Sri Lankan sensation Isso Prawn Crazy opens first overseas restaurant in London’s Canary Wharf

Isso Prawn Crazy, the cult Colombo seafood favourite, opened its first site outside Sri Lanka in Canary Wharf, east London, on Wednesday 6^th August 2025, bringing the brand’s prawn-focused, build-your-own-dish format to the UK as part of a wider international expansion.

The business was founded in Colombo in 2016 by entrepreneur Apinash Sivagumaaran, starting as a 16-seat restaurant built around the country’s prawns and a menu intended to be affordable and flavour-driven. In the years since, the company has opened several restaurants across Sri Lanka. The London opening is its first venture abroad, occupying a 90-seat site in Canary Wharf.

The name Isso comes from the Sinhala word for prawn, and the menu is structured around the ingredient. According to the company, prawns are sourced directly from fishing communities in northern Sri Lanka.

Diners assemble their own dish from three components. The first is the prawn base, with a choice of black tiger prawns, flower prawns, giant freshwater prawns or colossal freshwater prawns. This is paired with one of the restaurant’s sauces, which include kithul infused with garlic and chilli, hot butter, Sri Lankan turmeric coconut curry, Jaffna curry and Negombo curry. The third element is a carrier or side, with options of ghee rice, curry leaf and garlic rice, or parotta.

Beyond the customisable format, the menu includes isso wade, coconut crumbed prawns, cuttlefish fritto and vegetable pakora, among other dishes, offering options for diners who do not want prawns as a main component.

The drinks list covers classic and signature cocktails, wines, beers and spirits, along with non-alcoholic options including lemonades and iced tea, as well as what the company describes as heritage Colombo pours.

The bar programme also has a guest residency this month. Zephyr Ceylon, recognised by Condé Nast Traveller as one of the best bars in Sri Lanka, is bringing its signature south coast spirit to Isso Prawn Crazy for two special nights on 20^th and 22^nd August, when guests will be able to try five exclusive cocktails masterminded by the Zephyr team alongside the restaurant’s food. Among them are the Zephyr Sour, the Tropical Negroni and the Jackfruit Brandy.

The Canary Wharf location places the restaurant in one of London’s principal business districts, an area that has seen substantial growth in its food and drink offering in recent years as the estate’s operators have sought to broaden its appeal beyond weekday office trade. That shift has drawn a number of independent and international operators to the area, alongside established chains.

Sri Lanka’s restaurant sector has expanded internationally in recent years, with a number of Colombo-based operators looking to markets in the Gulf, south-east Asia and Europe. London, with its large South Asian diaspora and established appetite for regional cuisines, has become a common first stop for such brands, though the capital’s competitive restaurant market and high operating costs have proved challenging for some newcomers.

Food Desk

To book a table at Isso Prawn Crazy, 25 Cabot Square, Canary Wharf Estate, London E14 4QA, visit their website here. The restaurant opens from 11am daily, closing at 10pm from Monday to Friday and at 11pm on Saturdays and Sundays. The Zephyr Ceylon cocktail takeover runs on 20^th and 22^nd August.