The most prominent space on the most prominent corner in Maplewood has a new restaurant tenant, and the official opening day is today, June 25. Sando Shack has relocated from its Tower Grove South location to the former Boardwalk Waffles space at 7376 Manchester, on the southeast corner of Manchester and Sutton. Owned by Amy Guo and Dan Jensen, the Japanese sandwich shop brings its popular katsu sandos to a new, more spacious location. Whether you’re fan or a first-time guest, here’s what to know before you go.
The Concept and Menu
In Japan, the katsu sando—a crispy, panko-breaded pork or chicken cutlet served on pillowy-soft milk bread (shokupan)—is a beloved staple. At Sando Shack, you’ll find their take on the classic, along with inventive variations such as a karaage chicken sando (breaded with potato starch), a Portobello mushroom version, and a tamago (egg) sando.
“When people think of Japanese sandos, they think pork or chicken, not ground beef,” says Jensen, explaining why there’s no longer a katsu burger on the menu.
At present, Sando Shack is one of only a handful of places in St. Louis that offer katsu sandos, serving them on standard white bread instead of shokupan. “Nobody in St. Louis bakes it, and nobody wants to,” Jensen says. “Plus, we toast all but one of our sandos, so the softness of shokupan becomes a moot point.”
Rice bowls featuring the same proteins are also available. On the side, expect an offbeat array of offerings: fries (seasoned with sea salt, curry powder, or togarashi), cucumber salad, cheesy curry rice balls, teriyaki chicken wings, and teriyaki pork “wings” (brined mini pork shanks that are deep-fried, glazed with sauce, and topped with sesame, cilantro, and pickled Fresno chiles).
For dessert, Sando Shack offers taiyaki—fish-shaped waffles filled with red bean paste, Nutella, and ice cream from Sugarwitch, a local purveyor best known for its gourmet ice cream sandwiches that also sells ice cream to wholesale accounts. The two brands collaborated on flavor selections such as matcha, miso taro, yuzu caramel, red bean vanilla swirl, and Jensen’s personal favorite, black sesame brittle. Sugarwitch’s ice cream is also served by the scoop in a cup, to which toppings can be added.
The Space
After sitting vacant for two years, the prominent corner location at Manchester and Sutton is alive once again. Inside, there’s seating for 30 guests—up from just six stools at the original spot on Morganford—plus an area with board and strategy games.
Guo and Jensen brought personal touches to the décor, including delicate Japanese art pieces displayed beneath a large signal light fixture they inherited with the space—and couldn’t bring themselves to part with. A colorful mural of a sando-loving youth now adorns the main wall, replacing the previous surfboards and corrugated pastel metal siding. Also on the wall (and part of the Sando Shack logo) is a large graphic of a torii, the traditional Japanese gate marking a sacred space.
The Backstory
Amy Guo and Dan Jensen returned to St. Louis from Seattle with plans to open Hello Poke at City Foundry STL. But pandemic-related delays forced a pivot, so they leaned into another passion—Japanese katsu sandwiches—and after a successful run of pop-ups, launched the Sando Shack food truck in fall 2020.
Hello Poke eventually opened to strong demand, while the Sando Shack truck made a name for itself around town. In 2022, the pair took over The Dam, a tiny six-stool boîte in Tower Grove South, but limited space and parking challenges became an issue.
Moving to Maplewood solved both problems. “We have 25 more seats now, and there’s parking both behind the building and across the street,” says Jensen. “Plus, the city supports small businesses and hosts a ton of events. And being on the prime corner doesn’t hurt.”
Looking ahead, Guo and Jensen plan to continue operating Hello Poke and keep the Sando Shack food truck in limited rotation. Expect to see it at upcoming events such as Red Lantern Night Market in the Central West End, the Japanese Festival and Best of Missouri Market at the Missouri Botanical Garden, and St. Louis Harvest Festival in Tower Grove Park this fall.
“We plan to be pretty busy in Maplewood,” Jensen says. “It’s time we slow the truck down—at least for a little while.”
📍7376 Manchester, Maplewood
📞 314-932-7046
⏰ 11:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday
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