Pop-up restaurant’s offering one-off menus in unusual, and sometimes secretive locations have been popular with London foodies for some time now. As a business strategy, pop-up’s make sense for restaurateurs too, they can experiment with menus, locations and ambiance before investing in a permanent fixture. Now, five London pop-up’s have proven to be so popular with diners, they’ve opened up permanent, brick and mortar spaces. From a steak restaurant that only serves one cut of steak, to a nostalgic seafood shack in Central London, these pop-ups are here to stay.
London pop-up restaurants going permanent:
1. Flat Iron
Based in Beak Street in Soho, Flat Iron takes no reservations and the only item on the menu is a single cut of steak.
2. Back in 5 minutes
Swedish head chef Frederick Bolin smokes his own ham hocks and bakes his own bread for this ‘once roaming supper-club’ that’s now rooted in a clubby, 30-seat space behind a clothes shop on Brick Lane. The menu is friendly, elegant European fare. Look out for the Scandinavian-themed evening on the third Saturday of each month, and the Wednesday night “dinner club,” when a three-course meal is enjoyed communally.
3. Bonnie Gull Seafood Shack
As the name suggests the Bonnie Gull Seafood Shack offers an unpretentious menu of fresh, UK sourced seafood. Oysters are a mainstay at the raw bar, along with a wide variety of cocktails often accompanied by a shellfish garnish.
4. Upstairs at the 10 Bells
Upstairs at the Ten Bells is based above the historic Spitalfields pub and serves locally sourced, modern British, seasonal food.
5. Beard to Tail
Visited and reviewed by the Gentlemen’s Luncheon Club in November, the Beard to Tail offers nose-to-tail eating on a par with St. Johns.
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Five London pop-up restaurants go permanent: https://www.gentlemensluncheonclub.com/news/london-pop-up-restaurants-004/