Brixton Village Market

Attention hipsters, foodies, culture aficionados, curious… This is a must-​go place in SW. Absolutely blown away by the vibrancy and diversity of Brixton Village. From Mexicanos selling you tapas in a street-​food like atmosphere to the classy coffee shop, from the super steakhouse to the African food stall, you will find so many different things there that you will not know where to start.
Brixton Village is what I would personally describe as the best of Montmartre bohemian vibe with the tropical flavour of Château Rouge Market in Paris, all perfumed with the authenticity of Chelsea Market in NYC. It is not very big, which gives it some touch of intimacy. It feels touristy but also incredibly authentic. It feels as much hipstery as it feels open to all. And maybe most important, it’s incredibly affordable for what it is.
Wherever you are in London, or if you happen to be in our city for some time, please go there. I promise you won’t regret it. It’s an absolute must-​experience in Brixton. In the SW. in London. That’s all!

Awesome vibe and incredible variety of different foods for those not wanting to break the bank. A testament to the diversity that London holds! Try Pakistani, Osaka-​style, Jamaican, or something pretty traditional if you’re not feeling too wild. Would highly recommend as a place to visit if you’re in the area.

I always describe this place to my American visiting friends as similar to «Chelsea Market» in NY, but with more history. Whatever your opinion may be on the gentrification debate of the area, this market is probably the reason I moved to Brixton. It’s a covered market, but you’ll feel like you’re still outside, because of the glass panels in the ceiling. There’s food from everywhere, and all of them are high quality. I frequent Mama Lans for spicy Chinese noodles, Honest Burgers for burgers, and Restaurante Santafereño for Columbian breakfast. As a Korean, I’d love if there was a bibimbap or spicy tofu soup restaurant there — maybe I’ll open one!
I like the gritty nature of the Village and that it isn’t on a tourist map — the cues are already long enough as it is, and I don’t want it to turn into another Borough Market.

Brixton village is right in my neighbourhood and I try to go as often as possible. The food is amazing, and a lot of the places are BYOB. My favourites are the Thai place, the burger joint, Mama Lans, Franco Manca, the bakery for brunch… okay just all of them

Great trendy indoor/​outdoor market style eatery. Individual restaurants, about 15, ranging from Mexican to Vegetarian. Ample outdoor or indoor seating.
Snag a table fast at your favourite eatery. Great variety, diverse crowd. Not super touristy like Borough Market.
You must pay to use toilets, which as an American I’m still not accustomed to.

Cool non-​touristy market with a bunch of small locally owned restaurants. It was a great place to get away from the hustle of the tourists. A friend took us here, as it is quite a bit out of the way from central London. Be weary of what you want to eat here as they aren’t standard hours.

Brixton Village Market is definitely something to behold.
With about six different entrances, getting to it is no problem at all and once you’re in, WOW.
Eclectic eateries from nearly every culture you can think of, bakeries bursting with sumptuous cakes and freshly baked bread, vintage stores groaning with the classics of bygone eras and little boutiques selling handmade homewares and jewellery, it’s just perfect.
With so much going on, it certainly draws a crowd and seating at the restaurant-​y places fills up quickly, but you won’t be waiting too long and it’s indoors anyway so it’s not like you’ll be soaked waiting. You also get live music events occasionally so there’s always something to see.
The one slight downside is that for a market, it’s pretty pricey. A bread roll from one of the stores cost £4(!) but if you look around, you can find some bargains and new things. It’s well worth a visit and I’ll definitely be returning, you just try and stop me.

Brixton has changed so much since I lived in London in 1987. It was always colorful and eclectic, but with a hint of danger. Now back to visit a friend, I’m so thrilled to see how this part of London is literally booming. We strolled through the Brixton Village Market and I just loved the international flavor that permeated everything from the tiny little shops to the cafes to the goods on sale. Being that it’s enclosed, it’s a perfect way to start or end a rainy Sunday.

Walk through the market, cross the street and enter the second half of the market — the restaurant and small designer shop section. Here you’ll find a selection of boutique restaurants and design shops and a buzzing happy atmostphere.

If you have been to Brixton and you don’t know about The Village then I don’t really know what you were doing in Brixton!
Brixton Village Market is the heart of Brixton, with everything from cafés, to tattoo parlours, to butchers, to mini markets and fruit and veg stalls. It’s a good example of all the different cultures that come together and make Brixton what it is. Always bustling with life, you can catch some live events, or meet up with friends for a coffee or pick up some wax print material or have your beef chopped up just the way you like it. There’s also an amazing religious and spiritual store should you be in need of some incense or a crucifix.
Basically it caters for all of your physical, aesthetic, emotional and spiritual needs.

Colourful and eclectic, Brixton village Market is a-​buzz with energy.
Come and catch-​up with some friends at one of the many eateries from various cultures all over the World. Be warned! They’re popular, so you may have to queue but the turn around is pretty quick.
Or indulge yourself in a treat or a present for someone in the many shops selling clothes, art, jewellry and various other curios.
Or maybe you just want inspiration for something to cook. No problem there, check out the food stalls.
It’s a very happening indoor market with live music events frequently on. When I was there we witnessed a mardi gras, carnival-​esque dance and drum procession. I loved it!
It’s quiet on Sunday with quite a few shops closed.
I’ll definitely go again to browse and maybe give in to the temptation to spend!

Went there last summer and loved it, but haven’t really found the chance to visit again. Finally revisited last week to find the place has expanded so much! A lot of new restaurants and shops have opened and they have certainly done it up. It looks very nice now. perhaps a bit too nice. Just another sign that the place is being quickly gentrified. It is still fun for me (as an outsider to the neighborhood) to visit though, with a lot of variety in food choices, caribbean, beijing street food, british, spanish, thai, mexican… Does send me reflecting on whether this is a good thing — while it looks cool on the outside that an old and rundown neighborhood has been revamped, it also begs the question of how much locals have benefited from this and whether it has taken all the characters out of the place. So visit sooner rather than later!

Who knew there were two?
This first time I ventured to Brixton, I only walked the outer market and was unimpressed. But I kept hearing good things about unique places, so after investigating a little bit more, found there was another market — inside and adjacent to the street one.
I loved the mix of eateries ranging from Chinese dumplings to African to Gelato to a place where you make toast. Some are hip and crowded while others are quick and easy. Like my ex.
I also like the fact that these places are indoors and open throughout the week — unlike many other market-​related eateries in London.

Brixton Village is full of one word named shops (e.g. Honest, Federation, Elephant, Relay) — most lowercase and at least one with a full stop — and, from what I could tell, only patronised by the gentrifiers of Brixton. Nothing wrong with any of that (except the trendy lowercase, one word-​full stop bullshit), just an observation.
Though most of the shops are located within the warehouse area there are a few which are able to use the outdoor courtyard, which looked lovely on a sunny autumn day. The Village is small so you won’t get lost though there are many options underneath this roof so you may be overwhelmed. I knew beforehand where I’d be dining but had I gone with no plan I would’ve had a very hard time deciding between offerings.

Another update is required!
My first review in Jan 2011 spoke of the local feel to the market, with exciting new ventures opening up and a growing food culture being devloped.
My 2^nd review in August last year suggest that the place was about to explode in popularity and that you should get to Brixton to sample BVM’s offerings before it’s too late.
Well, it could well be too late! BVM is busy every evening it’s open, with long queues forming for the popular restaurants, and the others full to the brim. I’m told that the number of restaurants has reached it’s limit, and that the rest of the other units are to remain as market stalls or boutiques… so the queues will remain! It’s a great place to be of an evening, with a great atmosphere and very high standards of food to be had. Although the number of gastro-​tourists and scenesters arriving in Brixton (and moving to) each evening is swelling, especially in the summer months.
So the advice is this; arrive early to get spots at the more popular spots, or be flexible to try the few places that seats come 8pm.
No longer a locals secret, but a London phenomenon. In Brixton. Who’d have thought it?

Chicken hearts, quite possibly the best pizza in Britain, the best coffee south of the river (if not in London), breadfruit, linguiça, fabric, luggage, goat meat, fabulous fresh prawns, crazy African herbs, and lovely restos.
It’s old, it’s new, it’s community, and it’s brilliant. It’s the covered bit of the Brixton market, and it’s fantastic. Always has been but a bit better recently.

Brixton Village Market (filled with hip small businesses, coffee shops and food vendors) is in a wonderful, battered-​looking covered market wedged between Brixton Road and Coldharbour Lane. It is not to be confused with Brixton Market which is in very close proximity (filled with men standing behind folding tables covered in scary-​looking polyester underwear that your grandmother might wear if she were a prostitute, as well as hawkers trying to convince you to buy 1 of their 30 chickens hanging by their feet ever-​so enticingly) on Electric Avenue.
While I do enjoy buying enormous fish heads as much as the next person*, I much prefer drinking piccolos, eating homemade biscuits and buying vintage clothes**.
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*Brixton Market is great for this.
**Brixton Village Market is great for this.

What can I say this place is just the bomb! Haha!
I know to some of you, the idea of coming to Brixton is like a trip to the Sahara but, hand on heart, this little hot spot is worth walking over smoldering coals for!
Ever changing and ever growing, it really is a gem that has something to offer everybody. Hosting foods from nations across the globe, you’ll never be short of something to satisfy your craving. There is so much to try and I’ll admit that it’s going to be a challenge to sample it all — good challenge mind!
Like the restaurant and café’s, we are not short on unusual and flavorsome off the wall art, vintage shops, boutiques and live music, are all but some of the attraction you’ll be sure to encounter on your adventure through the arcade.
Right I’m off to get me a gluten-​free, sashimi, okonomiyaki covered cupcake. With a side of refried beans and steak!

This was a teeny bit of a trek from the other end of the Victoria line where we live… but I would definitely come back! It seems like South London has made its own mini Shoreditch…
I am already in Love with Okan (for amazing okonomiyaki), I have heard great things about Honest burgers… and my boyfriend wants to come back for the coffee/​cakes.

Hello east London. Erm, hold on where am I again? Ohhhh… I’m in Brixton, Riiiight!
As Craig mentioned this little space has been popping up with some gems, less of a market and more of a pop up shopping centre, you’ll find a collection of boutiques, shops, cafés and eateries that are really unique.
I came here on a Sunday. Not advisable. Most places seemed to be closed. I did however have a lovely time browsing the shops that were open and enjoying some really good coffee.
We need more places like this in London, where locals can show what they do best and represent the character of the area. Come down on an evening and find performance art, come during the day and have some cake. It’s all a wonderful time here in Brixton.