Pillowy Japanese sandos are the star of a new cafe on North Tennyson

Editor s note This is part of The Know s series Staff Favorites Each week we give our opinions on the best that Colorado has to offer for dining shopping entertainment outdoor exercises and more We ll also let you in on specific hidden gems Convenience store chain -Eleven declared definitively last week that its long-promised egg salad sandwiches are now available nationwide which doesn t sound particularly appetizing on its own but these sandwiches are a little uncommon as they re based on the Japanese sandos that have become a massive hit in that country and a popular treat here Related Fluffy Japanese-style sandos are gaining popularity in Denver Sandos in their true form are made with thick-sliced shokupan or milk bread which gives them a fluffy slightly sweet and almost ethereal texture and flavor They re often sliced into triangles and the bulk commonly contain either egg salad with Kewpie mayonnaise strawberries and cream or kiwi or other fruit or breaded pork or chicken Once you ve eaten a good sando and I have tried half a dozen or so around Denver as well as making my own with shokupan from Tokyo Premium Bakery they become addictive Eloise is from the owner of Good Bread and Lula Rose General Store Jonathan Shikes The Denver Post Over the past two years these highly photogenic read Instagram-friendly sandos short for sandoitchi have become more popular in Denver although only a scant restaurants or shops serve them regularly So finding a good one is hit or miss For Oliver Finkel -Eleven s timing made him laugh because on Dec that same week he opened Eloise a north Denver cafe dedicated to Japanese-style sandos Finkel isn t new to Denver He also owns Lula Rose General Store a tiny -year-old coffee and breakfast shop at E Colfax Ave and Good Bread a bakery across the street at Madison St in the former home of the Normandy French restaurant Good Bread makes everything from croissants cruffins and pastries to baguettes and loaves of sourdough along with a rotating selection of sandwiches and pizzas on specific days But Good Bread has also been baking shokupan almost since the beginning It s so versatile You can do anything explained Finkel who has even used it to make ice cream sandwiches It s not overly salty or overly sweet It s the perfect delivery system Related Articles This new East Colfax restaurant s Szechuan Cantonese and American-Chinese food is popular for a reason This easy-to-make Champagne cocktail will add sparkle to your holiday spread This calming Denver oasis knits together older neighborhoods in new approaches Denver musicians play ancient Indigenous instruments on new album Colorado s ghosts and monsters stalk Riverside Cemetery The idea for Eloise at Tennyson St was born out of Finkel s and his staff s love and fascination with shokupan and Japanese food in general He uncovered the north Denver space by way of a friend after having what he described as a very Colfax day The street has been buried beneath the construction of a new bus rapid transit line something that has cut off restaurants like Lula Rose and other businesses from their customers The opposite is true on Tennyson where people have been lining up out the door of Eloise which only has a handful of tables starting at a m each morning Eloise is open Wednesday through Sunday a m to p m to try the sandos or other offerings like beet salad brioche sandwiches and matcha lattes The reception has been great Everyone loves these things and there aren t that various places to get them Finkel revealed The opening menu hit what he called the favorites including Kewpie egg salad with a whole soy-marinated jammy egg tucked inside chicken katsu in tonkatsu sauce with cabbage salad and braised bacon with heirloom tomatoes and chicarones There is also mortadella on a brioche bun with pistachio cream and fennel honey I tried the egg salad and the chicken katsu Both were sliced in rectangles rather than triangles and both satisfied my craving and then selected My favorite unsurprisingly was the egg salad with the soy-marinated egg taking center stage Each is made to order on a line behind the counter and then finished packaged and presented either to-go or for eating on-site They are a far cry in both price point and craftsmanship from -Eleven But Finkel was quick to point out the benefits of the convenience store s version which costs less than It was good he reported Kind of like eating air And it costs nothing Subscribe to our new food newsletter Stuffed to get Denver food and drink news sent straight to your inbox