West London’s waterside has a new resident and it’s already making waves. Located into the base of Mason & Fifth’s Westbourne Park development, Canal is the latest outing from HAM Restaurants (the team behind Crispin and Bistro Freddie), and has been brought to life by London interior architecture studio A-nrd.
Overlooking the Grand Union Canal on the site of the former London Taxi Drivers’ Association HQ, the restaurant finds its soul in the surrounding grit and rhythm of the neighbourhood; the interiors balancing expressive design with raw honesty, the space shaped by material contrasts and spatial restraint.
Inside, an 80-cover dining room opens out around a sculptural zinc-clad island bar. Behind it, a wall of bespoke Sapele timber shelving inset with hammered zinc panels catches the ambient light. Chiselled Beech booths and textured tables — designed in collaboration with London maker Jason Posno — bring a warmth that offsets the exposed concrete walls and visible conduits. The open kitchen anchors the rear, and with lighting playing a pivotal role, washi-style pendants by Findere float above window-side seats, while Foscarini wall lights cast a subtle hue across raw surfaces.
Furniture is minimal but rich in character: Frama chairs, Massproductions bar stools, zinc-topped tables, were all chosen to emphasise form and function. Outside, a canal-side terrace extends the space with sculptural planting and black steel furniture offering continuity between the industrial interior and the calm of the water’s edge.
Of the project, Alessio Nardi founder of A-nrd comments: “We didn’t want to over-design the space. The architecture had a directness and rhythm that resonated with our approach, and we drew on the site’s industrial past and waterside setting to create a space that feels layered and expressive. Canal is about contrast, comfort and craft. It’s modest in scale, but rich in detail and invites people to return again and again. Every decision was about building a space that encourages interaction, where detail and atmosphere come together to feel open, and inherently welcoming.”
A refined yet grounded addition to Westbourne Park, Canal is a restaurant rich in aesthetic character that speaks to its past, present, and future.
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Canal Restaurant London Photography, Adam Firman / Cody Bamford.
