What’s more American than French Toast? French Fries perhaps? Although this dish dates back to the Romans and was usually made with stale bread, it has been popularized and breakfast-ized by Americans, namely, French immigrants (hence the name). When we wander around Apgujeong looking for bread cooked in milky, eggy batter we don’t see signs proclaiming “eggy bread” or “pain perdu” we see French Toast, implying that it is, yet again, the American expats that have brought this dish to Korea (or at least popularized it). This has been my favorite breakfast food since I can remember, so finding it in Korea was life-altering. When I first came, the only places I knew of were Butterfingers and The Flying Pan, but this list will show you how many more options we have for this delicious treat. Let’s all be “poor knights” and enjoy this dish!

A Note on Judging

I will be judging based on the three Q’s - Quality, Quantity, and Quirks. The quality is pretty basic - taste, texture and other things related to how the quality of the French Toast is itself. Quantity is the amount you get - surprise, surprise. This will include additions, like what it comes with like bacon, eggs, salad etc... And finally, quirks are going to be what is unique about this particular French Toast. What did the place do to put their signature on the recipe and was it a good thing or a bad thing. In Korea, some dishes Americans like to eat as breakfast are made as desserts and that, in my book, will get you marked down. If you prefer that, you can read my comments and adjust your preferences and you can still find the place you would like best. So let’s get started!

#8 The Page

Next door to the Ferrari dealership at Cheongdam Intersection is this little cafe with all-day brunch. Included on the menu is one French Toast option for 11.9. You order at the counter and pick it up when your buzzer buzzes you back. It comes with a balsamic salad, a pumpkin, mushroom, and potato medley, decent sausage, and a floppy piece of fatty bacon. With it comes two pieces of soft, sweet, and airy French Toast. It was alright, but dangerously close to the dessert side of sweet. It also comes pre-buttered and syrupped, which is a little annoying, since I prefer to use little to no butter on my French Toast. It was an overall healthier meal than most of the other places on this list, but if you are looking for healthy, why are you ordering French Toast, am I right?

Scores: Quality - 5 Quantity - 6 Quirks - 7

#7 Suji's Deli

This deli that I first visited in HBC years ago has popped up in COEX, but on street level and kind of in an awkward spot if you are coming from the mall. I have always enjoyed my meals at Suji's previously, but I had never had their French Toast until recently for this review. I was optimistic going in, but unfortunately, it was underwhelming and a bit disappointing. One option is the Homemade French Toast (13.8), which comes with your choice of blueberry, cinnamon apple, banana & walnut, or chocolate chips for toppings. I got the Jack & Jill (17.8) which comes with blueberry topping, a homemade chunk of sausage, scrambled eggs, and home-fries. The blueberry was overkill on the top. I love blueberry, but even I had to take some off because it was overpowering. The toast came in strips a la Burger King, though resembling food more accurately. The toast itself was bland and was not a large serving for the price. For the hype surrounding this place, I would stick with deli items (which are good) and avoid the French Toast. On a related note, the friend I went with loves pancakes, but the pancakes here were the first I have ever seen her not finish because she didn't like them. Though tied with The Page above, I still have the nod to Suji's because there other food is much better then The Page.

Scores: Quality - 6 Quantity - 6 Quirks - 6

#6 Shybana (Off the menu)

Two blocks off Garusugil on the river side is this Soul Food restaurant (There is another location in COEX). It is more famous for it’s American comfort foods like Po’ Boy Sandwiches and Macaroni & Cheese but also serves French Toast. They serve brunch until 3pm, so don’t miss it! It comes with a cup of Joe, soup, hash brown casserole, eggs, and bacon. The soup was a corn and cheese soup that wasn’t what I was interested in for breakfast, so it was weird for me. I’m sure it would have been fine for lunch or dinner, but I thought it was off-putting as the first thing served in the morning. The eggs were scrambled eggs, it’s hard to ruin them and they didn’t. The bacon was fatty and limp, but tasted decent. The most disappointing thing on that plate was the hash brown casserole. What a let down. I love hash browns. If they put hash browns on there I would have been ecstatic, but instead they had to ruin the hash browns by casseroling the hell out of them. Their only purpose on my plate was to be a large block that would help get the eggs on my fork. Pointless. What about the French Toast? It was diner style, Mrs. Butterworth-syrupped, soft, moist, and just like mamma used to make. Thank my lucky stars the syrup is on the side! Overall, if you ignore the disastrous block of hash-erole, it was a nice brunch. Price - 13.

Scores: Quality - 8 Quantity - 6 Quirks - 5

#5 LaBrunchic

Underneath the Tokyo Diner on the food-stacked street parallel to Garusugil is this quaint little gem. This place has an upscale small town diner feel, as if a Manhattanite couple was recreating that bed & breakfast they liked so much in Vermont. They have one French Toast brunch set for 17. This place is a dream for people that post pictures of their food, just look at it! They threw everything they had into it. The French Toast is topped with banana, strawberry, orange, granola, and blueberry compote. I really enjoyed the fruit, but I thought it was a bit much on top, maybe a fruit salad on the side? Another problem was that it was pre-buttered and syrupped again. I’m not sure what is wrong with letting us decide what goes on our French Toast, but that needs to be changed as far as I’m concerned. The French Toast itself didn’t have a very eggy flavor, but it wasn’t bad. However, it was a bit soft on the inside - custardy. I’d say overall it was a bit overpriced, but good and even decently healthy, considering.

Scores: Quality - 7 Quantity - 7 Quirks - 6

#4 M Plate

On the main drag between Cheongdam and Hakdong intersections is this new-comer. This place is putting it’s reputation into the brunch and I think they are alright to do so. They only have one option, but it’s Apple French Toast for 15. It comes with fruit and breakfast sausage with raspberry compote. Where are the apples? The apples are cooked into the middle of each of the three slices of French Toast. It was a really nice surprise to find them in there. The bread itself was a little crispy and thick. It tasted almost like a pie more than French Toast, but I thought it was still delicious. They pre-buttered and syrupped again though. All in all, I really enjoyed the meal. The portion size was pretty good for the price as well.

Scores: Quality - 6 Quantity - 8 Quirks - 7

#3 Butterfingers

The infamous American diner at number 3? Blasphemy, right? Well, as great as their breakfasts are, we are talking about the French Toast only. Butterfingers has three options for French Toast. You can order them separately (6.6) and get two slices suffocating under Mount Whipped Cream (see picture), or the Jeanne’s French Toast Special (17.7) that comes with eggs, bacon, sausage, and russet potatoes. French Toast also makes an appearance in the Split Decision Plate (22.3) with pancakes, breakfast sausage, and a slab of pig. The quality of the French Toast remains the same in all three options (mostly, the separate order is soaked in whipped cream). They are nicely fried and not overly sweet. They have powdered sugar, but not too much. They aren’t the consistency of pudding inside either. They come with a choice of butter, choice of syrup, and fruit compote all on the side so you are able to make your own decisions on how much you want, like an adult. Butterfingers remains a top contender because of the consistency and quality of their food. That’s why I keep coming back.

Scores: Quality - 7 Quantity - 7 Quirks - 8

#2 The Flying Pan

Another of the old-timers in the American-style breakfast game is this place one block off Garusugil behind School Food. This is another place you will love to take a picture of your food, much like LaBrunchic, but with better quality ingredients. With multiple French Toast options including Bacon, banana, and Champs Elysees this place is a French Toast haven. I usually go with the banana and it is wonderful. The toast is cooked nicely and the butter and good quality cheese (brie) are a playful mix of flavors. My complaint is a consistent one on this list, however. You already know what it is - pre-buttered and syrupped. The butter you can slide off, at least, but the syrup is unfixable. Too much syrup can over-soak the bread and not enough will leave it dry and thirsty for more. I wish they would let us decide where those locations are for ourselves. Other than that, this place is fantastic! It usually has a long wait on the weekends, so come early and expect to wait. You can give them your number and walk around shopping while you wait, which is a nice option they offer. However, because of that option it may have a longer line than it appears at first. Price - 16.

Scores: Quality - 8 Quantity - 7 Quirks - 8

#1 The Original Pancake House

This is a recent addition and a very welcome one at that. Hailing from Oregon and being a breakfast place I used to frequent myself back in Seattle, this is a real American breakfast diner. Be aware, the menu isn’t exactly the same as back home, but they are bringing all the hits to Korea. The French Toast is the main attraction in my book. Three perfectly cooked large slices of eggy bread. No need for bells and whistles, just good solid food. It comes with butter, fruit compote, and maple syrup on the side. The price is 12 for the French Toast and as much as I like this place, I still order a side of eggs and meat to fill up, making it a pretty penny to eat here. But they do have maple bacon and Italian sausage. When it first opened it was easy to get a seat, but this place has been steadily catching fire and getting a longer and longer line, so expect a bit of a wait. However, if you’re looking for the American style French Toast you remember from back home, this is the best place to find it. Being an American place certainly tips it in your favor, of course.

Scores: Quality - 9 Quantity - 8 Quirks - 7

After Thought

This has been a blog in the making since I first moved to Korea and had to travel long distances to Butterfingers or The Flying Pan from the outskirts I used to live in. Living in Apgujeong has always been nice because of the food options, and one of the biggest treats is being this close to good American breakfasts. This particular blog has been a pleasure to write, and in fact, I didn’t dislike any of the French Toast options on this list. I just hope this will remind us all that there are more to mornings than pancakes!

Eat up Apgujeong!