Start Strong with the Best Breakfast Sandwiches in Boston

By Eric Twardzik
08/24/2021
Cafe Beatrice

Whether you need a hangover helper or just a handheld breakfast to fuel a busy morning, these stacked sandwiches are sure to satiate.

Between its top-notch espresso drinks and delectable breakfasts, 3 Little Figs in Somerville is a solid place to spend the morning. When we’re craving something heartier from this cafe than a fresh-baked scone or muffin, we keep drifting back to the Pepper Biscuit breakfast sandwich. For something a little different, it’s the Egg & Feta, which features a cloudlike brioche roll nestled with scrambled eggs, feta, arugula, and tomato and optional bacon or prosciutto.

If “breakfast sandwich” calls to mind a fluffy bagel stacked with smoked fish and cream cheese, visit Mamaleh’s Delicatessen in Cambridge or Brookline. We love the House-Smoked Sable with scallion cream cheese, cucumbers, radish, and mixed greens on a sesame bagel. The nostalgic Jewish deli does egg sandwiches too, of course: Try the beefy Salami, Egg, and Cheese, a mustard-laced concoction which forever persuades skeptics that breakfast sandwiches don’t need pork to be great.

Master of Mediterranean chef Ana Sortun’s Cambridge bakery tees up a Turkish twist on the morning favorite by delicately stacking egg, halloumi cheese, and bacon (well worth the 50-cent supplement) between house-made brioche buns slathered with feta butter. Sofra Bakery & Cafe is infamous for weekend brunch lines, and doesn’t have this Egg Sandwich on its online ordering menu, but know that you can snag this sandwich in-store every day.

Vinal Bakery

Vinal Bakery

Somerville’s Vinal Bakery is built on house-made English muffins, so pretty much any order takes some form of breakfast sandwich. But those seeking an egg-and-cheese need to look no further than the American Classic, elevated with salted butter. There’s also the assertive G.O.A.T., which uses goat cheese butter, spicy pesto, and arugula; and other eggy combinations. Choose your vehicle, from classic English muffin or multigrain to oat sesame, anadama, and seasonal specialties. We’re talking up the English muffins for good reason, but a flaky buttermilk biscuit from Vinal is also a worthy breakfast sandwich base.

Breakfast grilled crack from Mike & Patty's

The Hobbits were onto something with second breakfast, because sometimes we just can’t pick one. That’s certainly the case at Mike & Patty’s, which has locations in Bay Village, Bow Market, and more in the works. On their menu, it’s a toss-up between The Fancy, an egg-bacon masterpiece on multigrain with cheddar cheese, avocado, red onion, and house mayo; or the Breakfast Grilled Crack, which decadently griddles buttered sourdough and three types of cheese to match with eggs and double bacon. Attention, late risers: Mike & Patty’s serves the full range of breakfast sandwiches through lunch hours, too.

The era of online ordering is doing well by Bagelsaurus, a beloved Porter Square bagel bakery that previously had a reputation for long morning lines. Now you can even pre-order to fulfill your weekend dreams of bagels ranging from classic flavors to favorites like Black Olive and Pretzel. For breakfast sandwiches, nothing compares to the Eggspañola, which spreads pimenton aioli, parsley gremolata, and local feta cheese atop a jumbo over-medium egg. We suggest adding avocado, and keeping the bagel choice simple with Salt.

Cafe Beatrice

Cafe Beatrice sandwich

This Cambridge Crossing newcomer couldn’t have come at a better time: We never knew we needed something called an Italian Grinder Danish until the mundane days of 2020. (That’s a sesame-seeded, croissant-like biscuit layered with mortadella, capicola, salami, provolone, mustard, mayo, and hots, by the way.) Cafe Beatrice also deals in egg sandwiches, offering an array of flavors like Sausage and Muenster or Pastrami, Swiss, and 1000 Island. With acclaimed pastry chef Brian Mercury in command of the oven, the house-baked brioche roll is our go-to bread choice.

Trina's Starlite Lounge

Trina's Starlite one of the Best Brunch Places in Boston serving Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits around Boston

Monday brunch mainstay Trina’s Starlite Lounge is known for hangover-busting fare like Fried Chicken & Buttermilk Waffles and Trina’s Biscuits & Gravy, but don’t overlook the Good Ol’ Breakfast Sandy. Between one of those buttery homemade biscuits, it sandwiches two runny eggs, melty cheddar, and either bacon, sausage, or spicy tomato sauce—we love the vegetarian-inclusive lineup. That said, you also can’t go wrong with the Brunch Burger from these Somerville grill specialists, which tops the signature double patty with eggs and bacon.

 

Jacqueline Cain updated this guide and Molly McDonough contributed reporting.

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