Your August Agenda

YOUR AUGUST AGENDA | London 2021

If it seems a little cooler in London right now…

…that’s because The Agenda’s back.

You know, The Agenda: our expertly-curated guide to the finest transient experiences happenings in London each month. A guide that has over the years been referred to as “excellent”; “my monthly bible”;  “feverishly anticipated” and “grossly overrated”.

This month’s highlights include the dulcet tones of a floating jazz band; refreshing dips in a lake; backstage chats with circus performers; rooftop movies; a festival dedicated to pain; you, commiting a heist; secret tunnels; multi-story orchestral performances; helter skelters, big tops and bandstands; a variety of pop up restaurants & bars; virtual reality croquet; beer cruises; marshmallow toasting on a secret rooftop garden; a leopard print oven; and the Northern Lights… which have finally come to London.

Holidays schmolidays.

Skip to: EVENTS | POP UP RESTAURANTS | POP UP BARS

The Revel Puck Circus

When you’re watching circus artists deftly swing dozens of feet up in the air, walking along tightropes and balancing on each others’ shoulders with the greatest of ease, it’s easy to forget how much of a risk they’re actually taking. Which is the thinking behind Revel Puck’s latest show, where the performers want you to be aware of exactly how much they’re dicing with fate. You’ll be able to stop by and chat with the artists backstage as they get ready for the show, before watching them perform jaw-dropping feets with teeterboards, cloud swings and the wheel of death.

Details: 29th July – 8th August | Leyton Jubilee Park, Seymour Road, London E10 7BL | £15
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Kew

What better time to go and see a Midsummer Night’s Dream than on an actual midsummer night? And what better place than in an actual forest? And what better excuse to say the phrase ‘what a great Bottom’ a lot?

Details: 28th July–29th August (Tue-Sun) | Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, W9 3AB | £30
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Secret Garden Concerts

After the COVID-shaped sledgehammer same thumping down on musical concerts last year, what was left when it came back up was Secret Garden Concerts. They’re outdoors, they’re intimate, and they take place in a palatial, hidden garden. And this year, they’re adding jazz (from the Jay Rayner Quartet, amongst others), comedy, theatre, and a pop up restaurant.

Details: 30th July to 12th September | 53 Mount Ephraim Lane, SW16 1JE | Various prices
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Streetfest

Redchurch Street is basically its own mini neighbourhood, and to show off that fact, it’s getting a mini festival at the start of August, filling the street with art installations, live music, street food, ping pong tables, and exclusive Allpress coffee ice cream sandwiches.

Details: 31st July-1st August | Redchurch Street, E2
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Shōtengai Japanese Market

If watching the Olympics has made you yearn for a (currently impossible) trip to Japan, you can find the next best thing at Coal Drops Yard at the start of the month. They’re hosting a pop-up shōtengai – a neighbourhood covered market – with traders selling all kinds of Japanese goods (including stationery, posters and homeware), alongside food from Rise Bakery and Brixton’s Osakan canteen, Okan.

Details: 31st July & 1st, 7th & 8th August | Lower Stable Street And Stable Street Coal Drops Yard, N1C 4DR | Free entry
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Wong Kar Wai at Wun’s

If director Wong Kar Wai were to set a film in London, he’d almost certainly have a scene in the neon-laced Honk Kong haven that is Wun’s. So it’s extremely appropriate that they’re celebrating the director’s season at the BFI with a series of tribute nights. This August, you can get a welcome drink, and six course meal, and some live music all themed to the director’s sci-fi gem 2046. And if you see the film at the BFI too, that probably wouldn’t be the worst idea.

Details: 4th August | 23-24 Greek Street, W1D 4DZ | £48
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See Some Live Jazz on the Canal

Events like this basically sell themselves. It’s live jazz from a floating platform, played by a Mercury Prize nominated outfit, with homemade Hackney spiced rum to make everything that little bit smoother. And it costs a fiver.

Details: 5th, 12th & 19th August | Grow, 98c Wallis Road, E9 5LN | £5-£6
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Music at the Horniman Museum

Every Thursday in August, the bandstand outside the Horniman Museum is going to have a new pair of live acts playing the evening away. It’s all free (you need to pre-book tickets though) and the lineup is curated by talent-scouting radio station Balamii. Plus? You’re right next to the Horniman, which is already one of London’s most unusual & interesting museums.

Details: Thursdays in August (5th, 12th, 19th, 26th) | The Horniman Museum, 100 London Road Forest Hill, SE23 3PQ | Free
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Lake Swims, Cocktails, Campfire

Given its refreshing exactly-what-it-says-on-the-tin name, there isn’t a huge amount that needs to be explained about Lake Swims, Cocktails, Campfire. But here are the details: it takes place on the pontoons of the West Reservoir in Stoke Newington, where you’ll enjoy a balmy evening of dips in the lake, following which – as the sun takes its own dip below the horizon – you’ll be invited to warm up your outsides by the campfire, while warming everything else with cocktails and toasted marshmallows.

Details: 6th August | West Reservoir, Stoke Newington, N4 2HA | £20
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London Jerk Festival

Following hot on the heels of Jamaican Independence Day (we’ll give you one guess as to who they became independent from), the London Jerk Fest celebrates the food, music, and culture of the tropical isle in the most delicious way possible.

Details: 7th & 8th August | Bohemia Place, E8 1DU | £5
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Hidden Jazz Club

Ironically, The Hidden Jazz Club is probably now the most talked-about jazz spot in the city. But what it lacks in hiddenness, it more than makes up for in quality – you’ll still find some of the best musicians in town gathering in a beautiful, unusual venue, and spoiling you with wonderful music. SEE MORE JAZZ BARS IN LONDON

Details: 7th, 14th, 20th & 27th August | The Vaults Theatre, Waterloo, SE1 7AD | £20
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Tunnel Walks at the Postal Museum

Many of us have been to the Postal Museum and ridden the dinky little train down the special secret tunnels that used to deliver mail across the city. Well, now the even more secret parts that aren’t covered in that particular ride are open for exploration on foot. Guides will take you into the previously dormant tunnels, and regale you with a century’s worth of stories, all the way from their construction in 1900 to their eventual closure in 2003.

Details: 10th & 24th August | 15-20 Phoenix Place, WC1X 0DA | £55
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Jazz on the Lawn at Fulham Palace

Yes, Buckingham Palace has a la-di-da monarch. But does it have jazz on the lawn?? Didn’t think so. And the beautiful Fulham Palace most certainly will (for two days this August) giving it the edge in the ‘best London palace’ stakes. You’ll hear the sultry tones of Polly Gibbons, and see first-hand why Wayne Hernandez has worked with everyone from Tina Tuner to Blur, to Madonna, to Rag’n’Bone Man, to Kool & The Gang.

Details: 13th & 14th August | Bishop’s Avenue, Fulham, SW6 6EA | £18.50
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The London Craft Beer Festival

Okay so, right off the bat, we need to acknowledge that the tickets for this year’s Craft Beer Festival are priced like champagne. But there’s a very good reason for that. Because your ticket allows you to try literally any beer at the festival, as many times as you fancy. There’ll be 100 breweries on site, some big names, some cult names, some impossibly rare names. Plus, there’s also live music (with DJ sets from Craig Charles & Django Django), and food from restaurants like 10 Greek Street, Big Apple Hot Dogs, Club Mexicana, and a whole lot more.

Details: 13th & 14th August | Tobacco Dock, E1W 2SF | £53-£175
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Campfire Club

Remember when everyone used to huddle around a campfire on school trips while someone played the guitar, and you all told stories, and had a singalong? Well, this is like that, except instead of your PE teacher, the person with the guitar is a celebrated folk musician, and there’s a full bar stocked with home-made wines, ciders, ales, and mead.

Details: 13th, 20th, 27th & 28th August | Various Locations | £13
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See Romeo & Juliet In A Beautiful Gothic Church

See Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 classic Romeo + Juliet in a Grade I listed, Gothic Revival church, bookended by performances of the soundtrack by a live choir. Just be quick on the tickets, it would be a tragedy if you missed out.

Details: 17th-24th August | Union Chapel, Compton Terrace, N1 2UN | £29.70
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The Multi-Story Orchestra

In an effort to make sure that the multi-story car park in Peckham does literally anything except park cars, the people at the The Multi-Story Orchestra are going to be playing a pair of gigs in it this August, featuring a punchy piece of music by composer Julius Eastman. And as a bonus? That same car park also houses Frank’s.

Details: 19th & 20th August | 7th-10th Floors Multi-Storey Car Park, 95a Rye Lane, SE15 4ST | £5-£10
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Hot Sauce Festival

If you hate your tastebuds and want to set them on fire, then there’s no better way than by exposing them to the wares at the Hot Sauce Festival in Peckham this August. Over 40 of the UK’s premier tongue-immolation outfits will be there showing off their torturously spicy condiments, as will street food stalls, DJs, and a craft beer bar to help douse those flames.

Details: 21st & 22nd August | Copeland Park, 133 Copeland Road, SE15 3SN | £12
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Farm by Firelight

If you’re going to watch a series of award-winning adventure documentaries, it’s best to do that in the adventurous setting while surrounded by fire and wild animals… by which we mean at Mudchute farm in East London (they have llamas!) which will be filled with fire bowls, and luxury marshmallows to toast on them.

Details: 27th August | Pier St, Isle of Dogs, London E14 3HP | £20
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All Points East

APE (as it’s known to its acronym-loving friends) is back for 2021, and it’s going to be a stunner. And sure, it’ll be a slightly more condensed version of the festival that we’re used to, but that won’t make it any less special. In fact, it’s going to contain a whole other music festival within it…

Details: 27th-30th August | Victoria Park, E3 5TG | Starting at £66.40
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Northern Lights in Greenwich

The snappily acronymed GDIF (Greenwich & Docklands International Festival) have had enough of mother nature’s bullshit favouritism, and decided that if she won’t bring the Northern Lights to us, then we’ll just have to create them ourselves. Just one of the many free events on at the fest, Borealis will apparently involve a f**kton of lasers lighting up the sky. Other than that, there’s a whole load of cool theatre, dance, art installations, circus, street games, and music.

Details: 27th August-11th September | Across Greenwich & Docklands | Free
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Yam Carnival

What Yam Carnival IS, is an all-new Afrobeat music festival which celebrates the African diaspora, from the Caribbean to Latin American culture and more. It’s all taking place on Clapham Common, and there’ll be music and food from across the world. What Yam Carnival is NOT is a sweet potato fair.

Details: 28th August | Clapham Common, SW4 | £67-£100
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Between the Bridges

Between the Bridges is London’s huge new 4,000 sq ft festival of fun – which can most boringly be described as a “really big beer garden” but should more accurately be described as “a massive, mostly free to enter (other than £5 on Fri & Sat nights) alfresco adult playground which fuses a smorgasbord of bars, street food, DJs, live music and crazy golf with themed markets, drag brunches, a famous exploding throwing game from Colombia and four different dining zones (The Garden; The Riverside; The Dock; and The Pier)”

Details: Throughout August | Queen’s Walk South Bank SE1 | Free to enter (£5 on Fri & Sat nights)
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Dodge

Somerset House has just become the perfect place to bump into an old friend. Because they’ve filled their huge courtyard with dodgems. And not just any run-of-the-mill, ho-hum, garden variety funfair bumper cars either – these are musical dodgems, tricked out with wireless tech to help create unique compositions each hour. And they’re all surrounded by art installations and street food…

Details: Until 22nd August | Somerset House, Strand, WC2R 1LA | £5pp
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The Perfect Crime

True story: in the early hours of March 18th 1990, two men broke into the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and stole half a billion dollars worth of irreplaceable canvas, including Rembrandt’s The Storm on the Sea of Galilee (a snip at $100m) and The Concert by Vermeer (at $250m, it’s the most valuable stolen object in the world).

And in this immersive experience, you get to steal them back.

The talent pool they’ve got onboard includes a director who designed Time Run, and co-founded the Crystal Maze Live, and they’ve pulled out every trick in their voluminous books for this one…

Details: Throughout August | Theatre Deli, 2 Finsbury Avenue, EC2M 2PF | £20-£30
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Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

Outdoor theatre always brings the house down. And London’s most iconic al fresco arts space, the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, is back open for business this summer. This August sees a production of the classic Rodgers & Hammerstein musical Carousel, plus comedy, film screenings, and even a ‘live improvised movie’.

Details: Throughout August | Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, NW1 4NU | Tickets start at £17 for the films & £25 for Carousel
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London Wonderground

London Wonderground is relocating this year from its regular digs on The South Bank to sunny Earl’s Court, and it’s bringing with it a gigantic, 1000 person-capacity Big Top hosting a veritable buffet of top-notch entertainment, plus a bandstand playing live music; old school fairground rides (helter skelter, swing rides etc.); lots to eat & drink from a variety of food stalls & trucks; and an actual sand-between-your-toes beach.

Details: Until September 26th | Empress Place, Earls Court, SW6 1TT | Free to enter, but events are ticketed
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Van Gogh Alive

Van Go? Van Goff? Whatever, you know his paintings. Maybe you’ve even seen them in real life. But have you seen them blown up as larger-than-life projections that swirl around you in perfectly choreographed synchronicity alongside the sights, sounds and smells of France and the Netherlands? No? Well 7,000,000 people around the world have; they seemed to like it; and as of June, you can join them.

Details: Until September 26th | East Albert Lawn, Kensington Gardens, SW7 2AP | £24-£29
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Go Swimming Outdoors

You know what the best bit of swimming outdoors is? Even if it rains, you’re already wet. So take advantage while you can, and check out the best spots for open-air bathing in the capital, broken down into heated, unheated, and wild categories… COME ON IT, THE WATER’S FINE
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See Some Mind-Expanding Exhibitions

There’s a host of new exhibitions to check out, and they include a chance to play a game of virtual reality croquet; explore Britain’s female surrealist movement in the ’30s; and see some of the most intense colours nature can create in a botanical garden… SEE WHAT’S ON IN LONDON’S MUSEUMS
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Get Some Brunch

August contains 4.5 weekends. And that means you can squeeze in at least 9 brunches, if you do it correctly. HUNGRILY EXPLORE LONDON’S BEST BRUNCHES
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Hit The Theatre

Not to get too dramatic about it, but yes, the theatre is back. No, Andrew Lloyd Weber is not in jail. Yes, you should definitely check out what’s on this month, because the city’s been saving up some excellent shows… SEE WHAT’S ON THE STAGE
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Watch a Classic Film Outdoors

Despite rumours to the contrary, summer isn’t over. In fact, we have weeks of warm weather left, which is best enjoyed while watching a classic film outdoors. So, pick a date, because we have a list of every outdoor screening taking place in London across the entire summer… CHECK OUT THE LINEUP
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Have a Drink on a Rooftop

The window of time you have to enjoy a drink on a rooftop is quickly diminishing. By September, many of the bars will be ruthlessly snatched away, and your FOMO will become good old MO. So take advantage of the sun, and check out these bars… SEE WHAT’S UP

Rogues at Hackney Coffee Co

Loveable Rogues Zac Whittle and Freddie Sheen are bringing their take on British seasonal dining to the atmospheric Hackney Coffee Co this month, with a weekly changing menu of dishes like marinated feta and pickled watermelon tart; blood nectarine, elderflower and Rice Krispie trifle; and line-caught mackerel with fennel vinegar. Plus, on the 15th they’ll be joining forces with the maverick Whyte Rushen (more on whom later) to create a takeaway feast including Space Raider sandwiches and Rushen’s ‘gumball cone’…

Details: Reservations available on select dates in August – book here | 503 Hackney Road, E2 9ED
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Tom Cenci at Stoney Street

Tom Cenci’s residency at this Borough restaurant was originally scheduled to last three months. That was back in October 2020. And when he’s serving up dishes like this pine cone-shaped baked alaska, it’s easy to see why he’s been asked to stick around. The rest of the menu hops from pot-sticker dumplings to smashed cheeseburger and sweetcorn crumpet, and it’s all delicious.

Details: Wed-Sat nights | Stoney Street, 2-3 Stoney Street, London SE1 9AA | Walk-ins only
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On Special Guest Series at Larry’s

Our last Agenda, from March 2020, featured Larry’s as an exciting upcoming opening. Somehow, the fledgling resto made it through the past year and a bit, and is adding to its roster of NYC-inspired dishes this month with a series of guest dishes. They’ve each been designed by one of owner Nicholas Balfe’s friends, who just coincidentally happen to be some of the best chefs in town. It kicks off with James Cochran’s buttermilk fried chicken sandwich (with pressed jerk potato and Red Stripe-pickled shallots), before Oklava’s Selin Kiazim takes over with her pomegranate glazed lamb breast. That’s followed by Rob Casson’s souped up burger, beef short rib birria from Nud Dudhia (one half of Breddos Tacos), and finally Portuguese-style quail and chips from Ixta Belfrage, co-writer of Ottolenghi’s Flavour.

Details: Each available for a week from 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd & 30th August | Larry’s, Unit 5, 12-16 Blenheim Grove, SE15 4QL | Book here
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Tendril at The Sun & 13 Cantons

Tendril’s won itself legions of fans over the past few years, and it seems to have found itself a semi-permanent home down in Soho. Former Chiltern Firehouse and The Dairy chef Rishim Sachdeva is busting out a mostly-vegan, all-veggie menu borrowing from cuisines around the world, with dishes ranging from roast cauliflower with XO sauce and cacao nibs; massaman curry with acorn squash and coconut; and ratatouille with a little ras el hanout.

Details: Throughout August | 21 Great Pulteney St, Soho, London W1F 9NG | Book here
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Hot 4 U at The Prince Arthur

Eddy Tejada and Matthew Scott are Hot 4 U, something they’d like to demonstrate with their unbelievably delicious residency menu at Dalston pub The Prince Arthur. The menu changes all the time, but you can expect dishes along the lines of tempura elderflower, peri-peri guinea fowl to share, and Ya Mum’s Pavlova. READ MORE

Details: Open for lunch and dinner daily | 95 Forest Road, E8 3BH | Book here
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GROUND at the Spurstowe Arms

Could it be…? Burgers that actually reduce carbon emissions? GROUND aren’t just full of hot air; their meat is sourced from The Ethical Butcher, who do a lot of Medieval-sounding things like crop rotation to allow land to recover from cattle farming and actually take carbon out of the atmosphere. Oh, and we should also probably mention that the burgers are absolutely delicious. READ MORE

Details: Open for dinner daily and weekend lunches | The Spurstowe Arms, 68 Greenwood Road, E8 1AB | Walk-ins only
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Brat x Climpson’s Arch

Having Michelin-starred chefs cooking at a vibey, outdoor pop up in Hackney might seem like having your cake and eating it. But this is the al fresco annexe of Shoreditch hit restaurant Brat – and if anything, it plays to its strengths even more, with live fire cooking in a festoon-lit courtyard. The signature dish – whole-cooked turbot to share – is still on the menu, alongside crab with hay butter, wood-fired breads, and wild rabbit rice… READ MORE

Details: Open for dinner daily, plus weekend lunch | 374 Helmsley Place, Hackney, E8 3SB | Book here
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Napoli Gang @ Fiorucci Soho

So it looks like the sun plans to only make a brief cameo appearance this month, but there is at least one thing brightening up the whole of August: Napoli Gang are popping up at Fiorucci flagship store in Soho’s Brewer Street.

And if you haven’t heard the name, you may well have had their food – Napoli Gang is the delivery offshoot of the Big Mamma Group, the people responsible for setting the London restaurants scene ablaze with hyper-maximalist blockbusters like Gloria, Circolo Popolare, and most recently Ave Mario. Thus, those restaurants get their own delivery offshoot, which now gets it own restaurant. It’s the circle of life. Expect burrata and focaccia, cappuccino gelato, and XXL Lemon Pie.

Details: Throughout August | 39 Brewer Street, W1F 9UD
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Turo Turo

Turo Turo (‘point point’ in Tagalog) is named after the Filipino fast food stalls where punters point at whatever they want to eat. On the menu, you’ll find charred aubergine with peanut and garlic soy glaze, BBQ chicken thigh with spiced vinegar butter, and 4-hour pineapple glazed pork belly. Warm up your pointing fingers now…

Details: Dinner daily, plus Saturday lunch, until 8th August | Farr’s School of Dancing, 17 – 19 Dalston Lane, E8 3DF
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Filthy Buns

Filthy Buns (aka John & Debs) have extended their residency at Dalston’s 3 Compasses, where they’re cooking up ludicrously large, jaw-dislocating burgers. They’re all made with 45 day dry-aged beef from The Ginger Pig butchers, sandwiched in between brioche buns with outrageous bedfollows: this here is the Millionaire Short Rib, boosting that beef patty with beer-braised short rib, Swiss cheese & beer BBQ glaze, smoky gravy mayo and Biscoffy peanut butter.

Details: Open for dinner daily, plus lunch on weekends | The Three Compasses, 99 Dalston Lane, E8 1NH | Book here
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Tacos Padre

Calling your restaurant Tacos Padre might sound like a pretty big claim. But when you’ve worked at Mexico City’s Pujol – currently ranked 12th on the World’s 50 Best list – it’s probably a fair one to make. After years of pop ups around the world, Nick Fitzgerald’s taqueria has landed a relatively permanent home in Borough Market Kitchen. Towards the end of the week, the festoon lighting fires up and the kitchen starts plating up beef short rib, chicken asado and cauliflower ‘al pastor’ tacos, alongside frozen margaritas and guest dishes like Michelada oysters.

Details: Taqueria Sat 12-5pm, dinner Thurs-Sat 6.30-10pm | The Borough Market Kitchen, Winchester Walk, Jubilee Place, SE1 5AG | Book here
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Chase Lovecky at P.Franco

Lovecky’s brilliant Modern American joint, Two Lights, was one of the many restaurants that have had to permanently close up shop after the effects of the pandemic. But the good news is that you can now find the former Clove Club chef in residence at teeny weeny Hackney wine bar P.Franco, where he’s rustling up summery plates like chilled melon soup with almond cream; peas, girolles & potato ravioli; and something called Jesus saucisson. That’s right. Jesus sausage.

Details: Dinner Wed-Sun, plus Sat lunch | 107 Lower Clapton Road, London E5 0NP | Walk-ins only
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Polo Lounge at The Dorchester

The Beverley Hills Hotel’s famous Polo Lounge has popped up on the rooftop of its sister hotel The Dorchester, bringing its signature candy pink stripes and bougainvilleas with it. Over the next two months, they’ll be serving a menu of Californian classics, including the house McCarthy salad (invented in the 60s for polo player and regular patron, Neil McCarthy) and their signature Paloma cocktail with prickly pear, all soundtracked by live music. And to answer the burning question on your lips, yes of course you can buy some souvenir sneakers and a luxury dog bed.

Details: Open daily for lunch and dinner throughout August | The Dorchester, Park Lane, London W1K 1QA | Book here
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Guest Chefs at Carousel

Carousel’s taking you on quite the ride this month. First up, you’ll be able to catch Kerth Gumbs, whose supperclubs as part of the Made You Look series sold-out almost instantly. He’ll be serving up a brilliant menu of jerk wing skewers, slow-cooked trout with Vietnamese dressing, and paprika-glazed pork loin. It’ll be a tough act to follow, but if anyone can do it, it’s Gonzalo Luzarraga, who’s previewing his upcoming restaurant Mater with a star dish of seven year-aged beef.

Details: KG: 3rd-7th August, GL: 10th-21st August | 71 Blandford Street, W1U 8AB | KG set menu £55, book here
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Joo Won at Bun House

At Bun House, buns are… well, their bread and butter. But just occasionally they like to mix things up… so this month, they’re inviting in Busan-born chef Joo Won to take over the first floor dining room. Former head chef of the Michelin-starred Galvin at Windows, and hot off the heels of his solo residency at Carousel, he’ll be serving a menu of South Korean and European-inspired sharing plates. Working with him in the kitchen will be his wife Sujin (a former pastry chef at The Wolseley), and the menu promises combos like kimchi and cheddar risotto, Joo’s Fried Chicken, and bulgogi made with three-day marinated beef.

Details: Open Tues-Sun for 2 months from 5th August | 26-27 Lisle Street, WC2H 7BA | Book here
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Quo Vadis & Friends: Cynthia Shanmugalingam

The British-Sri Lankan chef is taking over the QV kitchens for one night only this month, as part of the ongoing QV & Friends series. Her cooking style, honed at her pop up, Rambutan, incorporates flavours that are both bold and fragrant – cinnamon, lemongrass, roasted chillies – and her menu here will be the first entirely vegan feast of the series.

Details: 18th August | Quo Vadis, 26 – 29 Dean Street, London W1D 3LL | £50pp – book here
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Guest Residencies at Mortimer House

Private members’ club Mortimer House has been quietly building a name for itself as a residency hotspot. Pre-pandemic, it hosted the likes of Mei Mei’s Elizabeth Haigh and vegan Chinese resto Mao Chow. And over this summer, you’ll be able to catch a takeover from ‘guerilla chef’ Whyte Rushen, who’s serving oysters with pickled Monster Munch and a pudding inspired by an off licence; followed by 10 course omakase suppers and an experimental all-day brunch from Italo-Japanese spot Angelina; capped off with a visit from Norwich vegan restaurant The Gatherers. And thankfully you don’t have to be a member to book in.

Details: WR: 22nd August, Angelina: 27th-29th August, The Gatherers: September | Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, W1T 3JH | Book here
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Nehmann at Corner Store

Ex-Le Manoir chef Drew Snaith has struck out on his own, and you’ll find the latest incarnation of Nehmann (ye olde English for neighbour, apparently) at Camberwell’s Corner Store. The theme is ‘hyper-seasonal’, so expect a lot of dishes – from lamb tongue nuggets to miso fudge sachertorte – to be passing through over the next five weeks.

Details: Wed-Fri, 6-9.30pm throughout August | 31 Peckham Road, SE5 8UH | Walk-ins only
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Whole Beast at Kanpai

This pair met in the kitchens of Peckham’s Coal Rooms, and have since been popping up around the city with some very fine nose-to-tail cooking over a live fire. Currently, you can find them in residence at Peckham’s sake brewery, Kanpai, with smoked bone marrow and IPA onions, butter & beef dripping hash browns, and jerk goat sausage on the menu.

Details: Open Wed-Sun, check times here | Unit 2A-2 Copeland Park, 133 Copeland Road, Peckham Rye, SE15 3SN | Walk-ins only
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Ling Ling at Tola

There’s a lot to like at Tola. The Peckham nightspot has a covered and heated roof terrace where you can tuck into Southeast Asian street food courtesy of Ling Ling (we’re talking Taiwanese Fried Chicken, wonton and sesame noodles) before slinking back inside for dancing and DJs.

Details: Daily dinner and weekend lunches throughout August | 56 Peckham High Street, SE15 5DP | Book here
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Papa L’s Kitchen

After his time at The Ivy and Scott’s, Papa L – aka chef Lawrence Gomez – is taking the next logical step and opening his own place. This pop up restaurant is where he’s showcasing his own take on African fusion cuisine, combining the home cooking he grew up with in Gambia with the European culinary techniques he picked up in London’s restaurants. The result is a menu of mouthwatering dishes, from spiced plantain to BBQ lamb cutlets with Ma’s benachin rice (the national dish of Gambia).

Details: Dinner Wed-Sat, plus lunch Fri-Sat | 16-17 Jermyn Street, SW1Y 6LT | Book here
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Piazza by the Pier

Wander down the Southbank towards London Bridge this summer, and you’ll find a little Mediterranean oasis perched right next to the river. Part of this little pop-up holiday is overseen by Jimmy Garcia (the ‘king of pop-ups’), whose team of pizzaioli are rustling up flame-scorched pizzas for you under the shade of a pergola. But he’s also giving you, ahem, a slice of the action with his Pizza Parties, where you and your group can indulge in a welcome cocktail and some antipasti before learning to make your own pizza (from stretching out the sourdough to using those big paddles to get it in and out the oven). And naturally, Nudge Members get a couple of free drinks to boot. READ MORE

Details: Pizza parties until 30th August | Piazza by the Pier, London City Pier, Hays Lane, SE1 2HB
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Liu Xiaomian at The Jackalope

It takes a seasoned chef to get the level of spices right in a dish. Luckily, Liu Xiaomian has two. The duo behind the noodle outfit have won themselves queues round the block for their ‘spicy, numbing, addictive’ Chongqing cooking. And they’re settled into the kitchens at Marylebone pub The Jackalope for the near future, serving delicious, freshly made wonton, spicy noodles and slow-cooked pork with Chinese vegetables.

Details: Tues-Fri, 12-2.30pm & 6-9pm | The Jackalope, 43 Weymouth Mews, W1G 7EQ | Book here

The Five Points Brewing Co. Taproom

Five points why you should go here:

1. Tank-fresh beer on tap, from East London’s biggest independent brewery;
2. (plus wine, prosecco, cider and softs for any non-beer fans);
3. NYC-style crispy pizzas from residents ACE Pizza, scorched in a leopard-print oven;
4. Guest DJs and live music acts;
5. A leopard-print oven.

Details: Open Thurs & Fri 5-10pm, Sat 12-10pm, Sun/bank hols 12-9pm | 61 Mare Street, Hackney, London E8 4RG | £5 entry (inc. complimentary drink) – book here
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Lillet Summer Terrace at Bluebird

If you can’t get to the south of France, bring the south of France to you…  Bluebird Chelsea has conveniently already done the legwork, and transformed their terrace into an eruption of flowers, deckchairs and bicycles perched just so. And on the menu, there’s a list of five special Lillet cocktails, including the Lillet Rosé spritz with rhubarb bitters, and a white negroni. At £14 a pop, they’re a leettle on the steep side, but you’ll also be able to catch all the Olympics coverage on a big screen while you’re there.

Details: Daily throughout August | 350 King’s Road, London SW3 5UU | Book here
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The Espresso Martini Society

The Espresso Martini Society is back, popping up in a NYC-style gallery loft space right by the Tate Modern. They’ve got an all-new line-up on the menu including a Ferrero Rocher Espresso Martini, plus an alternative menu for anyone who’d rather have a cosmo instead of their signature cocktail.

Oh, and it’s still all you can drink. READ MORE

Details: 28th August | The New Yorker Gallery, Hopton Street, London, SE1 9LR | £35
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Secret Garden at South Place Hotel

Moorgate’s South Place Hotel has a secret garden that would make Frances Hodgson Burnett’s jaw drop. It’s a sleek urban oasis, with a fully stocked cocktail bar, soothing water features and an ever-changing canopy of flowers overhead. It’s also no stranger to a booze collaboration, and this month they’re offering up a special menu of Chambord-laced cocktails.

Details: Open Tues-Sat evenings | South Place Hotel, 3 South Place, London, EC2M 2AF | Book here
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London Craft Beer Cruise

The LCBC is the brainchild of two ‘beer sommeliers’ – so it’s fair to say they know their suds. Every few weeks, they handpick a selection of brews, hook them up on draught, and serve up guided tastings while cruising past some of London’s most iconic riverside landmarks. After that, you can score another glass of whatever takes your fancy for £2.50, and munch on cheeseboards from Neal’s Yard Dairy. READ MORE

Details: 14th & 28th August | Departs from The River Princess, Lambeth Pier, Albert Embankment, Vauxhall, SE1 7SG | £44
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Court in the Square

Chelsea theatre the Royal Court is now holding court in Sloane Square, where they’ve set up a mini pop-up bar serving cocktails from Espresso Martinis to Campari Spritzes, gin specials, craft beers, wine and fizz. Scattered across the square are dozens of tables and chairs, too, where you can enjoy an evening aperitivo with people-watching that’s as good as a night at the theatre.

Details: Open daily 11.30am-10pm (9pm Sun) | Opposite Royal Court, Sloane Square, SW1W 8AS | Book here
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Campfire

This pop up taproom from craft brewers Two Tribes is a feast for the senses. Flanking the makeshift courtyard on three sides is a set of repurposed freight containers, filled with seating, craft brew bars and DJ decks. But at its heart is a huge campfire, where live-fire chefs get together to scorch dishes over the open flames. Lunch is taken care of by Hola Guacamoles, and dinner mainly by From The Ashes BBQ, but they also bus in guest chefs to take over – previously including Whyte Rushen, Decatur and Jay Morjaria.

Details: Open Mon-Sat | Tileyard Studios, Tileyard Road, N7 9AH | Book here
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Rathfinny Estate at the Soho Hotel

English wine producers Rathfinny Estate are popping corks when they pop up in Soho this month, on the fairylit terrace of the Soho Hotel. You’ll be able to quaff bottles of their sparkling wine, alongside specially designed ‘English aperitivo’ cocktails, including a Seven Sisters negroni with craft gin and crème de fraise, and the Little Sister with vermouth and bergamot liqueur.

Details: Tues-Thurs throughout August | The Soho Hotel, London, 4 Richmond Mews, London, W1D 3DH | £12 (inc. welcome drink)
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The Midnight Apothecary

What started out as a pop-up bar in a rooftop garden many moons ago has really now become a permanent fixture – but it’s brilliant, so we just thought we’d remind you that – should you suddenly be seized by the desire to toast an unlimited supply of marshmallows around a roaring campfire, and sip botanical cocktails made with ingredients grown in the garden around you  – there’s always this place. READ MORE

Details: Open Thurs-Sat throughout August | Brunel Museum Rooftop Garden, Railway Avenue, SE16 4LF | Book here

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