"Sometimes anchovies’ reputational glo-up makes us wonder which foods are next in line for a hot and heavy rebrand. Brussels sprouts, could it be you? The anchovy toast has hit London menus like an Ortiz-sponsored meteor, but none quite measure up to this spectacularly charming version by moody little Brixton wine bar, Bottle + Rye. The oh-so soft white bread gets a honey wash, then a delightfully industrial quantity of butter is added, before it’s grilled over a high heat. Finally, the perfect dose of Cantabrian anchovies are added on top. It’s sticky, sweet, beautifully salty, and the ultimate invitation to order a crisp glass of natural white. We also think it is deeply chic that the dish is presented in childhood nostalgia ‘soldiers’ form. A true power toast." - daisy meager, jake missing, rianne shlebak, heidi lauth beasley
"A teeny, tiny wine bar where knees touch, hands are held beneath tables, and hearts flutter over devilled duck hearts on toast is Bottle + Rye in a nutshell. The Brixton wine bar adds a touch of Parisian romance to SW9 and its bottle list tends to stick around western Europe. The menu is similarly long weekend-inspired, with changing small plates like beef tartare, rabbit leg schnitzel, and a cornichon martini, and Happy Hour from 5-6.30pm, Tuesday to Saturday." - heidi lauth beasley, jake missing, daisy meager, sinead cranna
"On the edge of Brixton Village, Bottle + Rye is a teeny, tiny wine bar where knees touch, hands are held beneath tables, and stories are shared over London’s most sensational anchovy toast. This petite slice of Parisian charm is perfect for sharing secrets between sips of a skin-contact moscato. The dark oak bar that snakes around the open kitchen serving French food is somewhere you’ll want to sit for hours, romancing or reminiscing, while picking at terrine and taking on the broody personality traits of a ‘20s Left Bank novelist." - heidi lauth beasley, jake missing, sinead cranna
"In case you haven’t heard, intimacy is over. The practice of cherishing loved ones in private corners has been replaced with sending each other TikToks of an Italian greyhound in knitwear, and sweet nothings of “can you pick up more Imodium” via WhatsApp. But sometimes our silly, little, base human instincts for things like true emotional connection kick in. And that’s when you go to Bottle + Rye, a tiny Brixton wine bar with European small plates, where knees touch, hands are held beneath tables, and stories are shared over London’s most sensational anchovy toast." - team infatuation
"Forget La Mer, if you want a truly glistening complexion, you need to be bathing in the Bay of Biscay—it’s where all the shiniest of London’s anchovy poster children, the Cantabrians, come from. Case in point: the glossy little slips from Bottle & Rye, a tiny Paris-coded wine bar in Brixton. We also think the nostalgic soft, buttered white toast ‘soldiers’ form is deeply chic. A true power toast." - jake missing, heidi lauth beasley