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Food, art, music, underground charm and cultural diversity: Brixton, in South London is becoming an unmissable spot for anybody wanting to find new, unexplored things to do in the city. Restaurants, new cafés, and shops are making these colourful and narrow walkways an exciting hub for both day and night scenes in Brixton market.

Yesterday & Today: The Brixton Scene

For a few decades, poverty and violence characterised Brixton, thanks to a challenging social context, high criminality rates, and unemployment. Today, thanks to the blasting movement of people around the Brixton Market, the area is going through a new process of regeneration. The market is an indoor and outdoor space, offering a huge variety of international cuisine with a focus on Afro-Caribbean, due to the large local community that has settled in Brixton since 1948.

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Electric Avenue and the Outdoor Markets

Electric Avenue is widely recognised as the first street in the UK to get public lighting. Today, this narrow road is an open air market of fresh food and all the kind of goods you might need. Everything is immersed in its vibrating atmosphere. It really seems that the streets are singing in Brixton, with a range of fruits, fishmonger, and butcher stands that will satisfy all the food requests you might have.

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Brixton Village

Coffee treats: Burnt Toast

Community, creativity, independence. These are the keywords behind the We Are Brixton Village And Market Row concept. If you’re a morning person, coffee would probably be necessary before your walk around the village, and Burnt Toast is the place to go. Boasting a simple yet delicious menu offering several brunch options, all the coffee choices here are made with house-roasted beans. The salmon and egg brunch could be a fresh and tasty kick off to your day, but also think about yummy pancakes for a sweeter bite.

Tuesday to Friday 12PM – 5.30PM, Saturday 11AM – 6.30PM, Sunday 2PM – 5.30PM

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A charcoal experience: Brixton Village Grill

At Brixton Village Grill, the flavours from Portuguese cuisine add to the typical English dishes. This is the place for those in search for succulent meat and fresh seafood. 6oz chargrilled sirloin steak, chargrilled spare ribs and the grilled fish of the day are the best choices at this family run restaurant. Served with hand cut chips or salad, the size of these tasty meals will surprise you, especially for the price-quality ratio. And if you haven’t had enough, the Dime bar cheesecake will fill you up, eventually!

Tuesday to Wednesday 11AM – 4PM, Thursday to Saturday 11AM – 5PM / 6.30PM – 10PM, Sunday 11AM – 5PM

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Getting colourful: Rachel and Malika’s

Rachel and Malika’s is an eccentric place for home furnishing, textiles, and jewellery that perfectly reflects the spirit and atmosphere of Brixton Village. The business started in 1988 in Senegal, selling children’s clothes and African accessories. After a few travels in Mali and Burkina Faso, it became a significant exporter of traditional jewellery and textiles, gathering what is today a unique and beautiful stock of items from across the world. The multi-ethnic soul of this place is noticeable from the very first glance at the shop windows: Malika attracts the market visitors with colourful handcrafted items; a shop that is a real rare spot in London.

Tuesday to Sunday 12PM – 6PM

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Market Row

Dombey & Son

Some of you will know that Dombey & Son is the name of a Charles Dickens’ novel published in monthly parts in 1846. In real life, it is also the name of an old-fashioned butcher and poultry shop that still resists the impetuous forthcoming of the big supermarket chains. Michael has been running Dombey’s since 1983, offering fresh and quality meat and also a deep knowledge of the products. Whether you’re looking for food for your Sunday BBQ with friends or your weekly meals with family, a stop-over at Dombey’s is strongly required.

Monday to Tuesday 7.30AM – 5.30PM, Wednesday 8AM – 3.30PM, Thursday to Saturday 7.30AM – 5.30PM

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Carioca

The Brazilian word Carioca derives from the indigenous Tupi language, which means ‘white man’s house.’ In Brixton Market Row, this name has become a guarantee for freshly prepared food and a buzzing atmosphere over the past few years. To the tune of Samba or Bossa Nova, this place is a special spot where you can experience authentic Brazilian culture. There’s a huge choice of dishes, from breakfast to dinner: try a Copacabana for your brunch, a filling and juicy Pele rib beef bun or a lighter courgette frittata. No matter what you order, at Carioca you’ll be satisfied with your South American experience right in the heart of Brixton.

Monday 10AM – 4PM, Tuesday to Saturday 10AM – 4PM / 6PM – 10PM, Sunday 10AM – 5PM

10-11, 8LB, Brixton Village, Coldharbour Ln, London SW9 8PS

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About the author

Federica comes from the South of Italy in Naples, and although she loves it there she has been living in London for two years now. She is currently finishing her Journalism MA at the Birkbeck College and building up her professional career in the world of Media and Communication. Federica is not only interested in culture, travels and languages but anything she has the chance to write about. She also has a deep interest in the International Human Rights field, due to her background in Political Science and International Relations, making her passionate about the world's most important issues.

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