Toasty's, a new sandwich eatery in downtown Kaiserslautern, Germany, is housed in a very humble building. But it does boast a high-profile location directly across the street from the K in Lautern shopping mall. (Gregory Broome/Stars and Stripes)

Toasty's, a new sandwich eatery in downtown Kaiserslautern, Germany, is housed in a very humble building. But it does boast a high-profile location directly across the street from the K in Lautern shopping mall. (Gregory Broome/Stars and Stripes)

Toasty's, a new sandwich joint in downtown Kaiserslautern, Germany, offers a simple regular menu of six sandwiches. Three of those sandwiches feature sujuc, a spicy garlic sausage popular in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. (Gregory Broome/Stars and Stripes)

Keep it simple. This is the mantra my favorite restaurants tend to follow. Choose a niche, perfect a few choice items within it and present it all on a concise menu. Toasty’s, a new walk-up sandwich eatery across from the K in Lautern shopping mall in downtown Kaiserslautern, Germany, has absolutely nailed this approach. And that has earned it an immediate place at the top of my list of go-to spots for lunch in the city. The regular Toasty’s menu is elegant in its minimalism. The restaurant offers six options that are all subtle variations on the same panini-style toasted sandwich, and all are very fairly priced between 3.50 euros and 4.80 euros ($4.10-$5.60). That list includes one vegetarian option; one with Geflugelwurst; three with a spicy garlic sausage called sucuk, or sujuk, popular in Eastern Europe and the Middle East; and a Nutella-based dessert. But on our first visit to Toasty’s on a recent rainy day, my colleague and I focused on the upper half of the menu. We ordered the top three items — the Klassik, Fero and Spezial — and split each of the conveniently halved sandwiches between us, creating the opportunity to compare. All three have the same foundation — warm, toasted bread filled with sucuk, Gouda cheese, pesto, sliced pickles and tomatoes. The Klassik has only those ingredients. The Spezial adds egg, which skews it toward a breakfast sandwich. The Fero, which piles on another dried, seasoned meat called pastirma, is the heftiest and most expensive item available. But even on this streamlined menu, I was drawn to simplicity. It was the Klassik that captured my heart, with its perfect proportions of gooey cheese, savory meat, subtle vegetables and slightly sweet pesto. Toasty’s attracted my interest with its simple approach to serving great food; it ultimately won me over with its most straightforward sandwich. For a man of simple tastes, this is as sophisticated as it gets.broome.gregory@stripes.com

Toasty's Location: Maxstrasse 5, 67659 Kaiserslautern Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays. Closed Sundays. Dress: It’s a walk-up window. Prices: All six sandwiches are under 5 euros ($5.90); hot and cold drinks are about 2 euros apiece. Information: Call the eatery at (+49) (0) 176 6285-4742, or go to Toasty’s Facebook page: https://de-de.facebook.com/toastysest2017.