A Guide to London's Food Markets

After having spent a summer and a semester in London, I can confidently say it’s one of my favorite cities. Although it’s large size can be slightly daunting for those who are new to the city, that means that it has so much to offer that one can never run out of things to do in London. One of my favorite parts of London is the great markets that are spread throughout the city. Although these markets offer everything from clothing to home goods to flowers, the following three markets are my favorite because of their food. I’m getting hungry just thinking about all of the delicious food that Borough, Camden, and Spitalfields Markets offer. Enjoy!

Borough Market

Borough Market is probably the most famous food market in London because it’s open everyday of the week, and has some of the best food stalls in the city. Once you get your food, you should definitely try to find a spot where you can people watch and observe the interesting mix of tourists and local professionals who quickly visit the market in their business attire during their lunch breaks. Although every stall has delicious food, some of my favorites are Kappacasein, Scotchtails, and Cartwright Brothers. Kappacasein makes one of the best cheese toasties I have ever tasted with their specialty Bermondsey cheese. If you’re looking to try something that is part of the British cuisine (in this case hailing from Scotland), you have to go to the Scotchtails stall and purchase a Scotch egg. For those who don’t know what a Scotch egg is, it’s a hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage meat with a layer of bread crumbs around the outside, and then it’s deep fried. Although it sounds simple, it is absolutely delicious.

If you visit Borough Market during the fall or winter, you have to stop by Cartwright Brothers, and buy a cup of mulled wine. It’s a delicious way to warm you up against the chilly London weather.

Camden Market

One of the most hip areas of London is Camden Town, which is known for its punk, artistic culture due to some of its previous notable residents, including Amy Winehouse. This means that the area surrounding Camden Market is full of interesting people, tattoo and piercing parlors, and music stores. The market is similarly alternative, in that it has food that originates from all different types of cultures. Some of my favorite stalls are Oli Baba’s, Magic Falafel, and The Mac Factory. Oli Baba’s has amazing halloumi fries, which is a type of Cypriot cheese that’s very popular in the UK. Few things are better than fried cheese, and if you visit Camden you can’t leave without trying this delicious snack form Oli Baba’s.

(Photo Credit: Brittan Harrell)

If you’re trying to further expand your palette, you have to try the falafel pita from Magic Falafel. It’s some of the best falafel I’ve ever had, but I have to warn you that if this is the first time you’re trying falafel, it might make your falafel standards extremely high. Lastly, if you want some of the comforts of home, you have to try to the Mac Factory. They take a gourmet twist on traditional mac and cheese by using ingredients such as pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, Harissa, and smoked pancetta in their different menu options to cater to both your sophisticated adult, taste buds and your childhood nostalgia.

Spitalfields Market

Similar to Camden, Spitalfields in another very cool area of East London. Some form of this market has been around for over 350 years, but it has managed to infuse a modern, hip feel with its traditional, historical architecture. Admittedly, I am less familiar with Spitalfields than the other two markets, but I still had some amazing food from Crosstown Donuts and the Duck Truck. I’m kind of cheating with Crosstown because they have locations throughout the city, but their unique flavors, such as Matcha Tea, Sea Salt Caramel Banana, and Mandarin & Coconut are absolutely delicious.

The Duck Truck is another unique concept, in that everything on the menu includes duck. You can either create your own dish, or order one of their premade wraps, sandwiches, or salads. I would highly recommend the Traditional Crispy Duck Wrap, and if you’re feeling adventurous, they also have a hot version with Siracha chili sauce.

If my descriptions of the food at these markets don’t make your mouth water, all of the markets and their individual vendors have Instagrams and other social media platforms where you can see pictures of all of their dishes that you should definitely check out! xx