When Toast Isn’t Just Bread and Butter: Korean Street Toast

Growing up in America, toast was a staple breakfast food. Pick your favorite slice of bread, throw it in a toaster, or the oven, if you fancy. Then add butter, cinnamon and sugar, or even peanut butter on it. It’s the easiest thing to grab when you need to eat on the go.

Korea takes toast to a whole different level. In South Korea, when you say you want to eat toast for breakfast, you are more likely to get something that resembles a hot sandwich.

What’s in Street Toast?

The basic anatomy of street toast is simple: two slices of bread, egg, some crunchy vegetables (usually some sort of cabbage), meat, cheese, and ketchup. The bread is always toasted on a griddle station and cooked alongside the meat and eggs. It is a very simple combination that tends to stay the same wherever you purchase the toast. Whether it is at Isaac Toast or at the local street cart, you will always get the basic parts. Price-wise, the toast can cost anywhere between $2-4 dollars depending on where you buy it.

Isaac Toast: Street Toast Any Time

Street toast is popular—so popular that people want to eat it at all times of the day. This idea was capitalized by the owner of Isaac Toast. This food chain serves various drinks, but what it is known for is its own contributions to the street toast world. Look at their menu below, they have the basic street toast combination; however, they put their twist on the classic to come up with several different versions. Changing things up to include shrimp and galbi, they even provide a vegetarian option where you can change out the meat for a hashbrown. In the Isaac Toast in my neighborhood, you can even trade the toast out for an English muffin or a bagel. Talk about awesome! The downside to getting toast at chains like Isaac’s is that it can be a bit pricey. Toast from Isaac Toast can range anywhere between $3-$4 dollars.

Street Toast From a Street Cart

Street food is a key part of the Korean experience. Street toast is just one of the many foods you can buy from street carts. The difference from the store counterpart is that this one is less customizable. You are limited to the type of street toast that the vendor creates. Street toast from a vendor is my favorite because they often mix the vegetables in with the egg to make it like an omelet. Price-wise, street vendor toast is never more than $2, and the stalls will often sell more than toast. The local street toast seller near my apartment will make kimbap to order as well as street toast.

Whether you buy toast from the local Isaac Toast or a street vendor, make sure to give Korean street toast a try!