Toklas

Toklas is a Mediterranean restaurant and bakery set between the Strand and the Thames. Amanda Sharp and Matthew Slotover, the founders of Frieze, opened it in 2021 on the ground floor of 180 The Strand, a 1970s brutalist building, with its entrance on Surrey Street. The name pays homage to Alice B. Toklas, Gertrude Stein's partner and the author of a celebrated 1954 cookbook. Stafford Schmool designed the dining room, pairing bare concrete with reclaimed parquet, iroko tables, Børge Mogensen chairs and green leather banquettes. Works by Wolfgang Tillmans and Ragna Bley hang on the walls, and art posters from the past four decades line the bar.

The cooking is fresh, working mainly with fish and vegetables, drawing on Italy, France and Spain in dishes such as Dover sole with fennel and anchovy. The bakery and grocery sells freshly baked bread and pastries, and the large terrace looks out towards the river.