I was in Tokyo recently and took the eating seriously. Sushi at Tsukiji Market, steaming bowls of ramen, melonpan straight out of the oven—when it comes to culinary pleasures, Japan is an endless adventure.
One of my favorite bites? The egg sandos from 7-Eleven, which have reached legend status thanks to social media. These perfect little triangles of fluffy white bread cradling clouds of creamy egg salad are available 24/7, and when I was wide awake at 4 a.m. jet-lagged and hungry, I simply got one next door from my hotel.
I’ve been chasing that little sando wonder ever since landing back in Vegas. Which brings me to Gyu+, the Japanese sando shop that’s been making waves in Chinatown since October 2024 and just opened its second location in the southwest Valley.
GYU+
The story starts with Freddie Paloma and Luis De Santos, managing partners at Elevate Hospitality Group, who spent years traveling to Japan plotting how to bring authentic Japanese food to Las Vegas. When the pandemic hit in 2020, they saw an opportunity. Gyu+ launched out of a cloud kitchen and social media did its thing. Demand quickly outpaced capacity, forcing a move to a larger shared kitchen with Italio. By October 2024, they were ready for a brick-and-mortar in Chinatown, complete with Gyu+ Social Lounge, an intimate Japanese speakeasy built into the space.
The southwest expansion continues that trajectory. “We’re thrilled to expand our footprint in Las Vegas,” Paloma says.
The menu begins with shokupan, the soft Japanese milk bread that serves as the basis for the signature crustless sandwiches. The Spicy Chicken Katsu Sando ($14) features panko-crusted chicken thigh with spicy mayo cabbage slaw, pickled daikon and carrot and tonkatsu sauce. The Steak Sando ($24) ups the ante with a half-pound of beef filet, onion jam and secret sauce.
Then there’s the Japanese Wagyu Sando ($99), where the restaurant’s name, “gyu,” is derived. It’s a half-pound of A5 Japanese Wagyu filet with onion jam, secret sauce, housemade Russet potato kettle chips with truffle salt and thyme, plus dessert. It’s a fantastic sandwich worth the splurge.
Of course, the Egg Sando ($12), for me, is the reason to come. This version, with diced Jidori eggs, Kewpie mayo and secret sauce, is fancier than the Japanese 7-Eleven version and rises to a whole new level when accompanied by the house-made togarashi potato chips ($6).
Gyu+ fits into a broader shift toward Japanese food gaining traction in Las Vegas beyond sushi. The Chinatown location already proves there’s an appetite, judging by the weekend lines. The southwest expansion offers a larger, brighter dining space with a more expansive menu.
I still think about those 7-Eleven egg sandos at 4 a.m., but at least now I don’t have to wait for my next trip to Tokyo to get my fix.
GYU+ 8480 W. Sunset Road #200, 702-660-8551, gyuplus.com. Wednesday-Monday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
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