Toastie Lords were back in Wellington for their second pop-up at Press Hall. I’d missed their first visit and saw how popular it was, so this time I made sure to check them out. It was pretty hectic, though—I showed up around 10:30 and was told there’d be a 45-minute wait. Seemed a bit wild for a sandwich, but with a big crowd gathering on their final day in town, I didn’t have much choice if I wanted to try them.

I ordered two toasties: The Ed, with kimchi and chipotle mayo, and The Ivan, stacked with pastrami, sauerkraut, pickle, and grated parmesan. I figured I might not get to try them again, so why not go all in?

The Ed was packed with flavour. The spice level hit just right, the kimchi was punchy and delicious, and the chipotle mayo brought it all together. The parmesan added a salty kick that worked really well. But my favourite was The Ivan. Everything was balanced beautifully—the tang of the pickle, and again, that parmesan on top. It might be the best Reuben-style sandwich I’ve had in New Zealand. It was delicious.

I also had this weird idea of eating both toasties together—and surprisingly, it worked. It was a bit of a mess, sure, but the combo of flavours was kind of genius.

Toastie Lords really nailed the pop-up. They had three heavy-duty sandwich presses and a couple of smaller ones for diet-specific orders. The sandwiches were perfectly cooked, and I couldn’t help but wonder what they used on the bread to get that crisp bread.

If they do another pop-up in Wellington, I’ll definitely be back. And if I find myself in Picton, I’ll be hunting them down there too.

Website: Toastie Lords