If you’re in London and want to discover what British food is all about, you need to visit Borough Market! This classic London Market, nestled beneath London Bridge, is very much worth visiting for all travellers interested in quality British produce and classic dishes. For serious foodies, with a want to learn more about this historic London landmark, you can even book a Borough Market tasting tour. Check that out here.
Food at Borough Market
Since we’ve been back in the UK we’ve been revelling in the British food scene, privately and professionally. Regular readers will know that we have an executive chef on our editorial team.
Borough Market is a great place to eat and buy British food at its best and this Borough Market blog post will give you an idea of what food is available and what to eat at Borough Market London. If you choose not to book a Borough Market food tour with an expert guide.
Our review of Borough Market is very positive and is our personal recommendation of Borough Market and the food available there. We visit every time we’re in London and we think you should too!
The tour below is in and around the London Bridge area, which is where you’ll find Borough Market. It’s on GetYourGuide here.
For those who don’t know, I am a British travel blogger, my Aussie husband is an executive Chef and is loving working in London’s top hotels again during this working holiday in London.
Great food is easy to find in restaurants and in London’s shops, local markets being a particularly good place to find quality produce, and lovingly-made local speciality foods. You will find fresh produce to take home along with street food dishes ready for you to eat at most farmers’ markets in the UK.
On Saturdays in London we visit Twickenham Farmers Market for tomatoes and gourmet breads, on Sunday we may wander along the Thames in the opposite direction, crossing from South London to north, to Richmond’s Duck Pond Market to pick up some jumbo organic goose eggs, a new favourite.
For a special treat, we take the tube into Central London for what is billed as Britain’s finest market, Borough Market. Look, shop, taste, eat, it’s a great place to hang out in the city.
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Other places to find British street food in London include Greenwich Market and the South Bank food markets, but Borough is a perennial favourite. If you go on weekends and at peak times, it will be busy
How To Visit Borough Market
Borough Market is in South London, on the south side of The River Thames, just beneath London Bridge. Since the 11th Century, London Bridge has been a marketplace, an area where traders gathered.
To visit Borough Market, simply walk to London Bridge, near The Shard, or get the tube to London Bridge Station. The market is located on the south side of the river, near Southwark Cathedral. For full details on how to get to Borough Market, click through for routes and a map.
In the 13th Century traders relocated to nearby Borough High St and in 1755 Southwark residents got together to buy the triangle, the site that has remained the core of Borough Market to this day.
London’s oldest fruit and veg market now has over 100 stalls, each selling top-quality products. High quality is essential to qualify for a pitch at Borough.
The atmosphere at Borough Market is great, the stall holders are friendly, and the food is sensational.
If you need more reason to visit Borough Market, it’s right outside London Bridge Tube Station, you could hop off here and walk along London’s stunning South Bank all the way to the London Eye. There are endless attractions, dining opportunities, and street performers along with a few kids’ play opportunities and scenic views to provide you with a complete day out while you’re in London UK.
From this part of the city you can enjoy views of Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, the Houses of Parliament and of course, the London Eye and Shard towering above you.
Attractions on the South Banknear Borough Market include the Tate Modern, (currently of interest to bird watchers as the RSPB have set up telescopes to observe the resident peregrine falcon), the Clink Prison Museum, the London Aquarium, Drake’s Golden Hind and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.
If you’re looking for good coffee near London Bridge and Borough Market, try this little coffee and chocolate shop in the photo above. It’s Hotel Chocolate, 8 Bedale St, just a few steps from Borough Market’s stalls.
Another restaurant that we recommend near Borough Market is Padelle, for fantastic Italian food on Borough High Street.
Borough Market Opening Times
Borough Market will likely have been affected by the current global situation. At the time of writing, the opening hours below were correct, please check.
The full market opens at 10 am Wednesday to Friday and 8 am on Saturday. Closing time is 5pm except on Fridays, when you can stay ’till 6. At other times the market may be partially open for lunch, best to check their website for full details, the link is above.
We think Borough Market is a must-do in London for anyone with an interest in food. British food has an undeserved dull reputation, something I’ve never been able to fathom. An Australian friend once told me that Britain doesn’t produce fresh fish, there are a lot of myths like that out there that deserve busting, check it out for yourself, Borough really is quite stunning.
We always find something to be impressed with wherever we go, if you seek you will find and there are always interesting surprises in the world of food. It’s one of the reasons we travel, we just love our food!
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How lovely to have a husband who’s a chef! Bet all food – not just British food – tastes great when he cooks dinner for the family :-). And it looks like you can pick up some really tasty supplies at the Borough Market.
Wow, that coffee alone has sold me! We are in Cork, Ireland at the moment and can’t find a decent coffee to save ourselves! I’m from NZ so I know good coffee and everything here is standard single shot and milky, ugh! Anyway we have a week in London booked next month so I must check out Borough Market. I’m also loving reading all your other tips as we are travelling with our 2 year old. Once I get over the price we paid for our AirBnB apartment for a week I think we are really going to love London! Thanks.
You’re going to be very busy Emma! Too many things to do in London, we’re giving it months and I know we’ll leave having missed a few things, lots of free attractions to make up for the sky high accommodation prices though. I’m off for another of those coffees soon and the chocolate was incredible. I think the shop was called cacao, but I’m trying to check.
Oh British food soooooo rocks!! One of the many reasons I am a total Anglophile. Drooled all the way through this post…. loved the Pimm’s finale! Thank you!!