You Can Finally Try This World-Famous Japanese Sandwich at 7-Elevens Across the U.S.
I tried the chain’s egg salad sando and the U.S. version has a few noticeable differences from its Japanese counterpart.
Photo courtesy of 7-Eleven
Chances are if you’ve heard about the edible wonders sold at Japanese konbini, a.k.a. convenience stores which include 7-Eleven, you’ve also heard tell of the famed tamago sando, or egg salad sandwich. And if you’re a true travel-hungry foodie, you may have even made the trip to Tokyo or other parts of the country to taste this roughly $2, quick-service delicacy heralded by food writers and TV hosts as the epitome of a great egg salad, with a creamy blend of mayo, yolks, and bits of egg white between pillowy slices of milk bread. But if you don’t live in Japan, you just might be able to save a few hundred bucks on airfare as 7-Eleven has just brought this creamy, eggy, plastic-packed item to stores across the United States.
Photo courtesy of 7-Eleven
When and where can you get 7-Eleven’s egg salad sandos in the U.S.?
Starting December 3, the Japanese-Style Egg Salad sandwich officially launches in 7-Eleven locations nationwide. In fact, the sandwiches have been rolling out slowly over the past few weeks, including a couple days early at my local 7-Eleven in New Jersey. According to the announcement from 7-Eleven, the sandwich features “soft and fluffy milk bread and rich and creamy egg salad crafted with Kewpie Mayonnaise – Japan’s original egg yolk-only mayo known for its umami-packed flavor.”
“The egg salad sandwich has long been a favorite item in 7-Eleven stores across Japan, and we’re excited to introduce a version for customers in the U.S. inspired by its beloved flavor,” Brandon Brown, Senior Vice President of Fresh Foods at 7-Eleven, Inc., said. “Fans across the country can now enjoy the new Japanese-Style Egg Salad Sandwich and experience a take on one of our most popular international offerings that has captured hearts and appetites around the world.”
Adam Campbell-Schmitt
What are the differences between the 7-Eleven egg salad sando in the U.S. versus Japan?
Note that, however, the sandwich has been, uh, translated a bit, if you will. The announcement contains multiple uses of phrases like “inspired by” and “reminiscent of” — which is to say, there are some noticeable differences. Most of the Japanese sandos you’ll see on social media being devoured by influencers are cut into a pair of right triangles, but the one I found was cut into two rectangles, meaning it’s “smile” of filling wasn’t as pleasingly wide as a diagonal slice. The U.S. version also retained its crust, something its Japanese inspiration lacks. The look of the filling and its proportion to the bread appears reasonably similar. However the bread feels a bit denser than one might expect milk bread to be, and the filling was light but not all that fluffy — that said, nor was it heavy or chunky.
Adam Campbell-Schmitt
What does 7-Eleven’s egg salad sando taste like in the U.S.?
Full disclosure: I have not had the pleasure of trying the beloved tamago sando from a Japanese 7-Eleven, so take my review with a grain of salt. But all in all, this is not your standard grab-and-go, American-style egg salad. It’s smoother, sweeter and brighter. It’s got a bit of that vinegary bite that comes from Kewpie mayo, which contains some rice vinegar among other ingredients, and it definitely felt like more of a premium offering. But it does cost over $5 (mine was nearly $6). Whether that’s worth it for the “Japanese Style” experience, is up to you.
The Japanese Style Egg Salad sandwich is now available at participating 7-Eleven, Speedway, and Stripes convenience stores across the United States.
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