thanks for popping by today
Much Love
