Best food to eat at Borough Market

Grab a mezze platter under the arches, or pick up shawarma from the street food stall outside; either way you’ll enjoy a comforting taste of the Levant at Arabica.

Enjoy the best of British ingredients with an Italian twist (Tagliarini with Dorset crab anyone?) in Padella, a cosy Borough Market restaurant offering table and counter service with cooked-to-order pasta.

Book a table at Roast for, no surprise, a proper English roast (plus fish and veggie options). An upmarket Borough eatery with daily specials and generous portions.

Start with guacamole, share a quesadilla and then go for the signature Pastor tacos made with 24-hour marinated pork shoulder, pineapple and avacado, serrano and chilli taquero at Tacos El Pastor. Think of it as tapas, Borough Market style. Wash it all down with a mezcal cocktail.

Enjoy light and fluffy bao buns and grilled meats, paired with signature hi-ball drinks at this Borough outpost of popular Taiwanese mini chain, Bao.

Take your pick from the fish and seafood dishes at glass-fronted Fish! Restaurant in Borough Market. Watch the world go by as the chefs turn produce sourced from the market traders into simple dishes, such as its classic beer-battered fish and chips.

The low-key sibling of Michelin-starred eatery Lyle's in Shoredtich, Flor combines a wine bar, bakery and a small-plate restaurant in one. Select modern-European dishes from the daily menu or pick up some of its moreish pastries to go.

Chocoholics listen up... Rabot 1745 is the place to satisfy your chocolatey cravings. Using sustainably sourced cacoa from its own plantation in Saint Lucia, this restaurant from Hotel Chocolat creates Anglo-Caribbean dishes that feature the ingredient in some form, from garnishes on mains to the star of the show in desserts.

Snack on classic tapas, charcuterie and cheese at Tapas Brindisa, a touch of Spain on the corner of Borough Market. Share tortillas, patatas bravas, Galician-style octopus and more small plates, or visit on weekends for breakfast treats. 

Get elbow deep in seafood at Wright Brothers Oyster & Porter House. In a perfect spot to watch the market traders, this crustacean-focused restaurant is a great place for affordable oysters, which are sourced straight from the brothers-in-law owners' very own oyster farm in Cornwall.

Join in London’s slight obsession with cheese at Kappacasein. Unpasteurised, unapologetically cheesy; made in Bermondsey and melted in Borough Market, you can have your cheese raclette-style over potatoes, or go for a seriously cheesy toastie.

La Tua Pasta supplies restaurants all over London, but you can get the good stuff direct from their small Borough Market shop. Order your favourite pasta and sauce and watch as they cook it right there for some seriously fresh Italian goodness.

Come here especially for the slow roasted rose veal salad bowl. Gourmet Goat puts an emphasis on authentic East Mediterranean dishes from sustainable British ingredients.

Take a trip back in time at Richard Haward’s Oyster stall – this family have been cultivating oysters for eight generations, so needless to say they know their stuff. Grab one of their few seats to enjoy a taste of the ocean in every shell.

Discover the best of Iraqi cuisine at Juma Kitchen, which serves up halal salads, stews, dumplings and more specialities of the region.

Be transported to Jamaica at Rudi's Jerk Shack, which you're bound to smell from across the market. As the name suggests, jerk is the draw here, with meat marinated and then smoked over wood chips; but other options include goat curry and saltfish fritters.

Get a fresh taste of Italia at Gelateria 3Bis, where a 1950’s gelato machine is at the centre of a cornucopia of deliciousness. With two branches in Rimini, it’s safe to say this is the real thing – Italian ice cream with the best ingredients from all over the world.

Choose from an ever-changing range of single-country coffee beans at Monmouth Coffee; by the cup or by the bag. The staff here are on-hand to help you choose the right coffee for you – it’s like a personality test for your caffeine fix.

Relax in traditional English pub, The Market Porter in Borough Market, with quality pub food. Great bar snacks, reliable lunch or dinner choices (you can’t go wrong with fish and chips here) and a great selection of ales and beers on tap.

Social enterprise The Colombian Coffee Company aims to combat poverty for coffee growers by paying above market price for the beans and in turn builds relationships with communities in Colombia. So, grab a coffee to go or some single-varietal beans to use at home later and you'll be helping families thousands of miles away. 

Look out for upended barrels and you'll find The Cider House, a bar and shop selling cider made deep in the New Forest. Pick from a range of its traditional ciders made from apples sourced in the New Forest and Somerset, or choose perry, which is made from pears. 

Warm yourself by the open fire and tuck in to a hearty Sunday roast at The Southwark Tavern. A ‘proper London’ establishment, you can get a good meal here on any day or pop in for a great British pint.

Small but perfectly formed, The Rake is a beer-lovers' paradise. You're sure to find something new in this cosy drinking den; whether craft beers, draft or ales. And if you're keen to take some home, head to its owners' stall Utobeer within the market.

If wine's more your bag, settle down for a glass or two at Bedales. This snug wine bar in Borough Market has a carefully chosen and regularly changing list. It also rustles up small plates made from produce sourced from traders just metres away.