Skuna Igloo Boats Review: Is the Floating Fondue Experience Worth It?

London has no shortage of unusual dining experiences, but the Skuna Igloo Boats at West India Quay occupy a category largely their own. The concept is straightforward: a small heated transparent pod, suspended over the water, with a fondue set in the middle and views of Canary Wharf’s glass towers reflected in the dock below. I booked on a whim for a winter evening and came away with one of the more memorable meals I have had in the capital.

What Is the Skuna Igloo Boat Experience?

Each igloo boat is a small, dome-shaped pod seating between two and six people, moored along the dock at West India Quay. The pods are heated and enclosed, which makes them genuinely comfortable even in January, and the transparent sides give you uninterrupted views of the waterfront and the Canary Wharf skyline. The centrepiece is the fondue — cheese or chocolate, depending on whether you are there for dinner or dessert — served with bread, vegetables and accompaniments that keep arriving as long as you keep ordering.

The experience lasts ninety minutes, which sounds short but feels about right. Fondue is a sociable meal by nature — slow, conversational, requiring patience — and ninety minutes of it in a heated bubble on the water is genuinely pleasant rather than rushed.

Getting There

Skuna Boats is moored at West India Quay, in the Docklands area of east London. The easiest route from central London is the Jubilee Line to Canary Wharf station, then a short walk along the waterfront, or the DLR to West India Quay station, which deposits you almost directly outside. The walk along the dock from either station takes no more than five minutes and is pleasant in itself — the regenerated Docklands waterfront has a scale and drama that feels distinctly un-London.

Arrive ten to fifteen minutes before your booking. The pods are assigned on arrival and the experience starts promptly; late arrivals cut into their own time rather than anyone else’s.

The Food: Honest Assessment

The fondue itself is competently made and generously portioned. The cheese fondue — a blend of Gruyere and Emmental with a splash of white wine — is exactly what it should be: rich, smooth and dangerously easy to eat too much of. The accompaniments (cubed bread, new potatoes, cornichons, cured meats) are decent quality and plentiful. The chocolate fondue, which I tried on a second visit with a friend who does not eat cheese, was excellent — dark chocolate with a good depth of flavour, served with strawberries, marshmallows and brownie pieces.

The wine list is short but reasonable. The mulled wine, available in winter, is very good and pairs well with the cheese fondue in the way that warming drinks and melted cheese tend to pair well in cold weather.

Is It Worth It?

The honest answer is: yes, with managed expectations. This is not a Michelin-starred dining experience; it is a fun, atmospheric, social occasion that happens to involve good fondue on the water in London. The setting does most of the work — the Canary Wharf skyline at night, the reflections in the dock, the novelty of eating in a heated bubble — and the food is good enough to carry its share of the experience.

For a date, a birthday dinner, a pre-Christmas outing with friends, or any occasion where the atmosphere matters as much as the food, it earns its reputation. For a serious food-focused evening where the cooking is the main event, there are better options in London.

Prices are mid-to-high range for London dining — expect to pay around £50-70 per person including drinks. Book well in advance, particularly for weekends and the November-January peak season; the pods are popular and the booking slots fill up weeks ahead.

Practical Information

• Location: West India Quay, Canary Wharf, London E14
• Getting there: DLR to West India Quay (2 min walk) or Jubilee Line to Canary Wharf (8 min walk)
• Duration: 90 minutes per session
• Best time to visit: October to February for the full winter atmosphere
• Booking: Advance booking essential — check the official Skuna Boats website
• Dress code: Smart casual; the pods are heated so heavy coats are not needed inside

Exploring more of Europe? Read our guide to the best places to visit in Spain and our Paris travel guide for more European experiences worth planning around.