St James’s Food Fair is coming to central London on 16 May

A brand new free food festival is arriving in the heart of central London this month, and it is shaping up to be one of the most interesting food events of the spring. The first-ever St James’s Food Fair takes over St James’s Market — one of London’s most architecturally striking covered outdoor spaces, just off Piccadilly — on Saturday 16 May 2026, running from noon to 7pm and bringing together restaurants, independent producers, sustainability innovators, live music and hands-on workshops in one compact, accessible location.

Entry is completely free. The masterclasses at the SMEG flagship store nearby require a ticket, priced at just £5. Everything else — the food stalls, the tastings, the live music, the interactive producers — is open to anyone who turns up.

What Is the St James’s Food Fair?

The St James’s Food Fair is the centrepiece of the 2026 Future of Food Festival — a wider event organised by The Crown Estate that runs across Regent Street and St James’s from 12 to 24 May. The festival is in its second year but is running in spring for the first time, and the Food Fair itself is entirely new — a one-day open-air market format that brings the festival’s themes of sustainability, seasonal produce and food innovation out of the ticketed dinner circuit and onto the street.

The open-air market brings together leading St James’s restaurants serving dishes from terrace BBQs and food stalls featuring innovative producers and sustainable suppliers. The site at St James’s Market — a pedestrianised square between Regent Street and St James’s Street, SW1 — is already home to some of the area’s most-praised restaurants, and the Food Fair format essentially turns the entire space into a single extended dining and discovery experience for one afternoon.

The location puts it within easy walking distance of Piccadilly Circus, Green Park and Charing Cross, making it one of the most centrally accessible food events London has to offer this month.

The Restaurants: What Can You Eat?

Every dish available at the Food Fair is either exclusive to the day or a specially created version of a restaurant’s signature offering — meaning this is not simply an extension of the regular menus. Here is what each participating restaurant is serving:

Toba — London’s acclaimed authentic Indonesian restaurant is bringing BBQ specials to the fair, including chicken skewers and its richly spiced beef rendang. Toba has developed a strong reputation for the depth and authenticity of its Indonesian cooking, and the BBQ format for the fair showcases the smokier, more casual side of the cuisine in a way that works perfectly for an outdoor event.

Sael — Sael’s approach to British cooking is refined and ingredient-led, and its Food Fair menu reflects that ethos with a twist: Sael Fish & Chips, the restaurant’s elevated take on Britain’s most iconic dish, alongside a Marmite English custard tart — a confident, distinctly British dessert that uses one of the country’s most polarising condiments to genuinely interesting effect.

FOWL — The poultry-focused restaurant is serving crowd-pleasing street food including its well-regarded chicken salt fries and signature wings — straightforward, executed well, and exactly the right kind of food for a standing-up, outdoor eating occasion.

Scully St James’s — Chef Ramael Scully is one of London’s most creative cooks, known for blending influences from his Malaysian, Chinese, Indian and Irish heritage into dishes of genuine originality. At the Food Fair, Scully will offer spiced cornbread with eggplant sambal and coconut labneh, and roast pork belly with sweet and sour pineapple — two dishes that demonstrate the layered, globally influenced approach that has made the restaurant a critical favourite.

Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill — The historic Piccadilly seafood institution will bring a seafood-focused menu celebrating high-quality seasonal British produce. Bentley’s has been serving London’s seafood lovers since 1916 and its presence at the fair adds an element of genuine culinary heritage to the lineup.

Paxton & Whitfield — One of England’s oldest cheesemongers, with a history stretching back to 1797 and a royal warrant from King Charles III, Paxton & Whitfield will present curated sustainable cheese plates. For cheese lovers, this is an opportunity to taste from one of the most carefully sourced selections available anywhere in London.

Oshpaz — The Central Asian restaurant will serve freshly made dumplings with beef, chicken and vegan options — approachable, flavourful and well-suited to the fair format.

Ole & Steen — The Scandinavian all-day bakery will offer its seasonal open sandwiches, bringing a lighter, Nordic-inflected option to the food lineup.

Bija — The Indonesian café is serving Indonesian cake and coffee bundles — a fitting pairing for a mid-afternoon visit.

The Independent Producers: What to Discover

Alongside the restaurants, a selection of independent producers and specialist brands will offer tastings and products to explore and buy. These are among the most interesting stalls at the fair from a discovery perspective:

Highgate Honey — A North London family-run business producing high-quality honey while focusing on bee health. The founder will be available to share their honey range, and weather permitting, visitors can view an observation beehive designed to show bee behaviour in action.

UK Edible Insect Association featuring Bugvita — The UK’s edible insect industry is one of the most genuinely forward-looking areas of alternative food production, and this is a rare opportunity to try insect-based snacks in a casual, approachable setting. The forward-thinking teams behind the UK’s edible insect industry will be on hand — striving for a future where insects are a recognised ingredient in balanced, nutritious diets.

Wild Food UK — Foraging expert Marlow Renton from Wild Food UK will be offering educational displays and tastings of foraged ingredients, including edible wild plants, mushrooms, fruits, roots and flowers. Visitors can take away tips so they can pick and eat with confidence.

The Herbtender — A specialist in adaptogenic herbs and functional mushrooms, The Herbtender’s wellness blends sit at the intersection of food and health — one of the fastest-growing areas of consumer interest in the UK food market.

Lockdown Liquor Co. — Premium bottled cocktails available to taste and purchase.

Willow and Maw — Fresh flowers available to buy, adding a market atmosphere to the occasion.

Grape & Fig — Charcuterie boxes for purchase.

Brityard / Araw ice cream bike — Ice cream served from a bike, because every good outdoor food event needs a roaming ice cream option.

The Grow the Future Experience

One of the most distinctive elements of the day is an interactive experience called Grow the Future, hosted by The Barefoot Planter. Families and visitors of all ages can get hands-on and learn more about sustainable growing — a practical, engaging activity that gives the fair a genuinely educational dimension beyond food tasting. This is particularly well-suited for families with children, making the Food Fair more of a full afternoon out than a purely food-focused event.

The SMEG Masterclasses: £5 Tickets

A short walk from the main fair, the SMEG flagship store on Regent Street is hosting a series of ticketed masterclasses as part of the wider Future of Food Festival programme. Two sessions specifically link to the Food Fair:

Foraging Workshop with Wild Food UK — Led by Marlow Renton, this hands-on session covers the basics of safe, responsible foraging: what to look for, how to identify edible plants and fungi, and how wild ingredients can add new flavour to everyday cooking. Includes a welcome drink and sampling.

Oyster Shucking with Bentley’s — Learn how to expertly open and prepare fresh oysters, how to taste them correctly, and how to create an award-winning oyster dressing. Includes oyster tasters.

Both masterclasses are priced at £5 per person — exceptional value for the level of expertise involved. Tickets are available in advance via the St James’s Food Fair website and are expected to sell out.

The Future of Food Festival: The Wider Picture

The Food Fair is just one element of the wider Future of Food Festival, which runs across Regent Street and St James’s from 12 to 24 May. The broader programme includes several notable ticketed events:

A collaborative dinner at Hotel Café Royal on 20 May, where two-Michelin-starred chef Alex Dilling joins forces with Green Michelin-starred and one-Michelin-starred chef Merlin Labron-Johnson for a four-course menu at £140 per person.

A feel-good supper club on 13 May hosted by chef Helen Graham in partnership with The Felix Project — London’s leading food redistribution charity — where a three-course menu is prepared using surplus seasonal ingredients, with all ticket proceeds going directly to the charity.

Month-long dining offers and exclusive menus at participating restaurants throughout May, including Heddon Street Kitchen, Maison François, Wiltons and Temaki. Mastercard cardholders receive exclusive rewards at participating venues throughout the festival period.

Practical Information

Date: Saturday 16 May 2026 Time: 12pm – 7pm Location: St James’s Market, London SW1Y 4AH (between Regent Street and St James’s Street, SW1) Admission: Free — no ticket required for the main fair Masterclasses: £5 per person, held at SMEG flagship store, Regent Street — book in advance at stjameslondon.co.uk/sjm-food-fair

Getting there:

• Tube: Piccadilly Circus (Bakerloo and Piccadilly lines) — 3-minute walk
• Tube: Green Park (Jubilee, Victoria and Piccadilly lines) — 5-minute walk
• Bus: Multiple routes serve Piccadilly and Regent Street

Dogs: Check with organisers — St James’s Market is a pedestrianised outdoor space

Full festival information and masterclass booking: stjameslondon.co.uk/sjm-food-fair

Quick Reference: St James’s Food Fair 2026