Cheap London Street Food Markets
London is known for two things: having shit weather and being expensive. I once heard a BBC meteorologist describe the morning weather as “deceptively dry”. The capital city also happens to have an incredible food scene. If you want to eat on the cheap and expand your waistline, street markets are the way to go.
Desserts, vegan food, fusion cuisine, kebabs, and more can all be yours for under £10 at these budget friendly markets. Keep reading to see how I went up a full dress size while living in London.
Camden Market
Let’s take a trip to north west London! Camden boasts famous former residents like Amy Winehouse and Charles Dickens. In fact, Dickens actually used Camden Town as the setting for Bob Cratchit’s broke ass family in A Christmas Carol.
There are a lot of white people making food from non-white countries. It’s a little awkward, and probably appropriation, but the food does taste freaking incredible.
I recommend doing a loop of all the stalls before deciding. There’s nothing worse than choosing the first thing you see, then rounding the corner to see halloumi fries.
Camden Market Address: Camden Lock Pl, London NW1 8AF, UK
Hours: Daily 10 AM – 7 PM
Underground: Northern Line to Camden Town Station or Overground to Camden Road Station Bus: 24, 27, 31, 168, N5, N28, N31 to Camden Town Stop, 274, C2 to Camden High Street Camden Town Stop Website: www.camdenmarket.com
Brick Lane Market
This is my personal favorite. It’s crowed AF, but totally worth it. You can eat your food at picnic tables or walk along the vibrant street. The best day to go is Sunday. In the 20th century, this corner of East London was home to a huge Bangladeshi population.
While the area is becoming alarmingly gentrified, there are still many restaurants serving a variety of South Asian cuisines. Take a peak at the street signs and you’ll see that many are written in Bengali as well as English.
The market is largely outdoors, but there are a lot of vendors situated inside the Sunday Upmarket, which (surprise) is only open on Sunday. And The Boiler House Food Hall, which is open both Saturday and Sunday.
Brick Lane Address: 91 Brick Ln, London E1 6QR, UK
Hours: Saturday 11 AM – 6 PM and Sunday 10 AM – 5 PM
Transportation: Underground – Aldgate East Station on District Line or Circle Line, Shoreditch High Street on London Overground, Bus – 67 to Folgate Street
Borough Market
This market is located just south of London Bridge, beneath the train lines. The main part of the building has ethical-artisnal-authentic everything. While this area is chock full of free samples, most of the ready to eat food is elsewhere.
Walk through the main market area to the back. Once outside the building, cross over Bedale St. Enter the next area and you’ll find food trucks galore.
Borough Market Address: 8 Southwark St, London SE1 1TL, UK
Hours: Monday – Saturday 10 AM – 5 PM (Friday – 6 PM), Closed on Sunday
Transportation: Underground – London Bridge Station (Jubilee and Northern Lines) Bus – The Hop Exchange serviced by 344, N343, RV1 or London Bridge Borough High Street 17, 21, 35, 40, 43, 47, 48, 133, 141, 149, 344, N21, N133, N199, RV1
Lower Marsh Market
My partner and I happened upon this street of food stalls on our way to see a £10(!) matinee at the Young Vic. There’s a good variety of cuisines. As I have a very refined palette, I went for a foot-long hotdog.
Lower Marsh Market Address: Lower Marsh, Lower Marsh, South Bank, London SE1 7RJ
Hours: Daily
Transportation: Waterloo, serviced by Bakerloo, Jubilee, Northern, and Waterloo & City lines
Bloomsbury Farmers’ Market
After visiting the free (and super badass) Grant Museum of Zoology, followed our noses to this place. It’s pretty busy with university students, but well worth the wait. There are benches around the perimeter, but there’s more space at the nearby Gordon’s Square.
Bloomsbury Farmers’ Market Address: Torrington Square / Byng Place, behind ULU, WC1E 7HY
Hours: Thursday only 9 AM – 2 PM
Transportation: Underground – Northern Line to Gorden Street Station or Circle/Hammersmith & City/Metropolitan to Euston Square Station. Buses – 10, 59, 68, 91, 168, N91
So, what do you think? Did I miss your favorite place? Let me know in the comments!