Best things to do in London this long weekend including Cinco de Mayo celebrations

Welcome back to The Slice!

A Bank Holiday Monday and Cinco de Mayo feel like a match made in heaven. The historic holiday celebrates the best of Mexican music, culture and cuisine. This week, we’re doing just that at The Slice, and telling you how you can join in the fiesta.

We’ve tried three bars where agave and Mexican spirits take centre stage. Read below about Zapote’s signature Casamigos Tequila cocktail, subterranean Dalston bar CINCO, and Los Mochis’ one-day-only celebrations.

We’re also throwing it back to 1999 (the good old times), and telling you where you can get cheap as chips £2.50 cinema tickets. 

Plus: Song He Lou, a 250-year-old Chinese restaurant, makes its UK debut. It’s renowned for its seafood and ‘Squirrel Fish’ – but does it live up to the hype?

Read on for a whole range of recommendations for 3-5 May, handpicked as always by The Slice.

This week in London

If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, here are 12 of the best activities, dining, and drinking spots in the capital.

1. Try fiery Thai fried chicken at Fortune Fried Chicken

By Chris Rickett

It’s tough out there for chicken joints. They’ve got to do it all. But Fortune Fried Chicken does. This uber-cool opening in Spitalfields Market is intent on replicating the same spices best found on Thai street stalls, transforming your favourite fried chicken cheat meal with a bold, exotic twist. Co-headed by the founder of Gunpowder, the menu is designed to make a statement without betraying craft.

The chicken is front and centre of most star dishes on the menu, as it should be. The Fortune Fried Chicken burger is like champagne in burger form. Other stars? The sticky rice with a textured smoky rub and a well-fired bowl of corn on the cob. Virtually any option from the array of spicy garnishes pack a kick of Bruce Lee proportions and will send you clamouring for another tropical coconut water.

Every bite here lingers with a chilli fruity sizzle that adds another dimension. Just because it’s comfort fast food, it doesn’t mean slow, intentional thought hasn’t gone into elevating it. It’s a beautiful burst of Thai-inspired flavours. 

Get 50% off food for Fortune Fried Chicken’s soft launch, available all day on 1 May. 

Burgers from £6. Sides, £3. Old Spitalfields Market, 59 Brushfield St, Spitalfields, E1 6AA. Walk-in, or order in advance to skip the wait.

2. Celebrate Cinco de Mayo at London’s best agave bars

Sixt33n

Best for: inventive cocktails

Featuring leather swivel seats around a sunken bar and a vinyl-only DJ at the turntables, Sixt33n is the very cool downstairs neighbour of Brix, the big New York-inspired warehouse of a restaurant in London Bridge.

Their Patrón infused drinks list goes big on smoky, complex flavours – our picks are the floral Arte de Volar, complete with a still smouldering sprig of lavender, and It Came from the Gods, a chocolatey knockout with an intriguing toffee popcorn note thanks the addition of Maize Liqueur. Order the BBQ brisket croquettes and stay until the small hours.

Cocktails from £12. Small plates from £5. 16 Great Guildford St, London Bridge. Book here.

CINCO 

Best for: feeling sultry

New subterranean bar CINCO, from the team behind Corrochio’s, is grungy and snug. With cushions and a fireplace, it kind of feels like you’re in someone’s living room. They offer a small but varied cocktail list featuring five agave, five Mexican spirit, and five non-alcoholic cocktails (hence the name CINCO!).

You’re treated to a snack on the side with some of the cocktails, like the Tejato Moderno. Strong and rich, it comes with a little bite: a Maria Gamesa biscuit with cacao foam. Prices are more Soho than Dalston, but after we tasted the XO Taco we decided it was worth every penny. The food is immaculate here, we wish we could keep it as our little secret.

Cocktails from £13. Bar snacks from £5. 76 Stoke Newington Rd, Dalston. Book here.

Los Mochis 

Best for: a party vibe

Things are getting hot hot hot for Cinco de Mayo at Los Mochis. At both the Notting Hill and Liverpool Street locations, you can get some of Mexico’s most iconic cocktails for £10. Palomas, Margaritas, Mezcalitas, and Tommy’s – the whole shabang, all day long. Plus their much-loved Crispy Rice is getting a  special tuna twist for the day.

But don’t worry, their signature fusion dishes will be available too, including Wagyu Beef Tacos, Miso Cod and more.

Cocktails, £10. Notting Hill and Liverpool Street. Book here. 

3. Continue the celebrations at Zapote

By Beatrice Aidin

At Zapote, authentic Mexican tortillas are a serious business. The kitchen opens at 4.30am and makes over 500 tortillas a day using corn from chef patron Yahir Gonzalez’s 240-year-old family ranch in Mexico. This makes a difference – and might just be what makes Zapote one of the most exciting restaurants in London.

We can taste the freshness and quality while eating ox tongue tacos with cashew mole sharpened by pickled red onion, along with a divine plate of asparagus with pine nut mole, sorrel and Manchego. There are plenty of vegetarian options, but now I know why suckling pig tortilla is one of the most popular orders. Must-try £10 cocktails include the Zapote 70, their signature cocktail – made with Casamigos Tequila, Ojo de Rios Mezcal, Orgeat and Lemon. 

With Cinco de Mayo next week, the Zapote Regional Roots May series will explore Coyoacán in Mexico City with dishes like duck quesadillas with salsa roja and endive salad. In June, you can find scallop ceviche with grilled corn and persimmon on the menu, inspired by the chef’s scallop harvesting trips to Sonora on the Gulf of California. 

Dishes from £9. 70 Leonard St, Shoreditch, EC2A 4QX. Book here.

4. Go down to Mexican Fiesta, MEX Fest

MEX Fest, a FREE two-day Mexican Fiesta is happening at Hackney Bridge on 4-5 May. With food, music, dance, and art, it’s set to be a real celebration for Cinco de Mayo. Expect some of London’s best Mexican food traders, arts and crafts, live mariachi, Piñatas⁠ and more. 

5. Hear the James Bond soundtrack live

Any James Bond fans in the room? This is your chance to hear theme songs from across the whole film series.

The show features well-loved Bond songs including Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, Live and Let Die and Nobody Does It Better. Farfield Halls, Croydon. Tickets, £33. Book here.

6. Go to Oxford Street’s newest playground, the brand new IKEA store on Oxford Street

It’s hard not to love Ikea. It’s comforting, affordable and has iconic Swedish meatballs. Its Oxford Street branch is finally opening this week, complete with a Swedish deli on the lower-ground floor and famous 75p hot dogs.

You can also check out Metro’s thoughts on the new store as we got a sneak peek!

7. Get 50% Parisian-inspired plates at new opening Marjorie’s

New Parisian-inspired restaurant and wine bar, Marjorie’s, is landing in Soho on 9 May. Dishes like the lamb tartare, spring veg, goat’s cheese, and the raspberry & tarragon sorbet sure caught our eye.

Get 50% off food on opening day for their soft launch. Book here.

8. See if historic Chinese restaurant Song He Lou lives up to the hype

By Lucia Botfield

Chinatown has just opened its doors to Song He Lou, a Jiangnan restaurant already established in China as one of the country’s ‘most renowned culinary institutions’. The new Soho spot offers customers the flexibility to customise their dishes to their taste, with an authentic range of sides and noodles. Our favourites are the fried pork loin and pickled cucumbers – as well as their famous broth.

Their signature dish is soup noodles served with sweet and sour squirrel-shaped sea bass (pictured) which, much to our relief, does not actually contain rodent meat. But for a restaurant that falls on the expensive side, it’s hard to say the prices match the experience. Our meat doesn’t taste fresh, the noodles are heavy, and the restaurant is loud and lacks ambience.

We wouldn’t quite call it a flop, but perhaps Song He Lou needs to think a bit more about their menu before charging almost £40 a head. Sadly, this much anticipated UK debut doesn’t blow my mind. 

 Set meals from £16.80. 22 Wardour St, Soho, W1D 6QQ. Book here.

9. Indulge in Middle-Eastern food at Bubala’s new location

Bubala is serving up Middle-Eastern feasts at their third London location. Newly opened this week, you can expect a menu that builds on Bubala’s much-loved dishes while introducing fresh new additions, including a playful new sharing dessert, Bubala’s Big Pud.

10. Celebrate London’s waterways at free boat festival, IWA Canalway Cavalcade 2025

The Canalway Cavalcade, a FREE mini festival, takes place in Little Venice this bank holiday weekend. It’s a yearly celebration of London’s waterways.

Look forward to an illuminated boats parade (from 9pm on Sunday evening), plus live music all weekend, arts and crafts stalls and more. 

11. Join in on a VE day party

The family history platform, Ancestry, is recreating the iconic VE Day Street party in London’s Southbank. Expect the activation to feature 80 place settings as tribute to the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day and  spotlight the hidden heroes of World War II.

7 May. 8am-7pm. The Golden Carousel, The Queen’s Walk.

12. Get your hands on £2.50 cinema tickets at Genesis Cinema

Remember when going to the cinema didn’t cost a fortune? To celebrate its 26th birthday, Genesis Cinema in Mile End is harking back to the 90s and treating us to some beautifully cheap tickets this month.

Some of the best cult modern classics will be showing at just £2.50 per ticket, including coming-of-age story Aftersun, and comedy-drama The Grand Budapest Hotel. Plus, there’ll be showings of The Matrix, Get Rich Or Die Tryin’, Persepolis, The Handmaiden, Pan’s Labyrinth, Crank and more.

And if you thought that was good, you’ll want to know that popcorn and drink prices will be at 1999 levels too. It’s going to be a pretty cheap day out! 

Until 2-15 May. 93-95 Mile End Road, Whitechapel. Book tickets here.

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