London’s leading street food organisation KERB has announced the first taste of the traders taking residency at Seven Dials Market, when it opens in the heart of London this September. The first five to be announced is an all-female founder line-up who have all developed with KERB, including Club Mexicana, Yum Bun, INK, Square Root and Rice Guys, as they all open their first home in central London.

All five businesses are rooted deeply in London street food, with Club Mexicana, Yum Bun and Square Root joining Kerb in the early days, whilst INK and Rice Guys have come through the KERB incubator platform, known as the inKERBator. Each has developed remarkably, garnering cult followings since their respective launches, with Club Mexicana going onto open London’s first vegan pub, The Spread Eagle whilst Square Root Soda was awarded ‘Best Drinks Producer’ in the BBC Food and Farming Awards. They will now join KERB on a new step forward as it opens its first bricks-and-mortar site, offering the opportunity for businesses to ‘take flight’ out of conventional pop-up street food markets and further enhance their reputation in a permanent home.

Growing the street food economy is at the core of KERB’s ethos, and Seven Dials Market will be the next step in the development of 26 independent food businesses, providing them with theopportunity to break further into London’s competitive restaurant landscape.

The five female food founders follow in the entrepreneurial footsteps of KERB’s founder Petra Barran, who whipped up all things chocolate in her Choc Star van at London’s weekly street food markets, before setting up the street food organisation in 2012.

KERB Founder, Petra Barran commented: “We are excited to reveal the first group of Seven Dials Market traders, especially given the history we share and having worked together since they all first hatched. We strive to work closely with our traders, aiming to provide so much more than just a piece of pavement to trade from – Seven Dials Market is our next step in driving forward this industry and giving our street food start-ups a whole new platform on which to thrive.”

With all five traders bringing their diverse and progressive offerings to the Market’s main hall in the form of new menu creations and classic dishes, the line-up will also add KERB’s familiar nurturing spirit to the iconic 23,000 sq ft former banana warehouse. Get a flavour for what tastes like London at Seven Dials Market…

• Trailblazing at KERB since 2014, the cult Mexican powerhouse from Meriel Armitage, Club Mexicana, will bring their entirely vegan offering to central London. Critically acclaimed for her innovative approach to Mexican street food, Meriel’s menu will be all about tacos from her signatures; beer battered tofish, jackfruit carnitas, and annatto glazed tempeh, to the ever-popular MFC, Mexican Fried Chick’N burrito.
• Rolling with KERB since both were just one-woman operations, Yum Bun will be bringing out the coal-fired yakitori grill for some unique steamed bun creations
• Runaway stars of the 2018 inKERBator batch, Rice Guys build modern Chinese rice bowls from natural, fresh ingredients bringing fantastic flavour and comfort. Seven Dials Market will be the first site in which they unleash their latest creations, including an iberico pork char-sui over rice
• Known for mixing Asian-inspired flavours with traditional British dishes, fried fish trader INK (who began with KERB in 2014) will be the place to get your fish and chips in the West End. With fritto misto sharing plates, fresh battered fish, crispy salt and pepper squid and triple cooked chips, your local chippie just won’t cut it anymore.
• Building an alcohol-free “temperance bar” like no other, non-stop fizzy pop venture Square Root (first trading with KERB in 2013) are dedicated to creating botanical and seasonal sodas with unique flavours that are designed to be paired with the food operators at the market.

With more traders to be announced in the lead up to opening, Seven Dials Market is bringing a true taste of London’s many cultures and cuisines under one roof.