For Londoners who mourned the closure of The Water House Project, the quick return of Chef Gabriel Waterhouse and his wife Patricia Wakaimba is a cause for celebration. The culinary duo is set to open a new dining venue named ‘Waterhouse’, bringing the flavours of Northumberland to the heart of East London’s Columbia Road.
The new venture encompasses a restaurant, a wine bar, and a garden, situated at 7A Ezra Street in Hackney. Located just off the famous Columbia Road Flower Market, the restaurant is scheduled to open its doors on 6 August 2026, while the wine bar will fully launch later in September. The quick turnaround from the closure of their previous restaurant in June 2026 to the opening of Waterhouse demonstrates the duo’s commitment to the London dining scene.
An Intimate Dining Experience
The restaurant will offer an intimate dining experience, seating just 24 guests in a space that formerly served as a potter’s studio. The venue comes complete with an open kitchen, allowing diners to observe the culinary process firsthand. This new establishment serves as a follow-up to their highly regarded previous restaurant, The Water House Project, which closed following the end of its lease.
The culinary focus will be on Northumbrian and Scottish produce, featuring high-quality ingredients sourced from across the UK. The on-site garden will provide fresh herbs and wild flowers for the dishes, adding a touch of nature to the urban setting. The new venue promises a more intimate, refined experience in a historic Victorian warehouse setting.
Menu and Pricing
Diners can expect a refined tasting menu that highlights the best of British produce. The restaurant will offer two distinct dining options for guests to choose from, catering to both lunch and dinner services.
- An 11-course dinner menu with five wine pairings, priced at £125.
- An 8-course lunch menu with four wine pairings, priced at £75.
The menu will feature premium ingredients such as Lindisfarne oysters, hand-dived scallops, and Lake District Herdwick hogget. The focus on high-quality, regionally sourced produce is expected to be a major draw for food enthusiasts in the capital, offering a taste of the countryside in the heart of East London.
A New Chapter for Hackney
The opening of Waterhouse marks a new chapter for the vibrant Hackney dining scene. The area has long been a hub for innovative culinary ventures, and the addition of a new venue from the team behind The Water House Project is sure to be welcomed by locals and visitors alike. The location near Columbia Road Flower Market makes it an ideal spot for a weekend meal.
For those looking to explore more of the capital’s culinary offerings, the Michelin Guide recently added four London restaurants, highlighting the city’s diverse and thriving food scene. Additionally, the Borough Market favourite Camille is set to open a second venue in Farringdon, further expanding the options for discerning diners.
With its focus on high-quality ingredients, intimate setting, and prime location near Columbia Road, Waterhouse is poised to become a standout destination for food lovers in East London. The restaurant’s opening on 6 August is highly anticipated, and reservations are expected to fill up quickly as diners look to experience the next chapter of Gabriel Waterhouse’s culinary journey.
For more details on the opening, you can read the announcement of the new restaurant or check out the coverage of the reopening.
