Breakfast has always been the most dangerous meal of the day: Ignore a grumbling stomach too long and you'll have to contend with the viciousness of the hangries. That's why the breakfast sandwich is a true hero.
With a bready base, eggs, meat (if you're into that sort of thing) and cheese, it's a dish that easily can be made at home. But it's a luxury to have it cooked by someone willing to pile the ingredients high and wrap it like a gift in a square of foil before handing it off.
The recent opening of two notable egg-sandwich-centric spots — the Egg on a Roll bodega breakfast counter in the North Loop and the Good Egg food trailer in downtown Stillwater — made it hard not to return to the tried-and-true favorites. And there are many. Here is the shortlist (if you can believe it) of the egg sandwiches we love in the metro area.
Alma Cafe/Alma Provisions: Ham Jam
When Alma expanded to include a hotel and a cafe, we thought a breakfast sandwich menu might serve only that space. Then Alma Provisions came along, proving there's an expanding hunger for these creations. In the sweet-savory Ham Jam, a light egg mixture is housed inside a soft brioche bun with jam, caramelized onions and a mild Jack cheese. All wrapped up on foil, it holds well if one of these Alma stops happens to be on the way to the office.
$10; Alma Provisions, 812 W. 46th St., Mpls.; Alma Cafe, 528 University Av. SE., Mpls., almaprovisions.com
Big E: Her Name Was Yoshimi
The price of this sandwich caused quite a stir when Justin Sutherland's Big E's opened. But the truth behind the outrage is that it's worth it. Heaps of crab meat are dressed in an umami-rich miso aioli dotted with black sesame seeds and served with luxuriously textured egg along with pickled daikon radish all on a milk bun. It's the most opulent sandwich on this list, but a fun splurge when the bottom line is flush.
$18, 750 Grand Av., St. Paul, eatbige.com
The Buttered Tin: Damn Good Breakfast Sandwich
This is not the kind of sandwich you eat on the go. Yolks bright as sunshine pool on the plate when you assemble what's arrived as two open-faced sandwiches: one, a bacon, egg and white cheddar; the other: a summery tomato-and-mayo on toasted white bread. Put them together, and you get a day-starting BLT to sink your teeth into (and a richness-tempering side salad, too).
$14; 2445 NE. Marshall St., Mpls.; 237 E. 7th St., St. Paul, thebutteredtin.com
Café Cerés: Bacon Egg and Cheese Sandwich
This fluffy scrambled egg sandwich is all about the milk bun, made in house at pastry chef Shawn McKenzie's coffee shops, which recently expanded into hot food offerings. Wrapped in paper, the steam makes the beautiful bun even squishier, though it still holds up to fresh avocado, white American cheese, extra-crispy bacon and a swipe of mayo. Speaking of McKenzie, the falafel, egg and cheese sandwich at Cardamom (the Walker restaurant she runs with Daniel del Prado) is a work of breakfast art that's worth of the modern museum it's served inside.
$12; 3509 W. 44th St., Mpls.; 5401 Penn Av. S., Mpls.; 100 Washington Av. S., Mpls., cafeceresmpls.com. $15, 725 Vineland Place, Mpls., cardamommpls.com.
Churchill Street: Breakfast Sandwich
This Shoreview restaurant always reaches for the top shelf when it comes to ingredients, from smooth, roasted coffee to Baker's Field heritage grain bread. This breakfast sandwich is centered around eggs so sunny they'd be worth vacation time just to visit them in the dead of winter. Served with peppery arugula to contend with the richness, thick bacon and aioli spread on each side of the toasty sourdough, it's a testament to the finer things in life.
$14; 4606 Churchill St., Shoreview, churchillst.com
The Copperfield: Build-Your-Own Breakfast Sandwich
The base of this beauty is a far cry from the sleeves of English muffins you'll find in grocery stores. This fresh bread has all the nooks and crannies with a sourdough-like flavor and an exterior dusting that's the texture of superfine ocean beach sand. It's soft in the hand and a great house for the scrambled eggs that retain a little moisture and advised add-ons of a season-fresh tomato and a couple of slices of Fischer Farms bacon.
$12; 735 Maple St., Mendota Heights, thecopperfieldmn.com
Honey & Rye: Breakfast Sandwich
A savory scone, in this case a zingy cheddar-jalapeño, is the foundation for Honey & Rye's ready-to-go breakfast sandwiches. An omelet square stacked with a same-sized slice of cheddar and optional shaved ham (get it) are all that's inside these premade sandwiches. Order one to take home and heat until it's freshly gooey (about 10 minutes), or wait in line at the store to have it heated for you. Don't mind the wait; it's worth it.
$8-$9; 4501 Excelsior Blvd., St. Louis Park, honeyandrye.com
Hot Hands Pie & Biscuit: Breakfast biscuit with bacon
Hot Hands breakfast biscuit is an entire dish filled with countless perfect bites. The slow-build heat from the serrano mayonnaise balances the richness of the bacon and perfectly sized square of American cheese. The runny egg yolk is absorbed by all those craggy edges in the biscuit and every taste is worthy of an eye roll/groan of deliciousness.
$10.95; 272 S. Snelling Av., St. Paul, hothandspie.com
Marty's Deli
Marty's has built a fandom on its focaccia, and all the sandwiches at this Northeast deli are served on it. But this might be the best use for that gorgeous bread. The yeast-made pockets create little flavor houses for the soft cheese omelet, yet the bread is sturdy enough so nothing soaks through, and the dried herbs flirt with the pork sausage to create flavor alchemy. There are also hash brown rectangles ($2.50) that want to be invited to the party — but that's a personal choice.
$12; 400 Lowry Av. NE., Mpls., martysdeli.com
Relish: Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich
Backing up this bold claim is a humdinger of a breakfast sandwich that's hefty enough to share. It's so crammed full of scrambled eggs that they tumble over the sides of a whole wheat bagel. Porking things up are bacon and a sausage patty, along with a generous amount of chile-spiked aioli and cheddar cheese.
$12; 700 Central Av. NE., Mpls., relishmpls.com
Sun Street Breads: Build-your-own breakfast biscuit
Bread might be in the name, but we're willing to make the claim that Sun Street is a biscuit restaurant. These tangy, fluffy and lovely buttermilk biscuits are the star of a menu packed with baked goods all vying for attention. The egg sandwiches are build-your-own, so meat is optional, but the thick, sage-y breakfast sausage is a worthy addition. Eggs are cooked hard, so this one's a handy sammy on the go.
$10.95, 4600 Nicollet Av. S., Mpls., sunstreetbreads.com
Victor's 1959 Cafe: Cuban Breakfast Sandwich
Victor's 1959 Cafe inspires a menu allegiance that can be hard to break, but this Cuban-ish breakfast sandwich makes branching out worth it. Part of what sets Cuban sandwiches apart is the bread. Plush on the inside with a wonderfully crackly crust that is pressed before serving, it's an excellent vehicle for the egg sandwich. Topped with smoked ham, avocados and melty cheese, all it needs before devouring is a healthy splash of the housemade hot sauce.
$16.70; 3756 Grand Av. S., Mpls., victors1959cafe.com
Westside Market: Full Nelson
When Westside opened earlier this year, the founders put a sausage, egg and cheese sandwich on the menu and named it the Full Nelson (and Half Nelson, without meat). Anyone who follows former Star Tribune restaurant critic Rick Nelson on Instagram can figure out why; he has an enduring love for breakfast sandwiches, and this fine version is a tribute to him. Sourdough slices are piled with freshly fried eggs, sharp white cheddar, a so-thin-it-curls patty of sausage, paprika aioli for tang and lettuce for crunch.
$6-$9; 8016 Minnetonka Blvd., St. Louis Park, westsidewinemsp.com
Wise Acre Eatery: Breakfast Biscuit
This sandwich is farm-fresh decadence at its finest. A cheddar biscuit is held together by just a whisper of flour between all that cheese. Wise Acre has long been known for its bacon, and that holds with lusciously thick slabs beneath a blanket of white cheddar and a few swipes of garlic aioli. Adding snap and spice is a housemade kimchi and a sprinkling of greens.
$15; 5401 Nicollet Av. S., Mpls., wiseacreeatery.com
Wrecktangle: The Bungle
Abandon all hunger at the door. This love child of a bun and bagel offers hearty housing for a wondrously messy sandwich. The exterior has that shiny bagel dome, the inside offers a nice chew. Inside, a just-set egg is folded around a wealth of American cheese and topped with cream cheese and chewy bacon. It's topped with Cry Baby Craig's hot sauce that's been whipped into honey to give it a sweet heat. The only downside? It's only served Wednesday through Sunday, and not until 11 a.m.
$12; 703 W. Lake St., Mpls., wrecktanglepizza.com/lynlake
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