Brick Lane Market

The Brick Lane Market is East London’s hotspot for browsing, bargain hunting, street art and graffiti photography, and people watching. It’s a bit of a local institution, a bit of an artistic hub, and a bit of an icon of modern London cool, and should be on the visitor’s itinerary on Sunday, when it operates from around 09:00 to 17:00. It’s chaotic; it’s bustling; it’s fantastic!

A decade or so ago it was just a motley string of stalls selling bric-à-brac and fruit and vegetables. But over recent years it has grown and mutated to incorporate a number of different individual market spaces, as well as market and food stalls along Brick Lane itself and a number of side street. Operating at its fullest on Sundays, Brick Lane and its surrounding streets come alive, teaming with sellers shifting their wares, and people exploring its nooks and crannies.

It’s not anything like Camden Market, which is usually regarded as London’s premier market. At the Camden Market hundreds of stalls are clumped together in one vast area, many under cover. Here it’s all spread along one main street and a number of side streets.

Start at one end of Brick Lane and explore everything along this main route and in the side streets, until you reach the other end of Brick Lane, and you will have seen the best that the market has to offer. You’ll need to enter into some of the separate market spaces which operate in the likes of old warehouse buildings.

Along the street you’ll find the Sunday Upmarket with over 200 stalls encompassing fashion by new and established designers, arts and crafts, and food. It’s a covered, warehouse-sized space, perfect for popping in for clothes, cards and wrapping paper, one-of-a-kind jewellery and tote bags, all from up and-coming designers and creatives. It’s also a vast food hall brimming with street food vendors selling a global smorgasbord of cuisine. Further along you’ll the Vintage Market, crammed with stalls selling all manner of vintage clothing gems, and retro memorabilia from the 1920s to the 1990s.

Down a side street there’s also the Backyard Market, crammed full of jewellery, prints and accessories, and an Aladdin’s cave, called the Tea Room, for you to delve into. It’s brimming with chintz, and hosts charming stalls selling things like typewriters, taxidermy, old furniture and vintage maps.

The Bethnal Green Road end of Brick Lane is full of stalls selling touristy stuff, pottery, T-shirts, prints and photographs: the usual market stuff.

Head along Sclater Street and you’ll find a host of people without proper stalls setting up their ‘shops’ on carpets and tables, selling old electrical equipment, toys, records, broken musical instruments, furniture and everything else under the sun. Here it’s definitely more trash than treasure, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything of worth. If the price seems extortionate, it probably is (so bargain hard!). But maybe, just maybe, you might find that kitsch collectable, that little object which turns out to be a treasure. Amongst all this junk, however, one stall is really worth a mention: a stall selling the old hessian sacks which coffee beans are sold in. What a great recycling venture, and you will be able to purchase them at relatively low cost. Use them for doormats, or wall hangings, or laundry bags, or even curtains!

Once you’ve found your treasure, you’ll probably be hungry. You can refuel at one of the numerous food stalls which line the street itself, or which can be found in some of the individual market places like the Sunday Upmarket. I had Ethiopian coffee, Canadian Poutine, and some Argentine treats. The food outlets here are far superior to those at Camden Market, and there’s a much greater selection of stalls and offerings. Many nationalities are represented . The cluster on Brick Lane between Grimsby Street and Quaker Street, and in the Sunday Upmarket space were, in my opinion, the best.

If that doesn’t suit, just head into a Brick Lane restaurant. These are usually open every day. The street is famed for its brilliant Indian and Bangladeshi curry houses; you’ll get an excellent Balti or Tandoori here. There are dozens of them. There are also several Jewish bagel shops including the popular Brick Lane Beigel Bake. Here the queue for bagels was out the door and wound down the street.

What did I love most about the Brick Lane Market? The graffiti! There is such a fascinating array of street art, graffiti, curious posters, and huge superbly-painted wall murals on some of the buildings. There’s ‘art’ everywhere. Some of it is quite blunt; some of it is down-right offensive, but it all reflects current political though, and is an ever-changing message board of current feeling. I love just wandering down the street, taking photographs, and trying to capture the real essence of this popular place. And it is VERY popular; the streets were busy and extremely crowded.

The joy of this market is that you never know what you might find: anything from cheap yet stylish retro clothes, old furniture, collectible kitsch and tat, and stunning brightly- coloured textiles.

But not all of it is pretty; there a fair amount of rubbish lying around, and some of the graffiti is a bit offensive. But all together it creates a wonderful cacophony of life in London’s East end, from its working class roots of yore, to its multicultural feel today.

I started my walk at Shoreditch Overground station and entered Brick Lane via Sclater Street. I ended it where Brick Lane joins Whitechapel Road, and walked on to Aldgate East Underground station. It’s also a short walk from Liverpool Street station, via the Spitalfields Market complex.

It´s got it all, colorful people, great street food stalls, handicrafts, vintage cloting, antiques, vibrant area, wonderful market to spend the day and roam around, we loved it and so did our teens.

One of the best markets in London. Much better than Camden. You can find so many local and unique clothing here and you have many chances to eat.

Come early on a Sunday to get the most of your day as this market covers a few streets and is full of stuff to look at and eat. Don’t forget to explore the Old Truman Brewery with its vintage clothing market and antiques. Also open on other days.

cute little shops and food places, nice graffiti all around, a few galleries and in general a great happy atmosphere.

We had sunday lunch at the market. So much to chose from. Lots of happy people, music and free tasting of great food.

On Sundays, Brick Lane becomes a street full of antique dealers and flea market stuff. It's definitely worth a look if you like flea markets and antiques. There are also many, many food vendors serving anything and everything from Chinese to Korean to Vietnamese to great fish and chips. If you find a small fish and chip shop named Poppys, you have arrived. They are known in that part of London as serving the absolute best fish and chips and I would definitely agree.

There are also many great pubs in the area to imbibe a pint or two. So, if you like good food, good beer, good junk and good times, head to Brick Lane on a Sunday. You won't be disappointed.

Real buzz around the place with great street food in the market and excellent indian food restaurants. Vintage market great fun and loads of art. Spittle field and Brick lane just a great day out.

Having got up too late for a bootfair my lady suggested we try brick lane.
What a major mistake that was.
we walked quite far up brick lane and got to some food stalls. We bought some macaroni cheese from a stall and was charged a hefty £7 each which is alot for what it was. bins were over full because clearly there wasnt enough yet a single large commercial bin would have surficed so there was alot of rubbish for no reason. we then found a downstairs vintage market that was ok except in serious need of air con so we left
walking up we found all off about ten stalls mostly selling real junk. walking back we turned off into another market and then my perception of what real junk was changed because it was like a really bad bootfair where all the good bits had been sold. A much better choice would have been greenwich because it has alot more intresting stuff and alot less crap.

If your going to eat and go in vintage shops then it will be right up your street.
If you want a actual market dont bother goto greenwich market or pedham place bootfair. This was one of the worst markets i have ever been to

Headed to Brick Lane today for some amazing food and vintage. Tons of food options. Most between $6-7 pounds. Will return someday!