16 Places in London Where You Can Eat Your Way Around the World
One of the best things about eating in London is that you don't really need to leave London to try food from around the world.
Want Chinese food?
Head to Chinatown.
Craving Ethiopian food?
There are places for that.
Want Caribbean flavours?
Try Brixton.
Korean food?
New Malden has an entire food culture built around it.
Turkish?
Walk along Green Lanes.
Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi food?
You've got several parts of London to explore.
And then there are London's food markets, where you can sometimes eat your way through several countries without travelling more than a few minutes.
Visit London describes the capital as having food from “every corner of the globe”, with areas such as Chinatown, Tooting, New Malden, Southall, Edgware Road, Brick Lane, Brixton, Green Lanes and Kingsland Road each offering distinctive international food scenes.
So if you're wondering where to find food from around the world in London, here are 16 places and areas worth putting on your food map.
1. Chinatown - China and East Asia
Start in the centre of London.
Chinatown is one of the easiest places to begin an international food tour.
The area around Gerrard Street is packed with Chinese restaurants, bakeries, dessert shops and other Asian food businesses.
But don't think of Chinatown as only Chinese food.
Visit London's current 2026 guide describes the area as having evolved into a broader Asian food destination, with Cantonese, Malaysian, Thai, Vietnamese and Japanese influences alongside its Chinese restaurants.
You can come here for:
Dim sum
Roast duck
Dumplings
Noodles
Hotpot
Bubble tea
Asian desserts
If you're visiting central London and want to experience a completely different food culture without travelling far, this is one of the easiest places to start.
2. Brick Lane - Bangladesh, India and Beyond
Brick Lane is one of those London streets where the food story changes as you walk.
The area is particularly famous for its Bangladeshi restaurants and South Asian food, while its markets and surrounding venues bring in food from many other parts of the world.
Visit London's current guide highlights Brick Lane's curry houses and Bangladeshi restaurants, while its food-market guide notes that weekend vendors around Brick Lane and Old Spitalfields serve food ranging from Ethiopian to Korean.
You can combine food with:
Vintage shopping
Street art
Markets
Independent shops
Record stores
And don't leave without seeing the famous bagel shops.
Brick Lane Beigel Bake is open 24 hours, according to Visit London's current area guide.
3. Brixton - Caribbean, African, South American and More
If you want to understand London's multicultural food scene, spend some time around Brixton.
Brixton Village and Market Row are particularly useful because you can move between different cuisines without travelling across the city.
Visit London's 2026 market guide highlights Caribbean, African and South American groceries and restaurants around the area, alongside food such as jerk chicken, dumplings, burritos and curries.
You can also explore Electric Avenue, where you'll find food shops and traders selling ingredients from different parts of the world.
This is a place where the food isn't just something you eat.
It is part of the neighbourhood's identity.
4. Tooting - South Asian, Sri Lankan and Global Food
Head south to Tooting if you're looking for another huge range of South Asian food.
Visit London specifically highlights Tooting for affordable South Asian restaurants, including Sri Lankan and southern Indian food.
You can find:
South Indian dishes
Sri Lankan food
Indian street food
Pakistani dishes
Vegetarian and vegan options
International groceries
And then there is Tooting Market, which adds another layer of food businesses and traders to the area.
The best way to experience Tooting is not to arrive with a rigid restaurant list.
Walk around.
Look at the menus.
See what catches your attention.
5. Southall - India and Pakistan
If you're looking for Indian and Pakistani food in London, Southall deserves its own day.
The area has a particularly strong South Asian identity, with restaurants, sweet shops, bakeries, grocery stores and food businesses lining the streets.
Visit London currently highlights Southall as a place to experience Indian and Pakistani food.
This is also somewhere to come hungry.
You could easily turn a visit into a food trail:
breakfast → sweets → street food → groceries → dinner.
And if you're interested in Indian food beyond the familiar restaurant dishes, this is a good area to explore regional specialities and ingredients.
6. New Malden - Korean Food
You don't necessarily expect to find one of London's strongest Korean food scenes in south-west London.
But New Malden is known for exactly that.
Visit London describes the area as “little Korea” because of its concentration of Korean restaurants.
You can find:
Korean barbecue
Bibimbap
Korean fried chicken
Noodles
Dumplings
Korean groceries
Traditional dishes
If you're travelling to London specifically to eat Korean food, New Malden should be on your radar.
It also gives you a completely different side of London from the usual central tourist areas.
7. Green Lanes - Turkish Food
For Turkish food, head north.
Green Lanes in Haringey has one of London's best-known concentrations of Turkish restaurants.
Visit London currently highlights Haringey and Green Lanes as a major Turkish food destination, mentioning restaurants such as Gokyuzu and Hala.
Come here for:
Turkish grills
Kebabs
Meze
Pide
Bread
Turkish breakfast
Baklava
And don't assume Turkish food means only kebabs.
A proper meal here can be considerably broader than the takeaway version many visitors know.
8. Kingsland Road - Vietnamese Food
Move towards East London and you'll find another major food corridor.
Kingsland Road and the Dalston area have long been associated with Vietnamese restaurants.
Visit London currently highlights Kingsland Road as one of London's Vietnamese food hotspots and specifically mentions restaurants such as Song Que.
This is the kind of area where you can keep things simple.
Find a restaurant.
Order pho.
Add some spring rolls.
Maybe try bánh mì.
And you've got a completely different meal from what you might have eaten elsewhere in London that day.
9. Edgware Road - Middle Eastern Food
For Middle Eastern food, look towards Edgware Road.
The area is particularly known for restaurants, cafés and food businesses serving Middle Eastern flavours.
Visit London's current food-hub guide describes Edgware Road as being lined with Middle Eastern restaurants and highlights Maroush as one option.
You'll find plenty of:
Lebanese dishes
Grilled meats
Mezze
Falafel
Hummus
Flatbreads
Baklava
Middle Eastern sweets
It is also a useful area for late-night food, with many businesses staying open later than the typical daytime market.
10. Borough Market - A Little Bit of Everything
If you don't want to travel around several neighbourhoods, go to Borough Market.
It is one of London's most famous food markets and currently has more than 100 stalls.
Visit London's 2026 food-market guide specifically highlights Indian curry, British pies, Spanish paella and many other foods at Borough Market.
That makes it particularly good for groups.
One person wants Indian.
Someone else wants Spanish.
Someone else wants something sweet.
Everyone can find something.
Borough Market
Just remember that individual trader opening hours can differ from the market's general hours.
11. Camden Market - Street Food From Around the World
Camden is another easy option if you want variety.
The market has dozens of food stalls, and Visit London's current guide describes options ranging from Portuguese custard tarts to Hawaiian poke bowls and salt-beef sandwiches.
You can combine food with:
Camden's shops
Vintage stalls
Music
Street art
Canal walks
It is particularly useful for visitors because you don't need to know exactly what cuisine you want before arriving.
Walk around first.
Then decide.
Camden Market
12. Greenwich Market - Global Street Food
If you're already visiting Greenwich, don't treat the market as just a shopping stop.
Greenwich Market has a changing food offering alongside its other traders.
Visit London's current 2026 market guide mentions everything from oysters and plant-based pizzas to handmade sushi and Argentinian empanadas.
That makes it another good place for a group where everyone wants something different.
And afterwards, you can explore Greenwich Park, the Royal Observatory and the surrounding area.
Greenwich Market
13. Broadway Market - East London's Weekend Food Stop
Broadway Market in Hackney is particularly worth considering on a Saturday.
Visit London's current food-market guide describes the market as a thriving Hackney destination with dozens of temporary Saturday stalls, alongside more than 70 food shops, cafés, pubs, beer gardens and restaurants along the street.
This isn't just a single food hall.
It's an entire street and neighbourhood experience.
You can grab something from a market stall and then continue walking around Hackney and the nearby Regent's Canal.
14. Old Spitalfields Market - Global Food in East London
If you're around Liverpool Street, Spitalfields is an easy food stop.
Old Spitalfields Market combines shops, restaurants and food traders, and it sits right beside the wider Brick Lane food scene.
Visit London's current food-market guide specifically notes international food around Brick Lane and Old Spitalfields, including Ethiopian and Korean options.
Spitalfields Market
The advantage here is location.
You can combine:
Spitalfields → Brick Lane → Shoreditch
into one food-and-exploration afternoon.
15. Mercato Metropolitano - Food Hall Variety
If you want the food-hall experience rather than a traditional street market, consider Mercato Metropolitano in Elephant & Castle.
It brings multiple food businesses together in one large space.
Current listings show it operating into the evening, with later hours on Fridays and Saturdays.
Mercato Metropolitano
This works particularly well when you're with friends because nobody has to agree on the same cuisine.
You can all order something different.
16. Market Place Food Hall - Leicester Square or Vauxhall
For maximum variety in a central location, food halls can be one of the easiest options.
Visit London currently lists Market Place Food Hall Leicester Square among London's food hubs and describes it as offering 16 global cuisines, including Greek, Jamaican and Mexican food.
There is also a Market Place location in Vauxhall:
Market Place Food Hall Vauxhall
This is particularly useful if you're travelling with a group.
Nobody has to compromise.
The Best Way to Explore London's Global Food Scene
The biggest mistake would be trying to visit all 16 places.
Don't.
Instead, choose one food theme for one day.
Want Asian food?
Try:
Chinatown → Soho → Chinatown desserts
Or travel further to:
New Malden → Korean restaurants → Korean supermarket
Want South Asian food?
Try:
Southall
or
Tooting
or
Brick Lane
Want Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavours?
Try:
Edgware Road
Want Turkish?
Try:
Green Lanes
Want Caribbean and African flavours?
Try:
Brixton
Want maximum variety?
Try:
Borough Market
Camden Market
or
Mercato Metropolitano
You Can Even Build a London Food World Tour
Here's a fun challenge.
Instead of trying to eat five meals in one day, spread it across several visits.
Stop 1 - China
Chinatown.
Stop 2 - India
Southall or Tooting.
Stop 3 - Turkey
Green Lanes.
Stop 4 - Korea
New Malden.
Stop 5 - Vietnam
Kingsland Road.
Stop 6 - Caribbean
Brixton.
Stop 7 - Middle East
Edgware Road.
Stop 8 - Global Street Food
Borough Market.
That's the thing about London.
You don't have to fly around the world to discover different food cultures.
Sometimes you just need an Oyster card and an appetite.
Why London's Food Scene Is So Interesting
What makes London particularly exciting for food lovers isn't simply the number of restaurants.
It is the way food cultures have become part of different neighbourhoods.
You can have dim sum in Chinatown in the afternoon, Turkish food on Green Lanes for dinner and Korean barbecue in New Malden another day.
You can find Bangladeshi food around Brick Lane, Caribbean flavours in Brixton, South Asian food in Tooting and Southall, Middle Eastern restaurants along Edgware Road and Vietnamese restaurants around Kingsland Road. Visit London's current food-hub guide specifically identifies these neighbourhoods as major destinations for their respective cuisines.
And then there are the markets.
Those are where the experience becomes even more unpredictable.
You might arrive looking for lunch and leave having tried something you've never heard of before.
That is perhaps the best way to explore London's food scene.
Don't always search for the restaurant you already know.
Search for the neighbourhood you haven't explored yet.
Walk around.
Read the menus.
Follow the smell of something cooking.
Try something unfamiliar.
Because if there is one city where you can genuinely eat your way around the world without leaving the city, London is certainly one of them.
Planning your next London day out? Discover more neighbourhood guides, hidden gems, food spots and things to do on LondonYaar.com.
Follow @rohan.londonyaar for more London places, stories and things worth knowing before you visit.