Breakfast gives cooks the opportunity to show off. Most work their magic with eggs, layering in tasty proteins — bacon, sausage, pork roll, tofu, even bulgogi and alligator. Here are prime examples of breakfast sandwiches in the region.
LessThai Dinh’s Vietnamese heritage comes into play at her popular spot at 15th and South Streets. Alongside traditionally Western brunch dishes is the banh mi op la, two crispy sunny eggs, bacon, sausage patties, house pickles, herbs, eggplant pate, and aioli on a baguette.
You step below Walnut Street, across from Washington Square, into the Lee family’s deli for an egg-and-cheese sandwich whose meat is pork bulgogi accented by the tang of sriracha mayo. It’s available on various breads, including a bagel and croissant.
Alex Malamy riffs on ramen’s seasonings with his breakfast sandwich. Rather than scrambled egg, the Ramen Thing sandwich incorporates a chopped marinated egg. Malamy’s folks mix bamboo, pickled ginger, togarashi mayo, seaweed crisp, sesame, and scallion on your choice of bagel. Ramen Thing, you make my heart sing.
Kyle Cuffie-Scott’s popular cafe in the lobby of the 444 building in Northern Liberties got national exposure last summer on ABC’s Good Morning America. His bacon, egg, and cheese on a biscuit went up against Middle Child’s pastrami and egg sandwich. Although Darnel’s sandwich didn’t capture the judges’ fancy, it’s very much a winner. We prefer ours on one of his brioche buns.
Among the signature items served at this groundbreaking West Philadelphia Afro-centric grocery-cafe from chefs Omar Tate and Cybille St.Aude-Tate are sandwiches. There is the overstuffed “dolla hoagie” — more of a lunchtime treat — and then there are the breakfast sandwiches, served on crunchy-crusted house-made BLACKenglish muffins. Choose maple sage sausage or vegan black-eyed pea scrapple.
Chris DiPiazza’s baking and cooking at his South Philadelphia cafe combine for a tasty sandwich with egg, sharp Cheddar, peperonata, arugula, and bacon or mushroom. Sweet potato brioche is the way to go.
Chad Durkin’s calling card at his South Philly bakery-slash-sandwich shop is roast pork, and he tucks 2 ounces of it, plus 4 ounces of his garlic sage sausage and two over-easy eggs on house-baked ciabatta, croissant, or an everything biscuit.
The Gavone is a belly-busting breakfast sandwich — basically a whole meal on a roll: steak, bacon, eggs, choice of cheese, fried onions, sweet peppers, cubed potatoes, and hot sauce. In fact, gavone is Italian for “pig.” Breakfast outside a Home Depot? You might say they nailed it.
Bonnie Sarana’s bagels at her East Passyunk shop are the basis of multiple variations of deliciousness. You can get house-made pastrami in your egg-and-cheese, or sujuk, a spicy, fermented sausage reflecting her Turkish heritage.