Visiting Chor Bazaar reminded me of how many great markets there are in London and I used to love spending my weekends there and one of them would feature on every weekend tourist tour I would go on with visitors. I'd like to give you an A-Z guide but turns out most of the start with B or C so I'll just go with the ones that come to my mind
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Borough
Market: Close to London bridge, this is probably the best place for foods
lovers. It has an amazing selection of fruit and veg and bread stalls but
also places where you can grab a proper lunch and also small restaurants in
close proximity. We once went to Elliot's Cafe which was an amazing dinner in a
nice atmosphere. Two pieces of advice - don't go on a Saturday if you can avoid
it. Fridays and Thursday are much more quiet and a lot more pleasant. And it's
worth hanging around until the end when you get a good deal on fruit and veg
baskets
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Brick
Lane: I don't think I ever liked Brick Lane as much as it probably deserves.
It's probably a bit too hipster for a South London girl like me but they do
have a good variety of food, shops, random stalls and of course cream cheese
bagels.
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Broadway
market: Open air so don’t come on a rainy day but nice food stalls with some
cafes nearby and located close to the river so perfect for a stroll afterwards.
I’d say less touristy than Borough market but then also a bit more out of the
way but worth the trip
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Brixton
Market (ever wondered why they all start with B? I’m starting to): Located in
proper South London, Brixton market is a place to get a taste of jerk chicken
and some more exotic food. It has lots of butchers and other small stores and
is definitely less done up than many other markets. The best thing though is
Brixton Village and Market row which has been the starting point of many small
eateries that have expanded or even become chains (think Franco Manca, Honest
Burgers, KaoSarn or the Joint for some pulled pork to just name a few of my
favourites). A great location for breakfast, lunch or dinner!
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Camden
Market: From south to north, Camden is probably one of the most famous London
markets with its arty houses, tattoo studies and 50,000 stalls selling “I love
London” T-shirts. There is more to Camden though and the Camden lock and the
Stables have some cool shops and food for every taste. It gets very busy so I
always took people for a walk along the canal and then up Primrose hill.
Regents Park Road has some very nice shops and is beautiful to walk along and
you can even see a real Banksy if you pop into “The princess of Wales”
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Covent
Garden Market: Another very popular tourist place less of a market than a
collection of proper shops these days, Covent garden attracts people all day
and all night. Even if you don’t like the tourist crowds, the market halls are
very pretty (particularly around Christmas with some great decorations). There
is no shortage of places to eat and drink around but two of my favourites are “Le
pain quotidien” (right in the market hall) and Balthazar, a French brasserie
concept from New York on Russel Street but with prices on the much higher side.
The tartare de boeuf is amazing
Right, these are some of the ones that came to my mind
immediately. This covers only two letters so you can imagine how many more
markets there are but think it is a good start for now. Hope I can find a few
more in Mumbai and will report back on them as well…
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