PLEASE NOTE: There are building delays at CRUNCH SOHO so the original Nudge Member soft launch dates are no longer 20th-26th February. We don’t have the concrete dates just yet, but it will in early March. Members will be notified as soon as it’s confirmed.
The word ‘cult’ gets flung around a lot these days, but Crunch has genuinely earned it. The sandwich slingers sell over 15,000 of their brioche butties every month – which either means they’re insanely popular, or they have about 750 regulars who find themselves drawn there every single lunchtime.
So it feels about time the outfit upgraded from its humble stall in Spitalfields Market to a bona fide café, sandwiched (rather appropriately) between Old Compton St and Dean St in Soho. And Nudge Members (+1) can feel like the upper crust when Crunch Soho opens this February, because they’re getting 50% off sandwiches before the public opening.
If you’ve never had a Crunch sandwich, here are the ingredients that have led to their stratospheric success:
- Chef (yes, chef) Joni Francisco trained under Alex Gauthier at the Michelin-starred Gauthier Soho, and under Nuño Mendes at The Chiltern Firehouse. So he definitely knows his onions (and Southern fried chicken, and za’atar roasted aubergine, and everything else that goes into these sarnies).
- Crunch doesn’t just use standard bread. They use golden brioche, freshly baked every morning and toasted just enough to get a proper crunch when you bite in – and to hold its own against the fillings.
- Those fillings are unreal. Figuratively speaking. In reality, they look a lot like truffled beef patties with truffle mayonnaise; slow-cooked Gressingham duck leg with banana shallots; deep-fried Tonkatsu pork with Japanese apple and raspberry jam; and fried oyster mushrooms with miso marinated vegetables. And especially for the Soho branch, they’re going to be bringing back their smash hit ‘mighty steak sandwich’. Which sounds like a rare treat.
And then, of course, there’s all the things that make them popular that aren’t sandwiches – namely the famous ‘thousand layer potatoes’ (served with Bloody Mary ketchup), the deep-fried pepperoni lasagna bites, and the outrageous French Toast dessert (cleverly using up the outer crusts of their brioche loaves).
This Soho branch will be Crunch’s first bricks-and-mortar spot where you can actually dine in, plus there’ll soon be a breakfast menu joining those sandwiches. It also means they can serve booze for the first time, with a menu of sandwich-friendly cocktails on the horizon.
Bet they do a great Cubano Libre.
NOTE: Crunch Soho opens officially on 27th February. You can find out more on the Crunch website.
PERK: Nudge Members +1 are getting 50% off sandwiches prior to the public opening in early March. Find out more in the ‘50% Off’ box above. Max one sando per person, so two in total.
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Crunch Soho | 60 Dean Street, Soho, W1D 6AW
While you’re in the area… check out these great things to do in Soho