Barrow boys have been welcoming shoppers to Broadway Market in Hackney since the 1890s, selling everything from bacon to beans. John and his mate Tony (pictured right) may be the last in the line. John started selling fruit and veg on the market nearly 50 years ago. He traded through the eighties' crash, now his barrows are the centrepiece of the revived Saturday market. He embodies today's principles of quality, speciality and variety.
There are 100 more stalls to welcome you. And while they don't all seek to match John's competitive prices, they all offer something special, and they all offer one thing for free: a welcoming smile.
Most stalls are open from 9am-5pm on Saturdays, but John starts serving much earlier.
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Latest News
14th May 2012
The Observer's Jay Rayner misses breakfast at the new Market Cafe http://bit.ly/L2thoZ ...
and 10 of the best London street food stalls as listed here in The Guardian and in Boat Magazine.
14th May 2012
The new Broadway Market is emerging from the rubble.
Here is the latest schedule from the Council's engineers.
Phase One, from Ada Street to Duncan Road junctions, is now open.
Almost all the stalls in the centre section of the Saturday market have moved here while the rebuild continues. A select few have moved to the Westgate St triangle next to the London Fields crossing. Stalls now in Benjamin Close will stay where they are. - go discover!
Work on Phase Two, from Duncan Road to the corner of Dericote Street (the old carpet shop), will last approximately six weeks.
The highway in this section is closed to vehicles and cyclists. Pavements remain open to maintain access to shops, pubs, cafes and restaurants. Engineers are contacting retailers to arrange deliveries.
Work on Phase Three - Dericote St to the Cat and Mutton - is due to start in early June and should take five weeks. Saturday market stalls will move to the new Duncan Road-Dericote St section.
It is thought unlikely that there will be time to rebuild the Westgate Street triangle (including the London Fields crossing) before the Olympics begin on 27 July - not least because the design has yet to be finalised. So engineers are expected to clear the roadworks and return in September to finish the job.
Other news from the engineers: pavements from Ada Street to Andrews Road are being renewed and widened.
Plans to close the Welshpool Street/Broadway Market junction permanently have been scrapped - it will remain open to traffic.
Here is the original scheme and our comments. Changes since the scheme was published: no public lavatories to serve Broadway market; shared space ends at Ada Street (because the 394 bus will not be re-routed); fewer trees; no performance area on the green between Welshpool Street and Benjamin Close; major redesign of the Westgate Street triangle.
24th Feb 2012
Broadway is Hackney's favourite Saturday street market, according to the latest survey by The Retail Group for Hackney Council.
"Satisfaction with the market is excellent", says the report.
More people shop on Broadway and its popularity is increasing.
Other findings confirm our own customer survey.
18th Jan 2012
"Broadway Market ... is an example of what can be achieved with local determination and drive ... it has been a great success."
Meg Hillier, our local MP, in the Commons debate on the future of local high streets following the Mary Portas report, 17 January.
Catch up with the debate at bit.ly/zP4lHM.
30th Nov 2011
Why you like Broadway Market, what you don't like, why you come here: the answers to these vital questions, and many more, are in the results of this year's customer survey now online here.
7th Nov 2011
The company's annual report and accounts for 2010-2011 are now available in the Contact section of this site.
7th Oct 2011
“Broadway is a magical market … enduring friendships … devoted regulars.” Jamie Oliver’s food magazine tells stall tales. Here’s the whole report, with thanks to the people at Jamie Magazine (jamiemagazine.com).
26th Jul 2011
Broadway Market features as one of London’s finest food markets in Time Out’s top 101 list of places to go and sights to see. A click on the badge above will take you there. The map in the Contacts section of this site will guide you to us in time for lunch.
26th May 2011
Broadway Market is now by law a traffic-free zone from 6am to 6pm on Saturdays. The measure has been introduced by our friends at Hackney Council to protect the public as well stallholders and the stalls crew while the market is being built and cleared away. Our biggest problems are parked cars which cause severe obstructions - and danger to the public when owners try to drive away through the crowds and across pavements - and cyclists who ride through the street. So cyclists, please consider the safety of others and dismount. It is illegal to ride through the market at these times.
23rd May 2011
Welcome to our new website. We now have a live Twitter feed and news section, an improved online stalls application system and a whole new page on Broadway Market’s shops. We hope you like it.
Links to Facebook, Twitter and email are at the bottom of the page. Facebook will continue to be open to all and we welcome comments and news - if you would like your news or opinion to be included in this column, please email us.
The site has been refashioned by Hugh Williams at DUNK in the great tradition of Ronny Ellefsen at tapeinteractive.com and Sam Thompson at shrinkpad.com. Special thanks to Rupert Selby at Off Broadway for the extraordinary effort he has put into listing the shops.
