The glory of a great breakfast sandwich lies in its egg (crispy on the edges, with just enough yolk to soak deep into the bread); its bread (biscuits that hold; arepas that fry golden); and an all-important swipe of something lush and tangy, maybe an aioli or an herby chimichurri. After that, it's dealer's choice. Minneapolis and St. Paul are overflowing with excellent breakfast sandwiches — here are 14 of them, listed in geographical order.
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Chef Wendy Puckett, famous for her soul rolls, serves a breakfasty version at her new North Market location in the Camden neighborhood. The “9 a.m.” soul roll is stuffed with fluffy eggs and turkey sausage — it’s finished off with oozy cheese and a swipe of Wendy’s proprietary Hot Mess sauce, which adds a little kick.
Roving pop-up Dahlia (helmed by Travail alums Alex Althoff, Nat Moser, and Sarah Julson) typically serves a breakfast sandwich on its weekend brunch menu. Altoff’s handmade English muffin cradles a breakfast sausage patty and creamy “quiche eggs”; roasted garlic jalapeno aioli brings the sandwich to one savory high note. Sub in seared tomato for the sausage to make it vegetarian. Keep an eye on Instagram for the latest info on Dahlia’s dates and locations.
Chef Sammy McDowell’s sunny Broadway Avenue restaurant serves a mean breakfast sandwich — five of them, actually. Light-as-a-cloud eggs and American cheese accompany a choice of meat (turkey, bacon, pastrami, or chicken). Even better, bread is customizable here: Choose garlic toast, wheat hoagies, wraps, or gluten-free bread. On weekdays, find Sammy’s breakfast sandwiches over at Golden Thyme Cafe in St. Paul.
True, Saturday Dumpling Co’s scallion pancake breakfast burrito is, indeed, a burrito. But with its flaky outer shell and mesmerizing layers of egg, cheese, and bacon, swirled together with tater tots and chef Mike Yuen’s “Chinese giardiniera,” it qualifies as an honorary breakfast sandwich. SDC’s Peter Bian and Linda Cao offer pre-orders for Saturday pick-up at Dot’s Gray Kitchen.
Marty’s serves its breakfast sammies on owner Martha Polacek’s airy, salt-flecked focaccia. Layered with almost geometrical precision, they pair a neat egg patty with a choice of Peterson bacon, a sausage patty, or braised greens — add hashbrowns too, if you like. The real clincher is the combination of garlic aioli and sharp American cheese, which meld into one gooey, creamy bite. Get there before noon to grab one.
Adam Bresina whisks his eggs together with butter and cream, then steams them, creating an ethereal, soufflé-like patty. Go for the Breakfast in Bombay, loaded with chorizo and crunch chili oil; the vegetarian spinach-and-tomato Tuscany sandwich; or build your own. Egg on a Roll is located just inside 5th Avenue Market in the North Loop.
Chef Sarah Botcher serves her breakfast sandwich on two thick slices of her buttery croissant loaf, which is exactly what it sounds like: croissant dough baked into bread form. Cradling ham and custardy eggs, this sandwich is finished with gruyère and a smear of tangy herb chèvre, then grilled in a panini press. Leave the ham out to make it vegetarian.
Clancey’s, beloved for its garlicky roast beef sandwiches, serves an equally killer breakfast sandwich. Choose a meat — ham, bacon, or sausage — to accompany the velvety egg patty, layered with oozy cheese and Anaheim peppers, all served on a soft milk bun. Grab one and a coffee to go at Kristin Tombers’ Grand Avenue staple.
Chef Solveig Tofte’s biscuits are soft and buttery, holding their shape as they soak up runny egg yolk. There are many breakfast sandwich options at this south Nicollet breakfast spot — classic egg-meat-and-cheese; Southern-fried; a BLT — the “Royale” even offers a Swiss-and-mushroom-stuffed crepe on a biscuit.
Cafe Racer’s breakfast sandwich is served on two palm-sized arepas, golden-fried and crispy on the outside and sweet and pillowy on the inside. Get it simply with eggs, cheese, and bright salsa criolla — or upgrade with kielbasa or roasted veggies. Luis and Christine Patiño’s Seward cafe serves other breakfast staples, too, like criolla omelets and arepas with jam.
Chef Jamie Yoo’s deliciously messy Seoul Sunrise breakfast sandwich is layered with a fried egg, breakfast sausage, American cheese, lettuce, kimchi slaw, and pomegranate-glazed bacon that Yoo cures in house — then it’s slathered in an herby chermoula aioli and crunchy chili oil. Abang Yoli offers a few simpler breakfast sandwiches, too, for on-the-go breakfasts.
Chef Justin Sutherland’s egg sandwich shop, Big E, caused a bit of a stir when it debuted with a menu of $14 to $17 sandwiches. But these sammies are a full meal, really, more than a breakfast bite — they house whole burger patties (the “Rocket Man”) and hunks of steak (the “It Was All a Dream,” smeared with Welch’s grape jelly). For a classic breakfast experience, get the “Dance Yrself Clean,” a bacon-egg-and-cheese sandwich punched up with Cry Baby Craig’s aioli.
Wrestaurant’s breakfast sandwich is chef Jeff Rogers’ brunchy nod to New York’s iconic chopped cheese. Loaded with scrambled eggs, sausage, American cheese, and a silky combo of cream cheese and mayo, it’s a morning power move, served with fries.
Chef Wendy Puckett, famous for her soul rolls, serves a breakfasty version at her new North Market location in the Camden neighborhood. The “9 a.m.” soul roll is stuffed with fluffy eggs and turkey sausage — it’s finished off with oozy cheese and a swipe of Wendy’s proprietary Hot Mess sauce, which adds a little kick.
Roving pop-up Dahlia (helmed by Travail alums Alex Althoff, Nat Moser, and Sarah Julson) typically serves a breakfast sandwich on its weekend brunch menu. Altoff’s handmade English muffin cradles a breakfast sausage patty and creamy “quiche eggs”; roasted garlic jalapeno aioli brings the sandwich to one savory high note. Sub in seared tomato for the sausage to make it vegetarian. Keep an eye on Instagram for the latest info on Dahlia’s dates and locations.
Chef Sammy McDowell’s sunny Broadway Avenue restaurant serves a mean breakfast sandwich — five of them, actually. Light-as-a-cloud eggs and American cheese accompany a choice of meat (turkey, bacon, pastrami, or chicken). Even better, bread is customizable here: Choose garlic toast, wheat hoagies, wraps, or gluten-free bread. On weekdays, find Sammy’s breakfast sandwiches over at Golden Thyme Cafe in St. Paul.
True, Saturday Dumpling Co’s scallion pancake breakfast burrito is, indeed, a burrito. But with its flaky outer shell and mesmerizing layers of egg, cheese, and bacon, swirled together with tater tots and chef Mike Yuen’s “Chinese giardiniera,” it qualifies as an honorary breakfast sandwich. SDC’s Peter Bian and Linda Cao offer pre-orders for Saturday pick-up at Dot’s Gray Kitchen.
Marty’s serves its breakfast sammies on owner Martha Polacek’s airy, salt-flecked focaccia. Layered with almost geometrical precision, they pair a neat egg patty with a choice of Peterson bacon, a sausage patty, or braised greens — add hashbrowns too, if you like. The real clincher is the combination of garlic aioli and sharp American cheese, which meld into one gooey, creamy bite. Get there before noon to grab one.
Adam Bresina whisks his eggs together with butter and cream, then steams them, creating an ethereal, soufflé-like patty. Go for the Breakfast in Bombay, loaded with chorizo and crunch chili oil; the vegetarian spinach-and-tomato Tuscany sandwich; or build your own. Egg on a Roll is located just inside 5th Avenue Market in the North Loop.
Chef Sarah Botcher serves her breakfast sandwich on two thick slices of her buttery croissant loaf, which is exactly what it sounds like: croissant dough baked into bread form. Cradling ham and custardy eggs, this sandwich is finished with gruyère and a smear of tangy herb chèvre, then grilled in a panini press. Leave the ham out to make it vegetarian.
Clancey’s, beloved for its garlicky roast beef sandwiches, serves an equally killer breakfast sandwich. Choose a meat — ham, bacon, or sausage — to accompany the velvety egg patty, layered with oozy cheese and Anaheim peppers, all served on a soft milk bun. Grab one and a coffee to go at Kristin Tombers’ Grand Avenue staple.
Chef Solveig Tofte’s biscuits are soft and buttery, holding their shape as they soak up runny egg yolk. There are many breakfast sandwich options at this south Nicollet breakfast spot — classic egg-meat-and-cheese; Southern-fried; a BLT — the “Royale” even offers a Swiss-and-mushroom-stuffed crepe on a biscuit.
Cafe Racer’s breakfast sandwich is served on two palm-sized arepas, golden-fried and crispy on the outside and sweet and pillowy on the inside. Get it simply with eggs, cheese, and bright salsa criolla — or upgrade with kielbasa or roasted veggies. Luis and Christine Patiño’s Seward cafe serves other breakfast staples, too, like criolla omelets and arepas with jam.
Chef Jamie Yoo’s deliciously messy Seoul Sunrise breakfast sandwich is layered with a fried egg, breakfast sausage, American cheese, lettuce, kimchi slaw, and pomegranate-glazed bacon that Yoo cures in house — then it’s slathered in an herby chermoula aioli and crunchy chili oil. Abang Yoli offers a few simpler breakfast sandwiches, too, for on-the-go breakfasts.
Chef Justin Sutherland’s egg sandwich shop, Big E, caused a bit of a stir when it debuted with a menu of $14 to $17 sandwiches. But these sammies are a full meal, really, more than a breakfast bite — they house whole burger patties (the “Rocket Man”) and hunks of steak (the “It Was All a Dream,” smeared with Welch’s grape jelly). For a classic breakfast experience, get the “Dance Yrself Clean,” a bacon-egg-and-cheese sandwich punched up with Cry Baby Craig’s aioli.
Wrestaurant’s breakfast sandwich is chef Jeff Rogers’ brunchy nod to New York’s iconic chopped cheese. Loaded with scrambled eggs, sausage, American cheese, and a silky combo of cream cheese and mayo, it’s a morning power move, served with fries.