The 10 Best Breakfast Sandwiches in NYC

Any bodega or food cart is capable of frying an egg, topping it with a few slices of Oscar Meyer bacon, and putting a slice of processed cheese on a roll. But there's a new breakfast sandwich on the block, and it's not wrapped in tinfoil.

Elevated versions of your early morning standby have been cropping up throughout the five boroughs. And, unlike other simple favorites turned gourmet with upscale ingredients, the breakfast sandwich has been taken up a significant notch, yet still remains affordable.

Upgrade your rise-and-shine foodstuffs with the 10 Best Breakfast Sandwiches in NYC.

Written by Shanté Cosme (@ShanteCosme)
Photography by Liz Barclay (@LizBarclay)

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Where: Jacob's Pickles
Neighborhood: Upper West Side
Address: 509 Amsterdam Ave.
Website: jacobspickles.com
Breakfast Hours: Monday-Friday,11 a.m. to 4 p.m; Satuday-Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost: $10

Any Southerner worth their salt will tell you that all the biscuits back home are square. Points for authenticity aside, Jacob's take on breakfast scores high marks thanks to a perfectly poached organic egg, a generous heap of Grain Miller organic grits, and a robust homemade sausage patty. This is a breakfast worth waking up for.

Where: Dominique Ansel Bakery
Neighborhood: SoHo
Address: 189 Spring St.
Website: dominiqueansel.com
Breakfast Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to noon; Satuday- Sunday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Cost: $5

"Perfect" seems like a weighty adjective to ascribe to a breakfast sandwich, but Dominique Ansel's two-bite-sized breakfast lives up to its tall claims. A compact brioche roll sets the stage for the creamiest chive and shallot steamed eggs, and a dollop of Gruyére. But perhaps the greatest testament to its perfection is that it sells out daily. Get there early if you want in.

Where: Peels
Neighborhood: East Village
Address: 325 Bowery
Website: peelsnyc.com
Breakfast Hours: 7:30 to 11 a.m.
Cost: $6

A buttery biscuit demands respect. We know this, and clearly, so does Peels. Their flaky, Southern-style biscuit serves as conduit for a serious sandwich, allowing diners to choose their own breakfast adventure. We opted for soft scrambled eggs, Swiss cheese and sliced avocado, and were beyond pleased with the results. We're hardly architects—all the cred goes to that killer biscuit.

Where: Maialino
Neighborhood: Gramercy
Address: 2 Lexington Ave.
Website: maialinonyc.com
Breakfast Hours: Monday-Friday, 7:30 to 10 a.m.; Saturday-Sunday 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Cost: $13

If you scoff at English muffins (where's the rest of my bread?) you'll love Maialino's hearty take on breakfast. The porchetta sandwich features thinly cut, juicy pork and two immaculate sunnyside-up eggs perched on top of a crisped ciabatta roll, with a few greens for contrast. It's everything you ever wanted; Nooks and crannies, be damned.

Where: Marlow & Sons
Neighborhood: Williamsburg
Address: 81 Broadway, Brooklyn
Website: marlowandsons.com
Breakfast Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to noon; Satuday-Sunday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost: $6.50

Simplicity is a virtue, particularly when it comes to the first meal of the day. Marlow does spare superbly with a pillow-soft, slightly dense biscuit topped with a fluffy pile of scrambled eggs mixed with cheese. Nothing is missing, and nothing is wasted: not a single crumb.

Where: Sips 'n Bites
Neighborhood: Williamsburg
Address: 178 N 10th St., Brooklyn
Website: sipsandbitesnyc.com
Breakfast Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Cost: $7.50

The croissant is well-served here with Balthazar's famously fine version, so buttery and crisp, that it practically shatters in your mouth. It's the ideal envelope to send a layer of whipped organic eggs and thick-cut bacon from Pino's Prime Meats straight to your face. It's wonderfully portable and compact, but you'll want to sit and savor each bite, trust.

Where: Cannibal
Neighborhood: Flatiron
Address: 113 E. 29th St.
Website: cannibalnyc.com//
Breakfast Hours: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost: $12

It's all about the gravy, baby. Sure, this colossal biscuit is wonderful, but the fact that Cannibal can confidently roll it out sans eggs or any other accouterments and call it brunch is a testament to its excellent gravy. Rich and creamy, this sausage gravy is savory enough to stand alone.

Where: Wichcraft
Neighborhood: Varies
Address: Find a location here
Website: wichcraftnyc.com
Breakfast Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Cost: $7.12

Custom-cured bacon from Ozark Mountain Pork Co-operative is the star of this fried egg sandwich. The crisp, salty pork is topped with enough gorgonzola to give it a slightly funky bite, while frisée serves as a vinegary zip, and it's all between a springy ciabatta roll. And, with over a dozen branches sprinkled around Manhattan, your elevated egg sandwich is just a few blocks away.

Where: Clinton St. Baking Company
Neighborhood: Lower East Side
Address: 4 Clinton St.
Website: clintonstreetbaking.com
Breakfast Hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost: $9

If you hand a biscuit to the breakfast gods at Clinton St., they unsurprisingly do no wrong. In fact, all is right with this dense buttermilk biscuit. Smeared with homemade savory-sweet tomato jam, and topped with cage-free scrambled eggs and a dollop of Bobolink Dairy cheddar, it's unlikely you'll find the room for the charred hashbrowns its served with. But, it's sure as hell worth a try.

Where: Donna Bell's Bakery
Neighborhood: Hell's Kitchen
Address: 301 W 49th St.
Website: donnabellsbakeshop.com
Breakfast Hours: 7 to 11 a.m.
Cost: $5

If you need motivation to pull yourself out of bed at dawn, look no further than this deeply delicious, cakey biscuit. This tiny bakery churns out phenomenal New Orleans-inspired desserts, but those in the know get there early for this nubby biscuit, piled with scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, and a thick-cut slab of ham. It's hard to imagine a better breakfast foodstuff.