Breakfast sandwiches are having a moment in Toronto. The basic formula of bread enveloping egg and cheese serves a remarkable range of purposes, from budget-friendly morning belly-filler to instant hangover cure. Whether it’s stuffed with smoked brisket or stacked on a house-made biscuit, º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍørestaurants are finding ways to make this simple hand-held new and exciting, while keeping all the comforting qualities that make it a morning mainstay. Here are eight breakfast sandwiches to choose from this weekend.
Primrose Bagel’s Bodega Bagel
Inspired by his time living in New York City, Primrose Bagel owner and baker Sam Davis wanted to recreate the city’s iconic, bodega-style egg and cheese sandwich. He puts his own spin on the classic combo, adding Cholula hot sauce, shredded lettuce, pickles and a garlic aioli that brings a touch of Spanish flair, nodding to his time working at Toronto’s Bar Raval. It’s served on your choice of Primrose’s hand-rolled bagels with bacon or avocado as optional but highly recommended add-ons. $9.50, 317A Oakwood Ave,
Good Behaviour’s GB Mac
A cheeky tribute to a beloved chain restaurant sandwich, the GB Mac features sausage, egg omelette, American cheddar, iceberg lettuce, pickles, white onion and — in true Golden Arches style — secret sauce. For the sausage, Good Behaviour uses the same blend of pork, veal and beef found in their popular Spicy Meatball lunch sandwich, while the eggs are partially cooked in the frying pan and partially in the oven to achieve an airy texture. A squishy sesame bun from Tre Mari Bakery seals the deal. $13, multiple locations,
Lazy Daisy’s Cafe’s Son-of-a-Rise
The Son-of-a-Rise brings together two of this cheery Little India restaurant’s bestselling breakfast sandwiches — the Rise & Shine and the Veggie Rise — into the ultimate, start-the-day hand-held. Lazy Daisy’s emphasis on high-quality, local ingredients helps this stacked sandwich stand out from the crowd. Free-run eggs, aged white cheddar, Mennonite smoked bacon, avocado and tomatoes get layered on a flaky house-made biscuit. Take it up a notch by swapping the standard buttermilk biscuit for jalapeno & three cheese or garlic & Asiago. $14, 1515 Gerrard St E,
Alma + Gil’s Avocado + Potato Rosti Breakfast Sando
Alma + Gil’s veggie-friendly breakfast sandwich is as hearty as its meat-based counterparts. It’s a carb-on-carb feast, featuring a potato rosti nestled in a lightly toasted brioche bun. The rosti has a slightly charred exterior and a soft, mashed-potato-like interior that’s complemented by the addition of creamy avocado. Cheese chicharron made from a blend of mozzarella and cheddar that’s fried until crispy completes the delightful interplay of textures. The sandwich is rounded out with caramelized onion sauce and an over-easy, free-run egg. $15.12, 585 College St.,
Emmer’s Egg + Collard Green Muffin
Emmer gussies up its fan-favourite egg and cheese muffin with stewed collard greens, bringing a pleasant hint of bitterness that cuts through the rich flavours of the sandwich. The collards are cooked down with ham hock that’s smoked in-house, along with onions and chili peppers. It’s piled in a house-made English muffin, along with a buttery egg omelette and a mix of American and white cheddar cheeses. Each bite is smoky and spicy, with house-made hot sauce served on the side for those who want to kick up the heat. $11.50, 161 Harbord St,
Masa Deli’s Egg and Sausage Breakfast Sandwich
Masa Deli’s effortlessly delicious twist on a sausage and egg sandwich swaps the usual pork sausage for a seasoned chicken sausage patty that’s made in-house. A generous portion of egg omelette is levelled up with chives and white cheddar, which is melted between its folded layers, so it’s evenly distributed across every ooey-gooey bite. It’s finished with house-made aioli, crinkle pickles and house-made salsa for a pop of tangy flavour on either a traditional or gluten free toasted English muffin. $9, 985 Dovercourt Rd,
Hot Pork’s BBQ Combo
For those mornings when you wake with a truly yawning hunger, head to Hot Pork for a breakfast sandwich that can quell even the most ravenous of appetites. It starts with the tried-and-true backbones of a breakfast sandwich: an English muffin and a fried egg, which both get cooked on the flat-top before being layered with American cheese, barbecue sauce and hot sauce. Chef/owner Michael Synowicki then adds 3¼ oz of beef brisket that’s been smoked for 12-14 hours and 2 oz of 8-hour-smoked pork belly for a seriously piled-high sandwich. $16, 932 Dundas St W,
Simpl Things’ Breakfast Sando
Scratch-made bread is the secret to the pillowy texture of chef Cody Wilkes’s breakfast sando at Simpl Things. A cross between a brioche and Japanese shokupan, the fluffy milk bread lends a subtle sweetness to the otherwise savoury sandwich. The result is a decked out riff on the comforting breakfast sandwiches Wilkes grew up eating, with thick loaf slices bookending local maple-smoked bacon, pickled onions, a Conestoga Farms egg, avocado, garlic aioli, shredded lettuce and melted medium cheddar. $19, 269 Dunn Ave,
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