Immensely popular with visitors and locals alike, the London Bridge and Borough area is one of the busiest parts of south London. Since its opening in 2012, the Shard, has cemented itself as one of the area’s most iconic buildings and looms over the London Bridge transport hub. Nearby is renowned foodie heaven, Borough Market, which sells food to the wholesale trade as well as local Londoners and hungry tourists.
Photos by @urbanpixxels. Dutch expat + photographer + travel blogger living in London. Bit of a foodie and coffee addict.
Jacintha Verdegaal, Urban Pixxels
The area surrounding London Bridge and Borough (particularly towards Bermondsey and Maltby Street on the east side) has recently been the object of a range of developments, particularly with new housing and business spaces. The riverside with its landmarks such as City Hall and Tower Bridge, attract thousands of tourists every day but the food options around there are mostly limited to chains. If you’re searching for unrivalled quality, head towards Borough Market for a wealth of tasty options. Or, visit Bermondsey Street and its high-quality restaurants.
Walk around Maltby Street Market on a Saturday morning and you will likely bump into half of London’s food bloggers. Edgier, smaller and lesser known than nearby Borough Market, Maltby Street offers high quality food groceries as well as many places to sit down for a drink or a meal. The action takes place underneath the railway arches between Druid Street and Maltby Street, in the heart of Bermondsey. Get there early, the market closes down in the early afternoon (though a few restaurants remain open inside the arches).
WebsiteElliot’s is a lovely cafe and restaurant situated at the border of Borough Market’s perimeter. The menu features the diverse ingredients available from the market in every season, therefore it changes regularly. The Chefs at Elliot’s have a simple approach to cooking: the ingredients come first and lead the dish, but they are always cooked in an inventive way in order to create the best flavour combinations.
WebsiteRoast is a British restaurant located in the Floral Hall mezzanine inside Borough Market. Opened in 2005, the restaurant’s aim is to use seasonal and sustainable produce from the country’s best farmers and fishermen and celebrate Britain’s heritage and ingredients. Fruit, vegetables, bread and cheese are all sourced locally at Borough Market, while the meat and fish are sourced from the best English producers, like for example seafood from Dorset or meat from Yorkshire farms.
WebsiteArabica Bar & Kitchen is a Levantine restaurant located underneath a Victorian railway arch in Borough Market. The menu takes inspiration from the Lebanese, Moroccan, Syrian, Egyptian, Turkish cuisines. The mezze dishes (small plates to share) are categorized according to the cooking method: cold or raw, fried, stove or grill, clay oven, charcoal. There is also a section dedicated to dips (hummus, beetroot lebneh, moutabel, muhummara, and so on) which go so well with the flatbreads pulled from the searing-hot clay oven.
WebsiteJustin Gellatly, former Head Baker and Pastry Chef of St John, and Matt Jones opened Bread Ahead bakery in Borough market in the summer of 2013. The name comes from their baking process, which involves using a lot of sourdough and long fermentation. In addition to the market’s stall, they also have a bakery and baking school in one of the market’s glass buildings. Their best-sellers are the custard cream doughnuts (follow them online to be the first to know about new and special flavours, such as crème caramel & salted honeycomb or raspberry ripple custard).
WebsiteFood and drink courtesy of @mulia Italian foodie in London – Blogger – Baker – Coffee lover, Photographer & Traveller
Giulia Mulè, Mondo Mulia
The area of London Bridge stretches along the River Thames’ south bank and is home to one of London’s busiest transport hubs. Aside from excellent places to drink and eat, particularly Borough Market, you can find some unique opportunities to get active as well as a handful of beautiful green spaces, ideal for getting away from bustling city life.
Get ready to experience Bikram yoga at London’s premier studio. The studio is kept at approximately 105°F (40°C) and 60% humidity so if it’s your first time just take it easy and aim to stay in the room for the duration of the class. Whatever your fitness level you will find Bikram Yoga challenging as it combine strength, flexibility and balance to give you a total body workout.
WebsiteSituated in the railway arches underneath London Bridge station The Arch Climbing Wall provide a friendly, happy climbing environment for anyone to escape into for a few hours. They offer everything from introductory sessions to masterclasses so you can try your hands at bouldering. Bouldering is just climbing without ropes above a soft landing. Coloured holds mark out the routes so you can follow your tracks from start to finish!
WebsiteWeight-loss, confidence, strength, fitness, improved health & wellbeing; all results you can gain from Crossfit sessions. Just five minutes walk from Borough tube station the gym itself is located in the converted railway arches. If you’re new to Crossfit they offer a foundations course which covers everything you need to know to join the structured sessions!
WebsiteThis hair and beauty salon is ready and waiting to offer you a wealth of treatments. The entire basement has been transformed into a spacious and relaxing environment where they offer beauty treatments, holistic therapies and house their clinic. Open 7 days per week (late Tuesday through to Friday) you have every opportunity to take some time out for a treat!
WebsiteA run club with a difference. Project Awesome meet at The Scoop on a Wednesday. It’s a 6.30am start so you can’t use work as an excise not to go! There’s no sign up either, it’s free of charge and every level of runner is welcome. Using their city surroundings (think steps and sprints around big buildings) sessions are mixed up each and every week.
WebsiteMint Street Park is a city park at the heart of the community. In addition to the simple green space there is a kids Adventure Playground, a community stage, a renewed play area with a great rocky climbing wall and a ball court. This hidden gem is perfect for a walk, soaking up the sunshine for lunch or adding to your run route to take in the fresh air.
WebsiteHealth and wellbeing courtesy of @keepitsimpElle. Health & Fitness blogger | Personal Trainer. Triathlete in the making!
Elle, Keep it simpElle
London Bridge/Borough is better known for its food market, but also offers a wide array of shops to cater for a variety of needs. Whether it’s kitchen essentials at Borough Kitchen or cycling gear and bicycles at Evans cycles, you’re sure to find what you need at London Bridge and Borough. If you’re looking for all things fashion and beauty, head to Hays Galleria, where you can also enjoy fantastic views of the river.
Borough Kitchen is the cookshop at Borough market and stocks everything from frying pans, saucepan sets and cooking tools through to cutlery, crockery and glassware. They also have a large number of gift ideas, perfect if you’re looking for a wedding or birthday gift – with lots of options to suit any budget.
WebsiteNeal’s Yard Remedies sits just opposite Borough Market and the brand, which started back in 1981, believes in natural products. Their range consists of skincare products such as the popular ‘beauty sleep concentrate’ designed to reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles overnight, as well as a bath and body range, mother and baby products, aromatherapy and make-up.
WebsiteYou can find Next within Hays Galleria, across from the ship statue. This retailer is your one stop shop for everything fashion, with women’s and menswear from their own brand label, as well as a few brands such as Lipsy clothing, Vero Moda and Little Mistress. There is also plenty of children’s-wear, which could be perfect for picking up a gift.
WebsiteThe Riverside Bookshop – established over 25 years ago – is based at Hays Galleria. The bookshop has over twenty five thousand books to choose from and if you can’t find what you’re looking for they’ll happily order it in for. It’s not only books on offer either, with a collection of cards, gift wrap, notebooks and a few other bits and bobs available, all of which makes this one of the best bookshops in London.
WebsiteIf cycling is your thing, then Evans Cycles has you covered and the store in London Bridge has everything you could need. Obviously there’s a wide range of bikes on offer and an array of cycling clothing, accessories and safety gear. They also have a brilliant selection of tools and accessories for repairs, as well as nutrition section to let you stock up on those energy bars and protein shakes.
WebsiteShopping courtesy of @TheLDNDiaries your source of all things fashion, beauty, lifestyle, food and then some.
Paula Holmes, The LDN Diaries
London Bridge & Borough has a wide range of must-see places waiting to be discovered, many of which often house a treasure trove of unique stories and experiences. Explore some of our top recommendations below and get the insiders’ take on London Bridge & Borough’s hidden gems.
Grubby ribbons decorate the fence surrounding the Crossbones Graveyard, bearing the names of some of the thousands of people who were tossed into an open grave on this site several hundred years ago. Many of these people were paupers and prostitutes, without the money or social standing to earn them a proper grave. Today the garden being created on the site is a fascinating if somewhat sobering place to discover.
WebsiteReputed to be one of the oldest pubs in London, the George Inn has stood on Borough High Street since mediaeval times. The old coaching inn has a gallery on its upper levels, where once bedrooms housed weary travellers. Today the busy bar is more likely to be propped up by workers from nearby offices however, and the courtyard in front of the inn is a popular spot for summertime socialising.
WebsiteSituated in a former chocolate factory, the Menier Gallery is a contemporary art gallery with a difference. Free to visit, the gallery is run by a charity that works to enliven hospitals and health centres by loaning pieces of art to them. Past exhibitions have featured photography, drawings and sculpture, and thanks to a rapidly-changing programme there’s always something new to see.
WebsiteIn the middle of Borough Market, stands an attractive but fairly nondescript pub – The Globe Tavern. For fans of romantic comedies and chick-lit however, the small black door beside the pub is something of a pilgrimage-site. In the film, Bridget Jones’ Diary, the eponymous diarist lived in a flat above The Globe, behind that very same black front door.
WebsiteReputed to be one of the oldest pubs in London, the George Inn has stood on Borough High Street since mediaeval times. The old coaching inn has a gallery on its upper levels, where once bedrooms housed weary travellers. Today the busy bar is more likely to be propped up by workers from nearby offices however, and the courtyard in front of the inn is a popular spot for summertime socialising.
WebsiteHidden gems courtesy of @AccidentalLDNr. Urban blogger. Londoner. Gin enthusiast.
Flora Tonking, The Accidental Londoner
London Bridge / Borough has excellent transport links and convenient amenities, giving tenants in this area the best that London has to offer.
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Flexioffices had the most easily accessible base of information. From the get-go Mariia took on the brief and got to work instantly. She had a very good understanding of the current market and was extremely professional, kind and honest, which is exactly what we needed.
Naomi and the team at Flexioffices have been outstanding from start to finish. They provided many options that aligned with our location requirements and the monthly budget that we had in mind. Would highly recommend their services to any company looking for office space in the city. Thanks very much Naomi.
I had the pleasure of working with Joanna to find our new office and I couldn't recommend her enough. From start to finish, Joanna made the process smooth, stress-free, and even enjoyable. She truly understood the business needs and went above and beyond to find the best option for us!.
I was fortunate to have Yarden’s support. He was outstanding in every aspect of the service, from the first contact right through to signing the contract. Professionalism, patience, and attention to detail were some of the qualities that impressed me the most. I highly recommend Yarden!.
