LONDON | London’s Maltby Street Market (or the section called Ropewalk as this article more specifically refers to) is one of the best food markets in London. While tourists flock towards Borough Market (which, don’t get me wrong, is excellent) those in the know head a 15-20 minute walk further south east towards this collection of stores and stalls located underneath the rail arches between Maltby Street and Millstream Road in Bermondsey.
There’s a lot on offer here, with the focus being on local, artisan producers and purveyors of all things good in the world of food and drink.
There is a lot of good food and drink to be found at Maltby Street Market, and one would be hard pressed to not find something that was to there liking. I had the opportunity to visit recently and these were a few of the highlights.
40 Maltby Street
40 Maltby Street is located at (surprise surprise) 40 Maltby Street and offers a variety of seasonal small plates of the highest quality. There’s a board that lists what’s on offer for the day and when it’s gone, it’s gone. I tried the hare ragout with carrot and juniper – the gaminess of the rabbit was offset beautifully by the sweetness of the carrots and unique flavour of the juniper. A perfect winter warmer.
40 Maltby Street is actually a wine importer/store too, with the import business, Gergovie Wines, providing an eclectic range of wines from all over the place, with a focus on Europe – and not just France, Italy and Spain.
40 Maltby Street
40 Maltby Street
London SE1 3PA
United Kingdom
Telephone: 020 7237 9247
Email: n/a
Website: http://40maltbystreet.com/
Open
Wed – Thu: 5:30pm to 10:00pm
Fri: 12:30pm to 2:00pm; 5:30pm to 10:00pm
Sat: 11:00am to 10:00pm
Little Bird Gin
Little Bird Gin is a Peckham based small batch gin producer that produces two gins, the main “London Dry” containing strong grapefruit and citrus notes balanced by punchy coriander and spicy ginger. There is a small menu that contains some food as well as a few cocktails. I couldn’t go past a classic gin & tonic and was very impressed by the balance of flavours in the gin.
Little Bird Gin
41 Maltby Street
London SE1 3PA
United Kingdom
Telephone: n/a
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://littlebirdgin.com/
Open
Saturdays and Sundays, market hours.
St John Bakery
You have heard about the original St John, Fergus Henderson’s ground breaking “nose to tail” restaurant that is still going strong after 20 years. Well Henderson has expanded into several areas since then and St John Bakery is one of these ventures.
It’s simple really – quality baked goods produced on site and a variety of bites using local, fresh produce. Special mention goes to the famous doughnuts, which are available here on market days and spawned the brilliant creations by Bread Ahead’s Justin Gellatly, a former St John Bakery baker.
St John Bakery
72 Druid Street
London SE1 2HQ
United Kingdom
Telephone: 020 7237 5999
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://stjohngroup.uk.com/bakery/
Open
Sat: 9:00am to 2:00pm
Bar Tozino
Bar Tozino is a stalwart of the Maltby Street market and is very popular – when I visited I had to stand at a part of the restaurant next to the jamon carver as it was so busy. I didn’t mind though, as the atmosphere was lively and it was fascinating to watch the jamon carver at work.
As you’ve probably gathered, this tapas bar or, as the owners call it, “jamon bodega” specialises in jamon and other traditional tapas dishes. The selection of food and wine is impressive and very authentic.
I went for the jamón ibérico de bellota, which is considered to be the best jamon in the world. One bite and it’s easy to see why. The stuff is glistening and melts in your mouth when you eat it – once you’ve tried this you’ll never want to eat any other type of jamon ever again.
I also ordered some delicious white anchovies pickled in vinegar, or boquerones as the Spanish call them.
Bar Tozino
Lassco Ropewalk
London SE1 3PA
United Kingdom
Telephone: 020 7440 1456
Email: n/a
Website: http://bartozino.com/
Open
Wed – Thu: 5:00pm to 10:00pm
Fri: 12:30pm to 10:00pm
Sat: 10:00am to 10:00pm
Sun: 12:00pm to 5:00pm
Jensen’s Gin
Another small batch gin distiller is Jensen’s Gin. They have a really great tasting available which allows you to really find out which gin is for you – the Bermondsey dry or the Old Tom, inspired by a rediscovered recipe from the 1840s.
Being winter, there was a kind of “hot mulled gin” on offer when I visited which was delicious.
Jensen’s Gin
55 Stanworth St
London SE1 3NY
United Kingdom
Telephone: 077 0708 1800
Email: n/a
Website: http://bermondseygin.com/
Open
Sat: 10:00am to 4:00pm
Sun: 11:00am to 4:00pm
Monty’s Deli
I didn’t get a chance to eat at Monty’s Deli but have heard many a good thing about its traditional Jewish food. The Monty’s Reuben is famous for being especially delicious and has people queuing for it. Insider’s tip? Make sure you ask for an extra serving of the salt beef.
Monty’s Deli
76 Druid Street
London SE1 2HQ
United Kingdom
Telephone: 078 4291 3939
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://montys-deli.com/
Open
Sat: 10:00am to 4:00pm
Sun: 11:00am to 3:30pm
