Philly’s Best Breakfast Sandwiches

Whether you prefer a sandwich made from a historic deli or a more inventive take from a cafe with a top restaurateur at the helm, you’re sure to find a spot here that caters to our eclectic crowd of breakfast lovers.

Bean2Bean Coffee

Bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches are a dime a dozen when it comes to breakfast bites. Still, Bean 2 Bean Coffee has managed to change the game with its Billy Penn B.E.C. Made with three eggs, Cooper sharp cheese, applewood smoked bacon, topped with chile morita, and served on a brioche roll, you can snag it for a steal on Tuesdays for just $5.99.

Gryphon Cafe

With three locations across the greater Philadelphia area, Gryphon Café offers an assortment of breakfast sandwiches that will impress. A favorite among regulars is The Oxford — an egg, prosciutto, and cheese sandwich made with your choice of bread (though getting it on a Philly muffin is highly recommended).

Liberty Kitchen

Hearty and fulfilling deli sandwiches and salads are Liberty Kitchen’s bread and butter, and when it comes to breakfast, they don’t disappoint. The Schwarmbomb sandwich here is one of the best ways to start your morning off on the right foot, made with scrambled eggs, pork roll, cheese curds, and their special Turner sauce (a blend of Dijon mustard, aji dulce, and Longshot mayo) served on a poppy seed kaiser.

La Colombe

This Philly powerhouse brand just celebrated ten years at their Fishtown location with the revival of their hot kitchen menu. Among this highly anticipated menu of new and returning items is a fan favorite that has never left — their bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich.

Gilda

Pasteis de natas may be the main attraction at this Portuguese café and market in Fishtown, but its small collection of breakfast sandwiches is more than worth a trip. The Antonio, for example, is packed with eggs, cheese, and linguiça sausage.

Rybread

While a simple bagel with cream cheese may not seem like a breakfast sandwich, Rybread has flipped this idea on its head by adding Nova lox, lettuce, tomato, and red onion, making for a fulfilling start to any morning.

Darnel’s Cakes

The breakfast sandwich at Darnel’s Cakes is all the rave in Northern Liberties and beyond with its flaky buttery biscuit, savory eggs and bacon — and inclusion of a creamy 3-cheese blend (gruyere, cheddar, and parmesan) that masterfully enhances the flavor profile on this exceptional dish.

Hershel’s East Side Deli

Slinging pastrami on rye is one of this Hershel’s East Side Del’s (located in the Reading Terminal Market) spot’s claims to fame, so it’s no surprise that its breakfast take on this classic is a crowd-pleaser.

Honeysuckle Provisions

Breakfast sandwiches at Honeysuckle Provisions should be a case study on how to excel at creating a dish that’s marvelously versatile for both vegans and meat-eaters. Whether one chooses to enjoy one of their savory options with their maple sage sausage, “BlackEyedPea” scrapple, or a plant-based version that’s made of locally-sourced ingredients — nourishment is an understatement.

K’Far

When you have the dynamic duo of Steve Cook and Michael Solomonov at the helm, you know the menu is nothing short of superb, and breakfast at K’Far is proof. The menu is filled with dishes and pastries made in the Israeli tradition, including their Jerusalem bagels. Here, this pressed long bagel, sprinkled with sesame seeds, can be prepared in a variety of ways, like as a grilled cheese sandwich with feta and mozzarella cheese, loaded with smoked salmon and scallion cream cheese, or go vegan with avocado, pickled red onions, and capers.

High Street

High Street’s bakery is legendary and so are the various breakfast sandwiches the invent along the way. Such as their latest rendition of the “Hickory Town” that’s prepared with the fluffiest eggs with sharp cheddar, gherkin mayo, sweet Lancaster bologna, and fried onions — an unforgettable mix of familiar, comforting, and dynamic ingredients.

Rowhome Coffee

The breakfast menu at this eclectic coffee house (with locations in Kensington and Rittenhouse Square) includes a vegan breakfast sandwich that’s out of this world. The vegan sausage, egg, and cheese features Just Egg, Cooper sharp cheese, and Before the Butcher sausage, and can be made on your choice of a pretzel or kaiser roll.

Middle Child

Middle Child is known for its exceptional sandwiches, and its breakfast offerings don’t disappoint. Its corned beef, egg, and cheese sandwich (made on rye bread with fluffy eggs, American cheese, and their special corned beef) earned them national praise when it won Good Morning America’s “Best Breakfast in America.”

Paffuto

Already emerging sandwich wizards in their own right, Paffuto takes breakfast on a kaiser roll to the next level with the tastiest ensemble of scrambled eggs, cooper sharp, and fried mortadella.

Cafe Lift

Cheesesteaks are at the top of most Philly food bucket lists and at Cafe Lift they’ve conjured up a morning rendition of this iconic dish with its egg cheesesteak featuring fried eggs, succulent shaved ribeye, caramelized onions, and American cheese sandwiched between a pretzel roll (another Philly favorite).