Caravan’s new 333-cover restaurant spans two floors, with three distinct dining spaces, an open kitchen, two bars, an upstairs lounge and private dining room and a 40-cover terrace overlooking the Hayward Gallery. Open from 8am until
10:30pm, seven days a week, it will take Caravan from breakfast and coffee through to dinner and cocktails.
A NEW HOME FOR CARAVAN COCKTAILS
Southbank marks a new chapter for Caravan, putting cocktails and the bar experience at the heart of the restaurant.
At the ground-floor Circle Bar, taking pride of place is a new Champagne Tap Tower, pouring a ‘Champagne’ Paloma (amongst others),
straight from the tap. Alongside them are Caravan favourites including the
Chef’s Margarita and Pomegroni, plus a Southbank-exclusive flight of mini martinis: the
Gilda-tini, Toma-tini and Kombu-tini.
A new menu of bar bites completes the line-up, making the Circle Bar a real destination, whether dropping in for after-work drinks, celebrating an occasion or simply enjoying dinner by the River Thames.
A MENU FROM MORNING TO NIGHT
The menus follow Caravan’s well-travelled ethos, drawing on the founders’ travels and seasonal ingredients across breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner.
The new dinner menu starts with a new collection of one-Bites designed to arrive alongside the first round of cocktails, from the Gilda and
Arancino to White Crab on Brioche Toast. From there, Small Plates include
Charred Oyster Mushroom skewers, Moo Ping pork meatball skewers and
Cod Dumplings.
For the table, there’s the new Sage & Onion Cornbread, a twist on the Caravan classic, followed by Large Plates including the new
Dedham Vale Ribeye Steak, Rigatoni and Chicken Schnitzel. Joining the dinner menu across all Caravan locations this autumn, the dishes will be available at the Southbank Centre from opening.
Caravan’s slow-fermented sourdough pizzas are also on the menu, including a new plant-based
Miso-Roasted Portobello Mushroom Pizza.
Set menus will be available for groups and special occasions from January, along with a prix-fixe designed for pre-theatre visitors.
Coffee remains at the heart of the restaurant throughout the day, with Caravan’s HOUSE blend, roasted at its North London roastery alongside Single Origin rotations and a programme of feature coffees.
DESIGNED UNDER THE ARCHES
Set within two reconstructed railway arches overlooking the Hayward Gallery, Caravan Southbank takes its cues from the Southbank Centre’s Brutalist architecture, softening the concrete surroundings with clay, cork, wool and timber.
Designed by London architecture and design studio, BOX 9, the restaurant makes use of materials that might otherwise have been discarded, with a warm palette of sand, burnt yellow and russet running throughout the space.
MORE TO COME IN 2027
Caravan Southbank won’t stop at opening day. In January 2027, Caravan will unveil more of the site, including:
The Klink at Caravan Southbank, a street-facing takeaway coffee and cocktail hatch built directly into the archway
A 40-cover outdoor terrace, covered for year-round dining
A 24-40 cover mezzanine cocktail lounge and events space, with private bar and DJ booth
An intimate 18-cover private dining room overlooking the Hayward Gallery
Laura Harper-Hinton, Co-Founder & CEO at Caravan, said: “Caravan Southbank is a special moment for us and we couldn’t think of a more iconic place to open a restaurant. Southbank Centre brings together food, culture and creativity like nowhere else
in London, and the space gives us room to try things we’ve never done before, from a Champagne Tap Tower to The Klink, our first takeaway coffee and cocktail hatch.”
Rebecca Brindle, Head of Commercial at the Southbank Centre, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Caravan to the Southbank Centre. Their all-day approach to food, coffee and hospitality makes them a natural fit for our unique cultural setting and the
wide range of visitors who come here throughout the day.”
Caravan was founded on Exmouth Market in 2010 by New Zealanders Laura Harper-Hinton, Chris Ammermann and Miles Kirby. Sixteen years on, this new opening brings its portfolio to ten restaurants across London and Manchester and its own North London roastery.
