Best bars in Docklands

With ‘not a straight floor, and hardly a straight line’ in its whole constitution (as Dickens put it in Our Mutual Friend), The Grapes has ‘olde-worlde’ charm in spades (as Dickens didn’t put it). It’s a real pleasure to introduce friends and out-of-town visitors to this diminutive and refreshingly child- and telly-free riverside boozer – a matchless, vintage ‘London’ setting for a pint (Adnams Bitter, Landlord or London Glory, say) or a glass of wine and a lunchtime sarnie.

Bar meals of devilled whitebait, curry or prawn salad are served downstairs, with classic grills and old-school seafood dishes on the menu in the petite fish restaurant upstairs (think dressed crab, potted shrimps, whole plaice and so on). One for the traditionalists.

Waving a £50 note while standing three-deep at the bar may be the norm elsewhere on the Wharf, but at the Marriott’s Manhattan lounge, standards are more ‘five star’. The vibe is comfortably a step up from ‘downtown’, all the better for a business drink or relaxed rendezvous. Manhattan’s design fits the bill perfectly with its clean lines, polished wood, leather chairs and generously spaced tables. As one would expect of an international hotel brand, the bar menu runs the gamut from afternoon tea to burgers, club sandwiches or black cod with miso, while the bartender can pull a quick espresso as easily as talking you through the single malts and Cognacs on offer. Five versions of Manhattan (dry, Latin and ‘perfect’ among them) naturally call the shots on the extensive cocktail list.

Serving up high glamour among all that bamboo and polished wood, Roka is the antithesis of a modest Japanese restaurant – and that makes it a natural victor among Canary Wharf’s suited-and-booted client-friendly offerings. Readers love the ambience created by a boisterous, enthusiastic crowd, not to mention the “very attentive service” and consistently top-notch food. The bar specialises in shochu (you can even keep a personalised jar for repeat visits), and there’s a terrace too, but the restaurant would argue that the heart of the operation is the robata grill with its line-up of fire-licked specialities such as sweet potato baked in a bamboo husk or baby back ribs in a spiced ‘master stock’ glaze. Elsewhere, you’ll find well-made modern-day sushi and sashimi, “wonderfully delicious” snacks (black cod, crab and crayfish dumplings, say), and specialities such as cedar-roast baby chicken. If you’re here outside the working week, try the all-inclusive koten brunch.