Sandwich brand Crunch to open first permanent London site

Cult sandwich brand Crunch is set to open its first permanent bricks and mortar site in London’s Soho next month.

Crunch was founded by college friends Sacha Yonan and Michael Medovnikov and chef Joni Francisco, who trained under Alexis Gauthier at Gauthier Soho and Nuno Mendes at Chiltern Firehouse.

The trio launched their first pop-up in a pub in London’s Hackney in 2022 before taking on a stall at Old Spitalfields Market, where they sell upwards of 15,000 sandwiches each month.

Crunch sandwiches feature a signature brioche-inspired bread that holds firm against sauces and fillings.

At its upcoming Soho branch, Crunch’s sandwich menu will include the Patty Melt (truffle beef patties, red Leicester cheese, crispy onion marmalade and black truffle mayonnaise); Michael’s Chicken (Southern-fried chicken cutlet, shredded lettuce, baby pickles, homemade dill aioli) and the Katsu Sando (deep-fried tonkatsu pork, Japanese apple and raspberry jam, shredded hispi cabbage, nori and shichimi togarashi mayonnaise).

Guests will also be able to try Crunch’s steak sandwich, exclusive to the Dean Street venue, and there are plans for a new breakfast sandwich.

Crunch will also sell drinks, such as cocktails and beers, for the first time, and offer seating for 16 people.

KIDZ Studio has designed the interior, which features a large open kitchen, a natural wood counter, and modern pendant lighting.

Deluxe, gourmet sandwiches at a higher price point are growing in popularity with brands including Bristol’s Sandwich Sandwich, Manchester’s Fat Pat’s and Norwich’s Bodega expanding and finding success through social media and word-of-mouth recommendations.