Vietnamese food chain HOP Vietnamese will open its Tottenham Court Road location in London on Monday, June 8, 2026. It's the chain's 5th store in London, and its 7th location across the UK counting the two in Manchester. It's a further acceleration of founder Paul Hopper's mission to "bring the freshness and vitality of Vietnamese food to more people."
New location details — a 60-seat Vietnamese eatery in the Fitzrovia district
The new location is at 247 Tottenham Court Road. It sits in the heart of the Fitzrovia district, in a prime spot just steps from Tottenham Court Road station.
Store specs and ordering system
- Area: about 2,500 square feet (about 232㎡)
- Seats: 60
- Ordering method: in-store kiosk terminal or scanning the QR code on the table
- Opening date: Monday, June 8, 2026
The interior is a modern design incorporating Vietnamese culture into the spatial layout. The combination of kiosk terminals and QR-code ordering achieves a speed of about 3 minutes from order to serving. It's within walking distance of Oxford Street and Soho, easy to drop by for lunch mid-shopping or dinner before the theater.
HOP Vietnamese's journey — from financial analyst to a pho stall
Founder Paul Hopper worked for six years as an analyst in London's financial district, the City. But he lost his passion for the work and set out on a journey to Southeast Asia. Changing his route due to a typhoon, the place he happened to reach was Saigon, Vietnam.
The encounter with a street-stall pho
The shock of the pho he first tasted at a Saigon street stall — the rich broth and the vivid aroma of fresh herbs — changed Hopper's life. He wrote up a business plan during the rest of his trip and founded HOP Vietnamese in London in 2015.
From 1 Store to 7
The brand name "HOP" comes from the Vietnamese word "cái hộp," meaning box. Its signature product is the "HộP Box," combining protein, jasmine rice, salad, and pickles in one container. Starting with its London Wall location, the chain expanded through central London with stores at St Pauls, King's Cross, and West One Shopping Centre. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, it pivoted to digital transformation and meal-kit sales to survive. It later added the Trafford Centre and Market Street locations in Manchester, and now, with the Tottenham Court Road store, reaches its 7th location overall.
Menu and price range — authentic Vietnamese cuisine for £10–£15 a meal
HOP Vietnamese's menu centers on a lineup arranging Vietnamese street food into a UK fast-casual format. The sense of speed, served about 3 minutes after ordering, is one of its features.
Price range of main menu items
| Category | Signature items | Price range (tax included) | In Japanese yen |
|---|---|---|---|
| HộP Box (rice box) | Crispy chicken in caramel fish sauce + jasmine rice | £10〜£13 | About 2,000–2,600 yen |
| Phở | Beef brisket pho (rice noodles + red onion + chili + green onion) | £10〜£12 | About 2,000–2,400 yen |
| Banh mi | Sandwiches such as lemongrass chicken and pork | £7〜£9 | About 1,400–1,800 yen |
| Noodle salad | Rice noodles + grilled chicken + Vietnamese herbs | £10〜£12 | About 2,000–2,400 yen |
| Small plates | Fresh spring rolls, fried spring rolls, dumplings | £4〜£6 | About 800–1,200 yen |
| Drink | Vietnamese coffee, fresh juice | £3〜£5 | About 600–1,000 yen |
Vegetarian, vegan, and halal menu items are also available. Delivery via Uber Eats and Just Eat is supported, and takeout is also possible.
Local reaction — high expectations for "Vietnamese fast casual"
The opening announcement of the Tottenham Court Road location has drawn favorable reactions from London's food industry.
Voices of food bloggers
London-based food bloggers welcome the entry of a Vietnamese restaurant into the Fitzrovia district. Points like "the area around Oxford Street has many chain cafés and burger shops, and quick-service Asian food was lacking" are common. On Tripadvisor, high marks for serving speed and value for money stand out for existing HOP locations.
The view of industry insiders
The UK food-service media outlet Restaurant Online reported HOP's expansion as "steady growth in the Vietnamese fast-casual market." Just as Wagamama and Itsu established Japanese-cuisine-based fast casual in the UK, HOP is carving out that position with Vietnamese cuisine.
Reactions on social media
On HOP's official Instagram, comments gather on the new-location announcement post such as "Tottenham Court Road is easy to drop by after work" and "I'm a regular at the Manchester store, but I want to visit in London too."New York's Vietnamese restaurant "Ngon" earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand,and as this shows, the world's evaluation of Vietnamese cuisine is rising year by year, and HOP's expansion moves in step with that flow.
Impact on Japanese travelers — a prime spot 5 minutes on foot from Oxford Street
For travelers visiting London from Japan, the area around Tottenham Court Road is a hub for sightseeing. Oxford Street, Soho, and the British Museum are within walking distance, and many people look for places to eat between shopping and sightseeing.
Traveler budget guide
- £13–£18 (about 2,600–3,600 yen) for a HộP Box + drink
- £10–£14 (about 2,000–2,800 yen) for a banh mi + drink
- A reasonable price range for a central London restaurant
The nearest station, Tottenham Court Road, is a hub station where the Elizabeth Line, Central Line, and Northern Line intersect, about 35 minutes from Heathrow Airport on the Elizabeth Line. It's usable even for lunch on your arrival day.Vancouver's "Lunch Lady" was named among Food & Wine's world's best restaurants,and as with that example, the evaluation of Vietnamese cuisine in the English-speaking world is steadily rising. It's worth trying the authentic taste at HOP during a trip to London.
Ripple effects on the UK Vietnamese-cuisine market — lemongrass demand up 90%
In the UK food-service market, signals related to Vietnamese cuisine are growing rapidly. The rate of lemongrass appearing on menus recorded +90.8% year on year in the major cities of London, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, and Cardiff.
Comparison with other chains
In the UK market, where Wagamama, Itsu, and Wasabi have established Asian fast casual based on Japanese and Korean cuisine, HOP is out front in chain expansion specializing in Vietnamese cuisine. The UK Asian-restaurant market is about 8.5 billion pounds (about 1.7 trillion yen) in scale, with about 13,700 restaurants in operation. Within this, the presence of Vietnamese-cuisine specialty chains is still small, and HOP's room for expansion is large.
The affinity between health consciousness and Vietnamese cuisine
Vietnamese cuisine, represented by pho, banh mi, and rice-noodle salads, is characterized by heavy use of fresh herbs and low-fat cooking methods. It pairs well with the rising health-conscious food trend in the UK.Massachusetts' Vietnamese café "Cicada Coffee Bar" drew nationwide attention in the U.S. for removing WiFi,and as with that, Vietnam's food culture is permeating the English-speaking world, including not just cuisine but café culture too. Behind HOP's plan to open additional locations by the end of 2026 lies the tailwind of such a market environment.
Practical information
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Shop name | HOP Vietnamese Tottenham Court Road |
| Address | Unit 3, 247 Tottenham Court Road, London |
| Nearest station | Tottenham Court Road station (Elizabeth Line / Central Line / Northern Line) |
| Opening date | Monday, June 8, 2026 |
| Hours | 11:00–21:00 (planned, subject to change) |
| Seats | 60 seats |
| Price range | £7–£15 (about 1,400–3,000 yen) |
| How to order | In-store kiosk / QR-code table ordering |
| Delivery | Uber Eats and Just Eat supported |
| Official site | hopvietnamese.co.uk |
Summary
HOP Vietnamese's 7th store opens on Tottenham Court Road, a tourism and commercial hub in London, on June 8, 2026. Founded by former financial analyst Paul Hopper after he was inspired by street-stall pho in Saigon, the chain has carved out a distinctive place in the UK's fast-casual market with a style that serves authentic Vietnamese food in about three minutes for around £10.
If you're planning a trip to London, do try pho or banh mi at HOP Vietnamese while strolling Oxford Street or Soho. Its convenient access directly connected to Tottenham Court Road station and its affordability at around 2,000–3,000 yen per meal make it a strong option for meals during your trip.
Sources: Restaurant Online, London Post, The Staff Canteen, HOP Vietnamese official site
