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.
MalbecFEST in Bethnal Green
14 April (Borough) - To celebrate Sri Lankan New Year, Rambutan are having a Fried Rice Party with guest chefs from Bao, Quality Wines, Camille and more creating their own twists. The bar will also be a special arrack bar for the night.
14 April (Soho) - MOI is hosting a one-night-only four-hands dinner featuring guest chef Leo Carreira with MOI’s Head Chef Nick Tannett. It'll be an eight-course menu celebrating seasonal British produce using Japanese technique. Tickets are £95.
15 April (Shoreditch) - BAO are collaborating with Wasted on a limited edition low-waste special on their menus, the Wasted Ragu Ramen. To celebrate, BAO Noodle Shop in Shoreditch will be giving away 100 bowls of the ramen and 100 Banana Split cocktails on the house from 12pm. You'll need to bring your own chopsticks in order to redeem a free bowl.
16 April (Covent Garden) - The original Ivy on West Street is having an immersive Charlie Chaplin experience, including jazz musicians and an appearance from "Chaplin" too, all paired with a special menu.
17 April (South Bank) - The Newt Dinner at Tate Modern sees the Somerset hotel's head of food Gelf Alderson joining Tommy Boland, Head Chef at Tate, for a banquet-style feast inspired by the estate. The four course dinner will have a cyder pairing. It's £78 per person.
18 April (Hackney) - Pour Choices is a one-day wine fair taking place at Hackney Bridge, bringing together low-intervention UK winemakers with cider, beer, sake and kombucha producers. Tickets are £20 which gets you five 25ml tasting tokens.
19 April (Bethnal Green) - Argentinian empanadería De Nadas is having its second ever MalbecFEST. Tickets for Saturday are already sold out so they've added a second day due to demand. Tickets are £35 which gets you four generous glasses of wine, in addition to up to 30 ‘micro-tastings’.
19 April (Chelsea) - NYC-based Bad Neighbour chefs Charlie Watson and Emily Hall are popping up at Elystan Street where they're taking over the restaurant entirely. The menu is £75 per person. It's mainly sold out, but there are a few seats at the communal table.
22 April (Mayfair) - NIJŪ's Chris Golding is joining forces with Adriana Cavita of Cavita to present an exclusive Japanese-Mexican tasting menu. Dishes include crab and wild garlic korroke with jalapeño mayonnaise and crispy rice topped with tuna & avocado. Tickets are £95.
26-26 April (Chelsea) - Eataly is organising the creation of the longest recorded tiramisu with a view to beat the world record. And yes, you will be able to have a slice for yourself.
And a little further afield...
21 May (Menorca) Boutique Menorcan hotel Son Vell is having a gastro event bringing in Michelin-starred chef together Victor Lidón of nearby Ca na Pilar for a dinner with the hotel's chef Joan Bagur. It's a tasting menu affair costing £77 per person with an optional wine pairing of Menorca wines.
Joe Lippman at Big Night
Where: Hackney - 177 Morning Lane, London E9 6LH
When: Until mid-April
Chef Joe Lippman, of Boosa Feed (previously Duchy Grub) in Cornwall is taking over the kitchen at Big Night for three months. His London menu will be a combo of raw dishes and open-fire cooking, featuring dishes like octopus carpaccio with lemon, shallot and shiso alongside truffle arancina with truffle mayo and changing skewers.
Leo at Renegade Urban Winery
Where: Walthamstow - 7 Lockwood Way, London E17 5RB
When: 8 January - July 2026
Chef Richard Eversden, who is also behind catering business Cura, is launching his new residency, Leo at Renegade in Walthamstow. Here, he'll be cooking seasonal British and European dishes that are designed to pair well with Renegade's wines. The menu includes dishes like buttermilk wings and black pepper caramel, slow-cooked pressed lamb with ajvar and fennel and pecorino mac croquettes.
Macchina at Hometipple
Where: Walthamstow - 34 Orford Road, London E17 9NJ
When: Ongoing
What was once Pasta Slut has now been renamed to Macchina and as part of that, they've taken over the kitchen at Hometipple. They're Sicilian-influenced, so will be serving up the bowls of pasta that they've previously been best known for alongside some classic Sicilian dishes.
Chick 'n Sours at The Big Chill
Where: King's Cross - 257–259 Pentonville Rd, London N1 9NL
When: Ongoing
Chick 'n' Sours are back, taking over the food menu at The Big Chill, its first ongoing home since closing the restaurants. The Chick 'n' Sours favourites will be back, including Kung Pao Disco Wings, the K-Pop Fried Chicken Sandwich and one of our all-time personal favourites, their Szechuan Aubergine. A selection of their sour cocktails will be on the menu too, including an exclusive Big Chill Sour.
Alessio's pizza at The Smuggler's Tavern
Where: Fitzrovia - 28 Warren St, London W1T 5ND
When: Ongoing
The latest pizza residency at this pub features Neapolitan pizzas with a crisp twist. Alongside classic pizzas, you'll find their truffle and mushrooms (also available as arancini) and a hot honey pizza.
Chet Sharma at Artesian
Where: The Langham, 1C Portland Pl, London W1B 1JA
When: Ongoing
BiBi's Chet Sharma is now in charge of the food at one of London's best bars, Artesian. He's serving up a menu of elevated bar bites in the style of his Mayfair restaurant. You'll find dishes like N25 caviar with coconut Shakargandi blinis, Wookey Hole cheese papads, a Stilton Malai kofta croquette and more on the menu here.
Paddywok
Where: Deptford - The Artworks Creekside, 3 Creekside, London SE8 4SA
When: Ongoing
This residency is all about Spice Bags. For those of you who've not been lucky enough to try one before, the Irish spice bag is a mixture of chips, crispy chicken, peppers and onion coated in a mixture of Chinese spice and chilli. Heaven.
The Guinness Bar at The Ned
Where: City of London - 27 Poultry, City of London, London EC2R 8AJ
When: Until April 2026
The Guinness Bar has taken over the Long Bar on the lower ground floor of The Ned. They're describing it as an immersive experience so there'll be all kinds of Guinness paraphernalia and old Toucan posters. There will be pints of Guinness, of course, but you'll also find it in pies, Guinness cheddar croquettes and more.
Short Road Pizza at Three Colts Tavern
Where: Bethnal Green - 199 Cambridge Heath, London E2 0El
When: Ongoing
Chef Ugo has pizza in his blood - his nonno owned a pizza restaurant in Naples so he ought to know his way around a pizza oven. Here in Cambridge Heath, he and partner Kate are serving up an Italian-American menu - think Romana-style pizza with Chicago Thin Crust. There are snacks and small plates too including farinata (the Ligurian chickpea flatbread).
Rake at The Compton Arms
Where: Islington - 4 Compton Ave, London N1 2XD
When: Ongoing
The latest Compton Arms residency comes over from their sister pub, The Gun. Rake is run by two chefs who have a lot of key experience: Jay Claus (ex-Peckham Cellars and Quo Vadis) and Syrus Pickhaver (ex-Zebra Riding Club and Acme Fire Cult). Their menu focuses on whole beast butchery and sustainable Cornish fish and they're keen on looking at classic British recipes through a modern lens.
Mamapen at Sun & 13 Cantons
Where: Soho - 21 Great Pulteney St, London W1F 9NG
When: Ongoing
Mamapen is billed as London's only Cambodian restaurant, led by chef Kaneda who left an advertising career to become a chef, and has worked at Aqua Kyoto, Flank and From the Ashes before this. His goal with Mamapen is to champion Khmer food in London with dishes including Khmer fried chicken bun, panko pork toast and sour pineapple curry. Chefs with pop-ups here have gone onto big things so this is definitely one to watch.
Mondo Sando at the Grove House Tavern
Where: Camberwell - 26 Camberwell Grove, London SE5 8RE
When: Ongoing
Sandwich slingers Mondo Sando serves up a roster of sarnies that include the Mondo Frango (chargrilled peri-peri chicken thigh, pea salsa verde, peri mayo, potato matchsticks, shrettuce) alongside burgers and sides.
Filthy Buns at the Star of Kings
Where: King's Cross - 126 York Way, London N1 OAX
When: Ongoing
Filthy Buns, led by exec chef John Gladwell, is now settling down for a residency in the at a new pub following their start on the street food scene. Expect plenty of beer cheese.
Liu Xiaomian at the Jackalope
Where: Marylebone - The Jackalope, 43 Weymouth Mews, London W1G 7EG
When: Ongoing
This was originally a street food stall, 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 chef's specials and more.
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