Maltby Street Market
borough market's scruffier, tastier rival
A weekend food market crammed into a narrow run of railway arches in Bermondsey, free to wander, the scruffier and tastier alternative to Borough.
Free to visit · Bermondsey · Bermondsey · SE1 3PA
Opening: Sat & Sun · roughly 9am–4pm
Maltby Street started as the overspill of traders priced out of Borough Market, and it has become a beloved weekend food destination in its own right. It runs down a narrow alley called the Ropewalk, squeezed between Victorian railway arches in Bermondsey, and wandering in is free.
It is small, scruffy and brilliant, with a tightly packed line of independent food stalls and arch-front kitchens, gin and cheese and waffles and proper coffee, plus a few permanent traders and a wine bar built into the arches. Trains rumble overhead while you eat.
The whole thing has a rougher, more local feel than the polished sprawl of Borough a few minutes away, which is exactly why people who know prefer it. Browsing costs nothing, the smell does most of the selling.
Getting there: A short walk from Bermondsey or London Bridge, tucked down the Ropewalk under the railway arches.
Best time to go: Saturday or Sunday late morning. It is tiny and gets packed by lunch, so come early to actually reach the stalls.
Insider tip: Get there early on a weekend, well before the lunch rush, because the alley is genuinely tiny and by one o'clock you can barely move. Pair it with the antiques of Bermondsey Street and the free Fashion and Textile Museum frontage nearby.
Official site: https://www.maltby.st
Free things to do in London · London Free Guide