Visit London’s New Food Halls

The London dining scene gets three new food halls, transformed from abandoned buildings. The halls will have more than 50 bars and restaurants among them, including branches of well-known London restaurants and street food vendors.

The project comes from Market Halls, a group of U.K.-based developers and restaurateurs. It hopes to transform dilapidated spaces with special architectural or historic interest in Fulham, Victoria and the West End into places that can be enjoyed by all.

Market Hall’s first site will open this spring within the ornate entrance of the Edwardian Underground station in Fulham Broadway. The structure retains the former ticket hall from the original 1880 station. It will have 10 kitchens, one bar and 180 seats.

The second venue will hit in summer, inside Victoria’s Terminus Place, with its Edwardian Baroque exterior. Inside will be 14 kitchens, three bars and seating for 300.

The group’s flagship venue, Market Hall West End, will come in autumn, just off Oxford Street in a former BHS building. The hall will feature a mix of local producers, retailers, restaurants, street food vendors, bars and events spaces, as well as a demo kitchen.

“Food halls are nothing new of course, but we want to create permanent dining hubs that work for the community, something we haven’t seen yet in the UK,” said Andy Lewis-Pratt, CEO, Market Halls. “The majority of buildings we are working with were originally designed as bustling cultural or commercial hubs, but for whatever reason have been lying empty. We wanted to bring these sites back to life and make them useful spaces for the community, places that cater for locals, workers, families and visitors alike.”