The summer is when London’s pop-ups really come into their own, with pubs, bars and restaurants turning into exotic rooftops, urban beaches and secret gardens
1 Circus Sauce, Chiswick
Giffords Circus’ pop-up restaurant Circus Sauce is making its way to London this summer to accompany the Moon Songs tour. The travelling restaurant is housed in two magnificent showman’s wagons, with an adjoining marquee dressed to the nines with vintage tapestries, a grand oak table and eclectic mix of crockery and furniture. Every evening, circus-goers can tuck into a three-course semi-alfresco feast and maybe even rub shoulders with the stars of the show. Nostalgia-inducing menus will include the likes of lamb hotpots, crispy pork, treacle pudding and pizza fresh from the stone oven. Giffords Circus and its restaurant will be at Chiswick House from 11 to 24 June. Supper costs £25 per adult and £12.50 per child under 14 yrs (Circus Sauce is not licensed but diners are invited to bring their own drinks). Tickets to the circus cost £25 per adult and £15 per child.
Chiswick House, Burlington Lane, Chiswick, London W4 2RP; giffordscircus.com; 0845 459 7469
2 Secret Garden, Clapham
Jimmy Garcia, Clapham’s favourite pop-up master is back this summer with his Secret Garden, running from 25 April to 31 August. Found above the Clapham North Pub, the Secret Garden will be bringing the outside in with the help of set designers Firecracker Works, and barbecued meats, botanical cocktails, ingredients foraged from small farms and edible gardens. Jimmy’s seven-course tasting menu costs £35, plus there’s a special ‘slow down’ roast available on Sundays with hangover cocktails.
409 Clapham Road, London SW9 9BT; 07921-187161; jimmyspopup.com
3 Tart’s Kitchen, Queen’s Park
Tart’s Kitchen, a collaboration between caterers Tart London and British chinaware designers Wedgwood, is popping up in London from May to June. Lucy Carr-Ellison and Jemima Jones are the ladies behind Tart London, a company that can lay claim to feeding some of the most influential names in the industry including Kate Moss, Sienna Miller, Cara Delevingne, Gisele Bundchen and Eddie Redmayne on shoots and film sets. Over the next couple of months, the duo will be setting up home in Queen’s Park serving breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea. Naturally, all the tableware will be provided by Wedgwood – don’t drop it – and includes collections by the likes of Jasper Conran, plus, the rustic space, which has indoor and outdoor seating, will be blooming with English flowers. The menu has an emphasis on seasonal ingredients; there will be a wild strawberry afternoon tea, pancakes and poached eggs for breakfast and a choice of three salads for lunch. Everything can be eaten in or taken away. Tart’s Kitchen is open from 5 May to 23 June.
Tart’s Kitchen, 74 Salusbury Road, London, NW6 6NU; tart-london.com (open from 8am – 5pm)
4 The Nantucket Beach Club, Tower Hill
Skylounge, the rooftop bar on top of DoubleTree Hilton, Tower Hill, is launching an East-Coast-themed pop up for the summer, opening on 1 May. The Nantucket Beach Club takes inspiration from the easy breezy evenings on the New England island. A lighthouse, swing bench, bowling alley and even shuffleboard will decorate the space that will see guests sipping on vodka slushies, Lanson White Champagne and Cape Codder Ale. Lobster mac ‘n’ cheese, clam chowder and cream pie ice cream round off the all-American package. The Nantucket Beach Club will be open from 3pm-10pm Tuesday to Saturday until 30 September.
7 Pepys Street, London EC3N 4AF; doubletree3.hilton.com; 020 7709 1000
5 Beach Hut, Camden
Gordon Ramsay’s gastropub York & Albany is launching its summer pop-up Beach Hut on 21 May. Inspired by the ‘sunny’ coastline of Cornwall, the restaurant’s courtyard will be turned into a sandy urban beach with deck chairs and a candy-coloured beach hut, which can be booked for up to 12 guests. Seaweed Martinis, Bacardi rum slushies, Pimm’s spiked ice lollies, mini fish and chips, Cumberland sausage rolls, pickled seafood and that ubiquitous stick of rock aim to transport diners to the golden age of staycations, plus there will be a DIY ice cream machine.
York & Albany, 127–129 Parkway, London NW1 7PS, yorkandalbany.com
6 The Gin Mare Mediterranean Garden, Hoxton
From Tuesday 19 to Friday 22 May, Gin Mare is taking over The Hoxton Hotel’s popular alfresco courtyard and turning it into The Gin Mare Mediterranean Garden. Inspired by Gin Mare’s unique savoury botanical ingredients and Mediterranean heritage, this pop-up is all about the post-work G&T. The bar will serves range of cocktails based on the aperitif, including the Hixter G&T, served with a wedge of succulent mango and a grind of black pepper; an Onion Gimlet containing Parmegiano Reggiano cheese cordial, and a contemporary twist on the classic Martini. There will also be masterclasses led by Gin Mare’s Global Brand Ambassador Jorge Balbontin.
The Hoxton Hotel, 81 Great Eastern St, EC2A 3HU; ginmare.com