London’s best pop-ups inspired by TV shows

Nicky Clarke gets square eyes at London’s latest pop-ups
Cook up your own cocktails at ABQ
Nicky Clarke4 September 2015

Being themed around a cuisine or cocktail is no longer enough. The latest wave of pop-ups to sweep the capital are inspired by some of TV’s most popular shows.

ABQ

Inspired by: Breaking Bad

Cooking up ‘cocktails and chemicals’ until the end of October, ABQ – named after a town in Albuquerque, New Mexico – is a pop-up bar inspired by cult TV show Breaking Bad. Set in a chemistry lab, complete with Bunsen burners, glass beakers and squeezable pipettes, the bar is based on the RV that wild-eyed Walter White uses to cook up his crystal meth. Thankfully for customers visiting the Hackney Wick pop-up, the batch cocktails here are completely legal – including the Blue Fynn, a drink that changes colour with the addition of acidity.

FriendsFest

Friends: The cast of the cult TV show

Inspired by: Friends

Neighbours become good friends from 16th until 30th September at the FriendsFest pop-up on Brick Lane, a glorious homage to everyone’s favourite flatmates. Accompanying the news that Comedy Central will remain the exclusive home of the cult TV show for a further four years, FriendsFest features a full-scale replica of Monica’s apartment and a Central Perk-inspired coffee shop alongside a covetable collection of recognisable props and memorabilia. Sadly, there won’t be any booze to get stuck into, but there will be a pop-up salon to help visitors style a ‘Rachel’ and a foosball table to channel your inner Joey. As expected, tickets are already sold out, but Londoners can still get a slice of the American pie by following @comedycentralUK and entering one of its competitions.

The Owls Are Not What They Seem

Expect some damn fine coffee and a slice of cherry pie

Inspired by: Twin Peaks

Things don’t get more trippy than Twin Peaks by David Lynch and they’re expected to take a turn for the seriously strange at The Owls Are Not What They Seem: a pop-up inspired by the legendary director’s surreal show. A collaboration between events extraordinaires Lemonade & Laughing Gas and Blanch & Shock, the experience – part restaurant, part theatre – runs until 17th October at a location disclosed only when a ticket is bought (shh: it’s in Farringdon). Plump for the £66.50 version for the full experience: a wacky welcome cocktail, a three-course meal in The Diner, and access to the Owl’s Nest drinking den afterwards. Expect the unexpected – apart from the show’s signature cherry pie for dessert and swathes of plastic curtains in the creepy corridors.

Edible Cinema

Unique: the Edible Cinema offers an unusual experience
Edible Cinema

Can’t get into any of the above? Fear not: Edible Cinema is dedicated to bringing Londoners supperclubs inspired by the screen on an ongoing basis, providing guests with numbered boxes that contain bitesize tasting menus paired to specific moments in movies. Its next immersive experience is Charlie & The Chocolate Factory at The Science Museum on September 30.

Follow Nicky Clarke on Twitter @fri_child
Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout

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