Best food markets in London

West London street food markets

Fulham Market Halls

Housed in the former ticket hall of Fulham Broadway station, the market hosts nine kitchens, a deli, coffee shop and a bar. Grab a seat on the long communal tables for a quick lunch or, in the evening, cosy up on a leather booth for two. Vaulted ceilings flood the space with light while grey walls and mosaic tiles give a sleek, modern vibe.

Top street food stall: Thima by Farang offers modern Thai street food. For a light lunch go for the crispy sea bass served with mint, coriander, mandarin, seasonal sour fruits and punchy nham jim dressing.

If you want to indulge, order a pillowy garlic bread with cheese and marmite from Yard Sale for a real umami kick.

Pop into Claude’s Deli on your way out if only to browse the shelves stacked with freshly baked bread, Land chocolate and Toast ales.

Address: 472 Fulham Road, London, SW6 1BY

Opening times: Monday – Saturday (8 – 11pm), Sunday (10 – 10.30pm)

Nearest station: Fulham Broadway

Duke of York Square Market

Artisan producers from around the UK come together with international street food vendors at Chelsea's food market. The square also hosts various specialty markets throughout the year including a chocolate market every Easter.

Top pick: Expect food from the tropics with a focus on raw and organic ingredients at Rainforest Creations. Say hello to vibrant salad boxes and plantain roti wraps all washed down with a selection of homemade drinks.

Address: Duke of York Square, London, SW3 4LY

Opening times: Every Saturday (10 – 4pm)

Nearest stations: Sloane Square, South Kensington

Central London food markets

Street Food Union

Soho’s Rupert Street comes alive at lunchtime with street food traders serving the hungry crowds. There are 15 vendors dishing up everything from po’ boy sandwiches to falafel wraps, plus a special guest trader on rotation.

Top street food stall: Head to Yorkshire Burrito and choose between roast chicken with lemon and black pepper in white wine gravy, rare breed beef brisket in red wine gravy, or slices of roasted pork belly with crackling and apple sauce, before its wrapped into a giant Yorkshire pudding with rosemary-roasted potatoes, greens, sage and onion stuffing and plenty of gravy.

Address: 51-53 Rupert St, Soho, London, W1D 7PQ

Opening times: Monday – Saturday (11 – 3pm)

Nearest stations: Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square

Soho Vegan Market

The current enthusiasm for vegan food shows no signs of waning and this new weekly market at Rupert Street in Soho which is bringing plant-based street food to the fore, with a rotation of the best vegan traders in London.

Top street food stall: Head to Vegals’ for smoked carrot and cashew cream cheese bagels, jackfruit tikka masala from Spicebox, and Eat Chay’s chilli lemongrass soya Vietnamese bánh mì baguettes.

Address: 51-53 Rupert St, Soho, London, W1D 7PQ

Opening times: Saturdays (11 – 4pm)

Nearest stations: Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square

East London street food markets

The Kitchens at Old Spitalfields Market

Spitalfields now has a selection of ten street food traders right at its heart. Berber & Q, Dumpling Shack and Monty's Deli are a few familiar faces, but there are new names, too, including seasonal fresh pasta from Sood Family and traditional Taiwanese dishes from JiaBa.

Top street food stall: Don’t miss out on nose-to tail hearty dishes from Flank (by Brighton chef Tom Griffiths), including bone-marrow crumpets with tender beef cheeks and Marmite sauce.

Address: Old Spitalfields Market, 16 Horner Square, London, E1 6EW

Opening times: Monday – Friday (10 – 8pm), Saturday (10 – 6pm), Sunday (10 – 5pm)

Nearest stations: Liverpool Street, Shoreditch High Street, Aldgate

Whitecross Street Market

Situated in the heart of the city between Old Street, Moorgate and Barbican busy office works descend on Whitecross Street every lunchtime to get their favourite wraps, bowls and sliders. With over 30 stalls there’s food for whatever mood you’re in.

Top street food stall: Feeling hungry? The Turkish Gözleme Company have one up on most by taking a traditional thin spinach and feta stuffed flatbread known as a gözleme and wrapping it around further toppings of your choice. Homemade kebab? Halloumi? Turkish Salad? The decision is yours, if in doubt go for all three – all to be topped with spicy chilli or garlic sauce.

Address: 13 Whitecross St, London, EC1Y 8JR

Opening times: Monday – Friday (11.30 – 3pm)

Nearest stations: Old Street, Barbican

Chatsworth Road Market

Every Sunday hustle and bustle comes to break up the relative peace of Chatsworth Road’s cool coffee, deli and design shops. A selection of global street food from Hanoi to Greece to Ghana is on offer alongside local producers of cheese, meat, fish and honey.

Top street food stall: As you walk around the market the smell of spices and lemongrass drift over from Hanoi Kitchen. We recommend a steaming bowl of the Hanoi favourite Pho Bo – umami rich beef stock, rice noodles and bean sprouts finished off with fresh herbs and thin slices of rare beef.

Address: Chatsworth Road Market, London, E5 0LH

Opening times: Every Sunday (11 – 3pm)

Nearest stations: Homerton, Clapton

Growing Communities Farmers’ Market

Stoke Newington on a Saturday is the place to go to get your farmers' market fix. All produce at the market is organically or bio-dynamically produced within 60 miles of London.

Top street food stall: Colga Parker heads up Global Fusion, a family-run stall. All produce is vegan from Creole soda breads, soft fluffy cakes to vegetable fritters with the family’s secret hot sauce.

Address: Growing Communities Farmers’ Market, St Pauls Church, Stoke Newington High St, London, N16 7UY

Opening times: Every Saturday (10 – 2.30pm)

Nearest stations: Rectory Road, Dalston Kingsland/Junction

Broadway Market, Broadway Vegan Market and Netil Market

Three markets all located next to each other on the same day? Head east with empty stomachs to experience the best selection of street food Hackney has to offer.

Top street food stalls: Start in Netil Market, an array of shipping containers and custom built huts circle around a central market selling everything from antiques and artisan chocolate to soy candles.

Pick up Eritrean inspired tacos from LemLem Kitchen. Spongy sourdough flatbread discs known as injera are wrapped around spicy fish, pulled lamb or curried split peas before heading over to Broadway Vegan Market to pick up a katsu cauliflower sushi burrito from We Are Ima.

Finally wander round the corner for artisan eclairs by End of the Éclair. Crispy choux pastry filled with a range of flavours – salted caramel is our current favourite.

Address: Westgate Street and Broadway Market, London, E8 3R

Opening times: Every Saturday (9 – 6pm)

Nearest stations: London Fields, Cambridge Heath

North London food markets

KERB Market

With five markets across London, KERB brings a selection of the best street food traders to the city seven-days a week, 364 days a year. KERB Camden sees 34 stalls cooking a feast from halloumi fries, Indian-inspired burgers and mac and cheese.

Top street food stall: Set up by Jess Olson and Luke Dawes in 2016, Only Jerkin’ put a twist on dishes with traditional Caribbean flavours. Choose between jerk chicken nuggets in ginger beer batter and sweet potato fries, or jerk fish fingers with chilli mango aïoli.

Address: Camden Lock Pl, Camden Town, London, NW1 8AF

Opening times: Monday – Thursday (11 – 6pm), Friday – Sunday (11 – 7pm)

Nearest station: Camden Town

Canopy Market

This weekly food market in King's Cross plays host to independent food producers every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Choose between honeycomb doughnuts from Bread Ahead, meats from The Charcuterie Board and hot sauces from World of Zing.

Top pick: Take your pick between indulgent risotto balls from the Arancini Brothers, or grilled cheese sandwiches at the Big Melt.

Address: Canopy Market, West Handyside Canopy, King’s Cross, N1C 4BZ

Opening times: Friday (12 – 8pm), Saturday (11 – 6pm), Sunday (11 – 6pm)

Nearest station: King's Cross

Chapel Market

Dating back to the 1860’s this eclectic market is home to a whole host of different traders. Hot food stalls are available throughout the week but particularly good on a Sunday when Islington Farmers’ Market traders set up shop for the day.

Top pick: Forget pizza and pasta, Tiny Italian offers comforting home-cooked food from Northern Italy using Nonna (grandma)’s family recipes and the best British seasonal produce. Order Spezzantino di Manzo (that’s slow cooked beef stew) and a side of asparagus with parmesan.

Address: Chapel Market and Islington Farmers’ Market, London, N1 9EX

Opening times: Market open Tuesday – Saturday (9 – 6pm), Farmers’ Market open Sunday (8.30 – 4pm)

Nearest station: Angel

Alexandra Palace Farmers’ Market

It seems like nearly all farmers’ markets in London are now diversifying and offering the very best street food alongside more classic fresh produce and Ally Pally’s Sunday market is no exception. For food with an incredible view of London’s skyline venture here to check out well-established traders alongside relative newcomers such as Bokit’la, London’s first (and currently only) French-Caribbean street food from the tropical French island of Guadeloupe.

Top pick: Award-winning pig farmers The Giggly Pig offer bacon and sausage baps worth getting out of bed for. All the meat is high welfare and free to roam across the Essex countryside.

Address: Alexandra Palace Farmers’ Market, Hornsey Gate, Alexandra Palace, London, N10 3TG

Opening times: Every Sunday (10 – 3pm)

Nearest stations: Hornsey, Alexandra Palace

South London food markets

Maltby Street Market

Since 2010, Bermondsey’s Maltby Street Market has been a hive of activity with street food traders tucked under the railway arches. There are 31 traders to choose from whether you want gyozas, cheese toasties or bottles of Spanish olive oil.

Top pick: Ben and Gaz, the brains behind Sub Cult, sell USA-style sub rolls for breakfast and lunch, filled with anything from salmon and cream cheese to slow-cooked pork and crackling. Try the Skandi Sub for brunch, a combination of oak-smoked salmon, peppered cream cheese, beetroot kimchi, lemon and dill.

Address: Maltby St, London, SE1 3PA

Opening times: Saturday (9 – 5pm), Sunday (11 – 5pm)

Nearest station: Bermondsey, Borough, London Bridge

Deptford Bites

The new kid on the block looks like it’s here to stay. Launched at the beginning of April 2018 Deptford Bites brings some of the best street food traders to the hipster hang out of Deptford’s Market Yard every Saturday. Keep an eye on their social media for regular talks and festivals to accompany your favourite eats.

Top pick: Dosa Deli have been bringing Londoners the classic south Indian street food snack since 2012. Crisp on the outside, soft on the inside these sizeable gluten free pancakes are stuffed with a range of vegetarian fillings. Wash one down with a cup of masala chai.

Address: Deptford Bites, Deptford Market Yard, London, SE8 4BX

Opening times: Every Saturday (10 – 3pm)

Nearest station: Deptford

Flat Iron Square

Skip the crowds at Borough Market and head round the corner to Flat Iron Square for plenty of food and drink options housed in seven converted railway arches.

Top pick: We can all agree that the Dutch know how to do great pancakes and Dutch chef Patricia Trijbits doesn’t let us down with her fluffy buttermilk pancakes at Where the Pancakes Are. Choose between Welsh rarebit, banana praline with basil marshmallow or a savoury baby Dutch pancake with goat’s cheese, parmesan and roasted herbs.

Address: Flat Iron Square, London, SE1 1TD

Opening times: Monday (12 – 9pm), Tuesday – Friday (8 – 12am), Saturday (9 – 12am), Sunday (9 – 8pm)

Nearest stations: London Bridge, Borough, Southwark

Herne Hill Market

The locals of south-east London come out in force every Sunday to enjoy over 50 stalls of sustainably produced food from within 100 miles of the market. Think light and crisp Japanese kara-agé (deep fried snacks) from Fusé or biodynamic burgers from Jacobs Ladder sandwiched between buns from the acclaimed St John’s Bakery.

Top pick: From Singaporean Laksa to Japanese Gyoza with smoked chilli oil, L’ail Olive are bringing the taste of south-east Asia to London. After tasting their dumplings you can buy all the components needed to take home and recreate them yourself.

Address: Herne Hill Market, Railton Road, London, SE24 0JN

Opening times: Every Sunday (10 – 4pm)

Nearest station: Herne Hill

Words by Clare Maguire and Ellie Edwards