Brixton Market is best known for its African and Caribbean produce, spread across Electric Avenue, Brixton Village and Market Row. The market sells a wide range of foods and goods but is best known for its African and Caribbean produce, which reflect the diverse community of Brixton and surrounding areas of Lambeth. Finding the right stall in under an hour means knowing which arcade opens first, which fishmonger still works the counter by hand, and which kitchen shuts early on a Monday. This route follows the order most shoppers actually walk it, from the open-air stalls outside to the sit-down counters inside the arcades.
Brixton Market is not one single hall. It spreads across the open street of Electric Avenue plus three covered arcades. Brixton Market comprises a street market in the centre of Brixton, south London, and the adjacent covered market areas in nearby arcades Reliance Arcade, Market Row and Granville Arcade (rebranded as 'Brixton Village' in 2009). Each section keeps its own hours, so a stall shut on Electric Avenue at 3pm on a Wednesday can stay open two minutes away inside Brixton Village until half past eleven at night.
Start on Electric Avenue for the open-air stalls
Electric Avenue is the pedestrianised street that runs from Brixton Road into the market, the same street name a reggae hit made famous. Electric Avenue (the street immortalised by Eddy Grant) runs from Brixton Road into the heart of the market. It also holds a small piece of engineering history. The now pedestrianised street is widely recognised as the first street in the UK to get public electric lighting.
Along it, traders sell Caribbean fish, specialised food and meat, alongside fruit, veg and cut flowers. Along Brixton Road there are stalls selling second-hand clothes, trinkets, music, fruit and vegetables, while on Electric Avenue we can find Caribbean fish, specialized food or meat. In the street itself are stalls selling flowers, and a myriad of fresh fruit and vegetables. These outdoor stalls run from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday, closing at 3pm on Wednesdays, with no Sunday trading. ELECTRIC AVENUE AND POPE'S ROAD: 8am – 6pm Weds till 3pm No Sunday trading Arrive before midday on a Tuesday or Thursday for the fullest fish counters, since the covered arcades across the road run on a very different clock.
Eat at Fish, Wings and Tings before the queue forms
Walk through the blue door into Brixton Village and the market's best-known Caribbean kitchen sits almost at the threshold. Fish, Wings and Tings has run from Unit 3, Granville Arcade, since 2012, under Trinidad-born chef Brian Danclair. Fish, Wings and Tings has been the market's Caribbean anchor since 2012, run by Trinidad born chef and owner, the beloved Brian. larger-than-life Trinidadian owner Brian Danclair dishes up all the flavours of the Caribbean.
Order the jerk chicken or curried goat, and start with the saltfish and cod fritters. Dishes like the jerk chicken and curried goat are the reasons people cross London for this stall. The saltfish and cod fritters are a standout starter on the menu; don't skip them. The stall takes no bookings, so go early on a weekend or during a weekday lunch to beat the crowd. No reservations, so go early on a weekend or aim for a weekday lunch if you want to beat the crowd. It runs midday until 10pm most nights, 10.30pm on Friday and Saturday, and is closed every Monday. Closed Mon, Tue–Thu 12pm–10pm, Fri–Sat 12pm–10:30pm, Sun 12pm–10pm.
If that queue runs too long, Etta's Seafood Kitchen sits a short walk away at Unit 85-86, open the same days but until 10.30pm every evening it trades. Granville Arcade, Unit 85-86 Coldharbour Ln, London SW9 8PR · Closed Mon, Tue–Sun 12pm–10:30pm
Stock the kitchen at the Caribbean grocers
Past the restaurants, the arcade still holds the grocers that gave Brixton Village its original character. Near the Atlantic Road entrance, Latin & Caribbean Food Store, at Unit 58 and 59, stocks the ingredients regulars keep coming back for. Located near the Atlantic Road entrance to Granville Arcade, Latin & Caribbean Food is popular amongst the first generation residents from the Caribbean and Latin America.
Across the arcade, specialist grocers stock ackee, salt fish, plantain, callaloo and scotch bonnet peppers that rarely show up on a supermarket shelf. Brixton has been home to large West Indian and West African communities since the Windrush era, and the market reflects this, the specialist grocers selling ackee, salt fish, plantain, callaloo, scotch bonnets, and yam are not an affectation, they're the reason the market exists. Many of these stalls have stayed in the same families for generations. Many of the stalls and businesses in the covered arcades are Black-owned and have been for generations, though the market as a formal entity is not Black-owned.
What to do first, what can wait
Start with Electric Avenue if fresh fish or vegetables are the goal, since those stalls close earliest and the choice thins out by late afternoon. Head into Brixton Village next for lunch, timing Fish, Wings and Tings for before midday or after 2pm to dodge the rush its no-booking policy creates.
Save the grocery run at Latin & Caribbean Food Store for last. Dried goods and tinned ackee keep for weeks, so there is no need to rush that stop. If only one visit fits into the day, eat first: the covered arcades stay open until 11.30pm most nights, so a sit-down Caribbean lunch can simply become dinner instead. Brixton Village, Reliance Arcade and Market Row are open 8am – 11.30pm every day except Monday, when they shut at 6pm.
Learn more about Brixton Market
- Brixton Market – Official Tourism Guide
- Fish Wings & Tings
- Brixton Market: a Caribbean shopper's route
