There's a particular kind of joy in stumbling onto a restaurant you know nothing about and having it completely surprise you.
That's exactly what happened at The Melusine in St Katharine Docks. I sat down right on the marina, watched the light bounce off the water, and by the time the seafood platter arrived, I already knew this was going to be a favourite!
Today, DOYOUSPEAKLONDON brings you to one of London’s most delicious waterside spots: The Melusine!
Inside The Melusine: fresh seafood and a menu that follows the catch
The Melusine opened in 2020, right in the middle of Ivory House, the grade II-listed warehouse that anchors St Katharine Docks.
The name comes from a mermaid-like spirit in European folklore, a fitting choice for a restaurant built entirely around the sea and what it brings in each day.
Behind it are Theodore Kyriakou, the chef who co-founded The Greek Larder, and his team, who built the concept around one simple idea: seafood should follow the catch, not a fixed menu.
That's why the dishes here change very regularly. What you eat on a Tuesday might not exist by Friday, depending on what came in from the British coast that morning.
You can choose to sit outside and admire the view, or eat inside
It's a small restaurant, roughly 40 seats inside, with more room outside when the weather allows. Intimate rather than flashy, which suits the food perfectly!
What makes The Melusine so special
The first thing that gets you is the location
St Katharine Docks is genuinely one of my favourite corners of London: a proper working marina tucked right beside Tower Bridge, yet somehow feeling like a little escape from the city.
Then there's the menu itself
Everything revolves around sustainably caught British seafood, cooked with a distinctly Mediterranean hand.
The seafood platter is the dish people come back for, and rightly so. We tried it between two and honestly, it was every bit as good as we’d hoped.
Oysters, Scottish langoustine, cod cheeks, scallops, prawns, grilled fish and mussels… an incredible variety of seafood, with every single bite perfectly cooked and seasoned to perfection!
The ingredients tasted incredibly fresh, with delicious flavours running through every bite. The staff also took the time to talk us through what was on the platter, which made the whole experience even more enjoyable.
We loved every single bite and, if I’m honest, I’m still salivating just thinking about it!
Beyond the platter, we also tried the grilled octopus tentacle with fava, the roasted beetroots with apricot and sweet corn relish, and the Italian cuore del Vesuvio tomato salad with melon and soft feta.
All three were combinations we never would've thought to put together ourselves, and all three worked beautifully. The octopus was tender with just the right smokiness from the grill, the beetroot and apricot pairing had this lovely sweet-savoury balance, and the tomato and melon salad felt like the most refreshing bite of the whole meal. Nothing here feels like a safe choice, and that's exactly the appeal.
There's a happy hour too, oysters for £1.25 between 3pm and 6pm, which is one of the better-kept secrets in this part of London!
Staff explain each dish properly rather than reading off a script, and you can tell they're genuinely passionate about what they do. That matters more than people think in a seafood restaurant where half the menu changes regularly.
Why The Melusine is worth a spot on your London list
There's no shortage of seafood restaurants in London. What sets The Melusine apart is how unforced the whole experience feels.
A true love for good food
Nothing here is trying to be Instagram bait, even though it ends up looking gorgeous anyway, especially with St Katharine Docks marina as the backdrop.
But the people behind The Melusine are genuinely passionate about good food and fresh ingredients, not about chasing a trend. We got to speak with the chef during our visit, and his passion for what he does was obvious in every word.
A gorgeous setting for a date
It works as a proper date night spot: golden light, quiet enough to talk, dramatic enough with that dockside view to feel like an occasion.
It also works if you simply want excellent fish without paying central London prices for a table with no view at all.
An evolving and original menu
And because the menu shifts with the catch, it's genuinely worth returning to. The combinations are original and unexpected, too, making it feel very different from your usual seafood menu.
You won't have the same meal twice, which is rare in a city where menus tend to stay fixed for years!
Feeling inspired? If you're planning a visit to The Melusine, I'd love to hear about your experience on DOYOUSPEAKLONDON!
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Everything you need to know about The Melusine:
Address: Unit K, Ivory House, East Smithfield, St Katharine Docks, London E1W 1AT
Tickets: No tickets needed, booking recommended via the website or OpenTable
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 12:00pm–10:30pm | Sunday, 12:00pm–9:30pm
Website: themelusine.co.uk
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I was invited to enjoy dinner at The Melusine as a guest. As always, all opinions are entirely my own. A special thank you to Rodrigo, Giusi, Salvo and Rita for looking after us and making the whole evening feel so welcoming.
