Our Yummy Collection will launch venue at Chancellor Passage beside Eden Dock in September 2026, championing food and drink
Subscribe to our free Wharf Whispers newsletter here
“It’s going to be called The Tallyman,” said Anthony Pender, founder of Our Yummy Collection, as the business prepares to open a pub in Canary Wharf.
“Before the towers this was all docks, loading and unloading cargo.
“At the heart of that operation there was a person whose job it was to keep track of the stock going onto and coming off the boats.
“It’s a role that goes back hundreds of years.
“The captains of the ships, the customs officers and the workers all trusted the tallyman.
“The dockers got paid by how much they’d loaded or unloaded so it was his job to make sure they received fair wages.
“His role was to be an honest person in a noisy world.
“Although that job no longer exits here, it felt like an appropriate name for a proper pub, which should have that kind of honesty and authenticity about it.”
something ‘a bit more daring’
Set to open on September 10, 2026, The Tallyman is currently being fitted out to serve customers.
Located in Chancellor Passage it will fill the spaces left by the relocation of the Post Office and the closure of Grateful Kitchen – transforming the long low structure beneath the DLR with its southern tip overlooking Eden Dock.
Canary Wharf hasn’t been without pubs over the years – The Henry Addington just around the corner from the new venue continues to do a brisk trade, as does The Gun, a little way off the estate to the west.
However, traditional venues have closed locally without being replaced – notably The Cat And Canary and it’s craft beer-focused successor The Merchant.
A little further south on the Isle Of Dogs, The North Pole and The City Pride were also lost to property development, although the former may well make a comeback.
None of this, however, has deterred Anthony.
After a spell working for Carlsberg, he went into business with two friends and spent 15 years running pubs as they successfully strived to establish food-led venues in the wake of the smoking ban.
After taking sole charge, Anthony turned Yummy’s focus to London and currently operates The Somers Town Coffee House near Euston, The Victoria near Mile End and a seafood restaurant called Faber in Hammersmith.
“We wanted to go for it a bit more, to be daring,” he said.
“We thought there were areas of London that needed pubs again.
“The costs are challenging, but there’s demand – our venues are busy and each one is fiercely independent.
“We’re not a chain, just a collection of autonomous people working together.
“We don’t have a mission statement or anything like that – our one mantra is to be authentic in what we’re doing.
“I started working in hospitality while I was at university – pot washing, bar tending, it was a real mixture.
“Then I started organising events in some of the nightclubs in Bristol and absolutely loved it.
“I saw the opportunity to offer good food in pubs and that’s what led us to open that first venue near Lingfield Racecourse.
“The reason we’re here is that Canary Wharf Group approached us as they were looking to introduce another pub on the estate. I saw the space next to the dock and loved it.
“CWG has been phenomenally supportive.
“If I come here and see a really eclectic mix of people in here then we’ll have done our job.
“This should be a place for local residents, students, teachers, people working in the offices and visitors to the area.
“I’d love it to be a diverse crowd all getting on with each other – for us it’s about longevity, not being a flash in the pan.”
a traditional aesthetic
Visitors to The Tallyman will find themselves in an environment that whole-heartedly embraces a classic pub aesthetic, albeit with all the modern touches you’d expect.
There will be much wooden panelling, low cast lighting, a grand fireplace and even a piano.
“Firstly, we’re a pub, so there won’t be a concierge desk,” said Anthony.
“People will go to the bar, buy their drinks and then choose their seats.
“Of course, if you want to be served at the table then we’ll look after you all night, but we also want people standing at the bar and meeting each other.
“It should be a little oasis, somewhere you can come to forget about politics, the world and work and just relax.
“There won’t be clocks on the walls to remind you that you should be back at work.
“We’ll have a fantastic outside area that’s a sun trap during the day.
“That will, like all good east London pubs, have a seafood shack, although we’ll be serving lobster rolls, oysters and affordable caviar rather than crab sticks and jellied eels.
“We’ll have a dining room in the back of the venue where we’ll serve an a la carte menu with classics such as burgers, pies, fish and chips and game.
“We’re even toying with the idea of pork scratchings topped with caviar – it really works.
“We’ll have specials and snacks in the bar too, always aiming to serve constantly evolving British fare.”
quiz nights and live music
The Tallyman won’t have screens, as Anthony said Yummy’s pubs were primarily “about conversation and having a good time”.
There will, however be occasional live music as well as quiz nights when things are fully up and running.
“All of our pubs have their own identities and the people running them have the power to make their own decisions,” said Anthony.
“For example, we do stock some drinks in all locations but others are particular to the local market.
“One of the things I think is ready to make a come-back is cask ale.
“Everyone’s talking about Guinness at the moment, which is a great product, but interest will probably wane and ale will be there to take its place.
“I saw recently that they’re bringing Boddington’s back, but only on cask and we’re going to give that a go.
“The reason some of these brands have survived 300 years is because they’re really good products but in recent years the beer hasn’t been stored or distributed well so we’ll really be focusing on that.
“You have to look after those casks every day.”
key details: The Tallyman
The Tallyman is set to open to the public on September 10, 2026, at Chancellor Passage in Canary Wharf.
A ballot is currently in operation here for tickets to the launch event.
Find out more about the pub here
Read more: Discover the extraordinary maps and prints at Frontispiece
Read Wharf Life’s e-edition here
Subscribe to our free Wharf Whispers newsletter here
