Mercato Metropolitano, London

Mercato Metropolitano London (MM) has spent the last few years dazzling customers from near and far, and we’re happy that it’s so close to Elephant Park – just along Walworth Road. 

Based on a concept that wowed food lovers in Milan, bringing it to London in 2016 proved just as popular. 

As London’s first sustainable community market, it showcases over 40 independent trading partners, covering all genres of food, drink, and even entertainment. Mercato Metropolitano’s hidden music theatre and al fresco dining area proves very popular in the evenings and on weekends. 

The choice of food outlets is so extensive that we’ve dedicated an entire article to it. Have a read to find out all about the available dishes and retailers, what’s good and what’s great! It’s also worth checking out the Mercato Instagram where there are heaps of photos that are bound to inspire your next visit. 

Opening times are:

Whilst bookings aren’t taken for small groups, if there are more than eight of you, you can book via the Mercato website.

We only recently welcomed The MM Factory to Elephant Park. Found on Walworth Square and Sayer Street, it’s the first sustainable market of its kind. It offers the local community a unique and sustainable dining experience, as well as being a supportive social hub centred on a love of food.

In addition to its signature mix of micro-restaurants and high-quality sustainable food concepts from around the globe, the MM Factory in Elephant Park mills selected heritage and organic grains on site, which are then used to create nutritious bakery, patisserie and pasta products.

It extends Mercato Metropolitano London’s current cookery school programme to include a greater focus on sustainable food production and lifestyles. There are also plans for free cookery classes for local children, with an emphasis on healthy eating; free community lunches for older residents who may be isolated or lonely; and cooking training for refugees.

Step foot in MMFactory and you’ll find a slightly more relaxed setting than its counterpart down Walworth Road. It’s more like your friendly neighbourhood coffee shop and lunch spot – but one you wouldn’t dare leave without picking up some fresh artisan produce for your larder. 

Inside you’ll find beloved food outlets serving up hot (and cold) dishes. Just a snapshot of these are: 

In the supermarket itself you’ll find fresh produce ranging from butchers’ meat to flour and pasta milled right here on site. 

Much like other Mercato Metropolitano sites in London, bookings aren’t allowed, so you’ll have to pop in to see what they have to offer! MMFactory is open seven days a week, Monday – Sunday, 8am – 8pm. 

Founded in Milan, Italy in 2015, the Mercato Metropolitano proved successful as the city’s sustainable community market. A UK site focusing on artisan producers, urban farms, community activities and cultural programmes throughout the year, it launched in Elephant & Castle in 2016. This created more than 200 permanent new jobs, and generated longer-term sustainable changes in employment, skills and opportunities in the area.

Andrea Rasca, founder and ‘chief executive dreamer’ of Mercato Metropolitano, said of the development: 

“Elephant Park is an amazing opportunity for us. When looking at potential destinations, it quickly became apparent that Lendlease is a landlord that shares our ideals and vision for the future. The Mercato Metropolitano ecosystem is all about community – a place for ongoing dialogue between local people, farmers, chefs, retailers and artists. We cannot think of a better place to build upon this community, with a new approach to urban retail, than Elephant Park.”