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London's summer 2026 music calendar has more East and South East Asian acts than any previous year — BTS at a football stadium, TWICE doing their first 360° UK stage, XG becoming the first Japanese group to play Wembley, and a brand-new outdoor city pop festival at Crystal Palace Bowl. Whether you're here for stadium K-pop or intimate J-rock, there's something on this list for you. Here's everything confirmed, by date. K-Pop Concerts in London Summer 2026 TWICE — "THIS IS FOR

Sonoe Sugawara came to London for three months in 2001. She never left. Over two decades later, she runs a vintage kimono shop in Dalston and organises Yokimono Japanese Market — an independent gathering of Japanese food makers, artists, and craftspeople that was only ever supposed to happen once.

Bánh mì is one of those sandwiches that shouldn't work on paper — French baguette, Vietnamese pickles, pâté, coriander, chilli — and yet it's one of the most satisfying things you can eat. London's Vietnamese food scene has grown quietly and steadily over the past decade, and the bánh mì options have grown with it. From Hackney to Southbank, here are the spots we think are doing it well. Pho Street Eats ⭐ Our Pick This mother-daughter duo has been at Old Spitalfields Market s

The Stall Named After Her Mum's Hometown Chau's parents were among the Vietnamese boat people who fled the country after the war. They made it to Hong Kong, met there, and that's where Chau was born. She came to the UK at one year old. The journey that brought her family here was dangerous; everything left behind is the quiet foundation beneath every dish she sells. Her mum's family is from Nha Trang. The stall carries that name. Which means every bánh mì sold at Berwick Stre

There's something about visiting two exhibitions in one go that feels indulgent, like ordering two desserts without feeling guilty. We went to the Hayward Gallery to see Chiharu Shiota. Her thread installations had been all over my feed, and I'd been meaning to go for weeks. Yin Xiuzhen was the other name on the ticket, someone I didn't know much about going in. But I left thinking most about her work. Yin Xiuzhen: Cities in Suitcases You walk into Yin Xiuzhen's half first, a

What does it feel like to walk into Zao An According to co-founder Rihlan, it's like going to someone's house and having their parents cook for you. Part café, part canteen, part community hub. Zao An is an ESEA diaspora workers' collective built on the belief that the best hospitality happens when everyone has a real stake in it. We sat down with Irene and Rihlan to hear the story behind it all.

At Tabard Street Market, Pinoy Eat is serving Filipino food that feels simple, satisfying, and full of heart. Run by Nino, alongside his wife Helen and their son Paul, the stall brings together family, flavour and everyday comfort in a way that feels deeply personal. Pinoy Eat began after Nino left his long career as a chef in hotels and restaurants to build something of his own. For the family, it was not just a business decision but a lifestyle change too. Running their own

If you walk into Cernamic on a busy evening, London suddenly feels quieter. Wheels are spinning, hands are deep in clay, and there is that soft concentration that happens when everyone is making something together. It feels less like a strict class and more like a shared studio, a small oasis tucked between train lines and traffic. Cernamic is a pottery studio with three spaces in Stoke Newington, Deptford and Dalston, founded by ceramic artist Nam Tran with co-director Susi

Walk past The Happy Pot at a London market, and you often smell it before you see the stall. Slow-cooked beef rendang, coconut rice, bright pickles and golden fried chicken. It is the kind of food that makes people describe it as “comfort in a bowl” and come back day after day. Behind it all is Yvette, a Nigerian-born, London-based cook who swapped a career in international development for a life serving Malaysian-inspired comfort food. From climate grants to comfort food Bef

Stepping into Do Ho Suh’s exhibition at Tate Modern feels a bit like walking into a memory made of air and colour. Walls become sheer fabric, doors glow in soft pinks and greens, and everyday objects, door handles, light switches, radiators, hover like ghosts of all the places we’ve lived in but never quite left behind. For those of us who’ve left home and rebuilt our lives elsewhere, his work hits very close to the bone. Who is Do Ho Suh? Do Ho Suh (b. 1962) is a South Korea

From Filipino pancit to Japanese karaage, this is your ultimate guide to Asian food in London. We spotlight ESEA-owned stalls, restaurants, supperclubs, and hidden gems with interviews, maps, and monthly updates.

Born in lockdown and run by Vivien, a London mum-of-three, My Kids Are Hungry serves home-cooked Vietnamese comfort food with an easygoing “family kitchen” vibe. The stall grew from sharing recipes online to a full-time spot at Southbank Centre Food Market, and yes, the kids helped choose the menu. What to eat? Two signatures stand out: chicken & prawn bao, pan-fried, juicy, sesame-topped dumplings and a crunchy, classic bánh mì. Everything at the stall is nut-free, which m

Updated 04/05/2026 Looking for East and Southeast Asian events in London this month? This is your hub for ESEA gigs, food markets, supperclubs, exhibitions and theatre across the city. We spotlight everything from underground nights to big festival moments, with new listings added throughout the month. You will also find the occasional ESEA highlight from other UK cities when something special is happening. Bookmark this page or sign up for our newsletter for updates! 4 - 10

If you geek out over clean, clever design, this one's for you. Japan House London's new show, Pictograms: Iconic Japanese Designs, traces how simple symbols evolved into a shared visual language — from early sign systems to the game-changing sets created for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and right through to today's signage and emojis. It's a crisp, hands-on look at clarity, consistency, and why Japan leads the way in pictogram design. What you'll see inside The exhibition steps t

East Asian noodles, made for London streets. Sen Noods began as a lockdown idea between two friends, Godfrey and Johnny. They were living together, both out of work, and kept joking about "one day" running a food truck. In late 2021 they bought a van and actually did it. Their first bestseller was a soy-milk ramen inspired by an episode of Food Wars, created to give the menu a strong vegan option. Today, it is one of their most ordered bowls. From kitchen mates to a noodle va

At Victoria Park Market each weekend, Cantoast keeps things simple: thick-cut milk bread, dipped and fried, topped with butter, golden syrup and condensed milk. It looks classic because that is the point. The founder wants the toast to feel familiar to people from Hong Kong and easy to try for first-timers. (updated: Cantoast is no longer at Victoria Park, new Cantoast Bakery is at Marble Arch) The key is the bread. They bake their own Shokupan (milk bread) so they can contro

When JC and Yin set up a modest griddle stall in an Oxford market back in 2017, the goal was simple: pay rent and cure homesickness with the sweet, round pancakes they grew up eating. Six years and thousands of wheel‑shaped cakes later, Wheelcake Island has become a fixture at Old Spitalfields Market, luring queues with the hiss of batter and the scent of custard and azuki bean. A “fun‑to‑watch” dessert that caught London's eye "People were intrigued by the cooking process,"

Pho Street Eats is proof that comfort can flourish in unexpected seasons. The mother‑an d‑daughter stall launched in 2019 while Old Spitalfields Market was still emerging from lockdown lulls. Footfall was low, conversations were long, and every bowl of beef pho felt personal. "Those quiet months let us meet everyone properly," the daughter recalls. "Now the market is busy again, but we still recognise our regulars and check in with them." Real Broth, Local Roots Their recipe

Meet the Team: Pad + Sen Thai When friends turned business partners couldn't find authentic Thai food that met their standards in London, they decided to create their own. Since 2019, Pad + Sen Thai has been serving up the real deal at South Central Food Market and Canopy Market, bringing a taste of home to London's Thai community and beyond. What sets them apart? Their commitment to authenticity starts with their signature Pad Thai sauce, made entirely from scratch using rea

Karaage With a Shout of Joy: How a Mother-Daughter Team Is Sharing Generations of Flavour The crackle of hot oil, a squeeze of lemon, and a dollop of Kewpie mayo, BANZAI KITCHEN turns this simple trio into pure happiness. Launched in 2023 by Ocean and her mum, the stall began as a one-off pop-up inside the Brunel Museum before joining street-food incubator KERB. Since then, its towering karaage bowls have become a lunchtime beacon for hungry Londoners. A recipe that runs in