London’s best pop-ups

Afternoon tea is a classic Mother’s Day activity, so you can’t go wrong with this offering from Biscuiteers, available at both its Notting Hill and Belgravia cafés for a month from March 8. The spread will include Biscuiteers’ signature hand-iced biscuits, Tregothnan tea, plus the mini sandwiches (with fillings like cheese and fig, ham and truffle and smoked salmon and cream cheese), patisserie (think coconut and mango mousse cake and strawberry and champagne macarons) and freshly baked scones crucial to any good afternoon tea. If you’re willing to spend a little extra on mumsie, you can add a glass of bubbly or a DIY biscuit icing session. There’s also a complimentary (undisclosed) gift included for the woman of the hour.

One of the longest-running and most reputable of London’s many, many craft beverage festivals, BrewLDN returns to South Bank pop-up Between the Bridges for a second time, following last spring’s sold-out beer bonanza. Over 100 brands will be in attendance, pouring more than 1000 different products. Expect to see a few local favourites like Fourpure, Brew By Numbers and Brick Brewery, plus plenty of exciting brands to discover from further afield and specialist bars dedicated to no/low-alcohol beers and sustainably-produced brews. And it’s not just hazy IPAs and robust coffee stouts on offer, either. BrewLDN has partnered with London cocktail festival Drink It In to introduce a ‘curated cocktail bar experience’ featuring a roster of independent spirits brands, from fancy pre-mixed cocktail creators Whitebox Cocktails and Mixtons, to premium tequila brand Pimentae and BrewDog’s new cocktail line Wonderland Cocktail Co. As usual, there’ll be plenty of fabulous street food from the likes of CDMX Tacos, Home Slice, Patty & Bun and Send Noods to soak up all that booze, plus DJs spinning tunes throughout your seshing. 

Presented by Michelin-starred chef and longtime Great British Menu judge Tom Kerridge, Pub in the Park is a touring food and music festival that aims to bring a convivial public house atmosphere to the great outdoors with loads of delicious pub grub alongside live music. After five years at Chiswick House and Gardens, the London edition of the festival is upping sticks in 2025, moving to Gunnersbury Park for this year’s edition from May 30 - June 1. The line-up is shaping up very nicely, with plenty of celebrated London restaurants featuring, including viral Desi gastropub The Tamil Prince, Highgate’s Bull & Last, celebrated French bistro Bouchon Racine and The Brave, the new venue from Great British Menu winner (and Time Out’s own Hottest Chef finalist) James Cochran. The musical line-up celebrates the 30-year anniversary of the Battle of Brit Pop as tribute acts Blur2 and Noases go head to head, alongside radio presenter Chris Moyles’s 90s Hangover DJ Set, veteran selector Norman Jay, Soul II Soul Soundsystem and the Jay Rayner Sextet (if you didn’t already know that The Guardian's celebrated food critic also moonlights as a jazz pianist, now you do!) Can’t make the London date? The festival will also be popping up in nearby Marlow (May 15-18), Reigate (Jul 11-13) and St Albans (Sept 5-7) if you fancy planning a foodie road trip over the summer. Check out the full line-ups here!

There are some distinct signs of summer almost being here: the days get longer, the crucial final fixtures of the football season approach, and beer festivals start to take over our fair city. Crystal Palace Beer Festival combines two of the above for its 13th edition, taking place one day before Crystal Palace FC’s final game of the 2024/25 season at the club’s Selhurst Park ground. Celebrate by sampling the hundreds of beers and ciders on offer – from local breweries and beyond – while there’ll be plenty of entertainment, food and other refreshments to really ramp up that festival feeling. Tickets include two half-pint drink vouchers and a beer glass. Drinks tokens are £3.50. 

The reputation of Japanese whisky has really exploded in the last decade or so, and short of travelling to Japan, we can’t imagine many better ways of getting to grips with the country’s increasingly well-regarded distilleries than this exclusive series of whisky masterclasses at the Mandarin Oriental’s plush Japanese restaurant The Aubrey. Guests will be treated to an intimate dinner in the restaurant’s new Ukiyo Room, enjoying a selection of sashimi, lobster and wagyu dishes while Head Sommelier Maxim Kassir guides them through a tasting of five Japanese whiskies varying from the House of Suntory’s complex single malts to the new wave whiskies at small-scale distillery Chichibu. A truly special mid-week treat for whisky lovers. 

It might have had a makeover a couple of years ago, but Jeremy Lee’s Quo Vardis still oozes old-school Soho and has been rustling up some of the capital’s finest food since 2012. Now it’s collaborating with its favourite producers and suppliers for a programme of tasty-sounding culinary events.  Announced so far is a celebration of caviar and vodka on February 19, a supper focussing on quality British meat from famous butcher Swaledale on March 19, Basque cooking from Tomos Parry on April 23, a menu paired with Journey’s End’s wines from the West Cape of the Stellenbosch on May 7 and a supper from four of London’s most interesting wine-focused restaurants – 40 Maltby Street, Planque, Camille and Cadet – in June. They’ll be sure to sell out fast, so keep an eye out for ticket releases for each event by signing up to the Quo Vadis Rocket newsletter.