Now is a good time to revise the statement that a great breakfast sandwich requires bread, since Thai Diner’s version comes on a buttery roti. The roti keeps all of the sandwich elements compact, so that every bite includes the same layers and flavors. From top to bottom, you’ll taste herbaceous sai oua sausage, a mash of mayo and scallions, a soft, folded egg crepe covered in American cheese, and a couple slivers of fresh Thai basil, all pressed tightly between that double-layered, flaky roti

If you don’t yet believe in the miracle of hashbrowns in your breakfast sandwich, try Golden Diner’s “Chinatown Egg & Cheese Sando.” This excellent BEC comes on a cushiony sesame scallion milk bun from a local Chinatown bakery, and includes at least half a carton of eggs scrambled, then layered with American cheese—and a big crunchy hashbrown to top it all off. The hashbrown is key: it’s almost an inch thick and the crispy texture contrasts perfectly with the soft bun and eggs.

Leo’s soft-scrambled egg sandwich comes on a fresh sourdough brioche bun, which is as puffy and perfect as you’d expect from the makers of one of the city’s best sourdough pizzas. Between the salty, crisp, thinly-sliced guanciale, chili jam, cheddar, and aioli, every bite of this sandwich is as savory as it is creamy and sweet. Also, apart from this Williamsburg restaurant, we don’t know of any other pizza specialists that happen to make incredible breakfast sandwiches. That’s a feat in itself.

At this fashionable, farmer’s market-style cafe in Tribeca, you can get a perfect bunch of carrots and a breakfast sandwich that may or may not have made a cameo in our diaries, surrounded by little hearts. It consists of a thick square of silky, herbed frittata, cut to fit perfectly between two slices of toasted pan de mie. The gooey white cheddar cheese and a sweet-and-savory tomato jam take this from “pretty great” to “worth being late for your 10am.”

Astoria’s best hangover cure comes in the form of the SMB, aka the Seoul Meets Bagel breakfast sandwich at Between the Bagel. Weekends are quite the scene at this Korean-ish cafe, when people file in for this glorious bagel filled with steaming bulgogi, airy eggs, cheese, kimchi, spicy gochujang mayo, and—crucially—the option to add a crackly hashbrown to balance out all the gooey textures. It’s a sweet and spicy mess that’ll revive you after a long night when a regular BEC just won’t cut it.

Did you think you were the only one putting chili crisp on everything that goes into your mouth? If their breakfast sandwich is any indication, Winner on Franklin in Crown Heights apparently has the same condiment habits as the rest of us. It’s a steamed, custard-like egg on a brioche, topped with cheddar and a homemade chili crisp that’s more of a savory umami agent than straight-up spicy. You can add Chinese sausage or bacon for $5 extra. Go for it.

As us Northeastern folk know too well, a good biscuit is hard to find. Surprisingly, one of the best we’ve had is at this Mexican-Chinese fusion cafe in Sunset Park. Their breakfast sandwich comes on a fluffy buttermilk biscuit with more layers than a Black Mirror episode, and it's filled with a folded omelet, cheddar, and an optional chorizo patty. Get the chorizo. It’s a combination we don’t see often, and it adds a nice kick to the whole thing.

Like Thai Diner, Dominican Cravings in Essex Market proves that a great breakfast sandwich does not need bread to be great. Especially when you sub in giant disks of salty tostones that are perfectly fried, and incapable of getting soggy. That’s only one component of the Tres Golpes Patacon. Between the plantains, you’ll find fried salami, fried cheese, a runny sunny side-up egg, and a slathering of mayonnaise-y pink sauce that cuts through all the salty, rich elements.

A morning spent with the breakfast sandwich at Che will leave you with one overwhelming question: Why don’t more things have pimento cheese on them? Of course, the towering sandwich here is not all about the pimento cheese—it’s also got a pile of soft scrambled eggs, and paper-thin slivers of pickled green tomato, stacked on a heavily toasted brioche bun that’s slick with paprika mayo. It’s tangy, rich, and just a little bit spicy, and best eaten at the counter with a friend.

As you might guess, Prospect Heights brunch spot Little Egg has a lot of egg dishes. It even has multiple breakfast sandwiches. But the superstar sando here involves a fluffy steamed egg patty, panko-fried with a paper-thin crust, and topped with arugula and a fresh yuzu kosho mayo. It’s both novel enough to warrant a trek to the neighborhood, and simple enough to join your regular brunch rotation if you live nearby.