Old Spitalfields Market

Old Spitalfields Market Review

This fine example of a Victorian market hall (once the East End's wholesale fruit and vegetable market), now restored to its original splendor, is at the center of the area's gentrified revival. The original building is now largely occupied by shops with traders' stalls in the courtyard, and a modern shopping precinct under a Norman Foster-designed glass canopy adjoins the old building, home to a large number of independent traders' stalls. Wares include crafts, retro clothing, handmade rugs, jewelry, aromatherapy oils, fashion-forward clothes by new designers, hand-carved toy trains, unique baby clothes, vintage art prints, rare vinyl records, and cakes, though you may have to wade through a certain number of stalls selling cheap imports to find the good stuff. Thursday is particularly good for antiques. And, from Spanish tapas to Thai satays, the food outlets (mostly small, upscale chains but some independent stallholders as well) offer cuisines from around the world.