The story
Toklas is a Mediterranean restaurant with its own bakery, set between the Strand and the river Thames. You enter via a large, planted terrace that overlooks a classic London street, Victorian buildings, and the façade of a disused Tube station. Inside, the room is simply decorated with a reclaimed parquet floor, vintage Scandinavian chairs, and green leather banquettes. An open kitchen and a bar sit alongside artworks by Wolfgang Tillmans and Ragna Bley.
The kitchen lets ingredients lead. The Mediterranean menu changes with the seasons, sourced daily from a trusted list of suppliers. Vegetables come first, then fish, then meat; olive oil is used far more than butter or cream. A large open grill dominates the kitchen. Reviews describe the cooking as “subtle, untweezery” and “a celebration of produce as hero.” The Sunday Times Magazine called each dish a knockout; the Financial Times praised a whole grilled John Dory as “a rustic platter worthy of Picasso.”
Toklas holds a Michelin Recommended award for 2026, a recognition that reflects the precision and restraint of the cooking. The restaurant’s own words capture the philosophy best: “serve the best, freshest produce we can get hold of, and let the flavours of the ingredients shine through.”
The terrace, designed by Miria Harris, is planted with trees, plants, and flowers, and furnished with Paris-style café chairs. It seats around 80 diners and is generally comfortable from May to October. The bar serves a good range of drinks from small producers, alongside house-made cordials from fruit used in the bakery. Non-alcoholic cocktails are also available.
At street level, Toklas Bakery opens Monday to Friday from 8am to 3.30pm, and Saturdays from 9am to 2pm. Mornings bring croissants, pain au chocolat, and cardamom buns; lunch includes sandwiches, strecci, soup, and salad. Sweet options range from basque cheesecake to cookies, and coffee comes from Assembly roasters in Brixton. Sourdough bread is available to take home.
The restaurant also hosts occasional guest chef dinners, wine tastings, book launches, and talks. Past events include a Todolí Citrus Dinner and live recordings of wine podcasts. The space is available for private hire, with event enquiries directed to events@toklas.co.uk.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
Tucked into one side of the landmark brutalist building that is 180 Strand, Toklas is easy to miss. Just remember it has its own entrance on Surrey Street, opposite the old Strand tube station – if you find yourself outside Toklas Café & Bakery, you’ve gone too far. Set one level above the street, it’s a genuine find – an oasis of calm, especially on a warm summer’s day when a table on the wide, plant-filled terrace is highly prized. The restrained modern interior goes bare on napery and big on concrete, but natural light floods in through huge windows and striking artworks add colour. The restaurant draws inspiration – and its name – from the avant-garde American food writer Alice B Toklas, but what distinguishes it is a commitment to concise, seasonal and elegant Mediterranean-style cooking. Indeed, the kitchen is noted for its simple, calendar-tuned line-up of dishes based on the freshest of ingredients with classic accompaniments. Those pristine raw materials are handled with a delicate touch, as in a starter of wild sea bass crudo with sweet 'honeycomb' tomatoes offset by dots of salty bottarga, plus a colourfully tangled assembly of black figs, oakleaf lettuce, crunchy hazelnuts, pecorino shavings and honey. Rabbit saltimbocca with a pile of braised chard and a chunk of fresh Amalfi lemon is completely delicious in its simplicity, while homemade pasta is the business: a plate of tagliatelle with Scottish girolles, garlic and parsley showed up well during our lunchtime visit. And there’s concord right to the final act: our dessert of gorgeous, perfectly roasted amaretto peaches needed nothing more than a dollop of mascarpone. The innovative wine list is dominated by bottles from the Mediterranean basin. Although there are comparatively few options under £40, drinkers have access to a generous clutch of recommendations by the glass and carafe. Excellent cocktails, too.
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