The London Street Food Guide
Street food in London is tasty, cheap and plentiful – when you know where to look. If you’re looking for cheap eats London is the place to be. The creativity behind our street food stalls when it comes to cooking and serving is inspiring. There really is something for everyone.
We’ve asked 40 of the best food and travel bloggers about their top tip on where to eat in London and this is what they said…
1. Katy from pinchofsaltlondon.co.uk
“Head to Exmouth Market in Clerkenwell. This pedestrianised road is home to some of London’s best-loved restaurants including Moro, Medcalf and Caravan and on weekdays it’s lined with street food stalls. Try the Moro stall for slow-cooked lamb flatbreads with yogurt and chilli, or my favourite – duck and chorizo with rice and an incredible almond aioli.”
2. Victoria from londonstreetfoodie.co.uk
“Street food is sizzling in London and there’s loads to choose from whether you want simple hot dogs slathered in mustard and onions, every kind of burger imaginable, speck dumplings, rib meat rolls or salted caramel ice cream.
One of my favourite morning stop-offs is Brockley Market for its range of talented traders selling delicious food and the real sense of community. I also like Bermondsey’s The StockMKT because it buzzes with night time activity – people crunching, watching, listening and catching up. It’s as much of a party as a food destination.” Follow Victoria @vicstewart.
3. Maria from pinchofcinnamon.com
“Among many beautiful street food options in London Soho I love Berwick street day-time market, fresh and creative Beatroot Café and FlatPlanet. Borough Market is very rich for delicious street food and Kappacassein melting cheese stand is one of my favorites. Lantana café serves fabulous breakfast and Yalla Yalla is an option for really fresh and tasty Lebanese-style street food.”
4. Preeti from thelondonvegetarian.com
“If you fancy a hearty vegetarian burger then you have to visit The Veggie Table at Borough Market in London Bridge. Try their Ultimate Superveg made with Organic ingredients or their Heavenly Halloumi with fresh mint, whatever you have, just don’t forget to add lots of Fresh Hummus and Chili Chutney!”
5. Kathryn from londonbakes.com
“Borough Market is a London institution with hundreds of stalls selling foods and ingredients from all over the world. No visit is complete without a stop at Kappacasein, home to the best grilled cheese sandwich that you find anywhere in the world. Two slices of sour dough bread are filled a mixture of Montgomery cheddar, onions, leeks and garlic and then toasted in front of you until everything is all melty and golden-brown. The sandwich just oozes flavour and is pretty much my favourite thing to eat ever.”
6. Ed from rocketandsquash.com
“Much of the best street food comes under the ‘Eat.St’ banner. Check their website to see where their traders will be on which day. The biggest names like the The Ribman, Luardos, Yum Bun, the Bowler & Pizza Pilgrims have top reputations for good reason. But also look out for Banh Mi 11 at Berwick St & Broadway Markets and for restaurant chefs getting in on the action in SE1 at FEAST on 3-5 August & Alan Stewart & Henry Russell’s modern British BBQ in Potter’s Field (nr Tower Bridge) through August.”
7. Quarry Girl from quarrygirl.com
“If you go to London, don’t leave without hitting up Camden Market. The open-air market has been going on since the 70s, draws about 100,000 people each weekend and is packed with tons of cool stalls, shops, pubs and restaurants, drop by and grab some vegan lunch from Camden Lock’s Falafel Queen. The falafel queen definitely doesn’t skimp on the ingredients when she serves up your sandwich, either. She has huge bowls filled with fresh vegetables and big pots of sauces, and you can basically stand there and tell her exactly what you want”
8. Victoria from pommietravels.com
“I like the Japan Centre in Piccadilly Circus for great, inexpensive sushi. The Japan Centre is divided into two parts: the supermarket which sells all kinds of imported Japanese food products, and a small restaurant serving excellent sushi and sashimi. There is limited seating, but you can eat-in or take it to go.”
9. Mita from mixcookit.com
“I have to persuade you to make a trip down Broadway Market and grab a traditional Indian thali from Gujarati Rosoi. They always have a fresh range of aromatic curries that are guaranteed to tantalise your tastebuds, and I’m always tempted to buy an extra samosa on the side! Suitable for vegetarians and vegans this stall hosts a number of exquisite authentic dishes and served at a great price. In fact this is the only stall I head straight to because their curries taste similar to my mothers!”
10. Jeanne from cooksister.com
“The best places to sample a few different offerings at once are Broadway Market in Hackney; Eat.St. near King’s Cross, Whitecross Street Food Market near Barbican, or the Real Food Market on the South Bank. Don’t miss Vietnamese baguettes from Bánh Mì 11; burritos from Daddy Donkey or Luardos; burgers from The Meat Wagon; pork buns from Yum Bun or churros from Churros Garcia.”
11. Dan from londonpopups.com
“My favourite London market is the Ropewalk section of Maltby Street Market, a mix of businesses operating out of railway arches and others selling from free-standing stalls. It’s very small, between Millstream Road and Abbey Street, with enough space for about 50m of stall space, but it’s emerged as a much more select, less crowded version of Borough Market, about 10 minutes walk the other side of Borough High Street. Go there for a Saturday morning browse, have lunch, have a drink, and buy some delicious food!”
12. Gotje from blog-de.hostelbookers.com
“I can recommend Pitt Cue Co, which have a little trailer on Southbank. Their food is not the cheapest – but definitely worth the price. I recommend going for one of the burgers or pulled pork. Yummy!”
13. Chris from cheesenbiscuits.blogspot.co.uk
“The Eat.st organisation, thanks to the discerning tastebuds of organiser Petra Barren, is a fairly comprehensive collection of the best street food in London. I’m a particular fan of Yum Bun, whose soft pork buns are even better than the ones served by David Chang himself, and the herby fried chicken from Spit and Roast. Elsewhere, the Imperial BBQ Pork Banh Mi from @banhmi11 is always worth the trip to Soho.”
14. Isabel from blog.hostelbookers.com
“My top street food tip is Lucky Chip. Serving London’s most succulent burgers and hand-cut fries, you can follow the good smells to their stall at Netil Market close to London Fields (Wednesday-Sunday) or seven days a week in the evening at the Sebright Arms off Hackney road. Order the Cheese Royale – the beef patty’s deep and juicy, topped off with bacon, chunky gherkins and lashings of American cheese. Just remember to grab napkins, it gets messy!”
15. Luis from hostelbookers.com
“The Market Place in Greenwich has some incredible breads, cod cakes, croquets and fish and meat patties. If you want more elaborate food, they have typical ‘Portuguese-stewed’ food with puddings or delicious cod cream.”
16. May from slowfoodkitchen.com
“Head to Jun Tanaka and Mark Jankel’s Street Kitchen in Finsbury Avenue Square for the best value and quality street food in London. They serve delicious bistro food in takeaway boxes using seasonal fresh local produce. It’s fantastic value for money. The menus change regularly, but everything is good.”
17. June from mylondonguide.org
“Leading the London Street revolution is The Ribman who has a stall on Brick Lane on Sundays and can be found at EatStreet in Kings Cross too. He serves his meltingly soft ribs in a massive bap or a wrap for £5. Don’t forget to pile on his special recipe BBQ sauce or his now famous super hot chilli sauce. Go early as he sells out fast.”
18. Ethna from ethnabrave.wordpress.com
“As a foodie in London two of my favourite street food festivals this summer are Street Feast which is held in a car park just off Brick Lane every Friday evening from 5pm till 11pm and the other is the Southbank Centre Real Food Market which is held along the river most weekends over the summer.”
19. A cool dude from culturejunkie.co.uk
“Mama’s Jerk Station specialises in Caribbean street food. A family run outfit, I’ve been a regular dismissing all other options every time in favour of their wholesome, flavoursome homemade jerk infused treats. Found at Vibe bar on Brick Lane they are a regular at some of London’s best events. An absolute must visit. Follow them @mamasjerk.”
20. Roisin from eatsoflondon.wordpress.com
“If I find myself with some time on a Friday evening, I’ll always head down to Street Feast. This street food market has been on various sites around London and is now based in a disused car park in Dalston, every Friday night. They attract some of the city’s best traders, such as Bhangra Burger with their lamb jalfrezi flatbreads, Big Apple with NY hotdogs and Asian fusion food from Hardcore Prawn. Theres also get cocktails and Camden beer to wash it all down- it’s a great night out in fashionable Dalston and a chance to taste some delicious, affordable food.”
21. Joanna from sheloveslondon.com
“Ridley Road Market in Dalston is my go-to place for fruit and veg. It’s good value (bowls for a ‘paand!) and is always lively on a Saturday. Aside from the cheap food, expect plenty of local characters and a buzzy community atmosphere you just don’t get in the supermarket. Apparently the market inspired the one in Eastenders, too. If it’s good enough for Albert Square…”
22. Simon from streetfeast.co.uk
“Without doubt, London’s best venue for street food is Eat.St at Kings Cross. This street food market is run by London’s street food collective and Monday-Friday offers up the best street food London has to offer. With a rotating group of traders one day can find you eating fantastic ribs from The Ribman while another can find you enjoying fantastic Mexican. If you can only get to one venue make it this street behind Kings Cross.”
23. Jason from feasttotheworld.com
“At the top of my list is Spit and Roast. They serve the best fried chicken this side of the pond. They’ve been marinated in buttermilk overnight for extra tenderness and then deep-fried to crispy perfection. The Ribman, does the best pull pork rolls, with generous amount of melt-in-your-mouth meat filling, laden with his own piquant Holy F*#k sauce is something that will get your tastebuds going.”
24. Vicky from vickyflipfloptravels.com
“Daddy Donkey on Leather Lane just off High Holborn is amazing. You can get huge burritos stuffed full of tasty meat. The slow-cooked Mexican food is high on spice – that’s the way I like it anyway – and as long as you go for the salad and peppers it’s healthy too. Kind of.”
25. Petra, the eat.st Co-Founder
“My top tip for this summer and street food is that 20 amazing street food traders per day from the eat.st family will be lining the beautiful Exhibition Road for the 9-day Exhibition Road Show from 28 July-5 Aug.
Nowhere else in London will there be this volume of concentrated deliciousness – from banh mi to tacos, NYC burgers to gourmet meatballs and homemade ice cream to award winning tea and cakes. Look out for the beautiful vehicles that many of the foods will be served from. Follow @EatStreet for up-to-date info on who’s on when!”
26. Sarah from foodforthink.com
“I love Broadway market for a lazy Sunday afternoon stroll. I always stop off at Climpson & Sons for an amazing flat white. I’m also a fan of Berwick Street Market for really cheap and good quality fruit and veg. It’s near my office in Soho so I quite often go and buy some goodies for lunch or dinner.”
27. Preeti from thelondonvegetarian.com
“For a naughty vegan treat find a Ms Cupcake stall at food festivals around London where you will find the most decadent cupcakes in flavours like Orange Blossom, Watermenlon, Toffee Nut Latte but do try their Irish Cream, it’s one of their best!”
28. Gabrielle from blog-fr.hostelbookers.com
“Broadway Market is definitely my favourite market in London. The street is pretty and has this nice “hippie” atmosphere, and the food is fresh and yummy, a bit pricey maybe but everything tastes delicious: Indian specialities, French cheeses, Spanish chorizo… My favourite stall is “Norbiton Fine Cheese Co”, at the end of the street, where you’ll find plenty of delicious cheeses from different countries. Some stands offer organic and vegan food as well! The best part is to buy your food and then eat it on the grass in London Fields – a nice park just at the end of the street.”
29. Brie from handtomouthkitchen.com
“When I want street food in London I hit up Hackney’s Broadway Market on Saturdays. Not only can you be all the cheese, bread, meat, fish and cakes you need to cook yourself an amazing dinner, but you can also find amazing snacks to eat immediately. My favourites include a rare roast beef ‘sandwich’ served in a yorkshire pud, or the black pudding scotch egg – look for the union jack and piled up balls of deep-fried deliciousness.”
30. Davide from it.hostelbookers.com
“In the heart of Brixton Market, surrounded by jerk chicken Caribbean style shops, lies Franco Manca. This little tiny unpretentious hole-in-the-wall pizzeria with only a bunch of unglamorous tables and just six different type of pizza, made strictly with natural ingredients, prepared in a traditional wood burning oven. Get there early to avoid the massive queues, place your order, grab a seat, close your eyes and you can forget you are over 2000km from Naples. Word.”
31. Fabio from realfoodfestival.co.uk
“At the Real Food Market you can find amazing quality food affordable, fun and sociable by taking it to the streets. Our traders include Creperie Nicolas (authentic buck-wheat crepes, trading out of a converted Citroen H Van); Jamon Jamon (cook up the best Paella Valenciana in London); Malaysian Food (demonstrate why Malaysian street food is world famous); Love me Tender (most succulent and tasty free-range hog roasts), Arabic Food and Spice (London’s only free-range chicken shawarma) and Black Acorn (Iberico pork chorizo, chorizo blood sausage, red pepper and rocket in a Portuguese bread roll).
You’ll also find great burgers and sausages made from amazing organic meat, served straight from the producers themselves, and we also have a rotating guest spot showcasing a different street food talent each week. To wash it all down, a proper London beer from Meantime Brewery, fine Austrian wine from Merry Widows, or English sparkling wine courtesy of Grays and Feather… all on street level!”
32. Guan from theboywhoatetheworld.com
“Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, Beigel Bake is an East end institution that’s been providing Londoners with nourishment since 1977. Their infamous Salt Beef Beigels are packed so full of meat, the hot strips of beef will literally spill out of the helpless bagels. Don’t forget to ask for extra gherkins and their mightily spicy mustard (so hot, it’s bound to make you cry tears).”
33. Les from bellaphon.blogspot.co.uk
“When in Chinatown, eat deliciously and for less than a Big Mac meal. Wong Kei-the ‘industry standard’ beef brisket noodle soup (£3.90) comes with a free pot of tea and the legendary indifferent service thrown in. Golden Gate Cake Shop has glorious chicken curry puffs (£1 each) and excellent sweet-tasting siu baos (baked roast pork pies at £1.10 each). Lunch is sorted for a smidgen at just over £2. Baozi Inn Takeaway has delightful skews of everything imaginable from tofu to offal cooked before your eyes in a spicy hotpot. The skewers range from £1 to £1.50 each.”
34. Anna Mae from anna-maes.com
“Anna Mae’s Southern Street Food was born out of a recession, a daydream and two people’s shared love for street food and the Deep South. Having started up last year it’s growing up to become one of the most talked about boutique street food brands around. We’re famous for our pulled pork, BBQ sauce and Texas Red Chilli but watch out for the Mac N Cheese – southern style macaroni cheese served hot and bubbling out of huge cast iron skillets pimped up with a choice of toppings (the ‘Kayne Western’ – mac n cheese with hot dog and bbq sauce is the most popular).”
35. Loretta from oncafe.co.uk
“If you’re looking for something sweet, you’ll find something wonderful at On Cafe. With a regular stall at the Real Food Market on Southbank, they create Asian-inspired French patisserie and are famed for their Macaroons. Try the award-winning Japanese Pink Peach & Champagne or Black Sesame & Ginger for a trip to a sweet tooth’s heaven…”
36. George from thelondonpizzablog.com
“For authentic Neapolitan pizza, Brixton market is a must-visit, with Franco Manca turning out some of the finest pizzas in the capital. Alternatively, you could pay a visit to Berwick Street Market in Soho, where the Pizza Pilgrims can be found serving their delicious hand-stretched wares from the oven mounted in the back of their three-wheeled van!”
37. Carlos from HostelBookers.com
“Arepas in The Stables in Camden Town is amazing. An Arepa is a round corn bread stuffed with several fillings. You´ll know you’re there because of the queue, which moves really fast btw. The options include meat, beans, vegetables, chicken avocado, plantain and cheese.
The most famous one is called “Pabellon”. It includes black beans, shredded beef, plantains and cheese. This delicious meal is originally from Venezuela and it has become one of the most famous stalls in the Stables’ west yard. You can choose any combination you like and add a bit of spicy sauce if you’re up for a kick.
They also sell precooked Arepas to take home and make them your own way. Give it a try and remember to greet the guys with a big “HOLA” and ask them to add extra portions of your favourite ingredients to your arepa, they will do it for free as long as you’re nice.”
38. Sarka from churrosgarcia.co.uk
“At Churros Garcia, our stonkingly good fresh churros are made and served the way mama taught us in her churros stall 40 years ago – sprinkled with sugar and hot Valor dipping chocolate. They’re also vegan.”
39. Becki from backpackerbecki.com
“St John’s Hill, Clapham Junction, brings out the street food on a sunny day. Most of the restaurants pull out all the stops, especially when the weather is ace and they set up tables outside… or when we have the annual street festival (9th September 2012 from 11am til 5pm). Street BBQ anyone?”
40. Neil from backpacksandbunks.com
“I’ve only been a couple of times, but whenever London street food is mentioned I always think of the Ghanian curry stall in the middle of the market on the Portobello Road each Saturday morning. For about £5 you get an amazing mix of meats, lentils, plantain, rices and curry sauces overflowing from a healthy sized plastic container. Still on the curb, fork in hand and enjoy as the market continues around you. If you’re still hungry afterwards, there’s also a strawberries and ice cream stand further down the road.” [or paella!]
41. Irene from blog-es.hostelbookers.com
“I’d definitely recommend the chorizo sandwich from Brindisa Grill at Borough Market. It’s soooo decilicious! The chorizo is cooked in the grill and they add piquillo pepers and rocket leaves. All that together in a crunchy ciabatta roll…. On busy days you can find a bit of queue, but the wait is totally worth it!”
42. Karen from streetfoodstories.com
“For me street food in London is as much about spectacular taste sensations as it is about the personalities of the people behind the food. One of my favourite stalls is Sho Foo Doh, run by the terrific Fumio Tanga. He cooks Osaka style okonomiyaki, a Japanese savoury pancake, with a variety of toppings from cheese and pork belly to prawn and squid, all served with the famous okonomiyaki sauce from Japan, a combination that makes your mouth sing everytime. You can find Sho Foo Doh popping up in various locations in East London and every Sunday at Chatsworth Road Market in Clapton.”
43. Andy from andyskitchen.co.uk
“On a saturday morning take a trip down to Maltby Street Market, where inside some railway arches there is a fantastic mix of artisan food producers. My top foodie tip would be to visit Award Winning Chef Grant Hawthorne who has created his own Peri Peri sauces called African Volcano and sells some delicous Peri Peri flavoured food.”
44. Arianwen from beyondblighty.com
“Brixton market has loads of awesome stalls with foods from all over the world. On Saturdays there’s a Guyanese roti caravan with really yummy food and one time when it was raining, she even let my friends squeeze themselves inside to eat. If the caravan’s not there, head for Brixton Village Market!”
45. Kate from thelittleloaf.wordpress.com
“Out of all the incredible street food and stalls in London, if I had to choose a single favourite it would have to be La Grotta Ices. Ice cream maker extraordinaire Kitty Travers parks her Piaggio Van on Maltby Street most Saturdays to dispense the most incredible ices by the cone, tub or to take home. Flavours are seasonal and unusual with anything from Barbados Custard to Cucumber, Bitter Chocolate, Blackberry & Geranium and anything in between. For the ultimate in summer indulgence, La Grotta Ices is absolutely not to be missed.”
I’m pretty sure you’re not going to get through all of these in a day no matter how hungry you are. So make sure you book into one of our London cheap hotels or youth hostels so you can try even more.
And you can see more sexy street food images on our London Street Food Guide Pinterest page.
– Compiled by Victoria Philpott
Thanks to the bloggers listed for the images, and to London Chow, Ewan-M, theCSSdiv, lilivanili, clashcityrockerkat, timeout.com, visitar Londres, Rachel Titley, Mondomulia Blog, GinMonkey, Tasha Town, Katie Buck, Bernhard Grabner, lecoollondonblog.com, YumBun, peanutbuttered blog, Katy Leggate, Gujurati Rosoi for the excellent images from Flickr. Please note, all images were used under the Creative Commons License at the time of posting.
