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From winter wonderlands to one-day only immersive experiences and the coolest restaurants, 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.
In honour of the final Loewe collab with Studio Ghibli – this collection is based on Howl’s Moving Castle – the brand has got French culinary studio Balbosté to take over Dolly’s Cafe in Selfridges and turn it into Calcifer’s Kitchen (he’s the little fire demon who cooks in the movie FYI). You’ll be able to try breakfast and aperitivo menus based on scenes from the film, but the afternoon tea is the real showstopper – it includes a lobster-filled charcoal chou Fire bun, Broomstick with sauce in a hat, Calcifer & Loewe macarons, verbena jelly Cloud terrine, and apricot & marzipan-filled Flower pie.
Fairtrade is imagining the supermarket of the future and spotlighting the staple items, like coffee, chocolate and bananas, that are most at risk of becoming endangered from the climate crisis with pop-up shop The Endangered Aisle. The store will include info on how choosing Fairtrade products helps to support farmers in adapting to climate change and protect the future of food. A limited number of produce will be given away each day The Endangered Aisle is open, and any surplus food will be donated to The Felix Project.
Award-winning British Afghan smokehouse Cue Point is moving west with their latest residency at God’s Garden in Marylebone. You can head to the winter terrace hideout from Weds-Sun to enjoy Cue Point’s acclaimed menu of British classics infused with Afghan flavours. Expect the likes of a whole rack of oak smoked lamb ribs served with Afghan chutney, soured yoghurt & pickles; a brisket, smoked aubergine or chicken ‘naco’ (naan taco), a smashed beef burger; and a deep-fried root veg burger. Plus, there’ll be sides such as fries with smoked aioli, three-cheese mac & cheese and sweetcorn ribs with a Cue Point house rub. And on Sundays, you’ll be able to grab a special roast, featuring smoked meats paired with all the traditional trimmings.
Harrods is celebrating the latest collab between legendary Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama and Louis Vuitton with a totally dotty immersive pop-up. As well as pieces from the range on display, there’s an animatronic Kusama in the window, a claw machine where you can win prizes, a free photobooth, a patisserie counter stocked with colourful choux buns and eclairs, and of course, there are polka dots absolutely everywhere, with mirrored surfaces creating that infinity room feel. There’s no need to book, so walk on in and explore.
Shoreditch cocktail spot Seed Library (run by Mr Lyan and one of the best bars in London), has teamed up with Ruben’s Reubens for a new bar snack menu, following a collab with Norman’s Cafe last year. Ruben Danway’s menu showcases his signature smoking and curing techniques, and includes dishes like Reuben spring roll with Russian dressing, candied jalapenos, smoked cheddar croquettes, buffalo burnt ends & ranch, rooster potatoes with matcha mayo, and smoked bacon & red onion jam on toasted sourdough. Seed Library’s drinks menu, currently featuring a Chive daiquiri and Coriander seed gimlet cocktails plus low-intervention wine, craft beer and artisanal sake, will be available alongside those snacks.
Following the Poon’s supper club at Carousel for Chinese New Year, Amy Poon is popping up at No. 23, its incubator space next door, with Poon’s Wontoneria for a three-month lunchtime residency. The menu features a range of Poon’s signature handmade wontons in chilli vinegar dressing, including pork & bamboo shoot; chicken thigh, woodear mushroom, water chestnut & ginger; and jackfruit, tofu, cabbage, carrot, woodear mushroom & water chestnut, with a wonton noodle bowl on as a daily lunch special. You’ll also be able to pick up some of those cult Poon’s sauces, like the WO Sauce, Chilli Vinegar Dressing and Extraordinary Chilli Oil.
Pre-loved fashion concept store Charity Super.Mkt (which started life as a section at the Classic Car Boot Sale) is popping up at Brent Cross and, for the first time, is bringing the best donated clothing from 10 UK charities together under one roof. The first local and national multi-charity physical retail store will be stocked with pieces from Age UK, All Aboard, Barnardo’s, Cancer Research, Emmaus, Havens Hospice, SCT, Marie Curie, TRAID, and Shelter, making it easier than ever for you to shop secondhand and refresh your wardrobe in a sustainable way.
If you like your sarnies supersized, you’ll want to get down to Crunch London pronto. The pop-up at The Prince Arthur is serving up experimental (and big) brioche sandwiches, with fillings including flat iron steak, provolone, roasted red peppers, garlic confit & chimichurri; southern fried chicken, lettuce, pickles & allioli; and feta, roasted aubergine, spinach, crispy onions, sundried tomatoes & pesto. You can continue the crunch with sides like rosemary fries, popcorn chicken, tempura peppers and ham & cheese croquetas, and if you order online, you can even watch your order being made – that defo get you salivating.
Anya Hindmarch is back with another pop-up and this one is all about sleep. Anya’ZZZ, a soft and serene space dedicated to helping you catch those zzzs with ease, is filled with a range of sleep products from the likes of Dyson, Lumie and Mono Pillow. You’ll also be able to check out the Anya Hindmarch sleep capsule collection, which includes all over eyes sleep masks and Corn Flakes pyjamas, and get involved in workshops led by world-renowned sleep experts.
Following their autumn pop-up at Louie Louie in Kennington, Retan, the supperclub from sommelier and chef team Cameron Dewar and Josh Dallaway, is pitching up at Renegade Winery in Walthamstow. The menu will feature dishes like Chalk Stream trout crudo with winter citrus, urfa chilli & buttermilk; Norfolk guinea fowl with baked squash & pumpkin seed pesto; and Peterhead pollock with Mayan Golds & sauce Americaine, with a wine selection curated by Cameron. As well as running the set menu, Retan will offer a £15 plat du jour menu on Wednesdays and a regularly changing bar snack menu.
After a successful inaugural pop-up on Carnaby Street in the autumn, Are You Mad is back with a second edition – this time on Soho’s Berwick Street. The concept makes recycling visible and comes as an experiment in circularity and creativity, finding inventive ways to give plastic a second life. By collecting high-density polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene from broken hangers, milk bottles, bottle caps, and food crates, Are You Mad is able to turn the single-use materials into over 100 different useful products for sale at the limited-time shop. Now, you can drop by and turn your coffee cup lids, shampoo bottles and takeaway cutlery into the likes of coasters, hair combs, incense holders and fruit bowls all with that signature recycled plastic marbled effect.
A pub is popping up at The Berkeley for the very first time this winter. From Weds – Sun, The Bishop at The Berkeley will bring a slice of the countryside to the capital, with a bar area featuring old church pews and beer taps, a cosy dining room, rustic decor, and draft beers from the Sussex brewery, English wines and vintage ports on the drinks list. The food menu will feature warming pub classics, done The Berkeley way of course, including black pudding croquettes with house-made HP sauce, battered fish & chips, salt marsh lamb shank & mash and sticky toffee pudding & vanilla ice cream, with daily specials including Wellington Wednesdays and Sunday roasts.
Eleven98, run by chef Aidan Brooks, is one of the most sustainable dining experiences in London. 100% of the produce used on its menus comes from within the borough of Hackney, with Aidan growing a lot himself in London Fields, foraging for fruits and berries, and sourcing ingredients from Growing Communities’ Patchwork Farm market gardens and St Mary’s Secret Garden, meaning his food has almost no food miles or carbon foortprint. The 12-seat supper clubs, held on Friday nights at a secret Hackney location, include welcome cocktails made using spirits from the 58 & Co distillery in Haggerston and a nine-course tasting menu showcasing the best organically-grown produce in the borough, with dishes like cucumber, labneh & pumpernickel; potato gnocchi with brown butter, parmesan & sage; and rhubarb, brownie crumbs & French toast. Who knew Hackney was so tasty?
After debuting last year, Club Curling is back at Coal Drops Yard for some winter sports action. You can curl the night away on one of the six lanes in teams of up to six, and children under 12 play for free when accompanied by an adult.
Skylight is back for another winter with alpine huts and igloos on top of the roof. Cosy up in the fully dressed and heated igloos and then tuck into alpine-themed street food, winter cocktails and mulled wine, and soak up those epic city views.
Hit the slopes without leaving London as Pergola Paddington has transformed in Pergola on the Piste for winter. The space has been transformed into an Alpine ski lodge, complete with log walls, mountain murals, chalets, a chairlift and retro ski gear. You can apres ski in style with shot skis, mulled wine and demi-peche, and a food menu featuring whole baked camembert, crispy truffle mushroom, and Alpine charcuterie.
It’s the ultimate Scottish power collab – pop-up kitchen Auld Hag are heading to Exale Tap in Walthamstow (home of the Buckie Bomb and Iron Brew Sour) to serve up the best Scottish scran in the city. Auld Hag will be showcasing some of Scotland’s finest culinary inventions, including their take on Glasgow’s pizza crunch, haggis tikka masala, Glasgow-style poutine, handmade Scotch pies, chicken Balmoral flatbreads, and the McHag, a breakfast muffin filled with square sausage, duck egg, Stornoway black pudding and tattie scone.
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.