N.J. restaurant’s viral Japanese sandwiches are beautiful. But how do they taste?

Sandwiches embody everything we love about quick, delicious food. They’re easy to hold, quick to crave and endlessly customizable with whatever your heart desires.

But every country does them differently. In the United States, sandwiches often mean deli stacks, melty grilled cheese or towering burgers. New Jersey has a sandwich culture all its own, breakfast sandwiches to Italian subs and everything in between.

But in Japan? Sandwiches often feature fruit and whipped cream, tamago (egg salad) or crisp chicken katsu (Japanese for cutlet) between two slices of Japanese milk bread called shokupan. The fluffy, soft and slightly sweet shokupan is a far cry from the seeded Italian bread we love in New Jersey. But it’s absolutely delicious.

Mikan Sando Sushi Bento in Mount Laurel, a casual Japanese restaurant that opened in August, is one of the only spots in the state serving these sandwiches that have taken social media by storm. There has been a rising appreciation for Japanese street food in general due to its convenience, taste and innovation. Plus, the sandwiches are as good to look at as they are to eat.

That’s a key reason owner Hua Lin chose to open in the South Jersey town.

“There’s not a lot of Japanese street food like onigiri, sandos or takoyaki around here,” Lin told NJ Advance Media.

The shop offers 16 sandwich varieties — 13 savory, three sweet — with options ranging from smoked salmon and unagi (grilled eel) to fruit-forward picks like strawberry kiwi. Lin says they craft around 800 to 900 of these sandwiches per week.

I ordered the tamago ($9) and chicken katsu ($10) sandos. The chicken katsu sando was the standout — a juicy, golden-fried chicken breast layered with crisp cabbage slaw, sweet-savory katsu sauce and just enough spicy mayo to give it a kick.

The tamago was stuffed with creamy Japanese-style egg salad and slices of avocado, with a whole boiled egg tucked in the center. It was satisfyingly rich, and the avocado added a buttery contrast that balanced the softness of the filling.

But with each bite, the filling kept slipping out of the back — the sandwich was packed to the point of chaos. Delicious, but definitely messy.

That was also the case for the mango fruit sando ($9). The hand-whipped cream was light and airy, paired with a thick, juicy slice of mango. The components were fantastic — but again, it was a bit of a mess.

Though there’s a set amount of flavors on the menu, Lin says he can customize certain sandwiches as long as customers call in their request ahead of time.

Messiness aside, Mikan Sando Sushi Bento delivers on flavor, texture, and creativity — offering South Jersey a rare taste of Japanese street food done right.

Just be sure to grab a few extra napkins.

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Lauren Musni may be reached atlmusni@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Laurengmusniand onInstagram. Find NJ.com on Facebook.