Borough Market

Easy to find get off at London Bridge and go down steps by Southwalk Cathedral and its amazing find. Only small but packed to brim with different fresh produce, from variety of countries including home grown.

We got there Saturday afternoon and packed. Lots of stalls offering hot foods and we decided to have our lunch there eating out side the cathedral. Great food and atmosphere.

I adore Borough Market.

This was my first London experience..coming straight from the airport, we just got off the tube at "London Bridge" station, tired and having jet lag. We had no idea where we were..we just started walking into the market..and VOILA ! Refreshed, awed, shocked, amazed.

It was Friday morning and there were sausages and pates and cheese everywhere! And people offered us sample after sample. The paradise for the gourmands, for food-lovers everywhere.

The market is a rainbow of smells, sights and colors. We saw rabbit, deer, sushi, sea food...everything! So colorful!

But the BEST part -the Market Porter Pub which is close to the market (or part of it?). Fri at noon, hundreds of people in business attire were standing in front of the pub (not inside) with pints of beer in hand. This was lunch hour at Borough Market. Who wouldn't fall in love with the place...

We came back 2 more times, first on Fri night, just after closing time..watching huge Bristish boys take down the displays and then ending up in the pubs, on the streets (again hundreds of drunk people)...second on Sun morning (but there was nothing -the market was closed).

If Zola described the French Les Halles in his books (as you know, they're not as in the books anymore)..I believe it;s Borough market that made me understand what he meant. This must have been the atmosphere.

Go there..

This is THE place to be in London any Friday from lunch through "happy hour". Arrive around 11 am, before the locals get there for lunch, when lines for the food booths get very long; however, the lines are also a very good indicator of where to find the best food! Spend the afternoon in the area (perhaps Vinopolis or Beer Warf) and then stop by the local pubs for a pint or two before getting on the Tube. The pubs start to get busy by 4:00 pm.