My toddler held on to a toy excavator the size of his torso as I carried him into the bar. But soon after we walked into Animal Boy, a new punk rock sandwich shop on Harford Road, we realized he didn’t need to bring his own entertainment.

The eatery in the former Cafe Campli space features a small children’s corner with a toy box and enough knickknacks to keep a small kid entertained while their hungry parents scarf down a meal.

Animal Boy owners Chris and Kate Tsonos, parents to a 2-year-old son named Georgie, say that’s by design. The restaurant decor is a lot like their home: bright walls, punk rock posters and children’s toys.

The restaurant feels like a place where anyone is welcome. They’re open on Mondays, somewhat of a rarity in the restaurant industry, which has made the spot popular with local hospitality workers. Diners who prefer to come at a time when you’re less likely to encounter excavator-obsessed children can stop by at 8 p.m. for “unhappy hour” and enjoy discounts on drinks and food. Even the restroom seems to hit varying interests: An iconic photo of Ozzy Osbourne on the loo is across from a full-size changing table. Who says you can’t have it all?

Animal Boy, which opened just over a month ago, is the fulfillment of a yearslong dream for Chris, who previously led the kitchen at The Royal Blue in Station North and worked at Golden West and Parts & Labor before that. He often told his wife he longed to open a sandwich shop.

“I was like, ‘Just a sandwich shop?’” Kate recalled asking. Chris’ response was always the same, she said: “I just want to make sandwiches. They’re the perfect vessel.”

At Animal Boy, sandwiches are a tool for exploration, always featuring a dose of the unexpected. Instead of a traditional shrimp salad option, pick up the behemoth UK Sub featuring half a pound of poached shrimp with a spicy pimento cheese spread and finely chopped pickles. At $18, it could win the award for biggest sandwich in Hamilton-Lauraville. Or go for the South Philly pork sandwich, a nod to Chris’ former hometown, which includes roast pork, chopped spinach and peach pepper jam.

There are multiple vegan-friendly options including the Satans Cheesesteak, which features seitan in place of beef. As at The Royal Blue, salads are not to be missed — particularly the Such Fun, the platonic ideal of a fall salad, complete with kale, sunflower seeds and beet puree.

The kids menu is a parent’s dream with $5 buttered fusilli and $10 grilled cheese sandwiches, along with sides of fruits and veggies chopped so perfectly that even my fussy eater couldn’t resist snacking on them. For dessert, pick up a $5 Animal Boy Blondie topped with a decadent layer of cheesecake, fudge frosting and sprinkles. It’s made by Bluebird Bakery, which also prepares the restaurant’s bread fresh daily, along with the croissants for its chicken salad sandwiches. (Bluebird doesn’t don’t make the restaurant’s hoagie rolls, which come directly from Amoroso’s Bakery in Philly, a beloved fixture among cheesesteak geeks.)

Service follows a fast-casual model: Customers order from a counter, staff bring plates to the table and there’s a bin for used dishes when you’re finished.

I roll my eyes when restaurants talk about elevating casual fare. It can feel like a trick, like sprinkling truffle oil on French fries as an excuse to double the price. But when Chris talks about elevating comfort food, he means it. “It’s attention to detail,” he said. “I make the food for people the way I want it to be served to myself.”

Soon after we walked in, my son lost interest in the toy he’d brought with him, opting instead to pick up a pint-size red lawn chair from against the wall and place it before the restaurant’s free jukebox so he could examine its offerings. I typed in the code to request — what else — “Animal Boy” by the Ramones. Over a frantic punk rock track, Joey Ramone sang what could be my child’s anthem: “Don’t tell me what to do.”

Watching my son thrash about reminded me of seeing someone in a mosh pit at a punk show with movements wild and unpredictable. Toddlers are like this all the time, and it can make dining out with them — or going almost anywhere — a stressful experience. Not at Animal Boy. Neither the staff nor the handful of patrons at the bar seemed bothered by his antics.

Chris knows customers might not be used to thinking of a punk rock spot as a kid-friendly space. But, he said, “Punk is family. Punk is community. Punk is children and upbringing and showing them the world and everything.

“We’re all supposed to be a part of it.”