Shad Thames is one of the most photographed streets in London, all brick warehouses and iron bridges overhead, and a surprising number of people walk it without finding a drink. Luna is the fix. It sits in a small unit at the Butlers Wharf end, directly opposite Legare, and it gives the cobbles something they have lacked: a proper wine bar with a bottle shop attached.
The Legare lineage
The man behind it is Jay Patel, a former Barrafina manager who built the NinthCollective restaurant group and runs Legare across the street. The kitchen belongs to Matt Beardmore, Legare's co-founder, who came up through Trullo and is now executive chef across the group. Alice Sapieka, Legare's general manager, oversaw the launch. If Legare is the Italian across the road, Luna is the sibling that stays in and reads. It opened in July 2025, in the old Le Pont de la Tour Food Store site.
The room
Compared with Legare, this is a darker, quieter affair. At the announcement the plan was dark wood tones and reclaimed Moroccan zellige tiles underfoot, and the finished room has delivered a warm, candlelit space spread over two small floors, with pale panelled walls and framed prints. A wall of bottles glints over the window tables, and the open kitchen is never more than a few steps away. It is intimate, which is a polite way of saying that you will know your neighbours' order.
Outside, a few terrace tables take the overflow when the weather allows.
What to drink
Patel curates the list himself, and it has been described as closer to the classic London wine-bar institutions than to a natural-wine trend piece. It leans biodynamic and organic, favours producers from outside Italy, and is almost entirely non-natural, chosen for a cleaner taste over cider-sharp acidity. The name nods to lunar cycles and their influence on the vine. Look for Tetramythos, a very dry Greek white, and there is a non-alcoholic Chinotto for anyone driving. Staff will suggest by the glass or bottle, and bottles can be bought to take home.
What to eat
The menu is short, broadly European and changes weekly, so treat any list of dishes as a snapshot. The crisps and the Carlingford oysters topped with finger lime have been described as fixtures. Beyond those, reviews name soft potato rolls, hand-chopped steak tartare on anchovy mayonnaise, Ibérico chorizo alongside manchego, and raw Cornish sea bass, dressed with cherry and tarragon at one visit and pickled kumquat at another. A coffee and tonka bean éclair has closed the meal. The kitchen slices crudo and carpaccio to order, which gives the room its light touch.
Start with the potato rolls and the tartare, then move to whatever the sea bass is wearing that week.
Before you go
Luna opens Tuesday to Saturday. Only some of the tables can be reserved, with the rest kept for walk-ins, so a flexible arrival time is useful. The space is small and the menu rotates, which means the hedge is practical rather than critical: do not set your heart on a particular dish. It is also worth knowing that a Japanese omakase of the same name exists elsewhere in the City, so check the address.
Go for a drink at six, stay for the sea bass, and leave with a bottle under your arm. Luna is the neighbourhood wine bar Shad Thames always needed, even if the neighbourhood is still catching on.
- The vibe
- Candlelit, compact and calm, with the kitchen in view.
- The food
- Weekly-changing European plates: oysters, tartare, potato rolls, raw sea bass.
- The drink
- Biodynamic list from outside Italy, plus a bottle shop to take home.
- A tip
- Some tables bookable, the rest walk-in; open Tuesday to Saturday.
