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A cross section of the breakfast sandwich reveals layers of Spam, steamed egg, and melted cheese Patricia Chang

12 Outstanding Breakfast Sandwiches in San Francisco

There's nothing like a standout BEC

by Luke Tsai and Eater Staff Updated
1 comment / new
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by Luke Tsai and Eater Staff Updated
1 comment / new
Patricia Chang

A breakfast sandwich can come in many forms: with fried eggs or scrambled eggs, bacon or faux bacon, Spam or Taylor ham, cheese or no cheese, on a roll or a bagel or two slices of bread, and on and on and on. Even the most basic version can be damn satisfying.

And these days, with diners pretty well nigh over trying to cook three meals a day for themselves at home, an oozy, melty breakfast sandwich might be just what the doctor ordered. Fortunately, San Franciscans have an abundance of excellent versions at their disposal, from fanciful Spam-stuffed numbers to Mexican breakfast tortas to classic (and not-so-classic) takes on an East Coast style bacon, egg, and cheese.

Here are 12 excellent breakfast sandwiches throughout San Francisco to help get your morning started right.

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Devil's Teeth Baking Company

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There’s the breakfast sandwich at Devil’s Teeth, and then there’s the special breakfast sandwich. The latter comes with two scrambled eggs, pepper jack cheese, applewood-smoked bacon, avocado, and lemon-garlic aioli on a house-made buttermilk biscuit. So special, especially considering the fact you can eat it on the beach.

3876 Noriega St, San Francisco, CA 94122
(415) 683-5533
(415) 683-5533
Devil’s Teeth/Instagram

Breadbelly

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Is there anything this new-school Asian-American bakery in the Richmond doesn’t do well? In addition to its iconic bright-green kaya toast and its ever-changing lineup of cakes and pastries, Breadbelly also finds the time to put out a pretty damn good breakfast sandwich: a medium fried egg, smoked ham, gruyere, sweet and sour kale, and fermented chile paste — all piled onto a soft housemade “bun-wich.”

1408 Clement St, San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 349-0969
(415) 349-0969

Also featured in:

Lou's Cafe

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This beloved Richmond District sandwich shop is probably best known for its selection of huge, picnic-friendly deli sandwiches, making it a popular stop for folks headed out for a day at the beach. But breakfast sandwiches — like the corned beef hash sammie — also have a big cult following, in part because they’re such a carb lover’s delight: They all come topped with hash brown patties, as well as a smear of Lou’s “special sauce” for a little bit of a kick.

5017 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 379-4429
(415) 379-4429
Lou’s Cafe/Facebook

Bacon Bacon

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Bacon Bacon, which started as a food truck all about porcine products and remains that but also has an Upper Haight/Ashbury Heights storefront, has an entire breakfast sandwich menu. The classic option is with fried eggs, cheddar, bacon, and bacon jam on a poppy seed bun, but other options include a New Yorker B.E.C. (bacon, scrambled egg, cheddar), and a California B.E.C.A. (bacon, egg, Swiss, avocado). Whenever indoor dining is deemed safe again, you can ride the restaurant’s mechanical pig while you’re there (yes, for real).

205A Frederick St, San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 218-4347
(415) 218-4347
Lewis Y./Yelp

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Cafe Réveille

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The best part of waking up along the Wiggle bike route might be a breakfast sandwich at this cozy neighborhood cafe from small local coffee chain Réveille. Get it regular, with soft scrambled eggs, thick bacon, and cheddar on a poppy seed kaiser roll, or with “the works” for avocado, arugula, and hot sauce.

201 Steiner St, San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 529-2034
(415) 529-2034
Caleb Pershan

Also featured in:

Kahnfections

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An incredibly buttery biscuit from baker Judy Kahn makes the ideal breakfast sandwich bun. Sure, her 20th Street bakery/cafe draws fans for cakes and macarons, but these are her most dangerous daily delight. It’s egg, avocado, and optional ham and cheddar between fresh daily biscuits. Try it with the bacon-cheddar-scallion biscuit for maximum oomph.

3321 20th St, San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 525-3328
(415) 525-3328
Biscuit sandwich from Kahnfections Kahnfections

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Liholiho Yacht Club

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A relative newcomer to the sandwich game, Liholiho Yacht Club’s pandemic pivot into lunch service is a collective win for lovers of fun, delicious sandwiches — and, especially, for those who don’t think noon (when the restaurant opens) is too late in the day to be eating breakfast. Liholiho’s breakfast sandwich looks a bit like a fried hash brown patty on a bun, but when bitten or cut into, the inside of that crispy katsu-style sheath reveals alternating layers of housemade Spam, stretchy melted Fontina cheese, and steamed egg omelet (surprise!), all topped with kimchi aioli. The sandwich packs a big flavor punch, and, as an added bonus, it travels well too.

871 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 440-5446
(415) 440-5446
A breakfast sandwich — a fried breaded patty, its contents unclear, served on a square bun Patricia Chang

Also featured in:

Bandit

Copy Link

Where better to go for a breakfast sandwich than a breakfast sandwich specialist? This Tenderloin burger joint has a whole menu of breakfast sandwiches, and they’re available all day. Connoisseurs may want to eat their way through the entire list, but it’s hard to go wrong with the gut-busting Brekkie, which features scrambled eggs, a pork sausage patty, cheddar, smashed tater tots, caramelized onions, and jalapeño relish on a brioche bun. Still hungry? Get a side of unsmashed tots for good measure.

683 Geary St, San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 658-7780
(415) 658-7780

Also featured in:

Black Jet Baking Co.

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Baker-owner Gillian Shaw’s Bernal Heights bakery might be better known for its old-fashioned cakes, pies, and pop tarts but her breakfast sandwich, the “Pat Greany,” has a devoted following all its own: ham (or spinach), scrambled egg, and wonderfully melty cheddar cheese on one of the bakery’s good bulkie rolls.

833 Cortland Ave, San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 829-3905
(415) 829-3905
The Pat Greany breakfast sandwich Black Jet Baking Co.

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Tortas Los Picudos

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There might not be such a thing as a torta that wouldn’t make a good breakfast, especially when the sandwiches are as skillfully constructed as they are at the Mission District mainstay. But Los Picudos’ ham, chorizo, and egg torta is a particular morning delight, crammed full, as it is, with a chorizo-and-egg scramble, ham, and a generous portion of sliced avocado and crema for a maximally rich and creamy experience. Pro tip: You can ask for an egg to be added to any torta on the menu.

2969 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 824-4199
(415) 824-4199

Also featured in:

Newkirk's

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Within the constellation of fancy breakfast sandwiches tricked out with sous vide eggs and microgreens (not that there’s anything wrong with that), this New York-style breakfast sandwich joint across from SF General is something a breath of fresh air with its relatively straightforward and affordable takes on the fried egg sandwich genre. The classic BEC (crispy bacon, an egg fried over-medium, and cheese) is the thing to get — unless you’re feeling especially decadent, in which case the Horse on the Roof, a kind of breakfast cheesesteak, will get the job done.

1002 Potrero Ave, San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 962-7695
(415) 962-7695
Newkirk’s/Facebook

Also featured in:

Plow

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San Francisco’s outrageously popular brunch spot does its breakfast sandwich right with two soft-fried eggs, aioli, cheddar and frisee on an Acme bun, plus potatoes on the side. We highly recommend the addition of bacon and avocado.

1299 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 821-7569
(415) 821-7569

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Devil's Teeth Baking Company

3876 Noriega St, San Francisco, CA 94122

There’s the breakfast sandwich at Devil’s Teeth, and then there’s the special breakfast sandwich. The latter comes with two scrambled eggs, pepper jack cheese, applewood-smoked bacon, avocado, and lemon-garlic aioli on a house-made buttermilk biscuit. So special, especially considering the fact you can eat it on the beach.

3876 Noriega St, San Francisco, CA 94122
(415) 683-5533
(415) 683-5533
Devil’s Teeth/Instagram

Breadbelly

1408 Clement St, San Francisco, CA 94118

Is there anything this new-school Asian-American bakery in the Richmond doesn’t do well? In addition to its iconic bright-green kaya toast and its ever-changing lineup of cakes and pastries, Breadbelly also finds the time to put out a pretty damn good breakfast sandwich: a medium fried egg, smoked ham, gruyere, sweet and sour kale, and fermented chile paste — all piled onto a soft housemade “bun-wich.”

1408 Clement St, San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 349-0969
(415) 349-0969

Lou's Cafe

5017 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94118

This beloved Richmond District sandwich shop is probably best known for its selection of huge, picnic-friendly deli sandwiches, making it a popular stop for folks headed out for a day at the beach. But breakfast sandwiches — like the corned beef hash sammie — also have a big cult following, in part because they’re such a carb lover’s delight: They all come topped with hash brown patties, as well as a smear of Lou’s “special sauce” for a little bit of a kick.

5017 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 379-4429
(415) 379-4429
Lou’s Cafe/Facebook

Bacon Bacon

205A Frederick St, San Francisco, CA 94117

Bacon Bacon, which started as a food truck all about porcine products and remains that but also has an Upper Haight/Ashbury Heights storefront, has an entire breakfast sandwich menu. The classic option is with fried eggs, cheddar, bacon, and bacon jam on a poppy seed bun, but other options include a New Yorker B.E.C. (bacon, scrambled egg, cheddar), and a California B.E.C.A. (bacon, egg, Swiss, avocado). Whenever indoor dining is deemed safe again, you can ride the restaurant’s mechanical pig while you’re there (yes, for real).

205A Frederick St, San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 218-4347
(415) 218-4347
Lewis Y./Yelp

Cafe Réveille

201 Steiner St, San Francisco, CA 94117

The best part of waking up along the Wiggle bike route might be a breakfast sandwich at this cozy neighborhood cafe from small local coffee chain Réveille. Get it regular, with soft scrambled eggs, thick bacon, and cheddar on a poppy seed kaiser roll, or with “the works” for avocado, arugula, and hot sauce.

201 Steiner St, San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 529-2034
(415) 529-2034
Caleb Pershan

Kahnfections

3321 20th St, San Francisco, CA 94110

An incredibly buttery biscuit from baker Judy Kahn makes the ideal breakfast sandwich bun. Sure, her 20th Street bakery/cafe draws fans for cakes and macarons, but these are her most dangerous daily delight. It’s egg, avocado, and optional ham and cheddar between fresh daily biscuits. Try it with the bacon-cheddar-scallion biscuit for maximum oomph.

3321 20th St, San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 525-3328
(415) 525-3328
Biscuit sandwich from Kahnfections Kahnfections

Liholiho Yacht Club

871 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA 94109

A relative newcomer to the sandwich game, Liholiho Yacht Club’s pandemic pivot into lunch service is a collective win for lovers of fun, delicious sandwiches — and, especially, for those who don’t think noon (when the restaurant opens) is too late in the day to be eating breakfast. Liholiho’s breakfast sandwich looks a bit like a fried hash brown patty on a bun, but when bitten or cut into, the inside of that crispy katsu-style sheath reveals alternating layers of housemade Spam, stretchy melted Fontina cheese, and steamed egg omelet (surprise!), all topped with kimchi aioli. The sandwich packs a big flavor punch, and, as an added bonus, it travels well too.

871 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 440-5446
(415) 440-5446
A breakfast sandwich — a fried breaded patty, its contents unclear, served on a square bun Patricia Chang

Bandit

683 Geary St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Where better to go for a breakfast sandwich than a breakfast sandwich specialist? This Tenderloin burger joint has a whole menu of breakfast sandwiches, and they’re available all day. Connoisseurs may want to eat their way through the entire list, but it’s hard to go wrong with the gut-busting Brekkie, which features scrambled eggs, a pork sausage patty, cheddar, smashed tater tots, caramelized onions, and jalapeño relish on a brioche bun. Still hungry? Get a side of unsmashed tots for good measure.

683 Geary St, San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 658-7780
(415) 658-7780

Black Jet Baking Co.

833 Cortland Ave, San Francisco, CA 94110

Baker-owner Gillian Shaw’s Bernal Heights bakery might be better known for its old-fashioned cakes, pies, and pop tarts but her breakfast sandwich, the “Pat Greany,” has a devoted following all its own: ham (or spinach), scrambled egg, and wonderfully melty cheddar cheese on one of the bakery’s good bulkie rolls.

833 Cortland Ave, San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 829-3905
(415) 829-3905
The Pat Greany breakfast sandwich Black Jet Baking Co.

Tortas Los Picudos

2969 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94110

There might not be such a thing as a torta that wouldn’t make a good breakfast, especially when the sandwiches are as skillfully constructed as they are at the Mission District mainstay. But Los Picudos’ ham, chorizo, and egg torta is a particular morning delight, crammed full, as it is, with a chorizo-and-egg scramble, ham, and a generous portion of sliced avocado and crema for a maximally rich and creamy experience. Pro tip: You can ask for an egg to be added to any torta on the menu.

2969 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 824-4199
(415) 824-4199

Newkirk's

1002 Potrero Ave, San Francisco, CA 94110

Within the constellation of fancy breakfast sandwiches tricked out with sous vide eggs and microgreens (not that there’s anything wrong with that), this New York-style breakfast sandwich joint across from SF General is something a breath of fresh air with its relatively straightforward and affordable takes on the fried egg sandwich genre. The classic BEC (crispy bacon, an egg fried over-medium, and cheese) is the thing to get — unless you’re feeling especially decadent, in which case the Horse on the Roof, a kind of breakfast cheesesteak, will get the job done.

1002 Potrero Ave, San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 962-7695
(415) 962-7695
Newkirk’s/Facebook

Plow

1299 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94107

San Francisco’s outrageously popular brunch spot does its breakfast sandwich right with two soft-fried eggs, aioli, cheddar and frisee on an Acme bun, plus potatoes on the side. We highly recommend the addition of bacon and avocado.

1299 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 821-7569
(415) 821-7569

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