We ADORE bustling Borough Market but when it all gets too much we’d advise safely retreating to the outskirts where you’ll find Arabica Bar & Kitchen – providing a little bit of calm in the tourist frenzy that is a Saturday morning in SE1.
On a nice day you’ll find the floor to ceiling glass doors thrown open so you can practically be IN the market, without having to leave your seat – ideal.
Inside you’ll find a refreshingly modern cavernous space, forsaking the traditional with exposed bricks and a slick bar.
This Levantine restaurant (think Mezze style Lebanese, Moroccan, Turkish, etc) serves up everything from breakfast to dinner, cocktails and even live music on a Sunday.
We arrived for brunch where the smell of fresh flat breads hits you in the face. Our lovely waiter talked us through the menu, and we got settled in with a fresh pomegranate & pear juice and a fragrant Turkish coffee.
The menu is full of great value options, buttered sourdough with figs, sesame & tahini for example sounds like the perfect quick pit stop and is just a fiver.
Choosing to linger, we tucked into a hot plate of Shashuka, served with flatbreads on the side for scooping up the rich tomato sauce. The good old fry up gets an Arabica make over with spicy beef Sujuk (sausage) nestled in amongst the fried eggs, mushrooms and roasted tomato.
We would strongly advise booking though, as it looks like we weren’t the only ones escaping the market!
