If you’re out basking in the summer heat, it’s definitely appealing to go and visit a food market when you start to get hungry, and thankfully there’s plenty of open air ones where you can go and try some of the most delicious food you can imagine dotted around the capital. Of course, all of these places also do drinks to wash down the food and that taste amazing in their own right.
We’ve put together some of the best outdoor markets in London to sate the appetite of even the foodiest of foodies.
Camden Market
Huge and sprawling, Camden market isn’t a singular market but rather a collection of them centred in Camden Town. There’s stalls and outlets here for loads of different items, and plenty of food places to indulge yourself in. It runs every day of the week, and it’s pretty much impossible to list all the cuisines featured, but highlights include delicious shawarma, chicken burgers that seem to have the whole bird in, Korean hot dogs, cheesy chips, pizzas and fish and chips like nowhere else.
Address: Camden Market 32 Camden Lock Place London NW1 8AL
Website: www.camdenmarket.com
Crate
It seems like shipping container villages have been all the rage lately, and the excellent Crate in St James Street is a testament to this. The businesses here are located in containers, or “crates”, and there’s a diverse selection of food places available to choose from. Get amazing craft lagers at The Untraditional Pub, lovely cakes at Shebakes, deliciously authentic pizzas from The Italian Bakery and cheeseburgers so tall a hippo would struggle with them at Baggio Burgers.
Address: CRATE Building, 35 St James St, London E17 7FY
Website: stjamesstreet.crateuk.com
Vinegar Yard
A nice area to pop into near London Bridge, Vinegar Yard has a large seating area and several fantastic food popups to have a uniquely delicious meal. Try a deliciously juicy burger from Nanny Bill’s, or go for an Indian burger from Baba G’s. Tantalise the tastebuds with some delicious Asian inspired street food with Nik’s Kitchen, or try a daring pizza from Bad Boy Pizza Society. There’s also The Gentleman Barista, which serves up some amazing breakfast, lunch and coffee earlier in the day.
Address: 72-82 St Thomas St, London SE1 3QX
Website: www.vinegaryard.london
Hackney Bridge
Hackney Bridge’s food market only opened up recently, but it’s already one of the best outdoor food markets in the city. It’s a vibrant canal side destination not far from Hackney Wick, and there’s no shortage of places to grab something to eat. The food selection is fantastic and varied, with vegan Vietnamese, sumptuous seafood and cracking curries available, along with many more. You can experience some great music and activities here too, so make sure to put Hackney Bridge on your list of places to go for a great day out.
Address: Units 1-28, Echo Building, E Bay Ln, London E15 2SJ
Website: hackneybridge.org
Borough Market
Of course Borough had to be included- the most famous market in London, with around 1000 years of history according to the site’s own estimates. There is an absolute wealth of incredible food to try here, and this is the best place to do try them. From truffle and cheese stalls to oyster vendors and fishmongers to coffee vans and cider merchants, you’ll be hard pressed not to find several things that take your fancy. There’s a few more permanent restaurants around the area, and a large seating space to go and eat whatever caught your eye 10 minutes ago. If you can get through the large queues, the apple crumbles and other desserts at Humble Crumble are to die for.
Address: 8 Southwark St, London SE1 1TL
Website: boroughmarket.org.uk
Maltby Street Market
The lovely Maltby Street is another great food market to head to if you’re in the city. Hosted in an alleyway in Bermondsey, it’s a great place to find loads of different cuisines, and has a compact, thronging nature to it. The traders change up fairly often, but at the moment you can find stalls like Bangers Catering which does sausage sandwiches like you’ve never had before, Snapery Bakery, serving up some truly delicious breads
Address: Arch 46, Ropewalk, Maltby St, London SE1 3PA
Website: www.maltby.st/
South Bank
Always one of the busiest and vibrant places in London, South Bank is great for many things, and it’s food market is one of them. There’s absolutely loads on offer here, from amazing Asian street food like at Yum Thai and Kanji, meaty goodness like at The Polish Deli and The Frenchie, and sweet satisfaction at crepes a la carte and Galeta. There’s also plenty on the drinks side, from hot stuff at The Ethiopian Coffee Company to cool and refreshing at Grays and Feather.
Address: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, London SE1 8XX
Website: www.southbankcentre.co.uk/visit/cafes-restaurants-bars/scfood-market
Kingly Court
As magnificent as it sounds, Kingly Court is a collection of food outlets across three floors in the Soho area. There’s some amazing food places to be found here, like the amazing pizza at Pizza Pilgrims, the deliciously NYC inspired Dirty Bones, fantastic chicken restaurant Marsha, and fab Greek restaurant The Life Goddess. If you’re looking to quench your thirst, check out the Carribean inspired The Rum Kitchen, or why not try some amazing berry-tastic smoothies at Açai Berry?
Address: Kingly St, Carnaby, London W1B 5PW
Greenwich Market
Last but definitely not least, Greenwich has a fantastic food market if you’re in the area feeling peckish. Some of the fab food available here includes excellent Sicillian cannoli at Casa cannoli, mouth watering chicken at Chuckling Wings, fab oysters at Oyster Brothers, and amazing ramen at Pimp My Ramen. And after trying those, sate that sweet tooth with places like Lilitika’s Treats, Planet Pancake and Panache Ice Cream
Address: Greenwich Hospital Gate House 1 Farringdon Street London EC4M 7LG
Website: www.greenwichmarket.london
