Before landing in Japan, a conversation with a friend who had visited earlier that year had turned into a discussion about the origin of the best egg salad sandwich – a topic that we had no idea could result in such an opinionated outcome. A quick internet search unearthed the source of the debate – an innocuous Tweet from the late chef and author Anthony Bourdain.
Egg salad sandwiches are nothing ground-breaking in the culinary world, and are very often not given a second thought. And yet somehow, Japan seems to have cracked the code with such a seemingly simple dish, one that otherwise is likely a point of contention thanks to the distinct sulphurous smell of mashed boiled eggs. In essence, the sandwich is simple; two slices of bread, filled with boiled eggs mashed with mayonnaise.
However, unlike the sandwiches that many of us likely grew up with, Japanese egg salad sandwiches, also known as tamago sando (たまごサンド), are somehow significantly more refined; the sandwich loaf is replaced with cotton-soft, tender milk bread (crusts removed), the eggs boiled just enough for the white to retain structure and before the yolk grows its unsightly grey film, and of course the iconic Japanese-style mayonnaise, whose flavour is mellow yet subtly savoury. With a dish so simple, Japan has managed to perfect each of these three components so that none of the ingredients can hide behind the other, creating a sandwich so profoundly faultless that it is no longer outstanding.
And yet, despite that, our love (or at least, Jos’ love) for egg salad sandwiches and a budget that won’t support typical travel mukbang vlogs of $200 wagyu sandwiches, we decided to put to rest the ultimate question that nobody is asking: who actually has the best tamago sando in Japan? With an embarrassing amount of planning, we took to the streets of Tokyo, hitting up a mix of convenience stores, supermarkets, and two department store basement eateries to try their take on the beloved egg salad sandwich. Note: Sandwiches are listed in order of price, and prices are at June 2019.
Fujipanフジパン – discount supermarkets, ¥105
Fujipan sandwiches, or similar products can be found discount supermarkets and stores such as Don Quijote (or DONKI for short). Similar to Uncrustables from the USA, these sandwiches consist of 2 slices of white bread with the slightest smear of egg salad, sealed shut and with the crusts removed. Despite its price, there are 2 sandwiches in each pack, though both are very small. Contrary to the other sandwiches, this sandwich is also unrefrigerated, which goes to show the extent of its processing. It’s no gourmet offering, but the bland, bread-heavy snack is sort of tasty in its own right.
Sandwich – mini Piago, ¥193
mini Piago convenience stores are mostly based in the Tokyo area. The price is a little cheaper than a standard egg salad sandwich, but it shows. It’s dry with a skimpy amount of egg salad, and overall a little bland thanks to the bread-heavy sandwich.
Family Mart – Family Mart, ¥198
Family Mart is one of the top 3 convenience store chains in Japan, and it’s starting to show in the quality of the sandwiches. The egg salad is not hugely abundant but it is distributed well right to the ends of the bread, with a soft, fluffy bread, a little more mayonnaise, and possibly the addition of a smear of margarine or butter, which combats any potential dryness. While mild overall, it’s not a bad sandwich.
Fresh Sandwich – My Basket, ¥203
My Basket is owned by AEON, a retailer found throughout Asia. It looks impressive, but the egg salad is a little badly-proportioned, but what it lacks in presentation it makes up for in taste thanks to a touch of paprika. Thanks to the added flavour, this made it as one of our preferred sandwiches.
Heartfelt Homestyle – MiniStop, ¥216
MiniStop is a chain of convenience stores that are also owned by AEON, but they taste completely different. It has larger egg chunks and a more pronounced egg yolk flavour, one of our preferred sandwiches in the end (is it the AEON touch?), for the fact that it’s just a solid egg salad sandwich.
Yamazaki Best Selection – Daily Yamazaki, ¥220
We noticed that the sandwich was heftier than the ones we’d tried just before, and despite a slightly sticky filling it has a yolky flavour and a touch of black pepper. The combination of the price and the overall satisfaction of getting a different egg salad sandwiches landed Daily Yamazaki in our top 3 alongside the two AEON establishments. It may not be so easy to find a Daily Yamazaki but perhaps it’s worth a stop if you’re hankering for a snack or light meal.
Lawson Sandwich – Lawson, ¥220
Despite being the same price as the Daily Yamazaki sandwich it was noticeably less dense. We should note that we’ve only bought one sandwich from each store but if sandwiches are standardised then this might indicate that Lawson is comparatively less bang for your buck (yen?). By no means is it a bad sandwich, it has a strong but inoffensive egg flavour and good balance, but it doesn’t have the wow factor that others have. It’s just pretty standard.
Komugi no Sato 小麦の郷 – Life Supermarket ¥235
Perhaps supermarkets are not the place to go when looking for an egg salad sandwich (unless that supermarket is My Basket), because this one was a disappointing drop in enjoyment. It’s almost completely bland, with the entire sandwich just serving as a blend of textures in the mouth. We wouldn’t bother recommending this, especially at its price point and the fact that you’d have to go to a supermarket to find it.
Seven&i – 7-Eleven ¥237
7-Eleven has such a soft, fluffy bread that it has almost no structural integrity, with the entire sandwich being somehow supported by the egg salad itself. The bread also has a smear of butter (or margarine), likely to create a barrier between the bread and the egg salad to keep the bread from disintegrating entirely. The egg salad is supported by the chunkiness of the egg, and while it is not very outstanding we found it was one of the most filled sandwiches of the lot. This is the kind of sandwich you’d get if you were mostly looking to eat a block of egg salad, but one that is not very strongly flavoured.
Blossom & Bouquet, ¥270
This is one of the department store basement sandwiches from Tokyu Food Show in the Tokyu Department Store in Shibuya Station. Despite its price and its department store basement status, it is skimpy in size and filling, with a strange synthetic smell. There was nothing particularly good to say about this egg salad sandwich, and we put it away pretty quickly.
Recipe & Market, ¥361
This was definitely the most different egg sandwich, likely not even of the egg salad variety, but we had to try it because of Paolo FromTokyo’s bold claim that Recipe & Market is home to Shibuya’s best egg sandwich. Compared to the other sandwiches, this one consists of half of a very thick slice of milk bread sliced to have a pocket to contain a generous dollop of a yellow, custard-like filling. The store makes their own mayonnaise as well as an onsen tamago, or a very soft-boiled egg. There is a hint of paprika but because the filling is very salty compared to its lightly-sweetened counterparts and savoury from the egg, the taste and texture is almost reminiscent of a cheese sauce. It is definitely a delicious bread, but perhaps not something you’d go out of your way for if you’re looking for a more traditional egg salad sandwich. Not that you’d be able to anyway – it appears that the shop may have closed down.
So there you go. Contrary to our expectations, our favourites hailed from My Basket supermarket, because of its paprika; MiniStop, which was solid; and Daily Yamazaki, for an overall different experience executed well. That being said, egg salad sandwiches are egg salad sandwiches, and we’re not sure that it even matters, because they may even vary depending on which city or region you try them in. Our verdict: just eat one if you like them.
If you’re thinking of visiting Japan we highly recommend getting a Japan Rail Pass and pocket WiFi for stress-free travel! You can check out our post on choosing the best JR Pass for you, or click here to purchase a pass on the JRPass.com website. Purchases made using our affiliate link won’t cost extra, but we earn commissions which help to support us as small creators.
