An Alternative Travel Guide to Borough & Bermondsey
Borough and Bermondsey have been my local stomping grounds for over seven years now and are still some of my favourite areas to explore in London. Saturday is the perfect day to visit due to both Borough Market and Maltby Street Market being in full swing and creating the electric weekend atmosphere for which they are world renowned.
Breakfast at The Gentlemen Baristas
I always feel that when you have a big day of exploring ahead of you, starting your day right with a glorious breakfast is a must! Who’s with me? Well, if you are I would strongly recommend beginning your morning indulging in some delicious dishes and “well mannered” coffee at the original Gentlemen Baristas on Union Street. You’ll find the charming green coffee house located just a short walk away from Borough and London Bridge tube stations.
Their jam-packed coffee menu covers all bases with their high-quality blends and their expert baristas serving up some of the finest roasts in London. I love to get tucked away in this cosy neighbourhood haunt in the colder months or head upstairs and grab a seat on their hidden outdoor patio if the sun is shining. Their wholesome brunch menu includes a range of sourdough delights and mouth-watering pastries, which are perfectly washed down with a full-flavour extra-smooth Americano for good measure.
Other worthy breakfast spots in the area, which are some of my favourites include: Where The Pancakes Are for their killer stacks; Maria’s Market Café for her ludicrously good fry-ups; Stoney Street by 26 Grains for their divine grain infused dishes and The Breakfast Club for their all-killer big-filler breakfast fare. Beware, it gets perilously busy here on a weekend, but one thing’s for sure, where there’s a queue, there’s always a great breakfast guaranteed!
Redcross Way
Cross Bones Graveyard
Once you are set for the day and fully caffeinated, make your way east on Union Street until you reach Redcross Way. Take a left here and you’ll discover Cross Bones Graveyard, one of London’s most fascinating and historical post-medieval burial grounds.
This piece of history always astonishes me, as within the small graveyard perimeter over 15,000 paupers and criminals are buried. It is also known to be the historic final resting place of the ‘Winchester Geese’, who were the medieval sex workers licensed by the Bishop of Winchester from the 12th to the 17th century. The duties of Bishops have certainly changed over the years haven’t they? Hundreds of ribbons and trinkets are now hung on the red iron gates dedicated to the ‘outcast dead’ and the site is a public garden of remembrance.
A 19th Century Warehouse
Continue your journey along Redcross Way, underneath the railway arch and cross over Southwark Street. Directly ahead you’ll find the traditional Portuguese restaurant Casa do Frango, located in a 19th century industrial warehouse.
Stop a moment to admire the interesting architecture of the building with its hanging ‘Swing Crane’ above its original warehouse doors.
If like me, you love photography there’s a perfect photo opportunity here. Make sure to get your framing just right and position the cutting-edge structure of The Shard between the ornate lamp post to the left and the long-established building to the right, to capture a quintessential cultural shot of old vs new.
Borough Wandering
Continue along Redcross Way, whilst making sure to admire the outstanding decorated building to your left with the heartening message ‘Take Courage’ written proudly across it.
Take a right at the end and loop around into the iconic Borough Market along Park Street. Follow this route and as the road bends, to your right you’ll discover the famous hideout featured in Guy Ritchie’s cult classic, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels!
Borough Market Delights
Continue along Park Street dropping into the acclaimed Neal’s Yard Dairy and the excellent Bird & Blend Tea Co as you go, before hitting the hustle and bustle of London’s oldest and most historic food market.
Here you will find a diverse array of artisan food and drink vendors to admire and sample your way through. I love wandering around the market and picking up a juice from the legendary Turnips, seeking out unknown craft beers from Utobeer Cage and choosing a bag of speciality tea from Tea2You to take home.
If you fancy a sit down for a moment then I suggest dropping by Maria’s Market Café. There is simply nowhere better for you to sip a ‘straight-up no messing around’ English breakfast brew and watch the lively ambience of this illustrious market unfold in all its glory.
Spend some time exploring all of the delights the indoor market has to offer and then head towards the back of the market onto Cathedral Street under the railway bridge, where you will find the award-winning Bread Ahead Bakery. I’m a weekend regular here and you’ll probably see me standing in the queue waiting to buy one of their delicious doughnuts as a mid-morning street treat. Although, I can never get past their crème caramel and salted honeycomb or classic vanilla, which are two of their best in my opinion.
Continue your culinary journey into the outdoor part of the market and find quality artisan stalls such as Food & Forest for sustainably sourced nuts, The Free From Bakehouse providing gluten free vegan cakes and Whirld creating delicious handmade fudge and confectionary.
If you have time whilst you are in the area some of my other favourite things to do include: discovering new art exhibitions at the Tate Modern, a visit to The Clink Prison Museum, seeing the remaining architecture from Winchester Palace and a wander around the gothic Southwark Cathedral.
Southwark Strolling
Once you’ve staggered out with your bags full of artisan delicacies from the market, exit onto Borough High Street and cross over the road to follow St Thomas Street down towards Bermondsey. On your left you will see The Old Operating Theatre Museum housing one of the oldest surviving operating theatres in the country. As you walk further you’ll get a tremendous view of The Shard from its foundations; another prime place to capture some fantastic shots!
Flea at Vinegar Yard
After passing The Shard you’ll discover Vinegar Yard, which is part-food, part-flea market denoted by the eye-catching art installation featuring a disused train carriage covered in gigantic ants, which was designed by artist Joe Rush. If you share in my hobby of hunting down one-off rare vintage pieces and unusual antiques, then drop in to rummage around the flea, you’ll be amazed at what you can find!
Bermondsey Street
From Vinegar Yard, Bermondsey Street is located just slightly further down the road to your right, wander down to find a throng of thriving local independents and a jubilant neighbourhood atmosphere.
I’ve been drinking coffee from the quaintly named Fuckoffee, Chapter 72 and Black Swan Yard Coffee (soon to be in a new location) for years and there’s no competition when you compare these standout small businesses with the mainstream coffee giants! The Giddy Grocer, B Street Deli and Bermondsey Corner are all lovely local stores to explore whilst enjoying the street’s colourful culture.
The Morocco Store & RW Autos
Located half way down Bermondsey Street you will discover Morocco Street where the iconic Morocco Store is located. The building was originally used to store carpets which were, you guessed it, imported from Morocco and has now been redeveloped into chic warehouse style flats. To your right you will also find RW Autos, with a nod to its past life as a coach house including two ornate horse heads on their frontage.
Finally, if you enjoy fashion and art, then I’d definitely suggest dropping in at the vivid orange Fashion and Textile Museum and the renowned White Cube gallery, as I always find that they are showcasing some impressive exhibitions.
Lunch at Maltby Street Market
Wander through Tanner Street Park and across to Maltby Street Market, which is also known as ‘The Ropewalk’. This is the perfect off-the-beaten-track spot to pick up some lunch from one of the many expert food and drink traders.
I seem to end up in a similar routine of grabbing a ‘feel good juice’ from Bumpin’ Rinds whilst eyeing up which food vendor I’m going to try out. There’s a wonderful selection of street food including the Gyoza Guys, The Beefsteaks and La Criolla just to mention a few or if you fancy a delicious woodfire pizza then Bon Vino is the place to go. To finish off pick up a few local delights in Taylor’s of Maltby St and then head to Comptoir Gourmand Bakery which is full of freshly baked sweet treats. Plus, if you’d like something a little bit stronger to drink then Malt or Bar Tozino are my go-to’s.
The Bermondsey Beer Mile
Once you’ve filled up on scrumptious street food, exit out of the other side of the Ropewalk and get ready to experience the Bermondsey Beer Mile. If you like craft beer then this is the place to be! It involves a mammoth 16 breweries and taprooms scattered across a two-mile radius all located within historic Victorian railway arches. One of my passions is sampling and discovering new craft beers and The Beer Mile is the perfect Saturday afternoon activity to delve into the London craft beer scene.
From the market, head under the railway arch onto Druid Street to find the start of the mile at Southwark Brewing Co, with The London Beer Factory and Anspach & Hobday also located along this stretch. One beer in each taproom is how you are meant to complete the mile, but as I like to be able to find my way home afterwards, I just like picking different breweries to try out each time I visit. A great way to experience each is by ordering a beer flight where you will usually get six different brews to sample.
From Druid Street make your way down to Enid Street to find more excellent taprooms including: Moore Beer Vaults, Cloudwater Brew Co, Brew by Numbers and Bianca Road Brewing Co. If you’re brave enough to attempt the whole beer mile you can find a useful guide here.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Ramen at Bone Daddies
If you want to keep it local to The Beer Mile and are into Japanese ramen with a real rock ‘n’ roll edge, I would definitely suggest checking out Bone Daddies. They make all of their 20-hour homemade ramen from scratch on site and create unreal flavours through their exquisite broths. I love the ambience here, with rock legends blurring out on the speakers whilst I’m tucking in to one of their signature T22 bone broths.
Applebee’s Fish
If ramen isn’t your thing, make your way back towards Borough Market as there are so many exceptional local restaurants here to choose from. If I had to pick just one though it would have to be the family run Applebee’s Fish. They serve some of the highest quality fresh seafood dishes in the area and have a diverse menu to choose from. The mixed grill skewer and sea bass are outstanding, but you also can’t go wrong with their trusty fish and chips. When it comes to seafood you won’t taste better!
As you’ve probably already guessed, it’s impossible for me to do justice to all the excellent food options in Borough market. However, other restaurants on my regular hit list include: El Pastor for authentic Mexican tacos & tequila; Patty & Bun serving up their signature burgers; Padella for their speciality homemade pasta and Bao for their tasty steamed buns.
Craft Beer at The Rake
To end the day on a high and to continue your craft beer exploration head to my go-to local, the tiny London boozer known as The Rake. Located in the back of Borough Market, the pub is run by Utobeer (you may have dropped in at their shop earlier when exploring the market). For such a small establishment the bar oozes a wonderful local spirit and is always packed with great people who appreciate quality craft beer.
Cocktails at Call Me Mr Lucky
If you are still standing, finish your night in The Breakfast Club’s secret bar, Call Me Mr Lucky. Hidden beneath the restaurant is one gem of a cocktail bar where you need the ‘secret’ password “I’m here to get lucky” to get in. Take a chance on their swivel board to see what you land on or order one of their mean house specials!
Other excellent pubs and bars in the area which I regularly frequent are: The Market Porter for their traditional Borough Market pub vibe; Flat Iron Square for their great ambience, drinks and street food; Nine Lives for their tropical cocktails and tacos and Two One Four for its vast gin selection.
And with that said, I think it’s time to probably call it a night!
I hope you enjoy exploring Borough and Bermondsey as much as I do and that this alternative guide will introduce you to a few off-beat gems, which you might not have stumbled across before. I’ve included the clickable map below to make things even easier for you to find.
I’d love to hear about your journey through the area and what your favourite local spots are in the comments below!
Thanks for reading and if you enjoyed the guide please give it a share.
V
