As much as we love fast food breakfast sandwiches, it's true that not all are created equally.
Here's your guide to the best, and worst, breakfast sandwich options at some of your
favorite fast food spots.
Sonic Drive-In may not be the first spot that comes to mind when you're looking for a fast
food breakfast, but it does offer a surprising number of options. If you want a breakfast
sandwich, though, you'll have to opt for the Breakfast Toaster, as it's the only sandwich
on the breakfast menu. It's made with eggs, cheese, and your meat of choice, placed between
two thick slabs of Texas toast.
It doesn't sound too bad, but the issue is more in the execution than in the concept.
With the fattiness from the egg, cheese, and meat, the extra fat from the Texas toast can
be overkill. Add to that the fact it can sometimes feel like you're biting into more bread than
protein, and it's a breakfast that can often fall flat. The saving grace? You can order
your Breakfast Toaster with a side of tater tots, which is essential if you're still determined
to eat at a Sonic for breakfast.
It's no secret that Subway doesn't offer the best breakfast around. It did get a late start
in the game and while the restaurant saw some success at first, it didn't last long. In
2018, Subway stopped requiring its franchisees to open at 7 a.m. to serve breakfast menu
items, though some stores have continued their early-morning sales with fewer options. One
of the ones that's left? The bacon, egg, and cheese flatbread.
Sure, the bacon, egg, and cheese are all fine. But few fast food customers are going to wake
up in the morning craving a flatbread over a biscuit or wrap, like many other restaurants
offer. The floppy texture of this sandwich just doesn't make the cut for many.
But one thing that Subway breakfast does offer that other spots don't is the ability to customize
your order. While most other fast food breakfast sandwiches are explicitly vegetable-free,
you can easily add veggies to your morning-time Subway order.
When you're trying to eat healthy, fast food for breakfast is clearly not the way to go.
But everyone ends up in a rush sometimes, and it can be easy to just grab something
on-the-go. But one option we just can't get behind? The reduced-fat bacon and cage-free
egg white sandwich from Starbucks. At 230 calories, it's not going to ruin your diet,
but it might just ruin your morning.
The dry, slightly chewy English muffin is a far cry from the crisp bread you'd expect.
And while the egg, cheese, and bacon may not be all that bad, they don't lend heaps of
flavor to the sandwich. Its low calorie count makes it a winning choice for nutrition experts,
but let's be honest: It seriously falls short when it comes to taste. Our advice? Check
out one of the other breakfast items on the menu, or skip the Starbucks breakfast completely.
Jack in the Box may not come in near the top of the list, but one thing is for sure: We
love the fact that you can grab breakfast here. All. Day. Long. It was one of the first
to offer a breakfast sandwich in 1969, and it's served all-day breakfast ever since.
Luckily, there are tons of breakfast options here, so there's plenty to choose from. But
one that you may want to skip out on is the Breakfast Jack.
While you'll find the other breakfast menu offerings on croissants and biscuits, customers
are only going to get a basic sandwich bun on a Breakfast Jack. A bun might be fine for
mid-day, but something more buttery and substantial would definitely be an improvement for this
sandwich. The ham, egg, and slice of American cheese just aren't that substantial compared
to other items on the menu and overall offer a less-than-exciting breakfast experience.
"There's no such thing as the breakfast fairy!"
"You're right, I'm Jack, I just put on these wings and broke in through your window to
leave some money under your pillow."
As one of the country's fast food giants, it's no surprise that Wendy's started offering
breakfast in 1985. But after just nine months, the company decided to pull the menu as it
wasn't finding widespread success. Fast-forward to 2020, and the popular chain released a
brand-new breakfast menu. Perhaps the most anticipated item on the new menu is the Breakfast
Baconator.
Let's get real. Is there a part of us that wants to dig into one of these bad boys every
morning? Yes. And that's understandable once you see this monster of a sandwich before
your eyes. Sausage, cheese, bacon, egg, more cheese, more bacon, and cheese sauce to top
it all off. It seems like a win. It's indulgent, and dare we say appealing. But this is hardly
the first thing you'd want to eat in the morning unless you're recovering from an especially
brutal hangover. A normal, afternoon Baconator may just be as unremorsefully unhealthy as
the breakfast version, but somehow, it just feels a little less sinful than deciding that
this is how you're going to start off your day.
Carl's Jr. isn't really known for being the
healthiest fast food joint on the block, and that leads us to the Carl's Jr. Monster Biscuit
and the decidedly mixed reviews from those who decide to order it. Get this: It's a buttery
biscuit packed with both bacon and a sausage patty. Then, add in not one but two eggs.
Finally, finish it off with two types of cheese, American and Swiss.
It's over the top, and it's likely to turn many people's stomachs. But those who are
willing to sacrifice their health often give it good reviews, so bottom line? It's up to
you to decide if it's worth the inevitable price you'll pay.
Most people don't go to Starbucks for the food. Sure, they serve food, but the coffee
is the real star of the show. And considering many of the drinks have as many calories as
a full meal, it's probably for the best that you don't always order an accompanying sandwich
or wrap. But sometimes, you just need to fill the void in your stomach before you get to
work, and you can't be bothered to make another stop on your way to the office.
The bacon, Gouda, and egg sandwich should, by all counts, be delicious, but for all its
potential, it falls short. The bacon is decidedly not crunchy, the ciabatta is dry, and you'd
think Starbucks would at least have fresh eggs on its sandwiches. This breakfast sandwich
isn't particularly good, but if you're going to go there for the coffee anyway and your
stomach is already grumbling, it can't hurt to try.
"What did I always tell you? Breakfast is a big boy's most important meal of the day.
Now, start on these CocoPuffs, and I'll scramble you some eggs."
The story of Burger King's breakfast menu is different than that of spots like McDonald's.
While Micky D's could easily use grills for its breakfast offerings, Burger King prided
itself on its flame-grilled burgers. That method wasn't exactly conducive to easily
offering breakfast items, so the fast food chain didn't start rolling out its breakfast
menu until the 80s.
Now, there's no denying that Burger King is an ideal place to stop if you're ultra-hungry,
and the breakfast there isn't any exception. Perhaps the best-known breakfast sandwich
option at the chain is the sausage, egg & cheese Croissan'wich. Lots of places use croissants
in lieu of biscuits or bagels, but Burger King does an especially good job of it.
While we admit the folded egg is a bit sketchy, the sandwich as a whole comes together perfectly.
The sausage is usually crispy, and the cheese holds the other ingredients together while
adding just a touch of creamy texture. It's perfect for on-the-go eating because let's
face it: sometimes, we just want to get away from the inevitable breakfast chaos of home.
"Put Beans in his cage, now."
"Ooooo…"
If anyone has a leg up in the breakfast game, it's Dunkin'. Its signature product is a breakfast
food, which means that this company has to work even harder to ensure that its other
breakfast items are just as good as its donuts. Luckily, Dunkin' has adopted a new trend,
and the restaurant chain has finally come through for its loyal veggie customers, offering
a vegetarian option for breakfast.
The Beyond Sausage sandwich uses the popular Beyond Sausage, a patty that's known for its
similarity to real meat in taste, texture, and appearance. In addition to the plant-based
patty, you'll also find an egg and cheese squished between two buns. You shouldn't expect
the "meat" to taste exactly like sausage, but it's certainly an appetizing option for
those who want to reduce their meat intake. Even avowed meat-eaters won't likely miss
the "normal" meat flavor of Dunkin's other offerings.
White Castle gets a lot of hate, but like it or not, this restaurant was actually America's
first fast food chain, and what you may not know about White Castle is the fact that its
breakfast is actually pretty good.
It definitely takes the cake when it comes to creativity: After all, where else can you
find a Belgian Waffle Slider? If you love tiny, adorable food like we do, then the size
of these sliders is enough to get you interested. But the salty-sweet combination is what really
knocks it out of the park. Pair the sweet waffle bun with sausage or bacon, a fresh
egg, and your choice of cheese. Since they're so small, you can order several of these at
once for a unique fast food breakfast experience.
Perhaps the most iconic fast food breakfast sandwich ever, the McDonald's Egg McMuffin
is steeped in legend. It's largely responsible for changing how people eat breakfast: suddenly,
convenience took precedent as people's lives got busier and their jobs got more important.
Eating on-the-go, even for breakfast, was the new big thing.
But even divorced from its storied past, the Egg McMuffin is still a delicious breakfast
favorite that consumers flock to. As the most recognizable item on the breakfast menu, it's
still hard to pass up on that nostalgic thin slice of ham, bouncy egg, and American cheese
slice. Are there better items on the McDonald's breakfast menu? Technically, yes. But will
any of those options trigger the nostalgia you'd get from an old-fashioned McMuffin?
Of course not.
Of all the spots that have breakfast menu items, ones full of chicken should be celebrated.
One of those spots that often gets overlooked is Whataburger. One part of Whataburger's
breakfast we absolutely adore is the fact that restaurants sell these items from 11
p.m. to 11 a.m., so whether you're a night owl or an early riser, this chain's got you
covered.
There are plenty of breakfast sandwiches to try, but the unexpected star of the show is
the Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit. This isn't your average chicken biscuit. The tender chicken
strip lovingly rests on its bed of buttermilk biscuit as it's smothered in sweet, fatty
honey butter. It can be on the messy side, but this perfect marriage of flavors is worth
the sticky hands you'll have.
Luckily for all those who can't get enough of the delicious chicken at Chick-fil-A, a
specific breakfast item is one of the most recognizable fast food breakfast sandwiches
around: the Chick-fil-A chicken biscuit. There's the classic, the spicy, and the chicken minis,
all of which are popular options.
Every biscuit you order at Chick-fil-A is actually handmade, which gives them that rustic
quality that makes it feel like grandma baked them. And if you ever meet someone who works
at Chick-fil-A making biscuits, you should thank them for all their hard work: The biscuits
take longer to make than any other item on the breakfast menu. After the staff gets done
hand-rolling the dough, they then butter the biscuits right before they go into the oven,
giving them that rich flavor you've grown to love. Add some of the delicious, never-frozen
chicken on top of the already top-notch biscuit, and it's no wonder customers crave this sandwich
every morning.
Coming in at the top spot is the McDonald's sausage, egg, and cheese McGriddle. The famous
McGriddle came out back in 2003, before the sweet-and-salty craze kicked in. McGriddles
come with different fillings, but the sausage, egg, and cheese is definitely the best. It
combines a moist sausage patty, yellow cheese, and perfectly cooked egg, and then smashes
it all together between two pancakes.
But the best part of this sandwich? The syrup is actually inside the pancakes in the form
of little crystals that melt at the perfect temperature. The sandwich was made like this
so people could eat with one hand without worrying about dipping the sandwich into syrup
when they were on the go. Total win, right? If you're looking for an entire breakfast
you can eat in one hand, this breakfast sandwich is clearly the way to go.
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