The blocks must have names, but it is easiest to decipher each section by the Buskers: Guitar-and-drum-afro-twins, Jimi Hendrix, Sad-boy-John-Mayer, gruff-ginger-belter. Among the hoards of people, these acts stand and put their souls on show with the hope of receiving coin-shaped shrapnel. Occasionally, special moments occur: the ginger belter has the attention of an elderly homeless man who is dancing. As the song comes to a close, he shakes the musician’s hand, hugs him, and takes the mic. The guitarist is calm. He begins strumming while the other man shouts for everyone to get closer. He then begins to sing a song about his newly formed band member’s talents. He has a smooth voice, he carries a tune well, and then bursts into laughter when he tries a falsetto. The people continue wandering past, looking for the best piece of cheap denim. Farther down the street, Jimi Hendrix shreds with his teeth while drumming away at his one-man-band drum set. While he’s playing, another guitar playing busker approaches, whips out his guitar, and shreds along with a solo. The song ends and they stand and chat about their favorite busking spots, the prices of their equipment, where they began playing.
To be honest, after a day wandering the streets, I don’t know what Brick Lane Market is. But the neighborhood is worth spending the day in. It is very lively and there is something for everyone. Old Spitalfields Market is covered, classy, filled with homemade goods for all kinds of people. Down the road, past the grand Christ Church and beautifully marked Brick Lane Mosque, there is a The Old Truman Brewery filled with food stalls so populous, that stomachs fill and headaches arise after wandering through and being hailed and handed all possible samples.
Behind the food stalls is an expansive basement overflowing with outfits, jewels, and accessories from the glorious and joyful times of the 1970-80s. Dancing through the realms of leather, fur, and denim, it’s easy to forget that Brick Lane Market still hasn’t been discovered, yet. This area is a place to wander and feel. Each market holds different bits and pieces of a community, there is the past in clothing, the present in food, and the future in arts. In a single pass down the street, there are all three time zones characterized in music. There are £10 denim jackets and a few blocks away lies a £40 haircut. But where some markets create separation between these disparate ends, Brick Lane shows a clear line and relation between them all. A disappointed man mumbles about the donut stand disappearing; at the end of Brick Lane, the old stand now has its own building and store. The apt name is Crosstown Donuts. In this area, the ability for anyone to move through the community and the social ladder seems alive and a vivid possibility. So while donuts get upgrades, so does Jimi Hendrix with his growing fanbase, and each day the market expands and engulfs more interests and expands more dreams.
- Sam Normington
Brick Lane has grown to encompass a vast array of markets in and around the East side of London. It is a network of several major markets, including the Tea Rooms and the Vintage Market. These sub-markets makeup and add to Brick Lane’s bustling and vibrant atmosphere. Visiting Brick Lane means taking a look at a truly traditional London market, with its oddity traders and innumerable food stalls. Along with the stands that line the market’s streets, several cafes and foreign restaurants can be visited to take a seat, grab a bite to eat, and to escape the chilly weather.
Shoppers at Brick Lane come searching for slightly used furniture, wacky fashions, vinyl records, and T-shirts with strange patterns or designs printed on them. These items, combined with the bric-a-brac commonly found at the scene of a market, contribute to the overall charming air of Brick Lane. While some may believe that the market is a junk heap of used goods and tattered wares, others see it as an opportunity to purchase something with history and character. The joy of the Brick Lane Market experience comes from the knowledge that a shopper will never know what they will find there, as the market is large and spans over multiple streets.
The Tea Rooms section of Brick Lane is named for its expansive collection of tea, coffee, and baked goods. However, shoppers can also find other goodies such as antique pillows, chairs, china dish sets, and handmade products. Located in its downstairs area is The Vintage Emporium. Most of the items found here are from the Victorian Era through the 1950s. The shop specializes in vintage clothing and accessories, but houseware can sometimes be found there too.
The Vintage Market consists of stalls from European “vintage experts”, as one kindly vendor points out. Here, shoppers can browse old styles of fashion from the 1920s-1990s. Also offered are accessories like classic records and a hodgepodge of random trinkets for purchase.
Brick Lane Market is a lively and authentic place to leisurely browse the numerous shops and stalls. It has a large assortment of quirky clothes and accessories combined with deliciously inexpensive street food. The market is typically the busiest on the weekends, but a shopper can view a limited selection of items during the rest of the week. All in all, Brick Lane is a great shopping experience for everyone looking to have a good time in London.
-Emilie Booth
Of all the markets in London, Brick Lane Market is by far one of the largest and most varied. Separated into indoor and outdoor sections for food, clothes, antiques, and other wares, Brick Lane offers a wide variety of items available for purchase. Downstairs, in the market’s basement, shoppers will find an enviable vintage market crowded with custom leather and denim jackets, circle skirts, and sheer rainbow coats. It’s a sort of queer punk haven, busy with fashionable customers and vendors alike. It’s possible to get lost down here for hours, but the market has more to offer upstairs and on the surrounding streets. Upstairs, a diverse selection of food is available from a number of vendors. Beyond this indoor section, Brick Lane Market sprawls out across the length of Brick Lane itself and spreads out onto Cheshire Street. Near the end of the street, vendors sell knickknacks and household items out of their vans. This market offers a full range of food, goods, and experiences. It’s wildly popular, drawing in artistic Londoners and young tourists from all over the world and resulting in a lively and eclectic atmosphere that’s only enhanced by the street art, cafes, bars, and restaurants along the surrounding streets. Brick lane Market is open on Sundays from 10am-5pm (a tradition that dates back to the area’s former Jewish population, who could not shop on Saturday due to religious observances) and can take multiple hours to explore; even the most cursory jaunt through the market could take upwards of two hours, but it’s worth taking the time to enjoy Brick Lane to its full potential.
- Anneliese Gelberg
Brick Lane is a food and clothing market that runs from Bethnal Green and through Spitalfields to Whitechapel. The street was originally called Whitechapel Lane but was renamed to emphasize the creation of brick manufactured from the clay on the road in the 16th century. Mundane fun facts aside, at Brick Lane I’ve had two goals. To eat, any variation of East Asian food I could and eventually did get my hands on, and to turn myself into the Black Brigitte Bardot. The first venture was easier than the second, admittedly, but the selection at the vintage market began to ease the endeavor. But before we delve into that wondrous time capsule, there is an entire three to four-part array of food and glorious weight gain to endure before one can even think about putting on a mustard yellow suede blazer that smells vaguely of cat piss and dust.
As far as food is concerned, and if you want variety, Brick Lane is where you go. Unlike other smaller street markets in London, Brick Lane is almost four separate markets combined into one. Along the road itself, there is an entire strip of Asian, European and Caribbean food for the taking. Inside two greenhouse like structures, there are food stands beyond where the eye can see. Malaysian, Korean, Jamaican, Italian (this stall equipped with just about the cheesiest gnocchi on the face of the planet), Vietnamese; the list goes on and on. In a food fight between Brick Lane and Borough, Brick Lane comes a very close second, out of all the London Markets, for the best food — with Camden and Borough calling a tie for first.
But it’s Brick Lane’s aforementioned vintage scene that truly steals the show. Along the road, just before the stands of food begin, is a literal hole in the wall — a flight of stairs which takes you to an underground room full of vintage everything. In my wake lay the brown color-blocked suede skirts of my mother’s girlhood, and black and gold sequined party dresses of the 80s. Every era seemed to be accounted for. More central to my Bardot aspirations, there were sunglasses, rounded and thickly framed for just ten pounds and a three pound black and white photo booth, to satisfy my future “it girl” fantasies. But beyond me and my affliction with french poster girls, Brick Lane really had it all. If you want, say, a race car driver’s jumpsuit; they have a selection of colors for you to choose from. There are leather jackets seemingly curated from the 60s, and Hawaiian shirts that made their way up from the 90s. I don’t even think I can say I’d seen real vintage before going to Brick Lane. And I probably won’t long after I leave, either.
Final Verdict: Totally Worth it
- Mereysa Taylor
Brick Lane runs into and is surrounded by at least half of a dozen other markets, but each one features an essence of Brick Lane itself. There's a mixture of indoor and outdoor stalls, booths, and stores to explore while various aromas of food infiltrate the air around you. Multiple ethnicities are represented through various culinary combinations while vintage finds of all kinds call out to those milling about through the aisles.
Most of the stalls feature many fairly priced items, but take a loop before buying anything when inside the lower level vintage areas; many of the places have similar items from leather jackets and old Levis, but their prices have a bit of fluctuation as you move from stall to stall. Often if you buy multiples you can get a discount, but you can also try to get deals in other ways. For example, if you find prints that catch your eye, sometimes they'll offer to throw in a frame for just £5 more. Use that offer to your advantage and ask about purchasing a second print instead, either at that same price of a print and frame or maybe a pound or two lower and most shopkeepers end up agreeing to it. Many of the indoor stalls boast vinyl records, sunglasses, leather and fur jackets, vintage clothing, and small antique trinkets. Venturing back outside brings you to stalls offering old cameras, more food, various vintage clothing, lots of scarves, hats, and gloves during the winter months, street performers, and murals of all colors and images decorating the walls and buildings. Black and white murals of rats riding sea turtles stand side by side multi-color portraits of women wearing gas masks, so the eccentricity is strong in the area. The shops within the buildings here tend to be on the high-end side and the stalls fluctuate with their prices. Side roads branch off as well and these too feature many opportunities to find vintage and antique items, though new artisanal jewelry and prints will be mixed in as well. Brick Lane itself is a rather small section, but the surrounding markets have embraced its essence so you'll take in the same vintage vibe throughout all these intermingling markets on your way to Brick Lane. By the time you reach the named-market, you'll likely be several pounds lighter both financially and physically from walking through all the other connecting markets. So, before you set out for Brick Lane, tuck an extra £30 to £40 into a separate section of your wallet that way you actually have some money left by the time you finally reach the original Brick Lane market. You'll find here many versions of what you encountered in the earlier stalls with their own unique varieties to choose from and the collections here are beautiful antiques intermixed with the occasional newer items, but vintage and antique definitely dominate in this area
- Caity Coutant
If you’re looking for a youthful and exciting market that will drive you to spend more money then you ever wanted to, Brick Lane is for you. Filled with both exotic foods of all varieties and an extensive selection of clothes and other miscellaneous 20th century items, this market will capture the attention of foodies and fashion lovers alike. This is a must-see market, as is evident in the crowds of people that flood the corridors every Sunday.
Upon entering the market, you will be immediately greeted by an array of scents emanating from the numerous food booths. The aroma of spices from the Indian curry can be smelled immediately, making any Chicken Tikka Masala fan’s mouth water. Most of the food venues serve either South American or Asian food. I would highly recommend the sweet and sour lime chicken if you’re looking to branch away from the classic orange chicken order.
Besides food, the upstairs of Brick Lane houses a small selection of elderly women trying to sell collections of leather handbags and handmade jewelry. These items are slightly more expensive given what they are, so if you’re looking for accessories, downstairs is the place to be.
Once you descend the staircase, the upbeat sound of classic sixties rock will flood into your ears. The booths downstairs are filled with colorful and sparkly clothing and accessories from the 20th century that will make any vintage lover excited. I would highly recommend taking some of your best friends along with you when visiting Brick Lane. Striking Vogue poses while trying on pastel leather jackets as The Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine” blasts from the record booth speakers will immediately make you feel like you’re right in a movie montage.
Smiling for the camera in the thickly rimmed circle sunglasses is so easy in this situation; as is swiping your card one too many times in the heat of the moment. Despite the thrift-store atmosphere the basement creates, the prices are not inexpensive. The stylish hipster attendees of this market will potentially pressure you into purchasing one too many sequined mini skirts and faux-fur coats. So, if you’re a shopaholic who can easily get caught up in the moment set yourself a limit before you spend 60 pounds on an 80’s windbreaker and a pair of acid wash jeans.
- Julia Green
On Sundays, four smaller markets combine open along Brick Lane to create an immense market, transforming your journey from an excursion to an experience. When you first turn on to Brick Lane (the street, not the market itself), you are surrounded by primarily Southeast-Asian restaurants and cafes, and while their managers will stand outside trying to persuade you to stop in, you must keep marching on until you reach the market itself. The start of the market is marked by an large building with massive windows, allowing you to see the numerous food vendors that populate it. Similar to Borough’s takeaway section, there are over twenty stalls with almost every type of cuisine imaginable: Ethiopian, Japanese, Italian, Mexican, Singaporean. And there are even more food options scattered about the market itself, with a few stalls lining the street and another food court of sorts about halfway down, and just off the main drag is a small lot with a collection of food trucks serving more American-esque foods. There’s Orange Buffalo selling New York style hot wings, Meat Porn offering an assortment of sandwiches, and Mother Clucker serving southern-fried chicken. And while the food there is fantastic, that’s just a small portion of what the market has to offer.
As you walk down Brick Lane you will stumble across an eclectic array of goods. In a smaller section off the main drag towards the top of the street, there is local artists and craftsman selling their work, while the rest of the street — including the many of the stores that surround the market — is stocked with vintage goods. There’s actually an entire basement market filled to the brim with vintage clothing accessories, where they play old music off of the records they have for sale. And though this is not technically a part of the market, you can’t help but admire the street art that decorates that neighborhood. There are some generic tags and vandalistic graffiti, most of it is genuine art — and amazing art at that. So as you eat your food and scope out the stalls, make sure to take time to appreciate the work artist put into decorating their city as well.
My recommendations: Dumplings from any stalls that sell them, Coffee and a Doughnut from Crosstown, and taking a picture in the Photobooth in the basement market.
- Emerald Stewart
Only open on weekends, walking into Brick Lane Market is quite a sight- a large, four-corner room greets you, filled with international dishes galore. There are stalls with food traditionally Asian, Mexican, British, and more. Finding a quick, tasty bite to eat will not be hard, and there will certainly be something for the picky eater. A quick recommendation for the food- do NOT eat with your eyes. The delicious aroma of the many meals will tempt you to order large amounts, more than you could possibly need. Do yourself a favor and ignore that temptation— your stomach, and your wallet will thank you later.
The real heart of the market lies in the fashion. A cool, vintage feel flows throughout Brick Lane, with interesting clothes from yesterday beckoning visitors to try them on and bring them back to the present for a stylish look. Beyond clothes, creative artists have found amazing ways to reinvent retro items, such as melting old records and turning them into trendy clocks. If you have an eye for art, there was some beautiful street art depictions and cute, quirky art blocks that someone could easily spend hours sifting through.
Walking down the stairs from the food area brings you into a plethora of booths, small and large. Geared toward a more youthful, hipster scene, leather jackets and funky sunglasses are ever-present. Weird, wacky and wonderful, these words to more than simply adding a pop of alliteration. They bring to the surface the fun I experienced walking through Brick Lane, and I can truthfully say this was one of the coolest markets I have seen during my time here in London. If you have a free weekend, pop on over to grab lunch and take a step back into yesteryear.
- Will Dismukes
Even as you begin to walk down the road toward the Brick Lane Market, you’ll start to sense the market’s energy. The buildings lining the narrow streets are covered in different graffiti and some incredibly impressive street art, and many of the shops leading up to the market also sell the vintage and antiques that Brick Lane is known for. The atmosphere of Brick Lane is unique in that it gives “vintage and antique,” as well as “hip and artsy,” vibes simultaneously. Though the primary market itself is indoors, on the one day a week that it’s fully open, the whole of the Brick Lane area starts to get in the market mood, with shops on the streets opening their doors and lively street performers entertaining the masses.
When you first enter the market, you’re immediately bombarded with the smells of foods from everywhere around the globe. With more than 50 food vendors to choose from, treat yourself to anything from Italian, German sausages, and crepes, to tapas, Mexican, and Vietnamese food. It will all be so tempting and nearly impossible to choose from. Along with the food, the first floor of the market also has stallholders selling their personal arts and crafts. To support local artists, you could buy some inexpensive jewelry, sketches, or pillowcases. One especially striking booth had a woman selling record clocks, in which she carved a plethora of different designs (from Harry Potter to Star Wars to the London city skyline) from old records.
Next to the very out of place black cab, out of which a man sells cups of coffee, is a staircase that leads to the market’s basement floor. Down there, tons of vendors can be found selling some pretty funky vintage stuff. You and your friends will definitely try on matching leather jackets of every color and sunglasses you won’t have the will to resist purchasing.
Something I did notice when sifting through endless racks of clothes, however, if that many of these vintage styles have been re-created by modern clothing companies, and I felt less compelled to spend extra money on something I could get a rip off of at home. Despite Brick Lane’s second-hand-store vibe, not many of the items for sale are without a considerable price, and unless you’re willing to drop some serious pounds, most of what you try on will just be for the hell of it.
- Jamie Myre
To be honest, after a day wandering the streets, I don’t know what Brick Lane Market is. But the neighborhood is worth spending the day in. It is very lively and there is something for everyone. Old Spitalfields Market is covered, classy, filled with homemade goods for all kinds of people. Down the road, past the grand Christ Church and beautifully marked Brick Lane Mosque, there is a The Old Truman Brewery filled with food stalls so populous, that stomachs fill and headaches arise after wandering through and being hailed and handed all possible samples.
Behind the food stalls is an expansive basement overflowing with outfits, jewels, and accessories from the glorious and joyful times of the 1970-80s. Dancing through the realms of leather, fur, and denim, it’s easy to forget that Brick Lane Market still hasn’t been discovered, yet. This area is a place to wander and feel. Each market holds different bits and pieces of a community, there is the past in clothing, the present in food, and the future in arts. In a single pass down the street, there are all three time zones characterized in music. There are £10 denim jackets and a few blocks away lies a £40 haircut. But where some markets create separation between these disparate ends, Brick Lane shows a clear line and relation between them all. A disappointed man mumbles about the donut stand disappearing; at the end of Brick Lane, the old stand now has its own building and store. The apt name is Crosstown Donuts. In this area, the ability for anyone to move through the community and the social ladder seems alive and a vivid possibility. So while donuts get upgrades, so does Jimi Hendrix with his growing fanbase, and each day the market expands and engulfs more interests and expands more dreams.
- Sam Normington
Brick Lane has grown to encompass a vast array of markets in and around the East side of London. It is a network of several major markets, including the Tea Rooms and the Vintage Market. These sub-markets makeup and add to Brick Lane’s bustling and vibrant atmosphere. Visiting Brick Lane means taking a look at a truly traditional London market, with its oddity traders and innumerable food stalls. Along with the stands that line the market’s streets, several cafes and foreign restaurants can be visited to take a seat, grab a bite to eat, and to escape the chilly weather.
Shoppers at Brick Lane come searching for slightly used furniture, wacky fashions, vinyl records, and T-shirts with strange patterns or designs printed on them. These items, combined with the bric-a-brac commonly found at the scene of a market, contribute to the overall charming air of Brick Lane. While some may believe that the market is a junk heap of used goods and tattered wares, others see it as an opportunity to purchase something with history and character. The joy of the Brick Lane Market experience comes from the knowledge that a shopper will never know what they will find there, as the market is large and spans over multiple streets.
The Tea Rooms section of Brick Lane is named for its expansive collection of tea, coffee, and baked goods. However, shoppers can also find other goodies such as antique pillows, chairs, china dish sets, and handmade products. Located in its downstairs area is The Vintage Emporium. Most of the items found here are from the Victorian Era through the 1950s. The shop specializes in vintage clothing and accessories, but houseware can sometimes be found there too.
The Vintage Market consists of stalls from European “vintage experts”, as one kindly vendor points out. Here, shoppers can browse old styles of fashion from the 1920s-1990s. Also offered are accessories like classic records and a hodgepodge of random trinkets for purchase.
Brick Lane Market is a lively and authentic place to leisurely browse the numerous shops and stalls. It has a large assortment of quirky clothes and accessories combined with deliciously inexpensive street food. The market is typically the busiest on the weekends, but a shopper can view a limited selection of items during the rest of the week. All in all, Brick Lane is a great shopping experience for everyone looking to have a good time in London.
-Emilie Booth
Of all the markets in London, Brick Lane Market is by far one of the largest and most varied. Separated into indoor and outdoor sections for food, clothes, antiques, and other wares, Brick Lane offers a wide variety of items available for purchase. Downstairs, in the market’s basement, shoppers will find an enviable vintage market crowded with custom leather and denim jackets, circle skirts, and sheer rainbow coats. It’s a sort of queer punk haven, busy with fashionable customers and vendors alike. It’s possible to get lost down here for hours, but the market has more to offer upstairs and on the surrounding streets. Upstairs, a diverse selection of food is available from a number of vendors. Beyond this indoor section, Brick Lane Market sprawls out across the length of Brick Lane itself and spreads out onto Cheshire Street. Near the end of the street, vendors sell knickknacks and household items out of their vans. This market offers a full range of food, goods, and experiences. It’s wildly popular, drawing in artistic Londoners and young tourists from all over the world and resulting in a lively and eclectic atmosphere that’s only enhanced by the street art, cafes, bars, and restaurants along the surrounding streets. Brick lane Market is open on Sundays from 10am-5pm (a tradition that dates back to the area’s former Jewish population, who could not shop on Saturday due to religious observances) and can take multiple hours to explore; even the most cursory jaunt through the market could take upwards of two hours, but it’s worth taking the time to enjoy Brick Lane to its full potential.
- Anneliese Gelberg
Brick Lane is a food and clothing market that runs from Bethnal Green and through Spitalfields to Whitechapel. The street was originally called Whitechapel Lane but was renamed to emphasize the creation of brick manufactured from the clay on the road in the 16th century. Mundane fun facts aside, at Brick Lane I’ve had two goals. To eat, any variation of East Asian food I could and eventually did get my hands on, and to turn myself into the Black Brigitte Bardot. The first venture was easier than the second, admittedly, but the selection at the vintage market began to ease the endeavor. But before we delve into that wondrous time capsule, there is an entire three to four-part array of food and glorious weight gain to endure before one can even think about putting on a mustard yellow suede blazer that smells vaguely of cat piss and dust.
As far as food is concerned, and if you want variety, Brick Lane is where you go. Unlike other smaller street markets in London, Brick Lane is almost four separate markets combined into one. Along the road itself, there is an entire strip of Asian, European and Caribbean food for the taking. Inside two greenhouse like structures, there are food stands beyond where the eye can see. Malaysian, Korean, Jamaican, Italian (this stall equipped with just about the cheesiest gnocchi on the face of the planet), Vietnamese; the list goes on and on. In a food fight between Brick Lane and Borough, Brick Lane comes a very close second, out of all the London Markets, for the best food — with Camden and Borough calling a tie for first.
But it’s Brick Lane’s aforementioned vintage scene that truly steals the show. Along the road, just before the stands of food begin, is a literal hole in the wall — a flight of stairs which takes you to an underground room full of vintage everything. In my wake lay the brown color-blocked suede skirts of my mother’s girlhood, and black and gold sequined party dresses of the 80s. Every era seemed to be accounted for. More central to my Bardot aspirations, there were sunglasses, rounded and thickly framed for just ten pounds and a three pound black and white photo booth, to satisfy my future “it girl” fantasies. But beyond me and my affliction with french poster girls, Brick Lane really had it all. If you want, say, a race car driver’s jumpsuit; they have a selection of colors for you to choose from. There are leather jackets seemingly curated from the 60s, and Hawaiian shirts that made their way up from the 90s. I don’t even think I can say I’d seen real vintage before going to Brick Lane. And I probably won’t long after I leave, either.
Final Verdict: Totally Worth it
- Mereysa Taylor
Brick Lane runs into and is surrounded by at least half of a dozen other markets, but each one features an essence of Brick Lane itself. There's a mixture of indoor and outdoor stalls, booths, and stores to explore while various aromas of food infiltrate the air around you. Multiple ethnicities are represented through various culinary combinations while vintage finds of all kinds call out to those milling about through the aisles.
Most of the stalls feature many fairly priced items, but take a loop before buying anything when inside the lower level vintage areas; many of the places have similar items from leather jackets and old Levis, but their prices have a bit of fluctuation as you move from stall to stall. Often if you buy multiples you can get a discount, but you can also try to get deals in other ways. For example, if you find prints that catch your eye, sometimes they'll offer to throw in a frame for just £5 more. Use that offer to your advantage and ask about purchasing a second print instead, either at that same price of a print and frame or maybe a pound or two lower and most shopkeepers end up agreeing to it. Many of the indoor stalls boast vinyl records, sunglasses, leather and fur jackets, vintage clothing, and small antique trinkets. Venturing back outside brings you to stalls offering old cameras, more food, various vintage clothing, lots of scarves, hats, and gloves during the winter months, street performers, and murals of all colors and images decorating the walls and buildings. Black and white murals of rats riding sea turtles stand side by side multi-color portraits of women wearing gas masks, so the eccentricity is strong in the area. The shops within the buildings here tend to be on the high-end side and the stalls fluctuate with their prices. Side roads branch off as well and these too feature many opportunities to find vintage and antique items, though new artisanal jewelry and prints will be mixed in as well. Brick Lane itself is a rather small section, but the surrounding markets have embraced its essence so you'll take in the same vintage vibe throughout all these intermingling markets on your way to Brick Lane. By the time you reach the named-market, you'll likely be several pounds lighter both financially and physically from walking through all the other connecting markets. So, before you set out for Brick Lane, tuck an extra £30 to £40 into a separate section of your wallet that way you actually have some money left by the time you finally reach the original Brick Lane market. You'll find here many versions of what you encountered in the earlier stalls with their own unique varieties to choose from and the collections here are beautiful antiques intermixed with the occasional newer items, but vintage and antique definitely dominate in this area
- Caity Coutant
If you’re looking for a youthful and exciting market that will drive you to spend more money then you ever wanted to, Brick Lane is for you. Filled with both exotic foods of all varieties and an extensive selection of clothes and other miscellaneous 20th century items, this market will capture the attention of foodies and fashion lovers alike. This is a must-see market, as is evident in the crowds of people that flood the corridors every Sunday.
Upon entering the market, you will be immediately greeted by an array of scents emanating from the numerous food booths. The aroma of spices from the Indian curry can be smelled immediately, making any Chicken Tikka Masala fan’s mouth water. Most of the food venues serve either South American or Asian food. I would highly recommend the sweet and sour lime chicken if you’re looking to branch away from the classic orange chicken order.
Besides food, the upstairs of Brick Lane houses a small selection of elderly women trying to sell collections of leather handbags and handmade jewelry. These items are slightly more expensive given what they are, so if you’re looking for accessories, downstairs is the place to be.
Once you descend the staircase, the upbeat sound of classic sixties rock will flood into your ears. The booths downstairs are filled with colorful and sparkly clothing and accessories from the 20th century that will make any vintage lover excited. I would highly recommend taking some of your best friends along with you when visiting Brick Lane. Striking Vogue poses while trying on pastel leather jackets as The Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine” blasts from the record booth speakers will immediately make you feel like you’re right in a movie montage.
Smiling for the camera in the thickly rimmed circle sunglasses is so easy in this situation; as is swiping your card one too many times in the heat of the moment. Despite the thrift-store atmosphere the basement creates, the prices are not inexpensive. The stylish hipster attendees of this market will potentially pressure you into purchasing one too many sequined mini skirts and faux-fur coats. So, if you’re a shopaholic who can easily get caught up in the moment set yourself a limit before you spend 60 pounds on an 80’s windbreaker and a pair of acid wash jeans.
- Julia Green
On Sundays, four smaller markets combine open along Brick Lane to create an immense market, transforming your journey from an excursion to an experience. When you first turn on to Brick Lane (the street, not the market itself), you are surrounded by primarily Southeast-Asian restaurants and cafes, and while their managers will stand outside trying to persuade you to stop in, you must keep marching on until you reach the market itself. The start of the market is marked by an large building with massive windows, allowing you to see the numerous food vendors that populate it. Similar to Borough’s takeaway section, there are over twenty stalls with almost every type of cuisine imaginable: Ethiopian, Japanese, Italian, Mexican, Singaporean. And there are even more food options scattered about the market itself, with a few stalls lining the street and another food court of sorts about halfway down, and just off the main drag is a small lot with a collection of food trucks serving more American-esque foods. There’s Orange Buffalo selling New York style hot wings, Meat Porn offering an assortment of sandwiches, and Mother Clucker serving southern-fried chicken. And while the food there is fantastic, that’s just a small portion of what the market has to offer.
As you walk down Brick Lane you will stumble across an eclectic array of goods. In a smaller section off the main drag towards the top of the street, there is local artists and craftsman selling their work, while the rest of the street — including the many of the stores that surround the market — is stocked with vintage goods. There’s actually an entire basement market filled to the brim with vintage clothing accessories, where they play old music off of the records they have for sale. And though this is not technically a part of the market, you can’t help but admire the street art that decorates that neighborhood. There are some generic tags and vandalistic graffiti, most of it is genuine art — and amazing art at that. So as you eat your food and scope out the stalls, make sure to take time to appreciate the work artist put into decorating their city as well.
My recommendations: Dumplings from any stalls that sell them, Coffee and a Doughnut from Crosstown, and taking a picture in the Photobooth in the basement market.
- Emerald Stewart
Only open on weekends, walking into Brick Lane Market is quite a sight- a large, four-corner room greets you, filled with international dishes galore. There are stalls with food traditionally Asian, Mexican, British, and more. Finding a quick, tasty bite to eat will not be hard, and there will certainly be something for the picky eater. A quick recommendation for the food- do NOT eat with your eyes. The delicious aroma of the many meals will tempt you to order large amounts, more than you could possibly need. Do yourself a favor and ignore that temptation— your stomach, and your wallet will thank you later.
The real heart of the market lies in the fashion. A cool, vintage feel flows throughout Brick Lane, with interesting clothes from yesterday beckoning visitors to try them on and bring them back to the present for a stylish look. Beyond clothes, creative artists have found amazing ways to reinvent retro items, such as melting old records and turning them into trendy clocks. If you have an eye for art, there was some beautiful street art depictions and cute, quirky art blocks that someone could easily spend hours sifting through.
Walking down the stairs from the food area brings you into a plethora of booths, small and large. Geared toward a more youthful, hipster scene, leather jackets and funky sunglasses are ever-present. Weird, wacky and wonderful, these words to more than simply adding a pop of alliteration. They bring to the surface the fun I experienced walking through Brick Lane, and I can truthfully say this was one of the coolest markets I have seen during my time here in London. If you have a free weekend, pop on over to grab lunch and take a step back into yesteryear.
- Will Dismukes
Even as you begin to walk down the road toward the Brick Lane Market, you’ll start to sense the market’s energy. The buildings lining the narrow streets are covered in different graffiti and some incredibly impressive street art, and many of the shops leading up to the market also sell the vintage and antiques that Brick Lane is known for. The atmosphere of Brick Lane is unique in that it gives “vintage and antique,” as well as “hip and artsy,” vibes simultaneously. Though the primary market itself is indoors, on the one day a week that it’s fully open, the whole of the Brick Lane area starts to get in the market mood, with shops on the streets opening their doors and lively street performers entertaining the masses.
When you first enter the market, you’re immediately bombarded with the smells of foods from everywhere around the globe. With more than 50 food vendors to choose from, treat yourself to anything from Italian, German sausages, and crepes, to tapas, Mexican, and Vietnamese food. It will all be so tempting and nearly impossible to choose from. Along with the food, the first floor of the market also has stallholders selling their personal arts and crafts. To support local artists, you could buy some inexpensive jewelry, sketches, or pillowcases. One especially striking booth had a woman selling record clocks, in which she carved a plethora of different designs (from Harry Potter to Star Wars to the London city skyline) from old records.
Next to the very out of place black cab, out of which a man sells cups of coffee, is a staircase that leads to the market’s basement floor. Down there, tons of vendors can be found selling some pretty funky vintage stuff. You and your friends will definitely try on matching leather jackets of every color and sunglasses you won’t have the will to resist purchasing.
Something I did notice when sifting through endless racks of clothes, however, if that many of these vintage styles have been re-created by modern clothing companies, and I felt less compelled to spend extra money on something I could get a rip off of at home. Despite Brick Lane’s second-hand-store vibe, not many of the items for sale are without a considerable price, and unless you’re willing to drop some serious pounds, most of what you try on will just be for the hell of it.
- Jamie Myre