the best of the summer 2018 fine food and drink pop-ups

Foodie alert! The luxury pop-up is alive and well for summer 2018, and the concept is not just limited to designer apparel, accessories and beauty products. There are are more and more fine dining, food and drink pop-ups showing up in glamorous locations around the world, including New York, Paris, London and the Hamptons. Here’s a round-up of the 11 food, champagne and other fine dining pop-ups that we’re most excited about, coming soon to a chic location near you. Sunshine, starlight, warm temps and ice-cold champagne — we could definitely get used to this.

1. Eleven Madison Park, the number one restaurant in the world per the San Pellegrino 50 Best list, will return to East Hampton this summer. The seasonal pop-up EMP Summer House is a partnership with American Express, the only card accepted there. The menu will feature lobster and steaks, plus seafood pastas and truffle-showered appetizers — it will be open through September 3 at 341 Pantigo Road, East Hampton. And if you’re the type who likes to plan ahead, you should make a note to self: the restaurant also announced a second partnership with American Express, the aptly named EMP Winter House, which will be popping up next winter in Aspen.

2. Shuko, the Japanese omakase and kaiseki restaurant based in Union Square in Manhattan, is once again popping up on summer weekends with Shuko Beach at Highway Restaurant & Bar in East Hampton. Guests can reserve a spot at the Chef’s Counter during three nightly seatings (of 6 people only) or opt for the dining room. Take-out is also available. 290 Montauk Highway, East Hampton. Opening July 6.

3. Manhattan’s acclaimed “omakase speakeasy” Sushi by Bou is popping up in Southampton through September 3. Helmed  by Zagat 30 Under 30 chef David Bouhadana, the space will be located on a new patio behind Jue Lan Club, with 30- and 60-minute tasting menus. Open Wednesdays through Sundays at 268A Elm St., Southampton.

4. The Turf Club at Westlight. One draw of the rooftop bar atop the William Vale hotel is its views, 23 stories above Brooklyn. This summer, the space transforms into a new pop-up, complete with lawn games like corn hole, music and tropical décor like palm trees and flamingos. Specialty cocktails, lobster rolls, corn dogs and strawberry-shortcake ice cream sandwiches are on the menu. Friday-Sunday through September. 111 N. 12th St., Brooklyn.

5. The Golden Hour at the High Line Hotel. The team behind North Brooklyn favorites Maison Premiere and Sauvage are making an appearance in Manhattan for the summer at the lovely High Line Hotel courtyard. The beverage program from James Beard Award-winner Will Elliott includes the Pimm’s Golden Cup and the Frozen Negroni. Food choices include lobster rolls, fish and chips and fried whole belly clams, along with raw bar offerings, snapper ceviche, grilled shrimp with charred avocado, and shrimp po’ boys. The landscaping is tropical – the better to ease you smoothly into a summer vibe, no matter how stressful your workday was. Through at mid-October. 180 10th Ave., Manhattan.

6. In Cambridge, Massachusetts, you can spend the summer sipping matcha and black tea drinks at Abide x Parsnip, a pop-up tea bar. There will be four signature drinks available on the patio of the upscale Harvard Square restaurant Parsnip every weekend afternoon through September, weather permitting.  The Godfather is made with strawberry, milk, and matcha; the Foggy Bottom features ceylon tea with lavender, coconut, bergamot, and milk. 91 Winthrop St., Cambridge, MA.

7. Maison Ruinart, the world’s oldest extant champagne house, is partnering with Tom Hingston, the film director behind some of David Bowie’s final music videos, on an exclusive pop-up hotel that will open for a week later this month at a secret address in London’s Primrose Hill. The one-bedroom Hotel 1729 is designed to evoke the theme of ‘vivre est un art’ (living is an art). The curated evening is built around two core “hosts” who can spend the night, and who can invite up to four guests to join them for dinner. Stays at the hotel, which are limited to one night per booking, will start from £850 for two, with rates including breakfast and a champagne tasting hosted by Olivier Livoir, Ruinart’s maître d’hotel. The experience will also feature a tasting menu curated by Bio Lindegaard, the Danish experimental chef, with dishes specially chosen to match each glass. The pop-up will launch on June 30 and will remain open until July 10.

8. To celebrate the return of Chess the musical to the West End, London theater-district restaurant J Sheekey Atlantic Bar & Terrace is hosting a month-long pop-up, Chess on the Terrace. Dinner guests can choose to play a game of chess while enjoying their meal. Tickets to the show are not required to join in the fun.

9. Laurent-Perrier Champagne is hosting a summer-long pop-up on the deck of the Sunborn London. The ship, which is moored in the revitalized Royal Victoria Dock, is marking four years in the capital. Expect champagne cocktails on the nautical hotel’s top deck – it is 50 years since Laurent-Perrier launched their iconic cuvée rosé – and plenty of seafood-heavy appetizers, from crab-lobster arancini to crispy calamari. The Le Fizz cocktail, a mix of St. Germain elderflower liqueur, fresh lemon juice and Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée, is sure to be one of the most popular drinks of the summer. Open until September 3.

10. Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé Champagne is also partnering with the Mondrian London for a floral Midsummer Terrace wrapped around the Thames-side Sea Containers restaurant. Open to the public as well as to hotel guests, the space has been designed to evoke midsummer meadows: you’ll find soft pink furniture and pink wildflowers (perfect for Instagram). As the evening approaches, the terrace will be illuminated with candles and heated lamps. The à la carte menu is heavy on seafood (strawberry- and champagne-cured sea bass) and fresh summer vegetables (courgettes stuffed with ricotta, pink pepper and baked lemon purée). Word is that the three-flute champagne flight is the optimal way in which to savor the experience. Open until late September.

11. The Trianon Palace Versailles, a 5-star hotel in the Waldorf-Astoria group that’s situated at the edge of the Chateau de Versailles gardens, is once again joining forces with luxury vodka brand Beluga to offer signature cocktails and gastronomic creations on a summer pop-up terrace. After the success of the covered version this winter, the terrace has been renovated for sunny days and balmy evenings. Open until August.

In addition to all of those, you can always take advantage of the annual Paris Plage, when the city deposits tons of sand along the banks of the Seine to create temporary beaches in the summer. It was announced that Rome will install a similar “beach” along the Tiber this year, with pop-up bars along the river bank.

There are so many lovely ways to celebrate and savor the tastes of summer. Cheers!

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