Dining
The 6 Best Restaurants near The O2
Dinner within sight of the arena's white spikes, from Rio-style grills to a Michelin-adjacent Indian tasting menu.
In short: our top picks are Kinaara, Gaucho and Cabana. 6 places in total, chosen on merit, with the full reasoning below.
Eating around the O2 means eating for a schedule, most tables fill an hour before doors and empty within twenty minutes of the encore. The Icon Outlet and Peninsula Square cluster keeps everything within a few hundred metres of North Greenwich station, so there is little reason to wander further before a gig. Anyone tempted by Greenwich town centre should know it is a fifteen to twenty minute walk from here, so this list sticks to what is genuinely on the doorstep. The InterContinental’s two restaurants are the only places worth booking ahead rather than turning up.
| Place | Area | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Kinaara | InterContinental London, The O2 | ££££ |
| Gaucho | Piccadilly | £££ |
| Cabana | Covent Garden | ££ |
| The Dial, Home of Meantime | Peninsula Square | ££ |
| PizzaExpress | Inside The O2 | ££ |
| Canteen Food Hall & Bar | Design District | ££ |
-
Editor’s choice
Kinaara
Why we pick itTwo AA rosettes and Thames views make this the special-occasion pick two minutes from the O2's riverside entrance.
contemporary Indian fine dining
-
Gaucho
Why we pick itA three-floor steakhouse built into the O2 itself, so it is a straight lift ride from the arena doors before a show.
Worth knowingOutside the set menus the à la carte feels steep for what arrives, and sides are charged separately and add up faster than expected.
Argentine steak restaurant
-
Cabana
Why we pick itA Rio-inspired grill sat directly opposite the arena entrance, roughly a two-minute walk from North Greenwich station.
Worth knowingChosen for atmosphere and value rather than precision cooking: quality varies between branches, and service dips when the room fills on weekend evenings.
Brazilian churrasco grill
-
The Dial, Home of Meantime
Why we pick itMeantime's own microbrewery pours straight from tank to tap on a circular three-floor site right on Peninsula Square.
British gastropub and brewery
-
PizzaExpress
Why we pick itA glass-fronted branch right by the O2's cinema, an easy fallback if a group cannot agree on cuisine before a gig.
family-friendly pizza
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Canteen Food Hall & Bar
Why we pick itA one-minute walk from North Greenwich station, useful when a group wants Caribbean, Japanese and Mexican food under one roof.
street food hall
Before you book
North Greenwich station (Jubilee line) sits at the centre of everything, so nowhere on this list is more than an eight-minute walk from the platforms. Book Kinaara and Gaucho ahead of any O2 event, both fill with pre-show diners from around 5.30pm; the rest take walk-ins but expect a wait within the hour before doors open. Canteen and The Dial are the better bets for a group that cannot agree on one cuisine or one booking time.
Common questions
What are the top picks in this guide?
Kinaara is our editor's choice: Two AA rosettes and Thames views make this the special-occasion pick two minutes from the O2's riverside entrance. Kinaara, Gaucho and Cabana lead the guide, with 6 places in total, all chosen on merit.
How does Lamplit London choose its recommendations?
Every place is chosen on merit, after first-hand visits where possible, with no pay-for-placement. Read our full method at https://www.lamplitlondon.com/how-we-choose/.
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