London's Mouth-Watering Food Market Is An 'Undiscovered' Gem, Per Rick Steves' Protégé
London, named the world's best city of 2026, is living up to its title. Besides its world-class attractions and a walkable city center that can be explored on foot, London's emerging culinary scene beat out foodie cities like Paris and Hong Kong to claim Tripadvisor's Best City for Food in 2026 award.
Yet while first-time visitors flock to the popular Borough Market for their London foodie fix, Rick Steves' protégé Cameron Hewitt prefers to spend his weekends exploring a smaller gem: the Maltby Street Market (or Riverwalk). In a blog post on Steves' website, he considers the Riverwalk to be "London's Best Undiscovered Street Food Market." Established in 2010 in Bermondsey, a South London neighborhood once home to industries like tanning and leatherworking, the Maltby Street Market is just a 20-minute walk southeast of Borough Market, which Hewitt finds "bourgeois and a bit too pleased with itself."
About Maltby Street Market, Hewitt writes, "I love its variety, and I love that it's just far enough off the tourist trail to remain predominantly local." Here, you can expect a mix of trendy Londoners and travelers eager to avoid the usual European tourist traps.
Eat your way through Maltby Street Market
During weekends, the Ropewalk comes alive as food stalls line the length of the rail viaduct between Maltby Street and Millstream Road, offering a cornucopia of global, mouth-watering cuisines to ravenous foodies. Hewitt isn't exaggerating when he describes Maltby Street Ropewalk as a "bewildering array of Instagram-ready taste treats."
Packed end to end with culinary delights from across the globe, the narrow street is set up with tented pop-up stalls of participating food vendors on one side, while permanent brick-and-mortar establishments occupy seven Victorian railway arches on the other. "In London, the world's food comes to you," Hewitt marvels, faced with the bounty of Maltby Street's food options: think Venezuelan arepas, Middle Eastern flatbreads, sumptuous beef steaks, Vietnamese bahn mi, gooey cheese sandwiches, and Greek salads.
The eclectic mix of vendors is purposefully curated by Ian Banfield, who oversees the market's management and operations. "I search for the very best street food dishes from across the world so that people will keep coming," he tells Southwark News.
Make the most of your visit to the Maltby Street Ropewalk
Hewitt's strategy for tackling the market is simple: arrive with an empty stomach. "I always make a point to show up as hungry as possible, and before long, I've grazed my way to an incredibly satisfying brunch," he shares. Food stalls open early on Saturdays (from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and later on Sundays (from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.), so plan your day accordingly.
Visit mid-week, and you'll find a more relaxed setting at the Maltby Street Ropewalk. Away from the weekend buzz, patrons can take advantage of the permanent establishments' longer opening hours. Mainstays include Bar Tozino, a Spanish tapas bodega for authentic jamón; Bon Vino Enoteca, an Italian restaurant with wood-fired pizza; and The Hatch, a fried chicken joint. Comptoir Bakery also offers not just croissants but also French pastry workshops and classes. Sidle up for drinks at the cozy French wine bar Chez Rapha, or explore the local beers and ciders at Malt.
In addition to food, a barber shop, a florist, and a natural materials lifestyle store also call the historic arches home. As a testament to the market's refreshingly local and laid-back vibe, one Google reviewer comments, "Maltby Street has a real community feel to it where everyone is looking to help each other out and not compete with one another."