A Flashy New Spot for Massive Korean Sandos and Croissant Waffles Struts Into the Sunset

Toast’N Egg’s sandwiches are revelatory for this sleepy stretch of the Sunset.

A plastic egg the size of a fifth grader sits in the direct center of Irving Street’s newest restaurant, multi-colored and completely out of this world. It looks like the kind of attraction one might spy walking through a Fallout 3 landscape, but brand new and fully functional as an eye-grabber. It’s the centerpiece of what looks to be the newest go-to for Korean street food and on-trend pastry creations, set to debut May 1.

Toast’N Egg comes from the mind of restaurateur Cyrus Shen, an entrepreneur of more than 15 years behind the Sunset’s Poke Origin, Daly City’s Shaking Crab, and Valencia Street’s Sugoi Sushi. Born and raised in Macau, he’s had about 23 restaurants in Japan, the United States, and China. This newest restaurant will sell 10 different Korean toasts including flavors such as beef and kimchi, curry chicken, and vegan mushroom. Moreover, there’s a whole drinks menu including coffee, tea, and the mysterious, bubble-topped Paradise drink and croissant waffles — known as croffles — are on the menu, four of the latter including flavors such as Oreo and matcha.

Shen says the Paradise is the “special drink,” similar in some ways to a boba tea.

The restaurant opens on a block known more for lowkey neighborhood destinations such as Kevin’s Noodle House, Pineapple King, and Hole in the Wall Pizza across the street with newer Gao Viet Kitchen and Lomo Libre on either side. But Shen says for all its glitz Toast’N Egg is an homage to the simpler things, that he always wanted to start a restaurant selling food that reminds him of his childhood. He ate lots of eggs with bread toasts when he was a kid, growing up in a poor family without a lot of food choices. “I learned how to make eggs when I was really young,” he says. “I would add different sauces or seasonings onto the eggs to change up the flavors. When I think back to eating egg toasts, it deeply reminds me of my childhood.”

He says he felt there was a gap for nostalgic, comforting egg toasts in San Francisco. He started exploring a menu with his business partner, Selena Wong. There aren’t any toasts like his, he contends, pointing to items like the chile shrimp patty toast — a proper puck of shrimp with cream and mayo between fluffy white bread — and the banana croffle, half a banana caramelized on top of squiggles of luxurious chocolate and cream.

Shen believes Toast’N Egg will be much more than just an Instagram-able restaurant built for the fast-casual moment. He plans to open more ToastN’ Eggs down the road, expanding to other cities and cultures to share his love of those sweet childhood treats. “Egg toasts can be a great meal for any time of the day,” Shen says. “I wish others would enjoy them as much as I do.”

Toast’N Egg (1838 Irving Street) will open Wednesday, May 1, and will be open Monday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.