Stay in the loop…
Sign up to our drops & get us in your inbox.
We’ll be in your inbox every Wednesday at 11:30am.
Put the kettle on!
Best Pop-Ups In London
From one-day-only immersive experiences to the coolest restaurant collabs, never miss one of these one-off wonders ever again. This is our up-to-the-minute guide to the best London pop-ups to check out.
The London pop-up scene has completely changed over the last few years, going from people taking over an empty shop to test the waters of running a physical space to brands creating totally immersive and incredibly detailed mini-worlds. Lots of the pop-ups that appear in the capital are seasonal, with rooftop bars and outdoor cinemas appearing in the summer. Food pop-ups in London have always been popular, with lots of chefs running restaurant residencies before going out on their own, and these usually last a while so you have plenty of time to check them out. Other London pop-ups open in the blink of an eye though, so it pays to keep your eyes peeled as you walk around the city.
Given their transient nature, keeping track of pop-ups in London can be tricky – some of them are only around for a day – so we’re here to bring you the best pop-ups in London today, the best free pop-ups in London and all the food pop-ups in London that are coming your way.
Drink Champagne and Eat Hotdogs at Bubbledogs
10th May - 29th September 2024
45 Park Lane, Park Lane, London
Not your typical hotdog joint, Bubbledogs is returning with a pop-up at 45 Park Lane’s terrace this summer to serve up a menu of gourmet hotdogs and Champagnes to match. The dogs on the menu are made with only the top quality ingredients (from The Franconian Sausage Company) and include the likes of the ‘Native Dog’ (native lobster tempura, Marie rose sauce & beluga caviar), ‘The Kagoshima’ (A5 Wagyu striploin, Japanese mayo & shaved summer truffle) and the ‘Fourth of July’ (spicy BBQ sauce, coleslaw & crispy bacon). Other bits on the menu include tater tots spiced with Japanese togarashi, mac & cheese and Bubbledogs’ signature Buffalo Chicken Wings. And that’ll all be paired with a selection of grower Champagnes – because why the hell not.
It’s not summer in London without a BBQ pop-up from Jimmy Garcia, so he’s bringing his BBQ Club back to the South Bank. The club is serving up a six-course menu, including dishes like asparagus with ajo blanco, confit garlic, smoked almonds and smoked Licolnshire Poacher; maple smoked rainbow trout with squid ink tartare sauce, samphire, potato crisps and peas; and chermoula lamb leg shish, wild garlic sauce, pickles, preserved lemon labneh and confit garlic flatbread, with at least one element of each course coming from the Big Green Eggs on each table. If you’re after something a little more casual, the club’s two bars, rooftop terrace and garden patches will be offering a street food menu featuring burgers, lamb kebabs, falafel wraps, blistered tomatoes and loaded fries, so you can just walk up, grab your goods and find a sunny spot to sit in.
Chet's Is Hosting a Kerbside Pizza Party
1st & 8th June 2024
65 Shepherd's Bush Green, London W12 8QE
Chet’s in Shepherd’s Bush is bringing in some friends for a mega pizza party this June, blending its Thai-Americana flavours with some of the best dough in town. South London’s Dinner for One Hundred will be up first on 1st June, with Vincenzo’s from Bushey taking over the Gozney ovens on 8th June. There’ll be toppings like mu ping pork neck and SangSom caramelised pineapple pizzas, Chet’s Thai full moon party buckets, and hopefully some summer sun on beaming down on the front patio. Tickets for the Kerbside pizza party cost £25 and include one limited-edition pizza and a cocktail.
Following the closure of his restaurants at Birch in Croydon, Lee Westcott is back in South London, popping up at Robin Gill’s Brixton wine bar Bottle + Rye. The six-week stint is a space for him to try out some dishes as he looks for a permanent pub space in East London, and the French/Southern Med-inspired menu he’s cooking up sounds good. You can expect dishes like oysters with fermented wild garlic, grilled asparagus with purple sprouting broccoli and seaweed hollandaise, aged sirloin steak tartare with crispy potato, Cornish bouillabaisse with baguette and rouille, breast of lamb with spring veg and salsa verde, and Yorkshire rhubarb choux bun, and there’s also a £40 set menu option available too.
Get High in Stratford at Roof East
18th April – end of September 2024
Roof East, Great Eastern Road, London
Fancy playing a round of crazy golf, catching a movie, hitting some bullseyes or shaking it out with a dance class? Well you can do it all at Roof East. Yes the Stratford rooftop is jam-packed with activities, including Rooftop Film Club, Sluggers batting cages, Birdies crazy golf, Arrows archery, Glitter Bowls lawn games, giant jenga, cornhole and table tennis. You can stay well fed and watered with the roof’s five bars and street food from the likes of Chick ‘n’ Sours, Piddaji and Cheeky Burger, and of course, you’ve got those mega views over the Stratford to enjoy.
Feast on BBQ & Beer With Black Cactus at Exale Tap
Until autumn 2024
Uplands Business Park, Blackhorse Lane, London E17 5QJ
Enjoy a summer of beer and BBQ at Exale Tap as the Walthamstow taproom plays host to smoked meat specialists Black Cactus and their 500 gallon pit smoker. The menu, showcasing produce from the UK’s best meat suppliers, will be changing regularly but you can expect the likes of Texas-style BBQ trays, dry-aged ex-dairy cow smoked burgers, chimichurri brisket rolls, and char siu pork belly banh mi (and yes, there will be veggie dishes on offer too). Get your BBQ and Exale brew fix Thurs – Sun.
Try Dishes From Ixta Belfrage's Mezcla at Isla
22nd March - 22nd May 2024
Isla, Argyle Street, London
Ixta Belfrage, chef and award-winning author of Mezcla: Recipes to Excite, is going to be taking over the kitchen at The Standard’s Isla for three months this spring. The all-day restaurant will be serving up an exclusive flavour-packed menu inspired by the recipes in Ixta’s hit cookbook and the culinary traditions of Italy, Brazil and Mexico, with the star of the show being a fan-favourite, her king prawn lasagne. Other highlights will include guava roast duck tacos with chipotle crema; crisped sticky rice stuffed aubergine; a moqueca fish slider on curried coconut brioche; sea bream and yellow tomato aguachile; and honey-roasted cashew ice cream choco-taco.
After saying a sad goodbye to its former home on Scala Street in Fitzrovia last January, Pollock’s Toy Museum is coming back to London – this time, in pop-up form. The (now, mini) museum will be moving into a space in Croydon’s Whitgift Centre in January for a six-month residency and it’ll be bringing plenty of whimsical toys, games, dolls and theatres along with it. There’ll also be a display of toys made in a local factory, A Barton, exclusive to the Croydon pop-up. They’re open on Saturdays from 10am until 4pm and entry is free (plus, there’ll be special toy theatre shows on Sat 20th January to mark the opening), but donations are welcome and will go towards saving the collection and supporting the museum’s hunt for a new permanent home.
Afro-fusion street food biz Cally Munchy, run by Ebenezer Sogunro, which has been popping up at markets and at festivals across London as well as running a catering operation is taking up residence at The Africa Centre in Southwark. The regular Cally Munchy offering includes dishes like suya steak, spiced chicken, kelewele (Ghanaian seasoned plantain), and jollof ‘n’ peas and the brand’s signature Shi-Tuan chilli sauce, and these will be appearing on the Cally Munchy Lounge menu.
Islington’s beloved The Compton Arms (which managed to survive a licence review last year) is welcoming a new kitchen residency, taking over from Reece Moore’s Belly. Tiella, run by chef Dara Klein (who’s cooked at Brawn, Trullo and most recently, Sager + Wilde), is all about traditional, rustic Italian food, including the eponymous Puglian dish tiella, made with layers of rice, vegetables, mussels, cacio cavallo & pecorino. The menu will also feature the likes of sagne ‘ncannulate pasta with eight-hour tomato sauce, sage & anchovy fritti, braised hoggett shoulder with polenta & vignole, asparagus with mozzarella & saffron sauce, and bay panna cotta with Fernet Branca & blueberries.
Dine Inside a Disused Tube Carriage at Supperclub.tube
Walthamstow Pumphouse Museum, South Access Road, London E17 8AX
Ever fancied dining on a disused Victoria line train? Rest assured, this retired TFL carriage is not the pollution filled, chewing gum laden sweatbox you’re used to on the commute home from work. Oh no, it’s a 1967 refurbished carriage which has been promoted to fine dining status with tables, linens, fine silverware, a curated playlist and dimmed lights to create an intimate atmosphere. Onboard you’ll be greeted with a welcome drink then seated for a 6-course meal from Colombian head chef Beatriz Maldonado Carreño. Expect dishes like sweetcorn dumplings with smoky corn salad and queso fresco; ceviche Ecuatoriano, that’s hake and prawns cured in lime and chilli; and an asado of beef and roasted corn fed chicken with chimichurri, and cassava chips.