Best Shopping Malls, Outlet and Places in The Valley Area

"Having celebrated its 1000th birthday in 2014, it’s fair to say Borough Market is one of London’s more established haunts. Located under a maze of Victorian railway arches and open Monday to Saturday, Borough Market is stuffed with lovely food and food-lovers, featuring cuisine from all corners of the world. It offers everything you need for a memorable grab-and-go breakfast or lunch, but is also a good place for a simple wander (keeping an eye out for free samples)."

"One of London’s best street food markets is by far Old Spitafields, which is open every day from 10 am. Located in Horner Square, the market is at walking distance from Liverpool Street Train and Tube station, and it can also be reached from Shoreditch, Whitechapel and Aldgate. It isn’t just a food market, let alone a street food market."

"Amidst all the donut shops following the designerdonut trend, Crosstown Donuts qualifies as one of the best. With flavours ranging from sea salt caramel banana to creme brûlée, they really can do no wrong. Oh, and their donut-to-cream filling ratio makes every bite the right amount of messy and delicious."

"Featuring a carefully curated selection of amazing chefs and stalls, the Kitchens: Old Spitalfields Market is foodie heaven. Spitalfields is one of Shoreditch’s coolest spots, and the food here is on fire. All I’m saying is don’t go expecting anything mediocre to land up on your plate."

"There is probably nowhere more atmospheric to browse for and buy flowers and plants than Columbia Road Flower Market. It is a heavenly Sunday market and where the locals shop to frilly up their homes – or you might just want to give someone a treat. If you are just in London for a visit and can’t take plants back home with you, it’s definitely worth a visit – even on the coldest, greyest days!"

"Whether you’re there to buy flowers or not, Columbia Road is a worthwhile Sunday excursion. Each week, this morning market fills the small street with flourishing plants and shrubs, from English roses to exotic orchids and banana trees. While you’re there, call into Columbia Road’s independent shops for stylish homewares and coffee."

"London has a wealth of renowned markets, but perhaps the most beautiful is the weekly Columbia Road Flower Market. Every Sunday, this road of Victorian shops is taken over by market stalls selling seasonal blooms and houseplants. For the best bargains, visit around 3 p.m."

"London’s South Bank has seen an explosion of development in the past decade that goes well beyond the London Eye. While the Eye is still the biggest attraction drawing families across the Thames, restaurants and a vibrant waterfront are keeping them there all afternoon. Even better, the Southbank Centre Food Market, located behind Southbank Centre, is introducing local and visiting families to cuisines from across the globe."

"Another market for food lovers is set up across an outdoor space at Southbank Centre, with both street food and fresh produce to tempt passers-by. A trip to the market can be combined with further exploration of the Southbank Centre, which continually hosts cultural exhibitions and events. Southbank Centre Market: Friday Midday-8pm, Saturday 11am-8pm, Sunday and Monday Midday-6pm."

"Southbank Centre Food Market is a weekend market every Friday to Sunday on Southbank Centre Square behind the Royal Festival Hall. This market features more than 40 producers in confectionary, spices, fresh meat, and more. The scenery here is lovely, and after visiting the market you can stroll along the Thames with your chosen treat."

"Source: Photo by user William Harold Amos used under CC BY-SA 4.0. Opened in 2010 in south-east London, Maltby Street Market is a small market and the creators have carefully curated a select list of vendors. At this market, you’ll find seasonal fresh fruit and vegetables, delicious coffee, and plenty of street food, including food from Venezuela, Japan and several vendors offering modern takes on British classics."

"Tucked between railway arches and an architectural salvage lumberyard, Bermondsey’s Maltby Street Market is a hub for those who take their food seriously. Maltby sells everything from organic vegetables to the most decadent egg waffles, and also serves as the perfect pit stop during a day out in the area—the Textile Museum and White Cube Bermondsey are within a six-minute walk. View this post on Instagram"

"Venture beneath the arches of London Bridge on a weekend where foodie playground Maltby Street Market comes to life. There's a fantastic range of street food sellers lined along the Ropewalk, from New York-style sandwiches at Sub Cult, to Little Bird gin cocktails and Waffle On's sweet and savoury waffles."

"Rich Mix allows creativity in all its magnificent forms – live music, theatre, poetry, film, art, design and drawing, so it’s a little distinct from the other places on the list, but the charity behind the cross-media arts centre, The Rich Mix Cultural Foundation, has a pretty inspiring goal. And that’s to offer the public space to discover more about the creative offerings of people from various migrant populations. Since taking over the former clothing factory on Bethnal Green Road, Rich Mix has put on many free exhibitions, screenings and concerts."

"This fantastic creative space in the East End, on the site of what used to be in a leather factory, has regular exhibitions featuring emerging and established artists. 39-47 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA Free entryrichmix.org.uk"

"Originally home to one of London’s largest fruit and vegetable markets, Covent Garden now broadly refers to the West London district famous for its high-end shopping, theatres, entertainment complexes, and the Royal Opera House of London."

"Overshadowed by a reputation for rudeness which it shed decades ago, Wong Kei is maybe the closest central London has to a communal canteen. In usual times, people, usually tourists, come here in groups but the real spirit of Wong Kei is on the ground floor, reserved for solo diners only, four to a table, sometimes filled with a kind of silent desperation, or the chatter of those comparing their orders. But for now, luckily, there’s takeaway from the counter: the standouts are the huge pork chops, deep fried and either dry with salt and chilli, or wet with gravy and aubergine, the assorted meat ho fun, prawns entombed within tofu, aubergines and green peppers, any of the scrambled egg dishes, and the wonton or beef brisket noodle soups, pungent with ginger and MSG, that will stave away colds for a rapidly oncoming winter."

"Wong Kei was once described as “the rudest restaurant in London” but the service here has improved somewhat. All of the shouting and noise is kind of forgiven as the food here is super yummy and well-priced too. The menu can be rather daunting but skip to the back of it for some seriously hearty dishes that’ll leave you rolling out of the restaurant."

"Make the most of Chinatown’s new outdoor dining permissions with a bowl of wonton noodle soup, some classic Cantonese roast meats, or beef brisket and rice vermicelli in soup. Be sure to add a generous amount of its status-iconic chilli oil to whatever it is you order."

"14/02/2021: tried this yesterday and sweet and sour king prawns were shocking the batter on the outside was liquid worst i have ever had - rice was below standard but then again you can tell what the place is like just by looking at it, it was my only option as my wife wanted a chinese and this was the only one open"

"Restaurants Chinese Shaftesbury Avenue. This buzzy Chinese restaurant on the northern edge of Chinatown is a hotspot for hotpots. Choose your broth (they range from the healthy-sounding herbal tonic all the way through to the ‘hot and numbing pot’, heady with the smell of Sichuan pepper), your raw ingredients (pork, beef, lamb, squid, fish balls) and get cooking at the table."

"With its royal, political and literary associations, St James's Park is at the very heart of London and covers 23 hectares (58 acres). With a lake harboring ducks, geese and pelicans. St James's is also home to the Mall, the setting for many ceremonial parades and events of national celebration."

"The penultimate on the list of best parks in London is St James’s Park. This park is the height of regality and offers Instagram worthy views of Buckingham Palace. You can also watch pelicans being fed at the park’s lake or witness a house guards’ parade while you enjoy your picnic."

"One of the Royal London Parks, St James’s Park is one of the most visited each year mostly because of the many royal events that take place, like the annual Trooping of the Colour."