The best food and restaurant pop-ups and events in London right now

Jump to: Residences and pop-ups  |  Events    

Pop-ups and residencies in London are getting more interesting by the week. Now you'll see some excellent food popping up everywhere from disused restaurant spaces to residencies in pubs across town. We're rounding up some of the best below.

Residencies and pop-ups

JOY @ Sotheby's

Where: Mayfair -  34-35 New Bond Street, London W1A 2AA

When: 18-22 November

Popping up for just five days at the high-end auctioneers to celebrate Modern British Art Week, Stevie Parle and Tom Dixon's JOY will serve up an à la carte breakfast and lunch menu, as well as five intimate supper clubs in the evenings, cooked by Stevie. Dishes will include Risotto Bianco with 5g white truffles and Nutmeg custard tart with prune d’agen soaked in Somerset cider brandy.

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Studio Paradiso by The Jellied Eel

Where: Leyton -  Patchworks, 258 Church Road, Leyton, London E10 7JQ

When: 25 November 2021 to 30 January 2022

Think Studio 54 and 70s Manhattan vibes at this Leyton winter popup. An immersive experience, the ticket includes fondue made with champagne and a cocktail menu featuring winter negronis and hot buttered rums. There'll be live performances with tickets starting at £34.

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Le Tram @ Selfridges

Where: Mayfair -  400 Oxford St, London W1A 1AB

When: Until the end of January 2022

If you're looking for a supremely Instagrammable pitstop when Christmas shopping then the Veuve Clicquot tram at Selfridges is the place for you. The 10-seater bar will serve a menu of Champagne and you can buy bottles of Veuve as presents personalised with mixtape labels.

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Matsudai Ramen

Where: Mayfair -  BFI, 21 Stephen St, London W1T 1LN

When: 21 October to 20 November 2021

Matsudai Ramen is a cult roaming ramen pop-up from Cardiff and for their London pop-up they've even teamed up with the legendary Uncle Roger (aka comedian Nigel Ng) for some ‘Iekei-inspired’ Yokohama-style, Tonkotsu Ramen. 

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Cantina Valentina at Rondo La Cave

Where: Holborn -  199-206 High Holborn, Holborn, London WC1V 7BD

When: Until the end of 2021

The new basement pop-up space at the Hoxton Holborn is hosting former Pachamama chef Adam Rawson's Cantina Valentina. There are a range of Peruvian-inspired dishes on offer. 

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Belly at The Compton Arms

Where: Islington -  4 Compton Ave, London N1 2XD

When: Ongoing

Replacing Four Legs, this comes from Reece Moore, previously head chef at Satsu at The Gun. There's a daily changing menu with a focus on British produce and recent dishes have included mutton skewers with pickled chill and pork jowl with courgettes, jersey royals, radish and dill. They also do a mean-looking creme caramel. 

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Nomad Bros at The Gipsy Queen

Where: Kentish Town - 166 Malden Road, London, NW5 4BS.

When: Until end 2021

Turkish Street food purveyors Nomad Bros are taking over the food at this Kentish Town pub for six months. The food includes Turkish fries (with various sauces), falafel, kebabs, shawarma, meze plates, borek and finishes up with their own baklava.

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Bovine Burger at Homeboy

Where: Islington - 108 Essex Rd, London N1 8LX

When: Ongoing

Next up at Homeboy's original bar in Islington, it's the turn of Bovine Burger, with a menu of smashed burgers including the Black & Blue, with Clonakilty black pudding, Cashel Blue cheese and Ballymaloe relish. You'll also find honey fried chicken and Guinness ox cheese tacos.  

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Chase Lovecky at P Franco

Where: Clapton - 107 Lower Clapton Rd, London E5 0NP

When: Ongoing

While his own restaurant Two Lights was a victim of lockdowns, Chase Lovecky is now in place as the latest chef manning the hobs at P Franco. A veteran of Momofoku Ko, Clove Club and more, look out for brand new dishes from him with the occasional touch of new-wave Americana. 

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Hot 4 U

Where: Prince Arthur, London Fields and The Plough, Homerton

When: Ongoing

Hot 4 U, Eddy Tejada (ex-St John and Silo) and Matthew Scott (ex-Head Chef of Cub), were one of the big successes of the first lockdown and now they have two residencies in East London. Expect a regularly changing menu with a strong focus on zero-waste - and some amazing buns too. (Photo by Caitlin Isola)

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Rogues London

Where: Hackney Coffee Co, 503 Hackney Rd, London E2 9ED

When: Ongoing

Rogues is made up of the pair Freddie Sheen and Zac Whittle, who first worked together at Galvin La Chapelle. The current Rogues menu has a focus on fire and BBQ with dishes including Highland Wagyu Skirt with XO Vinaigrette and BBQ Onions. 

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Tigre Tacos

Where: Holborn - Gunmakers, 13 Eyre St Hill, London EC1R 5ET

When: Ongoing

Up until now, Tigre Tacos have been popping up with their food truck at the alfresco Nine Lives Alley. This is their permanent residency at Gunmakers in Clerkenwell. There'll be baja fish and camarones tacos among the dishes on the Mexican menu.

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Stoney Street by Night x Tom Cenci

Where: Borough - Stoney Street, 2-3 Stoney Street, London SE1 9AA

When: Runs Wednesday to Saturday nights 

Tom Cenci (Loyal Tavern) is back behind the stoves again. This time he's running a residency at Stoney Street in Borough Market with beef at the heart of the menu. The restaurant had recently transformed itself into a wine bar in the evenings, and owner Alex Hely-Hutchinson decided to use the evening slots as a way to bring in and help out chefs affected by the pandemic.

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Alter at Leman Locke

Where: Whitechapel - 15 Leman St, London E1 8EN

When: Ongoing

They already had a successful stint at Counter Culture in Clapham, but now Alter from Andy Hogben (previously Dabbous, Som Saa and Kym's) has a  residency in Aldgate's Leman Locke aparthotel. The vegan residency has set up there in the Shaman restaurant.

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Tendril

Where: Soho - Sun & 13 Cantons, 21 Great Pulteney St, London W1F 9NG

When: Ongoing

This comes from Rishim Sachdeva, previously at Chiltern Firehouse, Almeida and The Dairy and who is now going it alone with Tendril, serving up a plant-based menu, based on British cuisine with a vegetarian/vegan twist.

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Flat Earth Pizza

Where: Railway Tavern, 2 St Jude St, Mildmay Ward, London N16 8JT

When: Ongoing 

Rich Baker and Sarah Brading's Flat Earth is back with plant-based pizzas using sustainable ingredients. Last year they were first runner up in the 2019 Sustainable Lifestyle Awards best restaurant of the year - and now they're opening at The Plough in Homerton for a long-term residency. 

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Filthy Buns at the Three Compasses

Where: Dalston - 99 Dalston Lane, London E8 1NH

When: Ongoing

Filthy Buns, led by exec chef John Gladwell, will be settling down for a residency in the pub following their start on the street food scene. Expect plenty of beer cheese. 

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Liu Xiaomian at the Jackalope

Where: Marylebone - The Jackalope, 43 Weymouth Mews, London W1G 7EG

When: Ongoing 

This was originally a street food stall was started by Charlene Liu and her flatmate Liu Qian, serving up a Sichuan menu based on Chongqing food. Expect a variety of Chongqing noodles, daily chefs specials and more. 

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Events 

8-14 November - To celebrate Jose Pizarro's Sherry Week each of his restaurants will be serving a flight of José’s favourite sherries served with a plate of Cinco Jotas acorn-fed Jamón Ibérico (£17 pp). 

10 November: The Marylebone Village Christmas lights switch-on is promising a range of special discounts at shops and restaurants in the area.

18-21 November - Taste of London is back with its Festive Edition in Tobacco Dock. Taking part will be Cue Point, Heritage, Honey & Co, Chishuru, Hoppers, Cin Cin and more.

18 November - Book now for the return of  Noble Rot Lambs Conduit’s Fête Du Beaujolais. It's a celebration of Cru Beaujolais, the region’s highest-quality classification and Angela Hartnett is cooking a special menu for lunch and dinner, pairing the wine with Italian classics like pheasant agnolotti. To join them, email Bronte@noblerot.co.uk.

23 November + 14 December - Sabrina Ghayour is heading to London for two days of pre-Christmas feasting, taking over Barboun in Shoreditch.

5 December and 20-24 December: Chef Santosh Shah has just added dates to his sellout Nepalese pop-up at Cinnamon Kitchen City. The fifteen course menu is £85 per person..

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