De Beauvoir’s cult canalside café doesn’t announce itself loudly along the Kingsland Towpath — a gaggle of trendy twenty-somethings and the produce-forward small plates are signage enough. The menu shifts with what’s good but expect dishes like warm, sweet tomatoes, drenched in olive oil and piled on toast for breakfast, with smoked mackerel and its dollop of crème fraîche and pickled cherries for dinner. There will (almost) always be radishes with taramasalata (with more of that olive oil.) Towpath Café only opens its shutters over spring and summer (the weekend closest to Bonfire Night is usually the last service of the year) so get in quick.  

A brewery, taproom and pizzeria on the Hackney Wick canal, Crate Brewery has everything you need to while away an afternoon by the water. After sinking a couple of pints from an approachable list of juicy IPAs, crisp lager and velvety stout, tune in to the alluring aroma of the homemade pizzas. All served on a crispy, thin base, pizza toppings range from the familiar (classic margherita or spicy salami) to the more creative (fragrant dahl with sliced, fresh banana or sweet potato, stilton and walnut). Top tip: get one per person, because no-one will want to share.

For lunch or dinner on the water, hop aboard The Prince Regent and dive into a five-course, seafood-focused menu courtesy of the London Shell Company. What runs the risk of being a gimmicky concept restaurant, is in reality, just great food in a fun setting. Set sail from Paddington Central and journey down Regent’s Canal and through dishes like zingy, briny Dorset estuary rock oysters, delicately braised squid with borlotti beans, and scrape-the-plate-clean crab tortellini with beurre blanc and seaweed. There is also a “static” lunch service during the week.

On the north bank of the Thames in Hammersmith, the pioneering River Cafe celebrated 30 years of serving fine, seasonal Italian dishes, last year. Soak up summer’s swansong evenings in the garden terrace which leads down to the river. On the brink of the seasons, you might find culatello with black figs or wood-roasted pigeon and risotto with courgette flowers: whatever the weather, there’s always the chocolate nemesis for dessert.

Remember when local swimming pool cafés only served limp burger and chips or Nescafé Gold in polystyrene cups? Well, Brockwell’s The Lido Café (at, yes, Brockwell Lido) has significantly raised the bar. Pop in for a post-swim brunch of sobrasada on toast, huevos rancheros or a sharing pan of cinnamon buns with labneh frosting. Sit in the sleek, airy dining room or outside on the terrace. NB: that burger is still on offer, and definitely not limp, upgraded with free-range Longhorn patties and twice-cooked chips.   

Nestled among the chain restaurants overlooking St. Katharine Docks marina is a diamond in the rough. Skip Zizzi’s and head to Emilia’s Crafted Pasta which serves fresh pasta, made daily on site. The specialty from the Genoan-born head chef is, naturally, casarecce tossed through a thick, creamy pesto, but don’t miss the rich walnut sauce with chestnut mushrooms, from the same north west Italian region of Liguria.

Modelled on a Venetian bacaro, Ombra on the Regents Canal in Bethnal Green is a delight. Sure, it’s not beside Venice’s waterways, but why complain when there are smashing negronis, tagliolini with summer truffle (and parmesan, of course) and a whopping ricotta cannolo. Molto bene!

Perched on the edge of the lake in Victoria Park, Pavilion’s domed building slings some of the city’s best pastries, buns and breakfasts. Come the weekend, the benches outside are filled with the hungover and hungry feasting on vegetarian fry-ups, Sri Lankan string hoppers with dahl and stacks of fluffy pancakes. Grab a couple of turmeric buns to go, then walk it off around the park.