Opening this summer at Battersea Power Station, The Hero’s Return is an exciting new pub and dining room that celebrates the very best of British food, drink and hospitality. Bringing the spirit of “Best of British, Best of London” to one of the capital’s most iconic riverside destinations, the venue has been thoughtfully designed to honour Battersea’s rich heritage and vibrant local community.
Located on the riverfront next to the Grade II* listed Power Station, The Hero’s Return will bring exceptional British cooking, riverside drinking and local energy to one of the capital’s most iconic destinations, and will become a venue for locals, workers and visitors alike.
Drawing inspiration from Pink Floyd’s legendary Animals album cover, which cemented Battersea Power Station’s status as a global cultural landmark, The Hero’s Return pays homage to the band’s enduring connection with the iconic building. Its name is taken from The Hero’s Return, a track from Pink Floyd’s 1983 album The Final Cut, subtly weaving the site’s musical heritage into a contemporary pub that celebrates timeless British hospitality.
Situated in Circus West Village, the first chapter of the Battersea Power Station regeneration project, the riverside venue will pair the grandeur of the Grade II* listed landmark with a more underground, distinctly South London energy. Part riverside pub, part dining room and part community hub, The Hero’s Return embodies the continued evolution of London’s public house. The most compelling modern pubs are no longer simply places to drink; they are cultural anchors that both reflect and resonate with local communities, spaces where architecture, food, music and atmosphere converge into something deeply local.
The space unfolds across a generous riverfront footprint, with a 40-cover terrace overlooking the Thames – one of the few true waterside pub terraces in central London designed to capture long lunches, sunset pints and late-night spill-outs alike.
Inside, The Hero’s Return channels the atmosphere of the great London pubs: warm timber, low lighting, an open kitchen and roaring fireplaces, alongside proper bar seating and intimate dining corners. These classic elements are delivered with a sharper contemporary edge, reflecting the industrial heritage of the development while creating a welcoming and characterful setting.
Leading the kitchen is Jonathan Woolway, who spent 17 years at St. JOHN working alongside Fergus Henderson and Trevor Gulliver, helping define a generation of modern British cooking. Woolway’s menu at The Hero’s Return will centre on elevated British cooking – ingredient-led, seasonal and deeply rooted in produce and technique. Expect dishes such as grilled mackerel with rainbow chard and horseradish, ox heart with hand-cut chips and peppercorn sauce, and cold roast Gower lamb with celeriac remoulade and pickled walnut.
“The Power Station has always represented something uniquely London,” says Managing Director of Splendid Management Services LTD Toni Morris-Ditty. “Industrial, cultural and deeply iconic. With The Hero’s Return, we’ve created a pub that reflects that same spirit – somewhere with real character, exceptional food and drink, and an atmosphere that keeps people coming back.”
Julia Wilkinson, Restaurant Director at Battersea Power Station Development Company, said: “Battersea Power Station has always been about reinvention and creative energy, and The Hero’s Return captures that spirit perfectly. It’s a concept that is both rooted in London’s pub culture and reflective of the area’s continued evolution, somewhere that will draw people in, quickly become part of the fabric of the neighbourhood and add another distinctive offer to the eclectic mix of shops, bars, restaurants and leisure venues now open at Battersea Power Station.”
For a neighbourhood synonymous with reinvention, The Hero’s Return brings a bold new energy to Battersea Power Station’s riverside.