Breakfast sandwiches are one of those dishes that every New Yorker has some kind of opinion on.
Luckily for us, beyond going to our corner bodega, the city has also has classic spots like Thai Diner and K’Far that have well-deserved followings, as well as more formal, special occasion-worthy options, like the PEC sandwich at French brasserie Le Crocodile, or the crispy egg and sambal dosa at abcV.
We’re not asking for anything crazy like suggesting you change or challenge your existing allegiances — but we do feel that these 16 spots make stand-out breakfast sandwiches worth adding into your morning rotation. And with egg prices skyrocketing, we’ll happily leave the cooking to the experts.
Thai Diner Nolita
Thai Diner egg sandwich
It’s hard to pinpoint which specific ingredient makes the small, but mighty, roti-wrapped egg sandwich at Thai Diner so special. Maybe it’s that the sai oua pork sausage and herbaceous Thai basil melt together thanks to a generous serving of American cheese; or perhaps it’s the tang of mayonnaise and scallions that coats every bite. Finishing one is not the neatest affair, but it’s worth the extra napkins. P.S. The vegetarian option (George’s egg sandwich) substitutes bok choy for sausage.
Daily Provisions Cobble Hill
Various sandwiches
Very little about New York City is predictable; one of those things, however, is that at any of Daily Provisions’ nine locations (and counting) across Manhattan and Brooklyn, you can find a reliably excellent breakfast sandwich. The fluffy, poppy seed-coated Portuguese roll is somehow better than a bagel, and the ideal combination of a fried egg, pork sausage (or bacon, if that’s your thing), and gooey American cheese offers comfort and stability even on the busiest of weekday mornings.
Walk-ins only.
Bar Primi Penn District Chelsea
Egg sandwich
Bar Primi’s oasis-like second location is a welcome respite from the chaos of the Penn District any time of the day, but if you find yourself there on the weekend during brunch service, you’ll get to try their take on the classic BEC. Thinly sliced mortadella and smoky scamorza, a super-melty Italian cheese take this sandwich to the next level, while fresh arugula adds a peppery note to each bite.
K'Far Brooklyn Williamsburg
Photo by Michael Persico, courtesy of K’Far
Egg and cheese Jerusalem bagel
You could eat a crispy yet chewy Jerusalem bagel from K’Far with nothing on it and still have a great morning. Even still, the Williamsburg outpost of Michael Solomonov’s Philadelphia hotspot upgrades this elite carb with a soft-scrambled egg, sharp cheddar, za’atar, and a healthy green dollop of schug (a Yemeni condiment made with cilantro, garlic, and serrano chiles). It’s one of the most flavorful breakfast sandwiches in the city, and big enough to keep you fueled well into the middle of your day.
Photo by Michael Persico, courtesy of K’Far
Winner on Franklin Crown Heights
Breakfast sandwich
For a breakfast sandwich with serious volume (no really, this thing has height, thanks to a meringue-like layer of egg and a fluffy brioche bun), head to Winner’s outpost on Franklin Avenue. The crunchy, only slightly spicy homemade chile crisp and Chinese sausage make this offering distinct (and dare we say it, more special) from Winner Bakery’s original breakfast sandwich, served in a cornmeal English muffin with white cheddar cheese.
Walk-ins only.
Le Crocodile Williamsburg
Photo courtesy of Le Crocodile
PEC: pancetta, egg, and cheese sandwich
Located inside the Wythe Hotel, Le Crocodile is one of our go-to spots for working breakfasts and breakfasts right before getting to work, due in no small part to the tidy yet satisfying PEC: pancetta, egg, and cheese sandwich. Served on a homemade, cornmeal-heavy English muffin, this simple take on the classic breakfast sandwich has a decadent edge thanks to a generous serving of crispy pancetta.
Photo courtesy of Le Crocodile
Golden Diner Chinatown/LES
Chinatown egg and cheese sando
It’s a good thing more sandwiches aren’t served with the scallion milk bun that Golden Diner uses for its take on the BEC because we’d have a hard time justifying the use of any other carb for the purpose. This fluffy, buttery bun houses a soft scrambled egg that melts into crispy hashbrowns and American cheese, meaning each bite is both crispy and gooey. You can add bacon or sausage for an extra-decadent experience, but just know that you’ll need a few extra napkins.
Win Son Bakery Williamsburg
Egg and cheese
It’s no exaggeration to say that the scallion pancake bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich from Win Son Bakery has a cult following in New York City. On any given weekend (and some weekday) mornings, you’ll find crowds of people littering the sidewalk outside this Williamsburg bakery (now with a new outpost in Manhattan’s East Village) to get their hands on this crispy, garlicky indulgence, as well as a mochi donut or two.
Walk-ins.
Good Thanks Williamsburg
Breakfast sandwich
Consider the all-day cafe, Good Thanks, further proof that Aussies know a thing or two about how to do breakfast. Whether at their Williamsburg location or Good Thanks Cafe in the Lower East Side, settle in for an expertly made flat white to enjoy alongside a breakfast sandwich that features the usual suspects (eggs, bacon) but stands out thanks to spicy, herbaceous dill aioli. Avocado is optional but necessary.
Vinegar Hill House Vinegar Hill
Willoughby and egg sandwich
Some breakfast sandwiches achieve greatness via choice of bun, while others seek it in fluffy, perfectly scrambled eggs. Vinegar Hill House’s offering is exceptional because of the generous serving of Willoughby cheese from Vermont’s iconic Jasper Hill Farm; this gooey, complex cow’s milk cheese is full of herbal, almost onion-like notes that feel right at home in an egg sandwich — especially one with crispy bacon, which you can add on.
Yellow Rose New York
Photo courtesy of Yellow Rose
Breakfast tacos
With an entire breakfast taco menu, Tex-Mex joint Yellow Rose is ideal for healing from the extra drink(s) you had on that big night out. You really can’t go wrong with any of their offerings — the house chorizo is perfectly balanced with just a little smoke and heat, and the fried potatoes are always crispy, both of which you can enjoy in egg taco form. We’re partial to the migas taco, which features fried corn chips, tomatoes, poblano peppers, and onions folded into pillowy scrambled eggs.
Photo courtesy of Yellow Rose
Agi's Counter Crown Heights
Pogacsa (housemade biscuit)
At breakfast tables all around the Balkans and Hungary, baskets of Pogácsa — a flaky, buttery biscuit topped with a golden egg yolk wash — are par for the course. At Agi’s Counter, the beloved regional biscuit gets the full American treatment, transforming into a sandwich complete with a layer of mayonnaise, a fried egg, and a topping of grated alpine cheddar.
Cafe Mado Prospect Heights
Mado’s sausage, egg, & cheese
The sweet potato milk bread from nearby Laurel Bakery makes the breakfast sandwich at Café Mado (the all-day café from the team behind Place des Fêtes and Oxalis) stand out from the stiff competition in Brooklyn, and that’s just the beginning. A bright and acidic yet slightly spicy green sauce coats both buns, and you can opt for fennel seed-seasoned sausage or a crispy, garlicky potato cake filling on top of the requisite fried egg and American cheese. If you’re feeling indecisive or hungry, you can go for both potato and sausage.
Kellogg's Diner Williamsburg
BQE (bacon, queso, and egg)
From banana pancakes to huevos rancheros, there’s no shortage of breakfast options at Williamsburg’s reimagined Kellogg’s Diner. Here, you can order the off-menu BQE (bacon, queso, and egg) sandwich on a potato roll 24 hours a day, which means breakfast for dinner (somehow) became a lot better.
Montague Diner Brooklyn Heights
Bacon, egg, and cheese
While many spots run the risk of cosplaying the nostalgic, iconic New York City diner, Montague Diner nails that cozy, unpretentious feeling. There’s a pleasantly busy hum of guest traffic at any hour of the day, a no-questions-asked unlimited coffee policy, and classic sandwiches that taste better than they need to. Case in point: the bacon, egg, and cheese is a classic comfort served on a squishy potato roll with two scrambled eggs, thick cut bacon, and gooey American cheese. Any bites that don’t make it into your mouth must be scooped up with the pickle spears served alongside it; those are the rules.
abcV by Jean-Georges Union Square
Dosa
We’re not sure how the thin, flaky dosa at abcV can support an entire breakfast’s worth of fillings, but we’re thrilled that it does. This vegetarian-friendly take on the classic sandwich features spicy and earthy turmeric sambal, a fried egg, cheddar cheese, and plenty of fresh dill and mint.
