Barge East: Sustainable Dining Meets Innovation

By Anais Mardirosian (4/13/25) — London, UK

Located in Hackney Wick, just along the Regent’s Canal, is a quaint, evergreen-colored flat-bottom boat. This rustic floating restaurant, called Barge East, is more than just a picturesque dining spot – it’s a sustainability success story afloat. This 125-year-old Dutch barge, which made its journey all the way from Holland, is committed to nurturing the canal’s once neglected environment and giving back to the community by locally sourcing ingredients from nearby independent suppliers. In addition to its restaurant operations, the company has invested in a fleet of zero-emission vehicles to help reduce its carbon footprint beyond the kitchen. 

Branching out from the boat, Barge East extends its sustainable mission with a second dining space set with its permaculture garden, right alongside the canal. Complete with its garden-to-plate exclusive menu, Barge East Gardens incorporates eco-friendly practices at every turn by sourcing from their community garden. Here, diners can have a meal sitting at wooden picnic tables surrounded by lush foliage, fruits, and vegetables. Featuring over 57 different types of plants and produce, Barge East’s Executive Chef, Stefano Camplone, crafts new menus every week and handpicks the season’s crops to incorporate into dishes. With low-waste cooking and intentionally picking the freshest in-season ingredients, Barge East ensures that customers will have a healthy, green-friendly dining experience. Recently, the Gardens also introduced composting as a way of recycling kitchen waste and produce scraps, creating a truly circular kitchen model.

Barge East Gardens

Each menu item – and even the drinks – highlights a unique herb or vegetable straight from their garden. One of the menu items that my friends and I ordered on our night out was a decadent glazed aubergine with seared mushroom and cashew cream sauce, topped with crispy kale straight from the garden. Menu items are marked with handy symbols to indicate if they’re vegan, gluten-free, or vegetarian, and other symbols are marked with a bold “Z” to show they were made with zero waste. This small but powerful detail surprised me – showing me just how much thought and care had gone into making each meal not only delicious but deeply intentional. We paired it with warm, doughy, soft focaccia and smoked, herby butter – simple, yet unforgettable. And the best part? It was all rooted in sustainability. 

Glazed aubergine; Potato gnocchi with peas, broad beans, and wild garlic; Herb-fed stuffed chicken with potato terrine

Yet, there’s a reality that we couldn’t ignore: sustainability comes at a cost – for the customer.

My friend Aimee, a liberal studies freshman at NYU, said it best: “The restaurant was gorgeous, and I appreciated their commitment to environmental sustainability. However, as a college student living on a budget, it was too expensive to frequent regularly.” She’s right – the final bill for our dinner turned out to be noticeably pricier than most of the other meals I’ve had in the city. It led me to wonder: Is sustainability becoming a luxury? Is it unintentionally excluding individuals who care but simply can’t or are unwilling to pay the high price to show it?

Still, it is hard to deny that the experience was ultimately worth it. With restaurants now able to receive a green star for upholding high sustainability standards, consumers are starting to become more environmentally conscious despite the higher expense. According to Open Table, 66% of consumers are willing to pay for something more expensive because it is environmentally friendly – a clear sign that consumer habits are shifting to support planet initiatives. 

The barge has won more than a couple of food and sustainability awards, but despite its accolades, Barge East strives to become entirely zero-waste, create more jobs in the Olympic Park area, and continue their charitable efforts like donating ready-made meals to Londoners in need. Their mission goes far beyond a delicious night out, leaving customers with a full belly and a peaceful conscience – knowing that their money went to a good cause. Barge East is another example of businesses creating a future where sustainability and accessibility can coexist – on land, on water, and in every bite.

Entrance to Barge East floating restaurant

References

“Barge East- Floating Bar & Kitchen in Hackney Wick.” n.d. Barge East. https://www.bargeeast.com/.

Manning, Joy. 2023. “Sustainable Restaurants: Why People Will Pay a Premium.” OpenTable Resources. March 20. https://www.opentable.com/restaurant-solutions/resources/sustainable-restaurants-premium/.