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Best London street food markets
Whether I’m at home in England or abroad, I love the atmosphere, tastes and smells of food markets. Not only is street food some of the cheapest food in London, its very nature means it’s fresh and in demand. Those backpacking England on a budget will want to eat lots!
Until I get to the next one, the blog you’re about to read is currently a list of the 12 best London food markets. That’s 12 times I’ve rocked up to a food market, camera in hand and stomach empty, prepped to eat my heart out in the name of blogging. But let’s face it, I’d probably do it even if no one reading. Here goes…
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Maltby Street Market
This is probably my
Top picks
- Waffle On – topping options include fried chicken; whipped cream and berries; fig and goat’s cheese; and egg, bacon and maple syrup. I hope those semicolons have succeeded in cancelling out visions of chicken and whipped cream together. Please no.
- Happy Biltong – I bought back all my South Africa memories by sampling this tasty biltong (dried meat if ya didn’t know) and took home a large packet.
- Comptoir Gourmand – this giant vat of French tartiflette (cheese, potato, cream and bacon) almost made me regret having chosen waffles and that’s saying something as those waffles were gooood.
Getting to Maltby Street food market: Catch the tube to Bermondsey and walk for 10 minutes. Maltby Street is an enlarged alleyway nestled off the wider main streets.
When: Saturday 9am-4pm and Sunday 11am-4pm.
Borough Market
If you’re doing a food crawl, Borough Market is just a 15-minute walk from Maltby Street. Now, I’m not saying you should gorge yourself at two of the best London food markets in one morning… actually I am saying that. Do it do it do it.
Even though Borough Market was totally crowded during the Saturday lunchtime I visited (no Maltby local feel!), there are so many awesome London businesses here.
Top picks
- Horn Ok Please – I’m guessing this name has a lot to do with hectic Indian driving standards. The food is just as authentic to India – veggie, spicy and delicious. I had aloo tikka chat: sweet potato patties with chickpeas,
yoghurt , spicesand pomegranate. - Brick Lane Beigel – having tried the salt beef variety at the original Jewish bakery I can vouch for these bagels
biiiig time.
Getting to Borough Market: Don’t do the sensible thing and go to Borough Station; the market is actually right beside London Bridge underground.
When: Most of the year the market is open Mon-Sat but check the full details at Borough Market website.
If you’d rather explore Borough Market with a guide, book a 10 dish tasting tour of Borough Market and the surrounding area.
KERB Camden Market
KERB is an outdoor section of Camden Market by the canal locks. The whole of Camden Market is full of good food so go to whichever bit you like… but if you want halloumi fries, go to KERB. I sniff out halloumi like wild animals sniff out watering holes so you can guarantee I found myself there pretty quickly.
Top picks
- Oli Baba’s halloumi fries OBVS. Not even fries topped with halloumi… these bad boys are ACTUAL FRIES MADE OF HALLOUMI loaded with tzatziki, mint and pomegranate seeds. They did not disappoint.
- Mother Clucker – probably the best buttermilk fried chicken and cajun fries you ever did try!
- Lords of Poke – Have you tried Hawaiian poke yet? If not, build your own bowl here with ingredients like salmon, avocado and edamame.
Getting to KERB: Camden Market is right by Camden Town underground station. To find KERB, walk through the inside market to the open-air area by the canal.
When: Seven days a week. Mon-Thurs, 11am-6pm; Fri-Sat, 11am-7pm.
Portobello Market
As one of London’s most popular tourist streets, of course there’s fantastic food on Portobello Road!
For a London market traditionally all about antiques and bric-a-brac, the food at Portobello Market is great. Expect a farmer’s market vibe with fresh bread, baked goods, gourmet chocolate, cheese
Top picks
- Jamon Jamon – tasty paella is cooked up in an enormous vat.
- Falafel – the vendors always seem to be changing but every time I’m here, so is lots of amazing falafel.
- Doughnut stands – there are plenty of these and they’re seriously good.
Getting to Portobello Market: from Notting Hill underground station, follow signs to Portobello Road.
When: Friday & Saturday are your best bet for food with Sunday being more about antiques. Some food stalls serve on weekdays – check here for the full listing.
Greenwich Market
The perfect add-on to a lovely day in this part of town, Greenwich Market is known for upmarket treats like sushi and macaroons (plus some more indulgent treats like juicy burgers).
Top picks:
- Casa Cannoli – the Sicilian-born owners know what makes a good cannoli including pistachios from the foot of Mount Etna and hazelnuts from Northern Italy. Just bliss!
- Chuckling Wings – for mouth-watering Asian-style chicken wings and brilliant burgers, this is some of the best fried chicken in London.
Read next: 14 free things to do in Greenwich
Getting to Greenwich Market: The nearest station is Cutty Sark for Maritime Greenwich (on the DLR) right beside the market.
When: Seven days a week, 10am-5.30pm
Truman Brewery Food Hall
This area of London is famous for its curries so obviously I ate the latest trendy dessert, bubble waffles. The stomach wants what it wants!
Head to Truman Brewery for all kinds of yumminess. Food-wise, there’s a bit of everything. It’s definitely a London street food market rather than a farmers market thanks to the ready-prepared, snackable dishes.
Browse the Upmarket (inside) and Ely’s Yard Food Market (outside).
Getting to Brick Lane – Shoreditch High Street, Liverpool Street
When – the Upmarket is open Saturdays (11am-6pm) and Sundays (10am-6pm). However, Ely’s Yard Food Traders are there every day. And the whole of Brick Lane is alive with food stands!
Explore Brick Lane Market, Spitalfields and Middlesex Street Market on a small group East London markets tour.
Brixton Village
Brixton Village & Market Row is another of my favourite London food markets. This covered market with permanent vendors is where to eat authentic world cuisine. Given Brixton’s thriving Afro-Caribbean population, you can’t go wrong with jerk chicken.
This market was the birthplace of famous restaurants like Franco Manca and Honest Burger.
Top picks
- House of Momo – delicious dumplings! And not too expensive starting at £6 for five.
- Addis – yummy Ethiopian food with vegan and gluten-free options.
- Black Bear Burgers – the juiciest burgers you’ll ever eat.
Getting to Brixton Village: This London food market is just around the corner from Brixton underground station.
When: Check the individual vendors’ opening times but basically seven days a week ’til 5 or 6ish.
Old Spitalfields Market
Spitalfields is less about food and more about bars, restaurants, clothes and trinkets. I prefer some of the other London street food markets as there’s a chain focus here.
Saying that, they’re nice ones like Leon which officially became a chain by opening the third branch of their healthy fast food restaurant in Spitalfields.
You’ll find a couple of street food stands and a Crosstown Doughnuts truck. Yum to both.
Getting to Spitalfields Market: Shoreditch High Street and Aldgate East are the nearest stations.
When: Monday-Friday, 10am-5pm; Saturday 11am-5pm and Sunday 9am-5pm.
BOXPARK
Shoreditch is known for being quirky and hipster, so pop-up businesses serving food from inside recycled shipping containers is nothing to be surprised about, surely?
BOXPARK is a London street food market that goes big. There are loads of OTT food offerings like monster burgers and freak shakes. Not for the faint-hearted.
Top picks
- Soft Serve Society – this insane freakshake is probably going to manifest itself in some form of diabetes in later life. Bothered? Not really.
- Mercy Burger – the best vegan burgers with loads of choice.
- Pasta Evangelists – ridiculously fresh pasta!
Getting there: BOXPARK is beside Shoreditch High Street station.
When: Monday-Saturday, 9am-11pm and Sunday 9am-10pm.
The next 3 markets are all within a 10-minute walk of each other (and a 30-minute walk from Boxpark and Truman Brewery)
Broadway Market
Although you’ll find speciality coffee and international eats here today, Broadway Market isn’t a modern hipster market. It’s been open since 1883!
Running the length of Broadway Market Street in East London, it’s a wonderful mix of shops (open 7 days a week) and outdoor market stands on weekends.
Although the line is always long, you won’t regret waiting for coffee and pastries from the Climpson & Sons cafe!
Top picks (weekend food stands):
- Amala Chai – wonderful masala chai tea. They even have vegan options.
- MexClub – after living in Mexico, I can confirm these dishes are authentic from pastor to suadero.
Getting there: London Fields and Cambridge Health stations are closeby or catch a bus; the 55 from Old Street dropped me off.
When: 9am-5pm, Saturdays; 10am-4pm, Sundays.
Netil Market
Less than five minutes on foot from Broadway Market is the smaller Netil Market characterised by colourful food trucks and shipping containers. With a mix of food vendors and shops selling clothes and trinkets, it’s worth a quick stop if you’re in the area.
Top picks:
- Sen Noods – tipped as one of the top 5 restaurants in London by Conde Naste Traveller and known for their rich dan dan noodles.
- World Famous Gordos – unrivalled pizza by the slice!
Getting there: it’s halfway between London Fields and Cambridge Health overground station.
When: 9am-10pm daily; closed Mondays.
Victoria Park Market
If you’ve just visited Broadway & Netil Markets, take the pretty canal path to Victoria Park Market in one of London’s best parks. There are several other things to see here like the colourful Chinese Pagoda.
It’s one of the bigger London food markets making it hard to choose! One path has mainly street food vendors serving main meals while the other path has more of a farmer’s market vibe with jams, veggies, cheese and pastries. Browse their Insta for foodie inspo.
Top picks:
- Ceylon Kothu – yummy Sri Lankan food including my favourite dish, kothu: chopped roti with veggies, paneer or chicken.
- Galeta Bakery – premium baked goods including cakes, croissants, doughnuts, sourdough and more.
Getting there: the closest overground station is Cambridge Heath.
When: weekends from 10am-4pm.
Thanks for reading my London food market blog!
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Do you have any other favourite London food markets? Let me know in the comments.
Check out my other London posts:
- The iconic London streets not to miss
- Camden travel guide
- How to spend a Sunday in East London
- The 5 colourful streets in London you NEED to visit
- A guide to the Brick Lane street art
- How to spend a day in Notting Hill
- My top Instagrammable spots in London
See you next time for more adventures,
Rose
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