must-try foods at London's best food markets

London is literally chock-full of good food. There's something for everyone, from pastries to burgers to juice bars to every ethnic cuisine you can possibly imagine (and some you probably hadn't).

But London is also known for its amazing food markets, namely Borough and Camden Markets. Basically, they're just places for street food vendors to set up and for you to eat your heart out.

Camden Market

The actual food is hidden within a maze of random other vendors selling bags, clothes, jewelry, etc. Don't make the mistake of going for the food places that are mixed amongst them — it's fairly crappy variations on Asian food. 

Instead, walk past all of that and follow the signs that say "food market." You'll find a small square of 15-20 vendors with an eating area in the middle.

Smile, because you've found happiness.

My friend and I did four laps. We got teased by a vendor every single time ("are you buying food, or shopping?" "are you sure you don't want to buy this?"). 

Teasing aside, I think it's the best strategy, because you get to narrow down what you want to eat. And also, free samples.

We finally decided on Peruvian street food, mostly because of the amazing smells wafting from the grill as the meat cooked.

It was marinated chicken with potatoes and peppers on a bed of rice, with a side salad and green garlicky dressing.

It was delicious.

Camden Market was a baby-sized market compared to Borough Market, however.

Borough Market

Borough Market has a lot more fresh fruits and vegetables to buy, making it more like the San Lorenzo Market in Florence or La Boqueria in Barcelona. It's a mix between a farmer's market, a cheese/meat market, and a food market.

If I lived in London, I would go crazy on the fresh fruits and veggies. But we were only here for a couple of days, and so I dragged myself away from the beautiful produce to look at the real attraction — the food.

The first stop: Bread Ahead Bakery. I'd heard amazing things about their doughnuts, so of course we had to get one.

We got the caramel + honeycomb, and while it was everything I wished and hoped for in a doughnut, it still wasn't as good as the classic vanilla (I snagged bites of a friend's). 

The thing about these doughnuts is that they aren't overwhemingly sweet. They're sweet enough that you're satisfied (because if you're going to have a doughnut, it better be a sweet doughnut damn it), but not sweet to the point where you're going to die from sugar overload.

They're chewy but light and the filling to dough ratio is perfect. The custard in both doughnuts was flavorful; you get the feeling that you're eating a gourmet doughnut even as you're getting powdered sugar all over your face and custard is oozing onto your hands.

The messier the better, right?

We also tried a wild boar & beef burger with guac and "dirty sauce" from a meat stall. It was good, but not as good as the doughnut (sad life). Not gonna lie, we were mostly sold on the guac and the dirty sauce (mayo, ketchup, cayenne pepper).

Finally, we stopped at a handmade pasta shop. They had pasta to take home and also fresh pasta to order. 

A hot Italian guy (what is it with England and attractive Italians?) helped us decide on the black truffle ravioli. We dumped pepper, red pepper flakes, and a bit of salt on top and devoured it before pretty pictures were taken.

The truffle taste was strong and rich but not overpowering. It was far, far, far better than the burger and was almost as good as the doughnuts. 

You can't go wrong with carbs, I guess.

PRO TIP: Eat at food markets if you're trying to save money. Not only can you get free samples to fill up your belly, but you can also go splitsies with a traveling companion. And you can easily get a meal for under £7. According to Buzzfeed, you can eat "everything" there for under £20.