Street Food, Cocktails and Craft Beers – Bustler Market, Derby

Bustler Market is back, baby and it means BUSINESS. Bigger and better, Derby’s infamous street food hotspot has bagged itself a hip new venue at The Chocolate Factory on Sidalls Road and IT is the place to be. With three times more square footage than before, Bustler is covering its covid safety bases and allowing us to get our street food fix with both under cover and outdoor beer garden-esque seating. I went to check out the VIP re-launch so I can give you the heads up on just what to expect.

*AD/PR INVITE – Our food and drink were gifted but all opinions are my own

Finding Bustler Market

Despite the new site of Bustler Market being fairly huge, we did actually struggle to find it at first (anyone who knows me well will not be surprised by this 😂). So keep your eye out for the handmade signs or you could just follow the crowds, and there WILL BE crowds. Bustler Market has amassed quite the following since its launch in 2017 and now that it has the capacity for 800 people (350 outside and 500+ indoor) it doesn’t look like its slowing down anytime soon. There is limited street parking just outside but there is also an NCP car park on Sidalls Road, literally two minutes away; where you can pay with cash, card or via an app.

The Venue

Whichever way you look at it, Bustler Market is pretty freakin’ cool. This new venue is bringin’ some serious old warehouse vibes after its recent 12 week renovation. Add to this the neon signage, the fairy lights and the up-cycled oil drums and beer kegs as tables. It seems to slide seamlessly in to Derby’s Industrial Quarter, as if this is where its always belonged. Even the toilets are worth talking about; think mirrors with Mean Girl quotes and old 90’s magazine pages plastered everywhere.

“You’re like really pretty” – Regina George

Of course the whole “Bustler” energy wouldn’t be complete without a bangin’ soundtrack. Bustler Market feature live, local DJs all weekend and lets face it, good tunes = a good time. I was a huge fan of DJ Hudson’s Soul/Hip Hop set and it made me realise just how much I’ve missed proper nights out, dancing until my feet hurt. Not long now, right?

The Drinks

Bustler is obviously well known for its craft beers but now there’s also a designated gin and cocktail bar on site. If you do happen to be attending on Thirsty Thursday, your pint will only set you back £4, Cocktails are a fiver and a bottle of Prosecco is £15. The frozen Margarita looked insane but I opted to get in to the Summer swing with my Passionfruit Rum Krush – delish!

The Food

Bustler Market are now able to feature up to 12 independent street food vendors at a time and these slots are rotated regularly. If you want to know who is going to be serving up when you’re attending, you’ll need to sign up to the mailing list here. You can also peep their Instagram for pure food porn and up to date news and announcements.

On the VIP launch night, the following 4 traders were present:

Kebab Cartel

I have wanted to try Kebab Cartel for sooooooo long and every time they’ve done a pop up near me I’ve either been unavailable or the queues have been way too big, (a good sign, obviously). So I was thrilled to see them on the menu at Bustler and WOW. Taking its inspiration from Turkey and the Middle East, the food here is simple, yet packed with flavour and its oh so Instagrammable with all those bright colours. It took us forever to decide on what to order because everything just sounds so incredible. In the end, we chose the Lebanese Spiced Chicken Shawarma bowl which is served with seasoned fries. Taste sensation guys – there was absolutely NOTHING about this that I didn’t like. Even the shredded lemon tahini slaw tickled my pickle and I normally hate coleslaw. And what the heck secret spices are on that chicken? I need to know because I basically want to rub it on everything 😉

Only Jerkin’

I’ve had Only Jerkin’ deliciousness in my life before – check out my previous review. So there was no way I wasn’t placing an order with them because their chicken is out of this world. Is it any wonder when it’s marinaded for 48 hours and then triple dipped in seasoned flour and their signature batters; ginger beer or cream soda? You’re hungry right now, aren’t you?  So we couldn’t choose between the nuggets or the strips so we went all in with the Mega Box; which comes with jerk seasoned skin on fries, coleslaw and dips. And It was MEGA. The only thing I was disappointed with was how full I got and how quickly. But of course, we smashed the entire thing.

Please note, there are also vegetarian options at Only Jerkin’.

Street Souvlaki

I sadly don’t have any photos to show you from Street Souvlaki as we didn’t try it – far too full. Their traditional Greek souvlaki kebabs looked and smelt amazing though. I had been eyeing up the halloumi fries from the moment I arrived, but just couldn’t manage it. Definitely one to try next time.

Just-Ice

Because of course we were going to order Dessert. Just-Ice were serving up scoops of their most delicious homemade ice cream at Bustler Market; but it turns out there’s a bit of a play on words in their name. I did wonder why they had chosen to put a hyphen in there and because I’m nosey, I decided to find out a little bit more. I actually spoke with founder and director, Gavin Murray, after the event and I was blown away by their story. These guys aren’t just making amazing ice cream. They are actually a social enterprise, meaning they’re a not for profit company who are supporting survivors of human trafficking by providing safe and understanding employment. Gavin said “The journey out of slavery is a very long one. The rescue is actually a process, not an event and you need a sympathetic employer when attempting to return to self sustained independence.”

I mean….. have you ever heard of a better reason to literally go and buy an ice cream right now? I feel like this is absolutely the kind of business we should be supporting. Every scoop we buy is literally helping to give someone else a taste of freedom. What a concept!

Just-Ice have a beautiful little shop in Milford which is open daily (apart from Wednesday) from 12pm. You can also order 700ml tubs of your favourite flavours for delivery in Derbyshire or for collection. I don’t think that this is the last time you’ll hear me talking about this place. But until then, be sure to check out their website and Instagram

Oh, and we ordered a Biscoff scoop in a waffle cone and a salted caramel scoop in a tub. Both were absolutely scrummy. Several vegan flavours are also available.

The Finer Details

Entry to Bustler Market is £1 and it’s free of charge for kids under 17, NHS staff, students and Derby County Season Ticket Holders. Dogs are also welcome. Cash and card are accepted on the door but all food and drink purchases are card only. There’s no need to book unless you are attending a specific Bustler event such as Bottomless Brunch or Bingo Loco.

From the 15th July, Bustler is open every Thursday and Friday from 5pm to 10pm, Saturday from 2pm to 11pm and Sunday 2pm – 6pm. Takeaway is also an option and you don’t need to pay to enter or to queue if you’re only collecting food as there is a designated take out area.

Every effort is made to ensure that there are vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options available, but it’s always worth contacting Bustler or the individual vendors ahead of time if you have specific dietary requirements.

Bustler Market are going to great efforts to make sure that you can enjoy your experience with them safely. All orders are placed via QR code which can be found on your table. Then you just need to sit back and wait for everything to be delivered to you. As I’ve mentioned already, it’s super spacious so you don’t need to worry about being too close to other people. Masks must be worn when moving around the venue, going to the toilet etc.

The Verdict

No surprises here then, Bustler Market gets a huge thumbs up from me. I absolutely adore the concept of having so many exciting traders in one place, mixing and matching food and drink and being able to bop away to some tunes. It ticks so many boxes because it would be a brilliant place to pop in to after work but also great for a family outing or a date with a partner or friend/s.

Have you been to Bustler Market? I’d love to hear what you thought in the comments below? Or if you’re going to give a try based on this review, please let me know.

Thanks so much Bustler and Tank PR for a brilliant evening.

And as always, thanks for being here.

Beth Anne xoxo