The Best Breakfast Sandwiches In NYC - New York - The Infatuation (2024)

Every breakfast sandwich in the city falls into one of two categories. The first is a tinfoil-wrapped roll slick with american cheese residue, famously available any time of day or night in a place possibly called Spring Deli Gourmet LLC. We call these sandwiches “utility BECs,” and it’s your job as a New York person to find the closest, most satisfying version near you.

The second category is what we’re here to discuss today: the destination breakfast sandwich. These are the breakfast sandwiches we venture out for, the ones that may create intimacy issues between you and your regular old bodega BEC. When a “utility BEC” won't suffice, use this guide to find one of the best breakfast sandwiches in NYC.

THE SPOTS

photo credit: Teddy Wolff

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9.4

Thai Diner

Thai

Nolita

$$$$

Perfect For:

BirthdaysBrunchDate NightsImpressing Out of TownersLunch

Thai Diner Egg Sandwich

Now is a good time to revise the statement that a great breakfast sandwich requires bread, since Thai Diner’s excellent version comes on a buttery roti. The roti keeps all of the sandwich elements tightly compact, so that every bite includes the same consistent layers and flavors. From top to bottom, you’ll taste herbaceous sai oua sausage, a mash of mayo and scallions, a soft, folded egg crepe covered in oozing american cheese, and a couple slivers of fresh Thai basil, all pressed tightly between that double-layered, flaky roti. Eat it at their Nolita restaurant or take it to Elizabeth Street Garden for some privacy.

photo credit: Teddy Wolff

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8.9

Golden Diner

Diner

Chinatown

$$$$Perfect For:BreakfastCasual DinnersCheap EatsDining SoloKids

Chinatown Egg & Cheese Sando

If you don’t yet believe in the miracle of hashbrowns in your breakfast sandwich, try Golden Diner’s “Chinatown Egg & Cheese Sando.” This excellent BEC comes on a cushiony sesame scallion milk bun from a local Chinatown bakery, and includes at least half a carton of eggs scrambled, then layered with american cheese—and a big crunchy hashbrown to top it all off. The hashbrown is key: it’s almost an inch thick and the crispy texture contrasts perfectly with the soft bun and eggs.

photo credit: Kate Previte

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8.5

Cafe Mado

American

Prospect Heights

$$$$Perfect For:BreakfastLunchDrinking Great Wine

Sausage Egg & Cheese

The morning-only breakfast sandwich at this Prospect Heights all-day cafe is not to be missed. Like many great sandwiches, the sausage egg and cheese here is a triumphant play on textures: a soft potato bun studded with nigella seeds; a melty layer of cheese; a dense, chorizo-esque sausage patty; and an expertly fried egg with a molten center and lacy edges. Say yes to the side of harissa, and if you can't eat it right away, don't worry—it'll taste even better 30 minutes later when you arrive at work.

The Breakfast Sandwich

At this fashionable, farmers market-style cafe in Tribeca, you can get a perfect bunch of carrots and a breakfast sandwich that may or may not have made a cameo in our diaries, surrounded by little hearts. It consists of a thick square of silky, herbed frittata, cut to fit perfectly between two slices of toasted pan de mie. The gooey white cheddar cheese and a sweet-and-savory tomato jam take this from “pretty great” to “worth being late for your 10am.” Savor it at one of the little tables outside.

photo credit: Neha Talreja

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7.9

Between The Bagel

Bagels

Astoria

$$$$Perfect For:BreakfastLunchUnique Dining Experiences

Seoul Meets Bagel Sandwich

Astoria’s best hangover cure comes in the form of the SMB, aka the Seoul Meets Bagel breakfast sandwich at Between the Bagel. Weekends are quite the scene at this Korean-ish cafe, when people file in for this glorious bagel filled with steaming bulgogi, airy eggs, cheese, kimchi, spicy gochujang mayo, and—crucially—the option to add a crackly hashbrown to balance out all the gooey textures. It’s a sweet and spicy mess that’ll revive you after a long night when a regular BEC just won’t cut it. They only take cash or Venmo.

photo credit: Kate Previte

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7.8

Winner on Franklin

Wine Bar

Crown Heights

$$$$Perfect For:Breakfast

The Breakfast Sandwich

Did you think you were the only one putting chili crisp on everything that goes into your mouth? If their breakfast sandwich is any indication, Winner on Franklin in Crown Heights apparently has the same condiment habits as the rest of us. It’s a steamed, custard-like egg on a brioche, topped with cheddar and a homemade chili crisp that’s more of a savory umami agent than straight-up spicy. You can add chinese sausage or bacon for $5 extra. Go for it.

photo credit: Britt Lam

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8.0

Cafe Nube

Coffee

Sunset Park

$$$$Perfect For:Doing WorkBreakfast

Egg-N-Cheese Biscuit Sandwich

As us Northeastern folk know too well, a good biscuit is hard to find. Surprisingly, one of the best we’ve had is at this Mexican-Chinese fusion cafe in Sunset Park. Their breakfast sandwich comes on a fluffy buttermilk biscuit with more layers than a Black Mirror episode, and it's filled with a folded omelet, cheddar, and an optional chorizo patty. Get the chorizo. It’s a combination we don’t see often, and it adds a nice kick to the whole thing. You can also add guacamole for $1 to balance out the protein.

photo credit: Carlo Mantuano

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7.6

Dominican Cravings

Dominican

Lower East Side

$$$$Perfect For:BreakfastLunchSerious Takeout Operation

Patacon Tres Golpes

Like Thai Diner, Dominican Cravings in Essex Market proves that a great breakfast sandwich does not need bread to be great. Especially when you sub in giant disks of salty tostones that are perfectly fried and incapable of getting soggy. That’s only one component of the Tres Golpes Patacon. Between the plantains, you’ll find fried salami, fried cheese, a runny sunny side-up egg, and a slathering of mayonnaise-y pink sauce that cuts through all the salty, rich elements. This sandwich has single-handedly increased our morning consumption of tostones, and also confirms that everything is better with fried salami.

photo credit: Che

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Che

Bakery/Cafe

Bedford-Stuyvesant

$$$$Perfect For:

Breakfast Sandwich

A morning spent with the breakfast sandwich at Che will leave you with one overwhelming question: Why don’t more things have pimento cheese on them? Of course, the towering sandwich here is not all about the pimento cheese—it’s also got a pile of soft scrambled eggs, and paper-thin slivers of pickled green tomato, stacked on a heavily toasted brioche bun that’s slick with paprika mayo. It’s tangy, rich, and just a little bit spicy, and best eaten at the counter with a friend on a slow Saturday morning in Bed-Stuy.

photo credit: Daniel Brennan

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Tompkins Square Bagels

Bagels

East Village

$$$$Perfect For:BreakfastQuick EatsSerious Takeout Operation

Bacon, Egg, & Cheese On An Everything Bagel

Bagel breakfast sandwiches usually let you down, often by way of excessive slippage and overpowering doughy bites without much egg. So it’s all the more impressive that Tompkins Square Bagels in the East Village constructs the perfect BEC on an everything bagel using nothing but the sheer power of american cheese glue. The thick layer of egg and cheese is about the same width as the bagel slices themselves, meaning you’ll taste every element of the sandwich. Fresh bagels normally shouldn’t be toasted, but in this case, the toasted bagel makes the bread hold up better against the delicious mess of well-scrambled eggs and crispy bacon.

photo credit: Daniel Brennan

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Golda Kitchen

American

Bedford-Stuyvesant

$$$$Perfect For:BreakfastBrunch

Signature Egg Sandwich

Even though this tiny cafe right near the Franklin Avenue C train station in Bed-Stuy serves an all-around exciting Middle Eastern menu for brunch, we always get the same thing. Their signature breakfast sandwich is stacked tall on an onion and poppy seed challah bun, with melted kashkaval cheese, bright sumac onions, a heap of scrambled eggs, and nutty muhammara that kind of acts like a meat substitute. It’s delicious without anything added, but you should throw in some avocado for creaminess, too.

Bakery/Cafe

East Village

$$$$Perfect For:BreakfastLunchQuick Eats

Sausage Egg & Cheese Sandwich

The merguez, egg, and cheese from C&B might be the hardest-to-eat sandwich on this list. The combination of slightly runny scrambled eggs, melty cheese, and dripping sausage create a juicy, spicy mess that will deplete your napkin stockpile. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. The kaiser-like roll on this sandwich ultimately holds up. Our recommendation is to grab this sandwich early, since C&B is perpetually packed on the weekend, and enjoy it in Tompkins Square Park while watching squirrels search for their own breakfast.

photo credit: Noah Devereaux

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Frankel's Delicatessen

American

Greenpoint

$$$$Perfect For:BreakfastDining SoloLunch

Pastrami, Egg, & Cheese

Why must we settle for just bacon, sausage, or ham for the choice of meat in our breakfast sandwiches? Why not throw in hunks of shredded pastrami that taste like they’ve been smoking since before you were born? That’s exactly what they do at this Jewish deli in Greenpoint. Frankels’ excellent pastrami joins three eggs and american cheese on a bagel or a challah roll—which we prefer. The buttery bread is the perfect vessel for the combination of smokey meat, and eggs and cheese that melt together, forming one unit. It’s the kind of teamwork that Knicks fans haven’t seen since the days of Willis Reed and Red Holzman.

photo credit: Noah Devereaux

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7.8

Sunday in Brooklyn

American

Williamsburg

$$$$Perfect For:BrunchDate NightsPeople Watching

Egg & Cheese Sandwich

Sunday in Brooklyn is a Williamsburg brunch spot that feels like it should have a bottomless option for the influencer crowd that visits on weekends. But we’re here to talk about great sandwiches, and that’s exactly how we’d classify their egg and cheese. Add the syrup-infused sausage patty and you’ve essentially created a breakfast burger, except with sausage instead of beef. It’s topped with gochujang aioli and fried potatoes, on a fluffy seeded bun.

photo credit: Daniel Brennan

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Southside Coffee

American

Park Slope

$$$$Perfect For:BreakfastBrunchLunch

New School

Have you been let down by overcooked eggs, partially melted cheese, and un-sauced bread on a breakfast sandwich? That will never be the case at Southside Coffee, a tiny coffee shop in South Slope where people line up for sandwiches, cinnamon buns, pie, and Counter Culture coffee. Your first order of business should be a “New School.” The soft and buttery scrambled eggs, bacon, and miso-tahini kale on a crusty seeded hero will undo any malaise caused by a subpar bodega BEC. This sandwich is a pleasant reminder that crunch, spice, and greens don’t have to be reserved for lunch or dinner.

The Best Breakfast Sandwiches In NYC - New York - The Infatuation (2024)

FAQs

What is the most popular sandwich in New York? ›

Pastrami on rye is New York's signature sandwich and a staple of many Jewish delis. This simple sandwich traditionally consists of delicate pastrami slices that are placed on rye bread, then topped with spicy mustard, and the whole thing is typically accompanied by kosher dill pickles on the side.

What do New Yorkers call a breakfast sandwich? ›

New Yorkers refer to this sandwich as the BEC—short for Bacon, Egg, and Cheese. Sandwiched inside a bagel, this hearty breakfast is ideal for mornings on the go.

What is Harley Quinn's favorite breakfast sandwich? ›

Place two slices of American cheese on top and until it's slightly melted. Stack the sandwich in this order: bread, two strips of bacon, eggs, cheese and bread. Wrap the sandwich in a yellow grease paper, cut it in half then wrap it with the foil wrapper. Serve warm.

What is a bec in NYC? ›

“My BEC order is, 'Lemme get a bacon, egg, and cheese on a roll toasted with salt, pepper, and hot sauce.” Throughout my interviews it became very clear that people of all different kinds order BEC and it can bring a community together.

What is the official sandwich of New York? ›

1) New York's Signature Sandwich

Pastrami on rye is a staple among New York's famous Jewish delicatessens.

What is a traditional New York breakfast? ›

Whether smeared with classic cream cheese, topped with lox and capers, or packed with a hearty combination of eggs, bacon, and cheese, bagels are a morning ritual for many New Yorkers. Bodegas (aka small corner stores scattered across the city) play a crucial role in the New York breakfast experience.

What is a bacon, egg, and cheese called in New York? ›

A bacon, egg and cheese sandwich (B.E.C.) is a breakfast sandwich popular in the United States and Canada; it is particularly culturally significant in New York City, where it is typically served on a Bulkie roll.

Why do New Yorkers like bacon, egg, and cheese? ›

The exact origins of the New York Bacon, Egg, and Cheese (BEC) sandwich are a bit elusive, as it quietly became a breakfast staple in the city over the decades. Some suggest that it gained popularity in the mid-20th century, aligning with the rise of fast food and the on-the-go lifestyle of urban dwellers.

What is a Harlequin sandwich? ›

When Harley Quinn wakes up heavily hungover from a drunken night she heads over to the local bodega to order an egg sandwich from Sal. With ingredients that include bacon, eggs, cheese and “just a dash of out sauce,” this is how one makes Harley Quinn's version of the perfect egg sandwich.

What is in a breakfast king? ›

A WHOPPER® patty, crispy bacon, fluffy egg, American Cheese in a toasted brioche bun- breakfast doesn't get much better than this!

What is Harley Quinn's catchphrase? ›

Harley often starts her taunts with her usual cheerfulness before her true intention comes out with a beautiful turn of phrase. When someone made fun of her during a robbery, Harley Quinn answered with the classic “I'm rubber, you're glue” routine.

What do New Yorkers call a sandwich? ›

Hero (plural usually heros not heroes) remains the prevailing New York City term for most sandwiches on an oblong roll with a generally Italian flavor, in addition to the original described above. Pizzeria menus often include eggplant parmigiana, chicken parmigiana, and meatball heros, each served with sauce.

What is the bagel law in NYC? ›

Bagel Tax in New York

The reason lies in the letter of the law. Food that's exempt from taxes (like bagels) need to be "sold unheated and in the same form and condition, quantities, and packaging as is commonly used by retail food stores." Food that's prepared, however (like a sliced and topped bagel) is not exempt.

Do New Yorkers put ketchup on bagels? ›

A typical order might sound like, "Bacon, egg, and cheese on a roll," or specify the type of bagel, like "on an everything bagel." Salt, pepper, and ketchup are common additions, and a New Yorker might abbreviate this to "S.P.K." if they want all three.

What is a New Yorker sandwich? ›

750 cal. Corned beef, pastrami, Swiss and spicy brown mustard on marbled rye.

What is a classic New York Deli sandwich? ›

1 rye bloomer, or other bread of your choice. 1 tsp mustard. 2 slices Co-op pastrami beef. 2 thin slices Swiss cheese, or other hard cheese.

What is a NY hero sandwich? ›

Making a New York Style Italian Sub (aka hero or hoagie) doesn't have to be difficult. It's all about the ingredients: crispy, seedy Italian bread, layers upon layers of paper-thin capicola, salami, pepperoni and ham, vinegar-drenched shredded lettuce, fresh tomatoes, sliced onions, and cherry peppers.

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