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Slideshow
Top 10 winter pop-ups in London
With Christmas coming up, we round up some of the best places to grab festive food and drink in the capital.
© Christine Matthews under this licence
London is awash with pop-up bars and restaurants this festive season, with Christmas cocktails, warm fondue and steaming mugs of mulled wine in every corner of the city.
Get a taste for the holidays at one of London’s frostiest pop-ups.
Click through for our pick of the best…
Eis Haus
In the Tower of London’s moat, Eis Haus Ice Bar has put the chill on punters, with everything you see and touch being made from 10 tonnes of the cold stuff and temperatures plunging to -5°C. Fortunately, insulated coats and a “Signature Shot” are provided on entry. Shots at the Ice Bar, including cherry brandy and limoncello, come in real ice shot glasses befitting its frosty theme. It’s open daily from 11.30am to 10pm until 3 January.
Tower of London Ice Rink, Tower Hill, London, EC3N 4AB.
toweroflondonicerink.co.uk/entertain/eis-haus/
Rekorderlig Cider Lodge
The Rekorderlig Cider Lodge brings a slice of Scandinavian style to the Southbank Centre’s annual Winter Festival. Designed like a two-storey Swedish house, the Cider Lodge serves food and has fire pits to warm chilly Thames-side folk. Cider cocktails are made to order, including mixes with Rekorderlig’s new Spiced Plum flavour. There are also more than 50 market stalls at the Festival and contemporary circus entertainment is provided by NoFit State. The Winter Festival will run throughout winter until 25 January.
Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX
southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/festivals-series/winter-festival
Gingerbread Winter Cabin
Gordon Ramsay’s York & Albany in Camden has transformed its courtyard into a delicious sanctuary for weary Londoners. The new food menu has venison croquettes and butternut squash soup with a gingerbread man crouton. Festive cocktails include the Gingerbread Espresso, a festive blend of gingerbread-infused Grey Goose l’Orange, Kalhua, Amaretto and coffee, topped with grated gingerbread. The Cabin can be booked for groups of between four and 12 daily until 28 February.
127-129 Parkway, London, NW1 7PS
gordonramsayrestaurants.com/york-and-albany
The Lodge
Jimmy Garcia’s fondue pop-up has reopened for its final winter in Clapham. The Alpine lodge setting plays host to fondue made from Swiss cheese, roast pork belly and rib steaks. Hot cocktails include Buttered Rum, featuring pineapple and meringue, and X-Rated Ribena with vodka and plum bitters. The Lodge is open from 6pm until late Tuesday to Sunday until the end of February.
409 Clapham Road, Clapham, London, SW9 9BT
Dolce
What better way to celebrate the festive season than at a Ferrero Rocher-themed café? It serves five mini desserts inspired by each aspect of the Ferrero Rocher chocolate. Starting from the centre with the mousse-covered hazelnut, working around to the chocolate coating and wafer shell, it promises to be a tasting journey. A £15 ticket will get you the desserts and a glass of Prosecco. The café is open daily from 1pm to 11pm until 11 December. Booking is advised.
21 Slingsby Place, Covent Garden, WC2E 9AB
Pergola on the Roof
On the back of its successful summer season, Pergola on the Roof is bringing a mystical forest-dining scene to the roof of the old BBC Television Centre. Four restaurants and two bars are surrounded by birch trees, holly and ivy, all under a heated, weatherproof dome. With food offerings ranging from kebabs to Danish to Indian, all washed down by festive cocktails, there’s sure to be something for everyone. The Pergola is open Wednesday to Sunday until 23 December.
Television Centre, Wood Lane, London, W12 7RJ
Skye Halla
The Queen of Hoxton’s winter rooftop bar has a Viking theme this year, with fire pits, a long boat and drinking halls under a WigWam. Visitors are invited to escape modern life and join Skye’s band of noble savages. Drinks include Thor’s Courage, a warm mead punch, and Blood of Loki, a whiskey, port and rosemary concoction. It’s open Monday to Saturday from 4pm to 10pm until the end of March.
1-5 Curtain Road, London, EC2A 3JX
queenofhoxton.com/rooftop/winter
Nordic Yulefest
More Scandinavian fun is to be found at the Nordic Yulefest in the heart of Shoreditch. Visitors find themselves in a candlelit hideaway presented with suitably sumptuous Scandinavian food offerings, including elk meatballs and apple-stuffed hams. Serving both brunch and dinner with a range of Christmas cocktails and glühwein, it promises to be an immersive experience. Nordic Yulefest is open daily until 18 December.
347 Old Street, Shoreditch, London, EC1V 9LP
John Lewis Rooftop Garden
John Lewis has transformed the rooftop of its flagship Oxford Street store into a festive forest in collaboration with the Gardening Society. Shoppers can warm up and unwind with Christmas cocktails by Background Bars, from a smoked fig and Scotch whisky sour to a burnt lemon, gin and blackberry fizz. The season runs daily from 7 November-31 December.
300 Oxford Street, London, W1C 1DX
johnlewis.com/our-shops/oxford-street/roof-garden
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland
Celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, the Winter Wonderland is London’s biggest Christmas celebration. Festive German fare, including bratwurst and glühwein, can be found in the Bavarian Village and Christmas cocktails are made at Bar Ice. Mulled wine and churros are around every corner, and with an ice rink, shows and more than 200 German market chalets, it is fun for the whole family. Entry is free and the Wonderland is open daily until 2 January.
Hyde Park, London, W2 2UH