London is an exciting city to explore for foodies, with the rise and rise of street food allowing you to eat your way around the world in a single afternoon. Exploring this street food scene is a unique way to see the city and will take you to places off the regular tourist trail. South London alone is a hotbed of bustling food markets selling both fresh ingredients for you to take home and hot food ready to go. For the food lovers out there, whether you’re a visitor to London or a resident take a look at my guide to the best south London has to offer in the way of food markets.
A guide to London markets wouldn’t be complete without a nod to Borough market. This famous food lovers destination is open all day Wednesday through Saturday and is home to an array of stalls where you can enjoy anything from juicy olives to fresh fish. Expect queues for some of the most popular traders and restaurants. This summer you can also enjoy Borough Market in the evening as they are running pop-up dining from 7-11pm. Located in nearby Union Street Travelodge’s London Central Southwark Hotel could be the perfect jumping off point for a foody exploration of the city.
2. Once you’ve ticked Borough Market off your list you can head to nearby Ropewalk for Maltby Street Market, which is small but perfectly formed. Stalls line the road every Saturday and Sunday where you can indulge in Bad Brownies, and (if you get there in time) huge hot pastrami sandwiches from Montys Deli. Monty’s is one of the more permanent residents of Maltby as it occupies one of the railway arches which add character to this cute little market.
The award winning weekly market in Lewisham College is worth making your way into deepest, darkest South East London for. Locally sourced produce is on offer every Saturday 10am-2pm, and I’ve heard the organiser now has plans for a similar market in Wapping.
4. #ModelMarket
Staying in Lewisham, Model Market is just a short bus ride away having opened in June this year. From the people behind Street Feast who put on regular top notch foody events, this is their first foray into South East London. If their previous ventures are anything to go by this is going to be a must visit as they bring an abandoned 1950’s indoor and outdoor market back to life. Running for 15 weekends throughout the summer on Fridays and Saturdays from 6pm, go there to enjoy great food, drink and music.
A great example of successful regeneration, Brixton Village was rejuvenated in 2009 as part of a Spacemakers project. The task was to turn a failing 1930s covered arcade into a thriving social hub of the community. Head to Brixton Village today and it’s evident how successful this project was. The space is now filled with exciting units varying from clothes shops to restaurants. There’s too many great places here to recommend them all but my favourites include Seven for cheap cocktails and great tapas, Franco Manca for sourdough pizza and Wishbone for fried chicken washed down with rum and ginger beer. Queuing for a table is a regular occurance, further testimony to the popularity of the reimagined market.
