– Dockworks Waterfront, an independent 7,000-sq ft canalside dining and event venue in Brierley Hill, Dudley, reveals opening date of Friday 27 February 2026
– Masterchef Professionals champion Dan Lee is the first of seven culinary creators confirmed for week one of the new Digbeth Dining Club (DDC) space
– Up to 50 new hospitality jobs will be created as part of DDC’s investment which is expected to deliver a boost to the region’s dining, hospitality, music sectors
– Cat Eccles, MP for Stourbridge, welcomes opening announcement, describing the arrival of Dockworks as ‘a major vote of confidence in the Black Country’
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Dockworks Waterfront, the new canalside food and events venue from Digbeth Dining Club, will open to the public at midday on Friday 27 February 2026.
The 7,000 square foot former steelworks site in Brierley Hill, Dudley has been reimagined with a £500,000 refit in preparation of hosting the UK’s most exciting street food brands alongside regular cultural programmes.
In recognition of the constantly evolving nature of hospitality, the independent venue – which has a combined capacity of 650 – has committed to opening in ‘development mode’, inviting visitors along with local businesses and partners to help shape the Dockworks offering.
The opening date announcement comes after months of intensive specialist construction, engineering, and design work to ready the space, previously empty for 15 years.
In addition to an indoor two-room main space, the new development will feature a crescent shaped food trader court and seating set against the post-industrial wharf side charm of Dudley Canal Marina.
DDC’s latest venture will sit alongside existing hospitality, leisure, and NTE businesses in the Waterfront, and count West Midlands Ambulance Service and Merry Hill Shopping Centre amongst their neighbours.
The Dockworks Waterfront announcement also follows a series of high profile 2025 DDC events across Dudley, including at Himley Hall and the Black Country Living Museum, and is a further commitment of the business’ approach to regional regeneration through investment with further DDC x Black Country announcements imminent.
Cat Eccles, MP for Stourbridge and vocal supporter of hospitality in the region, said: “The arrival of Dockworks Waterfront represents a major vote of confidence in the Black Country, as well as a clear sign that hospitality businesses are still at the heart of our communities.
“The social, economic, and cultural benefits of investment in local dining, leisure and NTE are well proven.
“We hope this latest addition to Dudley’s business ecosystem acts as a ‘game-changing’ catalyst, attracting more visitors, boosting our vibrant nightlife, and highlighting the West Midlands as an attractive place to live, work, and visit.”
The new DDC space will offer live music, comedy nights, quizzes, sports screenings, independent markets and other events similar to those presented at its Birmingham venue Herbert’s Yard, Longbridge as well as the business’ previous successful project Hockley Social Club.
Dockworks Waterfront will feature up to seven street food traders, with a regularly rotating line-up of businesses drawn from DDC’s pool of culinary talent.
Jack Brabant, co-founder and director of Digbeth Dining Club, said “Dockworks means so much more to us than opening a new venue. It’s about us bringing back a long-forgotten but important site and filling it with good food, good people, and good times.
“We’re also focussed on making the most of this opportunity to redefine how a destination venue can be designed for, and with, the community it serves.
“DDC has always sought to push creative boundaries, and this project has allowed us the space to bring our energy and expertise to the waterfront in a really exciting way
“We encourage all fans of casual dining and social experiences to join us and help us to shape this new community venue.”
Dockworks Waterfront will open at 1200 on Friday 27 February 2026.
Visit the DDC website here or follow DDC on social media for updates.