Rita’s Returns To Frieze With Its Annual Art Week Takeover

For another year of Frieze, Rita’s is returning to Regent’s Park to fuel the crowds moving between galleries, exhibitions and the fair itself. The New York inspired Soho restaurant from Gabriel Pryce and Missy Malik Flynn is back from 15 to 18 October, marking its ninth consecutive year at Frieze. What began as a Dalston pop up in 2012 has since developed into a permanent Lexington Street address and a recognisable part of London’s independent dining scene.

Rita’s approach to food has always drawn on Modern American cooking without taking itself too seriously, and that spirit carries through to this year’s grab and go menu. Tacos and subs arrive with fillings including Carnitas, Tinga de Pollo and spiced Mushroom, alongside a seasonal Kale, Corn, Cabbage and Black Bean Salad with sesame Caesar and pumpkin seed macha. Chicken tinga or spiced mushrooms can also be added for those looking for something more substantial between exhibitions.

The drinks menu keeps the same energy, with two highballs designed for easy drinking while moving through the fair. The Mezcal Paloma combines Mezcal Verde Amaràs, Three Cents grapefruit soda and Campari, while the Citrus Highball pairs East London Vodka with Three Cents mandarin soda. Fresh seasonal juice, hibiscus seltzer, beer and non alcoholic options round out the selection, with fresh juice available for those arriving early.

The return to Frieze has become part of its annual rhythm, bringing the restaurant’s food outside its Soho home and into one of London’s busiest cultural weeks. Morning visitors can pick up fresh juice before the day gets underway, while Frieze exhibitors receive 10% off their purchases. The format is deliberately straightforward, giving visitors somewhere to eat and drink without stepping too far away from the pace of the fair.

After nine years, Rita’s presence at Frieze has become a familiar part of the experience, connecting the restaurant’s independent spirit with the wider creative community that gathers in Regent’s Park each October. Between tacos, subs, highballs and cold pressed juice, the menu offers a practical way to keep moving through the week, while continuing a relationship that has made Rita’s one of the fair’s returning food fixtures.