The London Summer Pop-Ups For your Calendar

Pop-ups, activations or installations—whatever you call them, events around London are inviting residents to seize the day for summer 2025. Rick Stein’s bringing Cornish fine dining to the capital, while The Ethical Butcher’s coal fire cooking brings a new heat to summer. Tennis fans can catch Wimbledon on the big screen at Bluebird then pop to Diptyque’s Summer Fruit event to pick up a strawberries and cream inspired blush. Here at SPHERE, we’ve selected the best events this summer. Just remember—like the clear skies and sunshine—they won’t be here forever!

The Ethical Butcher’s barbecue residency – The Apollo Arms

The Ethical Butcher, after a previous stint in Hackney, is now heading to Clapham to flip its burgers in the splendid summer terrace tucked away behind The Apollo Arms. Known for high-quality meat, prioritising factors like the distinctive region their meat comes from and the lives their farmed animals lead, The Ethical Butcher is firing up a rotating feast of smoked pull short rib and its iconic Ethical Burger. For meat and veggie lovers alike, the Paneer wrap is worth ordering alone, as spiced Bombay potatoes, mint yoghurt and mango chutney burst with creamy, tantalising flavour.

The residency is running from 6-9 pm from 19th June to 12th July, every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. No bookings required – so just show up, get started on an ice-cold ‘Slushy Rushy’ cocktail, and let the summer fun and feasting commence.

The Apollo Arms, 13-19 Old Town, London SW4 0JT

 Japanese-style Sunday Brunch – Sachi

Sachi – the Japanese origin of which signifies bliss, happy and even fortunate – is a fitting name for its breathtaking abode across the second floor and rooftop of the historic former Pantechnicon building, in Belgravia. This summer, the Kyoto Garden-inspired rooftop oasis of the restaurant brings a refreshing contemporary Japanese twist to Sunday Brunch in London. From 12-6 pm the £55 per person set menu offers immaculate sharing plates including split tuna belly with spring onion, black cod marinated with plum honey, and baby chicken with koji yuzu.

Reign in the glory and finish with one of their deserts of rice dumpling with sesame and soy sauce or a Japanese fish-shaped cake with dark chocolate sauce – all as you soak in the rays and views of London’s skyline.

Sachi, Pantechnicon, 19 Motcomb St, London SW1X 8LB

Guest brunch series – akub

akub’s menu combines the classically British surroundings of Notting Hill with a taste of Palestinian cuisine. Communal dining emphasizes Palestine’s culture of hospitality, bringing diners together around a tawla groaning under the weight of fragrant sharing plates, selections of olives and figs.

Now, for Summer 2025, they’re bringing a similarly collaborative brunch series to the table with guests including Chef Max la Manna’s low-waste menu in July, Sally Clarke’s custom labneh, aubergine and roasted vine sandwich in September, and Phil Khoury’s pastries as we head into Autumn. Akub's regular specialty cocktails make the perfect complement,with fresh mint, pomegranate and lime for a refreshing aperitif. Traditional arak adds a hint of liquorice to the Dalia’s Delight with tastes of summer-time when shaken with Sipsmith Gin, lime and mint. 

For a taste of Palestine in a leafy suburb of Kensington, reserve your place now. 

Diptyque's Summer Fruits Collection – London St Pancras

As if the scents of a summer escape have travelled in the opposite direction to passengers heading off on their summer travels, you can find Diptyque’s Summer Fruit Garden just steps away from international departures at London St Pancras. The pop-up takes inspiration from a Mediterranean orchard with artist Marie-Victoire de Bascher making this coastal dream a reality.

Here, visitors can find limited edition fragrances, body and home accessories from the Diptyque Summer Collection, including their new Lip Oil in collaboration with Austrian natural skincare expert Susanne Kaufmann which has a definitively summery scent that’s mint-lemon fresh. Their New Bond Street store completes the theme where Maison Diptyque’s Ephemeral Space is host to new installation “A Cermaic Garden” which celebrates the brand’s iconic ceramic candle jars.

Stroll away from the departures gate and into a mimosa-scented world, with further information here.  

London St Pancras, until September 2025.

Dante's Taste of New York – Claridge's 

Dante has been a staple of New York dining since 1915. Now, the World’s Best Bar of 2019 is holidaying in Mayfair as part of a collaboration with Claridge’s. From 30 June until 31 July with a range of signature cocktails plucked from their own Greenwich Village menu. Highlights include The Garibaldi which stirs up Campari with Dante’s ‘fluffy’ orange juice, and the Chocolate Negroni ‘fountain’ adding crème de cacao and chocolate bitters to a mix of Botanist gin, Campari and Punt e Mes.

The food is no less reflective of their New York home. Indulgent Dante x Claridge’s sliders and a Seafood tower meet the restaurant’s well-practiced signature burger, loaded with smoked bacon, pickled beets and new school American cheese. Sweeter options are found on their brunch menu, with topped Banana bread and Buttermilk pancakes. 

To take a bit out of The Big Apple, click here.

Rick Stein x Fortnum & Mason – The Royal Exchange

In residence until August, Rick Stein will be celebrating 50 years of his Padstow staple, The Seafood Restaurant, in collaboration with Fortnum and Mason. Stein will be joined by Fortnum and Mason’s Executive Chef Julien Lancrume for a tempting menu that charts the restaurant’s history from humble beginnings to present day. Expect classics from Stein’s early days like hearty fish and shellfish soup, as well as the confident selections of an established chef. The sumptuous roast tronçon of turbot with hollandaise sauce, and a chocolate fondant to follow, chart the chef’s twenty-first-century inventions for a tasty travel through time.

To celebrate half a century of The Seafood Restaurant in style, book here.

Wimbledon Sports Collection – Harrods

Wimbledon may be heating up on the courts, but Harrods is keeping things cool and plush as Christy sets up a pop-up on the third floor (just by Escalator 10). Draped in green and purple terry towelling, the space channels locker-room luxury, spotlighting the 2025 Christy Wimbledon Towel Collection. Among the new arrivals are the Spectator Towel, Gym Towel, Baseline Robe and Towel, alongside this year’s coveted Championship Towels.

Step inside the lockers for a curated display of nearly four decades of Wimbledon towel history, with Christy brand ambassadors offering an insider’s look at the craft and legacy behind the brand. And in a clever nod to past seasons, the pop-up debuts “So Last Season”—a sustainable capsule of upcycled pieces fashioned from surplus 2024 towels.

Crossing the baseline and straight into cherry-red gingham, the adjacent installation serves up a quintessentially British picnic—with a Wimbledon twist. Think floating tennis balls, a nod to strawberries and cream, and the spirit of Henman Hill brought indoors. Building on last year’s sell-out Heirloom Bag, the collection returns with fresh additions: a plush robe, a spacious tote, and the beloved shoulder bag—all soft, sustainable, and unmistakably Wimbledon.

Head to Harrods now for rally-ready towels until the 13th of July.

Wimbledon Courtyard Stream – Bluebird

Rackets aren’t the only thing flying this summer. Bluebird is winging its way to Wimbledon with an outdoor courtyard ready to stream each unmissable moment and an enticing range of gin-based tipple as part of its collaboration with Mirabeau. Match Point is sure to be a winner, combining Mirabeau Gin with Three Cents Mandarin and Bergamot Soda, while Golden Deuce pairs the branded Gin with Crème de Menthe and Apricot liqueur.  

The restaurant is also offering a variation on Wimbledon's classic strawberries and cream with honeycomb biscuit and mint, or for an upgraded favourite their Grand Slam Parfait is jumping on the Dubai chocolate trend with a pistachio parfait topped with sour cherries. If a classic afternoon tea is more to your taste, The Hummingbird Bakery’s South Kensington home is a short walk away and this summer has a special selection of tennis-themed cupcakes on offer, decorated in gentle pastels and each iced with a racket, ball, or summertime flower. 

To take a bite out of the competition, head to Bluebird for an afternoon’s viewing here and find your next favourite tennis-time treat at The Hummingbird Bakery here.  

Bluebird Chelsea, 30 June – 13 July 

Soleil by Claude – The Peninsula

The Peninsula is undergoing a temporary Mediterranean makeover as Chef Claude Bosi’s two Michelin-Starred Brooklands restaurant retires for the summer. Soleil by Claude brings Southern European flavours and the spirit of the sea to Belgravia, influenced by local British produce. Bosi’s incorporates the changing seasons into his menu: Baked Alaska is topped with fresh-picked fruit, crudités change each week to suit the offerings of local farms, and Polpo Carpaccio seafood platters showcase British shellfish.

Enjoy a new menu of signature cocktails after a game on the Minuty-sponsored Pétanque pit for a perfect afternoon in the sun, or arrive as dusk becomes nightfall for a romantic evening by candlelight—both pair perfectly with a sweetly peach Bellini or refreshing Mimosa. 

Head to Soleil by Claude to book here to taste the best of Britain, with a Mediterranean twist.

Ice Cream Tacos at Zapote, Shoreditch

Mexican bar and restaurant Zapote in Shoreditch is serving up more than red prawns and salsa in taco shells this summer, with a pop-up dedicated to ice cream tacos. What began as a dessert-menu favourite—a blue corn taco filled with dulce de leche soft serve—has evolved into a full-blown frozen fiesta, with Latin-inspired flavour combos that take ice cream far beyond the cone.

Available all summer, head to Zapote on Leonard Street for a taste of this sweet, taco-shaped twist on the ice cream sandwich.

Meanwhile, over in Belgravia, Anya Hindmarch is back with another year of her cult-favourite Ice Cream Project, scooping until 17th August. From Bisto Gravy and Sriracha to Twiglets, it’s a playful deep-dive into Britain’s most unexpected flavours. Read our full article on this wonderfully whimsical pop-up here.