They say man cannot live on toasties alone, but with toasties this tasty, it’s tempting to try!

There’s a flavoursome formula under the grill where each generously prepared toastie is made at The Cnr, Woy Woy. 

The formula is “make sure there’s something ‘amazing’ in every bite,” says ‘chief toastie artist’ and co-owner Erica Ward. 

Erica, together with partner Anton, replaced their former hole-in-the-wall cafe on Trafalgar Avenue with a significantly larger space on Chambers Lane in downtown Woy Woy, where there’s ample room for people to dine in. 

The lively, new high-ceilinged space, transformed by Erica, brings a playful vibe and a new mantra – get toasted.

Anton is a familiar face to many (ex Link & Pin Cafe and Link & Pin Express in the Woy Woy station overpass). So too is his partner Erica. Together they are busily warming up new customers in Woy Woy with a wide range of toasties, Mecca coffee, and more. 

The ”and more” at The Cnr Woy Woy? It’s part pies (by The Fat Goose Killcare – they do the pies and The Cnr cooks the meat), part sweet treats (like lemon meringue tarts, glazed cinnamon scrolls, custard donut balls), part merchandise, and condiments.

Lovers of hot, potent coffee are regularly spotted propped up on plump pillows against the whitewashed side wall, sipping on Mecca. 

Other customers browse condiments on the rear wall’s shelves – it’s hard not to pick up some McClure’s Pickles once you’ve tasted them on the Cubano and Big Tex, or some Drunken Sailor relishes and mustards and SSB Chilli Sauces. 

The couple will be adding their own sauces, and Smack Salt Rubs soon. You can even grab a t-shirt emblazoned with the cheeky get toasted slogan.

The Cnr Woy Woy is going great guns. Plenty of customers who made a beeline for the business in its original spot have wandered down to its new space on Chambers Lane.

The Moonraker blend of coffee is proving to be a popular cup.

“The compliments we receive daily reflect our passion for this amazing blend that kicks but also caresses your senses,” Anton said.

When it comes to The Cnr’s toasties, “every mouthful of toastie needs to be awesome. Awesome means ensuring the smoked brisket on your Big Tex is sliced evenly across the toastie, the smoky tomato relish is evenly spread, and the burger cheese melts through just so.”

The moreish meat between the solid slices of freshly baked sourdough is the work of Anton’s deft hands. He brings to The Cnr what we’d describe as an ‘American Style Barbecue Pitmaster’. 

Anton gained his smoked meat ‘smarts’ with slow-smoked meat establishments VIC’s Meats Smokehouse, Bovine & Swine Barbecue Co. in Newtown, and casual barbecue joint, Hughes Barbecue in Waterloo.

At B&S back in Newtown, smoking the brisket, pork, lamb, and chicken, low and slow Texas-style for the day’s service began at 3am, standing over the offset smoker, making sure meats were cooked to perfection, utilising rubs of predominantly salt and pepper, and smoked over ironbark.

Several ‘stars’ from Anton’s B&S days have made it onto the mouthwatering menu at The Cnr Woy Woy including the house-smoked pulled pork and Angus brisket.

Anton’s house-smoked pulled pork features on the Cubano Roll, a Tampa-style Cuban sandwich with Hungarian salami, American mustard, kewpie mayo, McClure’s Pickles, and Swiss cheese on a long Italian rustic roll. 

The house-smoked Angus brisket is found on the Big Tex, as is McClure’s Pickles, smoky tomato relish, and cheddar cheese on sourdough. 

The Vegan Surprise features vegan cheddar, roast capsicum, sundried tomato vegan pesto, and rocket on sourdough. Another star on the 13-strong toastie menu is bacon, cheese, and BBQ.

“Which we had a lot of fun with… it took us two years to get the bacon, egg, and cheese toastie on the menu. The egg has to be just right when you warm it. When you cut it, it still has to have that perfect creaminess to it,” Erica said.

Devising the toastie menu involved a whole lot of trial and error – and of course, fun. 

“We had a lot of laughs thinking up our toasties, with our kids Ethan and Frankie.

“Our son Ethan, a big foodie himself, educated us about the egg, bacon, and cheese being a New York-style sandwich.” 

There’s an unmissable comfortable languor at The Cnr. It’s hard to pinpoint why. It could be in part due to the sunlight streaming steadily into the high-ceilinged space and onto the eatery’s chalk white communal bench that runs nearly the length of the room and encourages diners to partake in relaxed chats. 

Outside, tradies step out of their utes in search of a chunky Cubano. Office workers spill into the eatery in steady waves. Mums and bubs in prams roll in, too, as do occasional tourists and shoppers from the Gnostic precinct. 

With an as-yet-untouched bar area adjacent to the main counter, it’s clear that even bigger surprises await from Erica and Anton. 

Diners can look forward to all kinds of special events – there’s a Flambadou night in the offing (“…for the uninitiated, it's food with flames, sizzles, drama and bucket loads of flavour!”) as well as something they like to call ‘Things on Sticks’ – referring to skewers over charcoal. 

They’re prepping for a bigger seasonal menu with bagels, soups, and specials too.