10 food & drink pop-ups on the South Bank this summer
Sun is shining, the weather is sweet. Makes you want some food; some tasty eats
Now we’ve lodged a Bob Marley earworm firmly in your consciousness, it’s time to celebrate the arrival of summer – London’s best season. Late evenings. Long shadows. Leaving your favourite pair of sunglasses on the Tube. Again.
Even allowing for our inevitable bias, the South Bank has always been one of the best spots in London to soak up the sun and the city’s summer vibes. And what better way to make the most of those longer days than by getting your food and drink fix al fresco too?
Throughout the summer we’ve a feast of food and drink pop-ups around the Southbank Centre, helping you make the most of the sunshine, whether taking time for yourself or hanging out with friends. Try not to drool all over your screen at the prospect of this little lot.
Jimmy’s BBQ Club
Daily, 12noon – 11pm | Opposite The Undercroft
Right, let’s start this summer with an open confession. Cards on the table, none of us really have the means, or the space to barbecue properly. This is London. And no matter how much we try to convince ourselves otherwise, attempting to grill on that wobbly rusted old tripod – or worse, temporary tin-foil – in our two-foot square of outdoor space never lives up to the excitement the prospect of a barbecue provokes. So instead of going through the same ruse again this summer, make time to do it properly. At Jimmy’s BBQ Club you can cook your own under the guidance of expert chefs, and make the most of a full-on six course tasting menu that incorporates Wye Valley asparagus, Dorset scallops, beef cheek and BBQ Chicken supreme. Sit yourself down and enjoy it all backed by a sunset over the city, which makes a nice change to the view of nextdoor’s abandoned trampoline.
The Thirsty Farrier
Daily, 11am – 11pm | Queen’s Walk
Nothing says time to kick back like a cocktail, and with The Thirsty Farrier, you can maximise that relaxing feel by enjoying your chosen tipple with a riverside view. The brothers behind this horsebox bar have mixed up their own special cocktail creations for you to sit back with including a flavoursome passion fruit margarita and refreshing mango and strawberry mojitos. And they also offer all your classic summer favourites, so you can enjoy an elderflower G&T, absorb an Aperol Spritz, or partake in a proper Pimms, without any of that tennis nonsense getting in the way.
The SNOG Frozen Yogurt Bus
Daily, 11am – 11pm | Queen’s Walk
Unless you have a particularly niche blind-spot for bright pink neon-lit Routemaster buses you’re unlikely to miss SNOG’s presence at the Southbank Centre. Complete with its own upper-deck seats looking out across the Thames, and a collection of deck-chairs for the more laid back among you, the SNOG Frozen Yogurt Bus serves delicious freshly-made, natural and fat-free organic frozen yogurt. You can choose from five mouth-watering flavours and a bounty of toppings for a (largely) guilt-free summer indulgence as you sit back and watch the world go by.
Truffle Burger
Daily, 11am – 11pm | Under Hungerford Bridge
If the sun gets too strong this summer or (perhaps more likely) you face a sudden downpour, you can always take shelter under Hungerford Bridge and grab a seat at Truffle, where they’ve created a special burger menu around their favourite ingredient, and you’ll never guess what it is… Well, yes, ok, it’s truffle. Still, whether you’re a meat eater or veggie, they’ve got a breadth of succulent burger options for you, and Truffle’s speciality indulgently thick shake is also not to be missed… you just might need a lie down afterwards
Biju Bubble Tea
Daily, 11am – 11pm | Queen’s Walk
More joyous refreshment, this time without the potential for a hangover, courtesy of Biju Bubble Tea who bring their many flavours – each of them freshly brewed using 100% natural ingredients – to the South Bank for the first time this summer. From jasmine and green tea blended fruits, to milk teas made with bold black assam; cold brews based in Ethiopian coffee to hand-whisked matcha options; and Biju’s signature range of distinctly traditional Taiwanese flavours. There really is a bubble tea for everyone. Even that notoriously hard-to-please auntie of yours. You know the one.
Arøund
Daily, 11am – 11pm | Under Hungerfod Bridge
Cookies. Wonderful cookies! Each one so gloriously rich, moreish and satisfyingly gooey in the middle that you won’t be able to resist scoffing them down like a heavily trademarked furry blue puppet with bulbous eyes and a much-publicised biscuit addiction problem. Yeah, that one. Arøund aim to bring you London’s softest cookies, baked fresh on site from recipes born out of a fascination with Berlin and a love for the classic American-style cookie. Enjoy them with coffee, hand-made soft drinks or soft-serve ice-cream. Me recommends.
Frank!
Daily, 11am – 11pm | Under Hungerford Bridge
Thankfully hot dogs have come a long way since the days of those tinned rubbery sausages you chomped into at the local bowling alley on your 6th birthday. Epitomising this welcome shift are Frank! who bring the quintessential US hot dog to the South Bank, with a special local twist. Their sausages are made to spec from Derbyshire pork, their buns come from Tottenham, their cheese from the Cotswolds, and yet it all comes together in flavoursome frankfurters that are undoubtedly American. As well as the classic meat-eaters’ favourite, there are options for veggies and vegans, topped with Frank!’s own in-house sauces, each of them as messy as they are tasty.
Puzzles
Daily, 11am – 11pm | Under Hungerford Bridge
If summer is about anything, it’s chilling out. That’s definitely the belief of Puzzles, who bring a relaxed family-focussed ambience to their pop-up bar by the Thames. Here to quench the thirst of anybody and everybody, Puzzles offer up a London-inspired draught beer selection, refreshing summer drinks including frozen cocktails that extend beyond margaritas to include Strawberry Daiquiris, Moscow Mules and Amaretto Sour Cherry. And for the kids and the non-drinkers there’s a sizable soft drink selection that spans from classic sodas to fun summer slushies. Cheers.
Queen Elizabeth Hall Roof Garden
Wednesday – Sunday, noon – dusk; food and drinks available from 4pm weekdays, and from noon on weekends | Up the yellow stairs
Can we really keep calling this the South Bank’s best kept secret when so many of you know about it? After all, it’s not as if we’ve disguised it well by painting the stairs up to this oasis bright yellow. But whether you’re a seasoned visitor or you are heading up for the first time, nothing quite offers that first appreciation of the warmer months and lighter nights like the riot of colour cultivated by our incredibly talented bunch of gardeners; grab a bite to eat or a drink from the bar, sit among the trees or out on the lawn, and relax.
Southbank Centre Food Market
Friday (12noon – 9pm), Saturday (11am – 9pm) & Sunday (12noon – 6pm), plus Bank holiday Mondays (12noon – 6pm) | Southbank Centre Square
If you’re one of those people who never quite knows what they want to eat until they see it, or smell it, then the Waterloo-side of our Royal Festival Hall is the place to be every Friday to Sunday. Featuring an incredible range of global street food, from Ethiopian vegetarian to Polish sausages, Korean burritos to Mauritian curries, our weekly food market boasts options from every continent bar Antarctica (any budding street-food proffering penguins, get in touch). A food lovers’ paradise, but probably not for the indecisive.
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