Mercato Metropolitano situated on Newington Causeway, in between Borough, and Elephant & Castle tube station.

I met up with a few of my friends who regularly praise the Italian Market, but we didn’t get around to going until last week!
The market was brightly lit with a trail of fairy lights which led us through a passage way passing stalls of flowers, cupcakes and crepes. Our friends were already waiting for us with a pint of ale, from The French Corner and enjoying the live jazz band in the background.

Mercato Metropolitano

My housemate and I thought it would be nice to try one of their beers too; a half pint of their German Pilsner Lager 5.6% which cost £3.50. The pilsner was light and easy to drink and was the perfect beverage to accompany a catch up with some old friends.

The atmosphere was buzzy, with happy customers that flocked to the market that night. I was overwhelmed by the rows of food stalls and it had a food festival vibe. The stalls lined up against the walls, spiralling into another larger hall. A mini food truck proudly stood amongst the vast wooden seating, where guests were hungrily enjoying their chosen dishes.

My housemate went straight to her favourite stand ‘Indian Kitchen’, where she purchased a vegan curry dish with naan bread.

There were so many different eateries to choose from, I didn’t know where to begin! The first hall had more drink and dessert choices, and even a backyard cinema.

The largest room had all the different cuisines from around the world.
One of my favourite cuisines is Japanese, so when I saw Ramen and Donburi I bolted to the stand. They had a lovely simple menu displaying their options; I chose their Ramen dish which cost £7.50 for an impressive portion – Chicken broth, shoyu dare, ramen noodle, topped with a slice of cha Shu pork, bean sprouts, kikurage mushroom, spring onion and sesame seed.

I headed back to join the others – by then my other two friends had chosen an Argentinian stand where they had slices of delicious steak and fried sweet potatoes served on a wooden board.

They both agreed that it was a good choice and would go back there next time. When it came to eating my ramen bowl, I was a little disappointed, it looked better than it tasted; the noodles were clumped together and there wasn’t much bite to it, there was more broth than substance.

However! This didn’t stop me from trying another stall. There was a crêpe stand close by that was screaming my name. {La Crêperie} They had a short menu with sweet crepes that cost £4 and savoury that cost £6 options. I chose their {new} homemade salted caramel flavour and my friend chose their peanut butter one. If you requested certain flavours that weren’t on the menu such as Nutella, he would happily improvise and provide the crepe of your choice. When I got to eat my crêpe I was not disappointed, it was gone in a matter of minutes! Sadly my friend’s peanut butter crêpe didn’t go down well, she thought it was too rich and didn’t manage to eat it all.

My overall experience at the Italian market was positive, despite the fact my choice of dish was perhaps not the best. The atmosphere was lively and fun! The staff were friendly.

I would recommend this to anyone who fancied a quick bite or to spend a whole day losing themselves within the food halls.

There is also a cute and authentic Italian supermarket to the left of the market, in which they sell fresh meat, cheese, chocolate and treats.

Their opening times are ‪Monday to Friday’s 8am‬ to 11pm, ‪Saturday’s 11am to 11pm‬ and ‪Sunday’s 11am to 10pm‬.