Date for Your Diary: Sandwich Market Mania at Toklas Bakery
If there’s one thing that unites Londoners—besides their mutual disdain for the tube in July—it’s the humble sandwich. But this is not your grab-and-go BLT or limp train station baguette. This is the Sandwich 2.0 era: bold, brash, chef-led and stacked with technique, provenance and indulgence. On Saturday 12th July, Toklas Bakery, one of London’s most quietly excellent spots for sourdough and sweet things, throws its first ever Sandwich Market in collaboration with Cebo—and it’s shaping up to be the city’s most carb-loaded culinary event of the summer.
If the queues outside Crunch, the mania around Sarnie Party 2025, and the recent sandwich drop at Trinity Upstairs are anything to go by, this feels like a zeitgeisty move. Call it sandwich season, call it the summer of bread. Whatever you call it, Toklas is ready—and the line-up is strong.
Located just off the Strand, Toklas Bakery has long been known for its refined approach to pastries and a certain Mediterranean minimalism. But on Saturday 12th, they’re going maximalist. Kicking off at 11am, and running until 3pm (or until they sell out, which they very well might), Sandwich Market Mania will bring together some of the most exciting names in the London food scene. Chris Leach of Manteca. Mike Davies of The Camberwell Arms. Ed Templeton and Theo James of the new Roman restaurant Lupa. Robin Gill from Darby’s. The list reads like the guestlist of a chef’s birthday party.
Headlining for the home team, Toklas Bakery’s Head Chef Kyran McAdam unveils a new brioche bun filled with Salame Rosa and Cheese Fonduta. McAdam has pedigree—last December, he joined forces with Jeremy Chan of two-Michelin-starred Ikoyi for a festive roast chicken and omelette sandwich that sold out before lunchtime. It seems he’s been fine-tuning the art form ever since.
From there, it’s a roll call of sandwich ingenuity. Elliott’s London brings a Puccia stuffed with prosciutto cotto, friarielli dressing, ’nduja mayo and caramelised onion. Manteca’s entry? Fried ciccioli with fennel kraut, apple mustard and fennel mayo, all nestled into house-made focaccia.
The Camberwell Arms are going in with cold roast pork and tomato tonnato—a nod to the Italian classic but with their usual South London swagger. The Palomar delivers a fusion hit: pastrami with Pantelleria capers, shifka and mustard aioli, sandwiched into za’atar-dusted focaccia alongside pickled cucumber.
Meanwhile, Crispin goes coastal with a Portland crab, confit fennel and lardo roll that sounds like it was dreamed up on a Ligurian terrace.
Newcomer Lupa joins the fray, alongside stalwarts The Marksman, Brawn, The Prince Arthur and Darby’s. Negronis will be flowing, alongside Toklas wine and ice-cold beer. For dessert? A sweet olive oil ice cream sandwich with rosemary biscuits, the first creation from Toklas’ new head baker, Ellie. It's an elegant endnote that still feels on brand—simple, seasonal and devastatingly good.
The whole affair is free to enter, no tickets required, though our advice is to arrive early. With only four hours and over a dozen restaurants involved, the chance of a full sell-out is not only possible but inevitable.
For The Rakish Gent, this kind of event hits the sweet spot between elevated food culture and casual weekend indulgence. It’s a rare moment where the worlds of Michelin-level chefs and the universal appeal of a sandwich intersect. And while the mood may be light-hearted, the craft behind each element—from the choice of bread to the layering of fat, salt, acid and heat—is dead serious.
So, if you're in town on Saturday 12th July and partial to good bread and better fillings, set your Google Calendar now. Sandwich Market Mania runs from 11am to 3pm at Toklas Bakery, 9 Surrey Street, WC2R 2ND.
As first entries into this new column go, this is the kind of diary date we’re more than happy to commit to memory. And bite into.
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Sandwich Market Mania at Toklas Bakery
📍 Toklas Bakery, 9 Surrey Street, WC2R 2ND
📆 Saturday 12th July 2025
🕚 11am–3pm (or until sold out)
🎟️ Free Entry
🍴 Sandwiches by: Toklas, Manteca, Camberwell Arms, Lupa, Elliott’s, Brawn, The Palomar, The Marksman, The Prince Arthur, Darby’s, Crispin and more
🍷 Drinks: Negronis, wine, beer
🍨 Sweet note: Olive oil ice cream sandwich with rosemary biscuits