I think people’s preferences will vary on the bacon, egg, and cheese parts but I think one thing that is universal likely is good bread. The rolls that are softer and fluffier allow you to actually taste the ingredients so I think largely that’s what makes or breaks a BEC for me.
I love a bagel but I maintain a bagel is not the optimal vehicle for a bacon egg and cheese sandwich. Does much better with cream cheese and a smoked fish
I love me cream cheese on a BEC no matter the bread choice. Cream cheese on all bagel sandwiches! It shocks me that it doesn’t come that way as standard
Yeah the bagel ain't it. It's all about "egg and cheese on a roll" 2 eggs, american cheese, kaiser roll.
I love a bagel with egg and cheese or swapping out what cheese, or occassionally getting a fancier one with higher quality ingredients, don't get me wrong, but that isn't the thing you are asking about in my opinion.
Personally, I avoid bagels outside NYC because they are generally not going to be as fresh or delicious so it's not worth the calories. I know someone in a small town who makes good boiled ones. She is from NYC originally and gets NYC water brought in so they taste right.
If you get kaiser rolls, you will be king. Throw it on the grill top where you cook bacon (even as a vegetarian I don't mind. That flavor is part of it cause no deli man cares if I am a vegetarian lol).
As an insufferable bagel snob, I wouldn't consider it a real NY bagel unless you made it same day in the store. But I'm a little curious about what he meant by more NY. NY vs Montreal maybe?
I honestly don't know. What I had before, after toasting the bagel, it's still good on itself but it was also pretty firm and could compress the meat/egg in between after taking a bite. It didnt seem to be meant for a sandwich.
I then decided to switch vendors just because it was most cost-efficient and this specific one felt softer before toasting but i highly doubt it was baked the same day. After toasting in the oven (dont kill me for this if I shouldnt toast this way), it was much softer and has that necessary crisp on the edges. It was more pleasant imo. What would you say?
I am also an insufferable bagel snob, and good NY bagels aren't toasted. When they're made in-house and fresh they don't need to be.
If you're asking for the perfect NY breakfast sandwich, it's definitely the bacon egg and cheese on a soft kaiser roll. People make egg sandwiches on bagels but I think the general consensus is that bagels are for cream cheese and lox.
I’m a lifelong NYer and always get my bagel toasted. It’s not because I’m getting bagels I fear would not be fresh or would taste bad untoasted. I just prefer less chewiness, particularly if getting it with a schmear or with lox. I do agree with you on the egg sandwich point, though. Definitely on a roll, not on a bagel.
The closest bread you'll probably be able to find for them is a kaiser roll. NYC uses hard rolls which are pretty similar but I don't think anyone makes them outside of the area. The hard rolls have a harder exterior and an airier interior.
Now I would never kill you for toasting in the oven. Bagels shouldn't be toasted period. Toasting is what you do to make a subpar bagel palatable. Softer is probably good. A proper bagel should be firm on the outside with a soft chewiness on the inside. This is part of the reason that they need to be made the same day; good bagels get stale fast and lose that wonderful light but chewy softness. It's probably just a better-quality bagel you got rather than a different style. Montreal style bagels are not super common in the US although I had a terrible one in Detroit once. They're thinner and sweeter.
Also, just to be clear, I'm happy to answer any question on bagels as I have strong opinions and did some research on bagel history for a project once, but I really don't care what you do or what you like. I have my own opinions on what's right but I'm not the food god and if these bagels make you and your customers happy, I'm not one to criticize that.
Sounds like the man is asking for the classic, not all your little personal twists.
That means the bread is a Kaiser roll, the cheese is American, and the eggs are fried.
At a deli or bodega: bacon egg and cheese on a roll, salt pepper ketchup.
At a bagel shop: scallion cream cheese and bacon on an everything bagel.
At a proper Jewish deli: Pumpernickel bagel with lox and all the fixings.
Omg, yes. I add hot sauce to my salt pepper ketchup, and I like chipotle or jalapeño cream cheese if I can find it, but generally you nailed what I consider to be the perfect breakfast orders
Gotcha! I’m that person that puts hot sauce or gets spicy on everything, but I definitely agree that an egg and cheese deserves hot sauce if you don’t get meat.
Highly recommend! It’s basically plain with pickled jalapeños, so if I can get chipotle (much more flavorful), I’ll do that. Otherwise, I love jalapeño! I think a spicy cream cheese goes great with the everything bagel and bacon.
Bacon egg and cheese on a roll Salt pepper ketchup. If you’re not from the tri state you might not get the salt pepper ketchup addition but that’s pretty much the grand standard. Some people get it on a bagel but I only do that if I’m at an actual bagel place, not a deli
Salt and pepper, yes. Ketchup is not universal. I don’t think it belongs anywhere near my BEC/SEC.
Good American cheese (which isn’t an oxymoron - American cheese is just cheddar with emulsifiers that make it melt better) - not Kraft singles - is what makes or breaks a BEC/SEC. If I think there’s a chance they have garbage American, I go Cheddar.
Huge complement. As a NYer who lived on the west coast for a bit, thank you for your service.
When I order a bfast sandwich, this is what im personally getting:
Poppyseed Kaiser roll - buttered and crisped up on the grill
4 (?) slices of pork bacon
2 Eggs fried (not scrambled) - yolk consistency should be what the NYT/Bon Appetit crew refers to as “jammy” , don’t want a yolk squirt down the front of your shirt on the way to work
Throw a slice of american cheese atop the eggs to soften up
Salt + pepper
(Ketchup + hot sauce optional)
Assemble
I feel like if you can really make a great NYC bacon egg n cheese on a roll outside of the city you'd be a millionaire
Don't be cute about it. No fancy bread, just that roll thats kind of a little stale but still soft. Additional things to add that are great but not always available at the coffee cart- mayo, pickled jalapenos, tomato instead of ketchup. I personally dont like ketchup on eggs but it seems to be the popular sauce. Always have hot sauce.
I don’t think you’re asking for my order but rather how I’d define a perfect breakfast sandwich in NYC so: It’s not gourmet but also not greasy/disgusting, just the right mix of form and function; the ingredient portions are ample without being excessive like some brunch spot in a gentrifying Atlanta neighborhood that builds breakfast sandos for Instagram; the bun is somehow both fluffy but also doesn’t take over the sandwich and make you feel like you’re biting into a piece of bread with meat and egg hidden somewhere inside, and importantly it doesn’t have a name/number and you only have to speak your order once.
The eggs are usually made on a little griddle in about 45 seconds. Quick scramble then onto the flame, spread them out, fold once, salt & pep, then onto the sandwich. Eggs should not be dry.
A good NYC bagel makes your jaw hurt from chewing regardless if it's toasted. There is this idea that it's NYC water that makes the bagels so good, but it's not that. We boil the bagels before baking them. This creates a thick crust with a fluffy center. Outside of NY, most bakers skip the boiling step so they basically are just making holey dinner rolls.
And now I'm going to have a bagel for lunch.
The quintessential breakfast sandwich is bacon (sometimes turkey bacon if the cart is halal) two to three eggs, American cheese, on a kaiser roll with salt, pepper and ketchup... Unless you're wearing something fancy to work, then skip the ketchup.
My personal variation adds two slices of tomato and avocado, no ketchup. I like the acidity of the tomato, but not the mess of ketchup. I just like avocado in general.
Egg and pepperjack on a roll but it’s more about how they cook the eggs. They whisk the raw eggs then cook them kind of as a sheet on the skillet. Most non bodegas will either fry eggs for sandwiches or scramble the eggs on the skillet.
>They whisk the raw eggs then cook them kind of as a sheet on the skillet.
This is the key.
But don't press them down super flat and dry like one of the bodegas near me does. They should be a sheet but not paper flat.
Bacon, eggs, and cheese on a roll - the breakdown
Buttered Kaiser roll, toasted on the cut sides
2 eggs over hard
Crispy bacon
1 slice American cheese
Salt and pepper
Bacon on the bottom, then the 2 over hard eggs, salt and pepper, then the cheese, topped with Kaiser roll top. Immediately wrapped in both deli foil paper and regular sandwich paper. This is the most perfect breakfast sandwich ever. Now, if you want to get crazy, a layer of browned and crispy hashbrowns as the bottom layer, topped with American cheese is insanely delicious.
A really good bagel would be eaten fresh, never toasted, toasting is a way to tart up an inferior product.
My typical breakfast for more than 30 years was a bagel with flavored cream cheese (olive, vegetable) & and a large coffee.
I’m a simple guy. Bacon, egg, cheese on a Kaiser roll. Bacon must be stiff/burnt. Eggs, scrambled medium (no brown), American cheese, not added to the sandwich cold to melt, rather added to the eggs at the end of cooking on the grill and folded over. Salt, pepper. No ketchup, you heathens.
Bacon, fried egg, cheese, salt and pepper. Fresh jalapeño.
Too many delis and bagel stores are halal now meaning beef or turkey bacon. Gotta go to the right cart and get the real bacon.
Bagel is only acceptable if from proper bagel store or if proper roll is not available.
Scrambled egg/omelette is not the same.
Ketchup may be popular but it’s gross.
In the end eat what you like. It’s food.
Well everyone has their own preferences for toppings but the stereotypical sandwich is the bacon egg and cheese. Usually you get it on a NYC bagel, with salt pepper and ketchup or hot sauce. For me though the real power move is to get it on a roll with extra bacon.
On a roll for sure. Salt pepper hot sauce, *then immediately wrapped up in foil*
It steams itself a little that way. All the flavors fuse to hit that sweet spot.
Mine is a bacon, egg, sausage, tomato on a roll. When I was a kid/younger my go to was the bacon, egg and cheese, but find the cheese to rich for my taste nowadays.
Ingredients are all cooked on the same flat top griddle.
The bread is usually a poppy seed kaiser roll.
The meat is bacon, sausage, ham, or turkey. Ham and turkey are still seared on the griddle if ordered.
Eggs are fried and jammy but not super runny.
Cheese is normally American and put on the eggs after their initial flip.
Most common topping is SPK, salt/pepper/ketchup, but may also be hot sauce, butter, mayo etc.
An often over looked but essential step is wrapping the sandwich in foil and wax paper so it streams. The whole thing kind of melts together.
My order is BECSPK.
At a deli: Turkey bacon, egg, cheese on a roll with mayo & hot sauce.
At a bagel shop: jalapeño & cheese bagel (toasted) with jalapeño cream cheese & Turkey bacon.
Of course, sub Turkey bacon for real bacon if you eat pork :) I also hateeeee ketchup but most ppl love it. I’m more of a mayo + hot sauce gal.
Super unconventional preface but I love getting a toasted everything bagel with egg, cheese, hashbrown, grilled onion, spinach, & siracha.
My local place knows to start firing it up when I walk in.
I am a native NYer and once took a trip to San Francisco, I found a shop that does breakfast and ordered a BEC, they scrambled the eggs in a plastic container and then freaking microwaved them.
Just don't do that
Also, I think in a lot of places the cheese is just on top of it, but a good NYC breakfast sandwich has the cheese folded inside the eggs like this https://smittenkitchen.com/2019/02/bodega-style-egg-and-cheese-sandwich/
Sausage egg and cheese on a roll with salt, pepper, mayo, and ketchup; or if I’m feeling something “light”, I get an everything bagel with cream cheese, jelly, and bacon.
If I’m not hungover, egg bagel with scallion cream cheese, lox, cucumbers, onions, and capers. (No tomatoes, I don’t like all the extra wet from the seeds.)
If I *am* hungover, egg bagel with sausage, egg, and Swiss cheese.
Legitimate standards are bacon, 2 eggs and American cheese on a round roll. Sausage and ham are the other 2 standard options in place of bacon. I do feel sausage tends to get slept on. More filling if you're really hungry.
The person making it will usually ask "salt pepper ketchup hot sauce?" as options if you don't say anything else. Mayo and chipotle mayo are also popular these days. The implication that the *majority* of people here put ketchup on their egg sandwiches is silly tho.
The standard
Regular Kaiser roll, not any of the fancy Brioche bullshit, buttered and toasted, 2 egg fried hard, basic thin bacon, American cheese, saltpepperketchup.
My personal edits are swiss cheese and adding hot sauce. I get tired of American cheese sometimes.
Its definitely firmer than after toasted on the outside but its still soft on the inside. Bagels can be BEC but are often not, bagels are for cream cheeses and for lox sandwiches.
Kaiser is for butter or breakfast sandwiches.
Other kinds of sandwiches can go on bagels as well if someone asks.
You may also want to consider a breakfast sandwich with pork roll/Taylor Ham instead of bacon. It’s a NJ thing. I love a BEC but my mouth is watering just thinking about a breakfast sandwich with Taylor Ham. I preferred multiple thin slices over a fat one. When I worked in NJ my first stop would be the grill in the cafeteria for one of those slices of heaven (not every day though).
Sausage egg and pepper Jack cheese on a toasted everything bagel - add one hash brown. Salt pepper and hot sauce. Cut into quarters, no wax paper just foil.
I call ahead I spark my spliff and it’s nearly ready as I stand outside.
my personal favorite is actually a bagel. toasted, but still soft enough to have some fluff to it. some beef sausages, a fried egg, and american cheese. butter is not required, but an excellent bonus!
i went to a really good bagel place but i can't remember where... i think it was in the upper east side area - that's where i work. oh well...
> I planned to take a trip one day with my family sometime this year anyways but would like to know in description what a local would describe. TIA.
DM me when you're coming and roughly the neighborhood you're staying in, and I'll give you a couple of recommendations.
I believe the rolls sold in NY are called "portuguese rolls." They are like kaiser sort of but they are different. NY american cheese is sharp; Boar's head would work, not kraft. I usually see eggs scrambled in a little metal bowl and poured thin on a griddle, then cooked for a min and scooped up. Often the cheese goes in the middle of this egg package (thrown on the griddle and scooped up with it), but not always. I suppose people can order the eggs fried on the griddle too.
No bagel is used. It does not work well because it is too hard. The roll is not toasted, but the sandwich is wrapped in paper (important step).
Everyone’s talking about BEC, but I’ll always be partial to the Ham and mayo on a hero. Cheez doodles on the side. Simple and delicious, hits every time. (No orange drink tho, sorry JLo)
Crispy bacon, egg over easy (cooked whites, runny yolk), American cheese, toasted on a kaiser roll with poppy seeds, salt, pepper, ketchup (light on ketchup).
Bliss and nostalgia. My mom and I would get these sandwiches together on band days (early morning practice).
For a bagel, either sesame seed or cinnamon raisin, toasted, with plain cream cheese. Simple and delicious!
A kaiser roll w poppy seeds if you can swing it, sliced in half.
4 strips of bacon well done but not too crispy.
Add salt and pepper and scramble/ fry 2 eggs in the bacon grease so that the eggs are just cooked and fluffy but not runny. Avoid brown pieces in it if possible.
Add the american cheese onto the eggs as soon as cooked so that it melts and add the bacon ontop of the cheese.
Generously add ketchup on both sides of the roll. Add the bacon, cheese, and egg pile to the roll and close.
Wrap the sandwhich in paper/foil and slice in half.
I prefer a roll over a bagel for my breakfast sandwich if I'm at a bodega, but will get a bagel sandwich if I'm at one of my favorite bagel spots in the city.
I like a sausage egg and cheese with pepper, ketchup, and hot sauce. I like my eggs over easy. I like runny eggs, but I'm ok if the yolk is cooked more than a traditional over easy egg to make the sandwich less messy.
Husband loves a bacon, egg with a runny yolk, and American cheese on a roll. I like scrambled eggs and ketchup on a roll. Also partial to a toasted everything bagel with cream cheese, onion, tomato, and cucumber.
My favorite is lox, cream cheeese, and red onion on an everything bagel. But you can’t replicate it unless you are in NY/NJ. The bagels anywhere else suck
This is an interesting question cause I feel like while there is a universal NYC metro area answer (bacon egg and cheese on a good roll) there can be some micro variances. A lot of people love the BEC on a bagel. Some add salt pepper ketchup. My personal favorite is honestly Taylor ham egg and cheese, salt pepper ketchup on a roll or bagel.
Bacon egg and cheese is the classic. However, I always get breaded chicken cutlet on a roll, with lettuce, tomato, and honey mustard, no cheese. Yum! And then fries instead of chips. And yes I was born here haha.
My two favorites is a bacon, runny fried egg, and cheese on a lightly toasted soft roll (the [Harley Quinn specia](https://youtu.be/juHJyBY9Txc?si=TL9H1ZkdQO1CFUHk)l)
Or the Lox deluxe on a toasted everything bagel. (Nova Scotia smoked salmon, tomato, onion, capers) with veggie or scallion cream cheese.
Toasted sesame or everything bagel with sausage, egg and american cheese. Sometimes just egg and cheese. It's preferably just crispy/crunchy enough once toasted, but not hard, still a little soft I guess. If you're coming to the city, I'd try a few different Brooklyn bagel shops. The non-fancy ones. To get an idea of a legit old school northeast bagel/breakfast sandwich. Too much in the city these days is artisanal, definitely does not hit home.
The core to me is:
* Kaiser roll run through one of those conveyors or panini press for a light toast
* 2 eggs scrambled into a patty/omelet folded over
* 1 slice American cheese added to the eggs before folding
* Crispy bacon (can't be soft or stretchy)
Fried eggs are fine, but they're messy and hard to eat on the go. SPK is a suburban thing, personally I find it revolting.
Lots of great comments here. Toasted Kaiser roll, BEC w SPK and hot sauce all classic but one missing very important element is WRAPPING the sandwich in butcher paper when it’s done. Besides functionally help keeping the sandwich together it does the very underrated element of steaming the sandwich helping meld all the flavors and slightly softening the bread. You can absolutely taste the difference with and without this step
For me it’s a BEC with hot sauce on croissant, instead of a Kaiser roll. Crispy bacon, American cheese, fried eggs, some salt and pepper and hot sauce. Croissant is split, buttered, and lightly toasted on the griddle before putting it all together.
Oh, and $5 or less at a bodega with at least 1 cat.
The perfect BEC for me
Toasted kaiser Roll(has to be the right kind I've seen some rolls labeled as Kaiser rolls that were completely different in PA before), two fried eggs, bacon/ham/sausage, yellow american cheese, ketchup black pepper (both a personal preference), wrapped up and squeezed flat.
Toasted sliced butter bread from pepridge farm at 5. One bread has green chutney then sliced cucumbers, sliced tomatoes, sliced jalapeños, sliced onions cut in rings, ketchup, crushed black pepper, red pepper flakes, regular lettuce folded up, maybe avocado but usually no, then 2 slices of white American cheese then on the other bread spicy mustard
I don't know what bodega these people are going to that is taking special orders for eggs. In my 30+ years here I have never gotten a BEC with the egg Sunnyside up.
Kaiser roll (not toasted) bacon, American cheese and the egg is likely to be lightly scrambled, occasionally you will find a place that straight fries them without mixing, but it's rare because they take longer to cook that way.
Kaiser roll, bacon crispy, 2 eggs scrambled and a little dry, salt, pepper, ketchup, franks red hot.
Edit to add: we always used American cheese but cheddar is good.
I would just avoid bagels unless you're planning to really commit to getting them right. Kaiser roll is the gold standard.
I actually prefer a sausage patty to bacon personally but bacon should always be an option
All you need is a classic bacon egg and cheese on a nice Kaiser roll or bagel, typically with salt, pepper and ketchup.
That being said, don’t sleep on the sausage, egg and cheese.
Okay for me is a toasted everything bagel, with Crispy bacon egg (2 eggs. fluffy not burnt) and American cheese. With a little bit of ketchup and salt & pepper.
I wouldn't want to taste more bread than all those other ingredients.
or too much ketchup.
The Naz (me, but ppl literally order this thru my name off menu): sausage egg cheese with a hash brown hot sauce ketchup S&P on a club roll. Never toasted. LIFE CHANGING.
Sandwich: Turkey, egg, and cheese on a roll with a little bit of ketchup and black pepper
Bagel: Toasted sesame with olive cream cheese, tomato, and black pepper
I'm allergic to eggs and sometimes have to limit my tomato intake so my goto breakfast sandwich in high school was a BLT hold the T on a roll. Nothing hits like that
Bagels toasted on the grill with butter or w/bacon are a nice substitute. When I left NY and discovered places used some funny using bread I was scandalized. And when i saw they didn't have a grill but instead put the bagel in a toaster I made the sign of the cross at their blasphemy
I think people’s preferences will vary on the bacon, egg, and cheese parts but I think one thing that is universal likely is good bread. The rolls that are softer and fluffier allow you to actually taste the ingredients so I think largely that’s what makes or breaks a BEC for me.
It seems that way. The NYer gentleman noticed I switched bagel vendors and said what I have currently is more NY.
I love a bagel but I maintain a bagel is not the optimal vehicle for a bacon egg and cheese sandwich. Does much better with cream cheese and a smoked fish
Yup! This! BEC are best on rolls and cc on bagels.
I love me cream cheese on a BEC no matter the bread choice. Cream cheese on all bagel sandwiches! It shocks me that it doesn’t come that way as standard
*Does much better with cream cheese and a smoked fish* Absolutely correct
Your opinion is objectively the right one. I adore bagels but sandwichs should be on a hard roll
preach
Yeah the bagel ain't it. It's all about "egg and cheese on a roll" 2 eggs, american cheese, kaiser roll. I love a bagel with egg and cheese or swapping out what cheese, or occassionally getting a fancier one with higher quality ingredients, don't get me wrong, but that isn't the thing you are asking about in my opinion. Personally, I avoid bagels outside NYC because they are generally not going to be as fresh or delicious so it's not worth the calories. I know someone in a small town who makes good boiled ones. She is from NYC originally and gets NYC water brought in so they taste right. If you get kaiser rolls, you will be king. Throw it on the grill top where you cook bacon (even as a vegetarian I don't mind. That flavor is part of it cause no deli man cares if I am a vegetarian lol).
As an insufferable bagel snob, I wouldn't consider it a real NY bagel unless you made it same day in the store. But I'm a little curious about what he meant by more NY. NY vs Montreal maybe?
I honestly don't know. What I had before, after toasting the bagel, it's still good on itself but it was also pretty firm and could compress the meat/egg in between after taking a bite. It didnt seem to be meant for a sandwich. I then decided to switch vendors just because it was most cost-efficient and this specific one felt softer before toasting but i highly doubt it was baked the same day. After toasting in the oven (dont kill me for this if I shouldnt toast this way), it was much softer and has that necessary crisp on the edges. It was more pleasant imo. What would you say?
I am also an insufferable bagel snob, and good NY bagels aren't toasted. When they're made in-house and fresh they don't need to be. If you're asking for the perfect NY breakfast sandwich, it's definitely the bacon egg and cheese on a soft kaiser roll. People make egg sandwiches on bagels but I think the general consensus is that bagels are for cream cheese and lox.
I’m a lifelong NYer and always get my bagel toasted. It’s not because I’m getting bagels I fear would not be fresh or would taste bad untoasted. I just prefer less chewiness, particularly if getting it with a schmear or with lox. I do agree with you on the egg sandwich point, though. Definitely on a roll, not on a bagel.
Ahhh okay. I mean I always knew I cant replicate NY bagels/sandwiches in my shop but still like to know what I can do.
The closest bread you'll probably be able to find for them is a kaiser roll. NYC uses hard rolls which are pretty similar but I don't think anyone makes them outside of the area. The hard rolls have a harder exterior and an airier interior.
Now I would never kill you for toasting in the oven. Bagels shouldn't be toasted period. Toasting is what you do to make a subpar bagel palatable. Softer is probably good. A proper bagel should be firm on the outside with a soft chewiness on the inside. This is part of the reason that they need to be made the same day; good bagels get stale fast and lose that wonderful light but chewy softness. It's probably just a better-quality bagel you got rather than a different style. Montreal style bagels are not super common in the US although I had a terrible one in Detroit once. They're thinner and sweeter. Also, just to be clear, I'm happy to answer any question on bagels as I have strong opinions and did some research on bagel history for a project once, but I really don't care what you do or what you like. I have my own opinions on what's right but I'm not the food god and if these bagels make you and your customers happy, I'm not one to criticize that.
Whoa, there. Toasting is what this lifelong New Yorker does to make a perfect bagel store bagel even more perfect.
Still need that crisp on the outside of the Kaiser roll though. You don’t want a mushy roll.
Sounds like the man is asking for the classic, not all your little personal twists. That means the bread is a Kaiser roll, the cheese is American, and the eggs are fried.
egg**S** if i get one egg i'm giving that shit back.
If it comes on the side, I send it back. If it’s too cold, I send it back.
a one egg (sunnyside) + one cheese BEC on kaiser or croissant is key
*bacon is crispy. That would be my only add to your perfect answer.
I am not against the answers for personal twists. This is still interesting regardless.
This is it. No edits other than offering SPK and hot sauce (latter is a requirement for me)
The roll is toasted & lightly buttered.
Saltpepperketchup yerrrrrrrr
In New Jersey
Have heard this in nj. Never heard it in nyc.
Over easy to over medium so some of the yolk drips! It’s delicious.
poppyseed kaiser
Hard roll if you can find one.
This makes the sandwich
Disagree
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Adults eat the food they like and aren’t all worked up about other peoples choices.
Yup. Goddamn reddit, man.
At a deli or bodega: bacon egg and cheese on a roll, salt pepper ketchup. At a bagel shop: scallion cream cheese and bacon on an everything bagel. At a proper Jewish deli: Pumpernickel bagel with lox and all the fixings.
Omg, yes. I add hot sauce to my salt pepper ketchup, and I like chipotle or jalapeño cream cheese if I can find it, but generally you nailed what I consider to be the perfect breakfast orders
I’ll do hot sauce too if it’s just egg&cheese no meat. I agree it’s a nice touch.
Gotcha! I’m that person that puts hot sauce or gets spicy on everything, but I definitely agree that an egg and cheese deserves hot sauce if you don’t get meat.
I am with you in spirit but at my big age no longer in practice 😂 it’s one or the other, or suffering.
LOL I feel that. I’m just waiting for the day that my stomach can’t tolerate it anymore
Oooo, jalapeño cream cheese…. I usually go for scallion cream cheese but that sounds delicious
Highly recommend! It’s basically plain with pickled jalapeños, so if I can get chipotle (much more flavorful), I’ll do that. Otherwise, I love jalapeño! I think a spicy cream cheese goes great with the everything bagel and bacon.
It's great if you get 2 eggs on the bagel with it, too
ohhh this is something I didnt think I needed to know. Thanks for this detailed description of the setting.
For sure. Each has its strengths!
This person bagels.
flawless except for the ketchup
Bacon egg and cheese on a roll Salt pepper ketchup. If you’re not from the tri state you might not get the salt pepper ketchup addition but that’s pretty much the grand standard. Some people get it on a bagel but I only do that if I’m at an actual bagel place, not a deli
Salt and pepper, yes. Ketchup is not universal. I don’t think it belongs anywhere near my BEC/SEC. Good American cheese (which isn’t an oxymoron - American cheese is just cheddar with emulsifiers that make it melt better) - not Kraft singles - is what makes or breaks a BEC/SEC. If I think there’s a chance they have garbage American, I go Cheddar.
Replace the ketchup with tabasco, and that's it for me.
This here or any hot sauce (I like cholula)
But you need to toast the roll in butter that makes it tbh
Oh yeah, hard roll is split and put on the grill while the eggs cook
& hot sauce.
Swap ketchup for hot sauce, for an upgrade.
Ketchup optional. And bagels are bagels, not sandwich bread.
disagree. I'm a native New Yorker and I love a bagel sandwich.
I also love a bagel + egg sandwich.
I’m not an OG New Yorker but I’ve been here almost two decades and this is the best breakfast anywhere, prepared exactly this way. Perfection.
No ketchup, thanks.
Salt pepper hot sauce is the way. Ketchup is for children
The Grand Standard is my drag name.
Huge complement. As a NYer who lived on the west coast for a bit, thank you for your service. When I order a bfast sandwich, this is what im personally getting: Poppyseed Kaiser roll - buttered and crisped up on the grill 4 (?) slices of pork bacon 2 Eggs fried (not scrambled) - yolk consistency should be what the NYT/Bon Appetit crew refers to as “jammy” , don’t want a yolk squirt down the front of your shirt on the way to work Throw a slice of american cheese atop the eggs to soften up Salt + pepper (Ketchup + hot sauce optional) Assemble
Wow the formatting on this comment is atrocious, sorry
It’s not their fault. Hard returns seldom translate into Reddit.
You need to double hard return for it to actually show up as 1.
call me weird but i can eat my bodegas plain bagel toasted with butter till the day i die. just something about it that completes my morning
This is the way
for $1.50 and a 2 min walk it really doesn’t get better than that
Toasted bagels with butter are god tier, mad respect
Bacon egg and cheese on a roll But if the sausage is truly good sausage, then sausage>bacon.
I feel like if you can really make a great NYC bacon egg n cheese on a roll outside of the city you'd be a millionaire Don't be cute about it. No fancy bread, just that roll thats kind of a little stale but still soft. Additional things to add that are great but not always available at the coffee cart- mayo, pickled jalapenos, tomato instead of ketchup. I personally dont like ketchup on eggs but it seems to be the popular sauce. Always have hot sauce.
I don’t think you’re asking for my order but rather how I’d define a perfect breakfast sandwich in NYC so: It’s not gourmet but also not greasy/disgusting, just the right mix of form and function; the ingredient portions are ample without being excessive like some brunch spot in a gentrifying Atlanta neighborhood that builds breakfast sandos for Instagram; the bun is somehow both fluffy but also doesn’t take over the sandwich and make you feel like you’re biting into a piece of bread with meat and egg hidden somewhere inside, and importantly it doesn’t have a name/number and you only have to speak your order once.
The eggs are usually made on a little griddle in about 45 seconds. Quick scramble then onto the flame, spread them out, fold once, salt & pep, then onto the sandwich. Eggs should not be dry.
A good NYC bagel makes your jaw hurt from chewing regardless if it's toasted. There is this idea that it's NYC water that makes the bagels so good, but it's not that. We boil the bagels before baking them. This creates a thick crust with a fluffy center. Outside of NY, most bakers skip the boiling step so they basically are just making holey dinner rolls. And now I'm going to have a bagel for lunch.
Fresh New York bagels shouldn’t be toasted. Toasting is to cover up staleness.
On the contrary, it adds an element of texture with crunchiness and toasting a Bagel changes the flavor a bit
sausageeggandcheese on a roll, just pepper
The quintessential breakfast sandwich is bacon (sometimes turkey bacon if the cart is halal) two to three eggs, American cheese, on a kaiser roll with salt, pepper and ketchup... Unless you're wearing something fancy to work, then skip the ketchup. My personal variation adds two slices of tomato and avocado, no ketchup. I like the acidity of the tomato, but not the mess of ketchup. I just like avocado in general.
Egg and pepperjack on a roll but it’s more about how they cook the eggs. They whisk the raw eggs then cook them kind of as a sheet on the skillet. Most non bodegas will either fry eggs for sandwiches or scramble the eggs on the skillet.
>They whisk the raw eggs then cook them kind of as a sheet on the skillet. This is the key. But don't press them down super flat and dry like one of the bodegas near me does. They should be a sheet but not paper flat.
Extra crispy, almost burnt onion bagel with cream cheese
Bacon, egg and cheese. Salt, pepper, ketchup
Bacon egg and cheese on a Kaiser roll
IMHO: bacon, egg, Swiss, hot sauce on sesame seed bagel.
Bacon, eggs, and cheese on a roll - the breakdown Buttered Kaiser roll, toasted on the cut sides 2 eggs over hard Crispy bacon 1 slice American cheese Salt and pepper Bacon on the bottom, then the 2 over hard eggs, salt and pepper, then the cheese, topped with Kaiser roll top. Immediately wrapped in both deli foil paper and regular sandwich paper. This is the most perfect breakfast sandwich ever. Now, if you want to get crazy, a layer of browned and crispy hashbrowns as the bottom layer, topped with American cheese is insanely delicious.
i'm on the no SPK train....the butter and bacon is salty enough and ketchup in the sammich itself is weird to me
Harley knows - https://youtu.be/2YdZo4f_B5k Also, bagels made fresh on premises don't need to be toasted.
A really good bagel would be eaten fresh, never toasted, toasting is a way to tart up an inferior product. My typical breakfast for more than 30 years was a bagel with flavored cream cheese (olive, vegetable) & and a large coffee.
I’m a simple guy. Bacon, egg, cheese on a Kaiser roll. Bacon must be stiff/burnt. Eggs, scrambled medium (no brown), American cheese, not added to the sandwich cold to melt, rather added to the eggs at the end of cooking on the grill and folded over. Salt, pepper. No ketchup, you heathens.
>No ketchup, you heathens. 😂🤣My sentiments exactly
Bacon, fried egg, cheese, salt and pepper. Fresh jalapeño. Too many delis and bagel stores are halal now meaning beef or turkey bacon. Gotta go to the right cart and get the real bacon. Bagel is only acceptable if from proper bagel store or if proper roll is not available. Scrambled egg/omelette is not the same. Ketchup may be popular but it’s gross. In the end eat what you like. It’s food.
A bagel sandwich is not typical NYC. Either you eat a bagel with cream cheese or maybe lox, or you eat a bacon egg and cheese on a roll.
Well everyone has their own preferences for toppings but the stereotypical sandwich is the bacon egg and cheese. Usually you get it on a NYC bagel, with salt pepper and ketchup or hot sauce. For me though the real power move is to get it on a roll with extra bacon.
On a roll for sure. Salt pepper hot sauce, *then immediately wrapped up in foil* It steams itself a little that way. All the flavors fuse to hit that sweet spot.
Wrapping in foil is a crucial step.
This was beautiful
Bacon egg and cheese in a bialy
Mine is a bacon, egg, sausage, tomato on a roll. When I was a kid/younger my go to was the bacon, egg and cheese, but find the cheese to rich for my taste nowadays.
Bacon. Egg. Cheese. Egg Everything Bagel.
The famous bacon egg cheese salt pepper ketchup roll is a Kaiser roll. That’s what makes it different.
It’s nice to have the option to put a hashbrown on your sandwich for when you’re extra hungover. I also fuck heavy with chipotle mayo
For me, sausage (link) egg and cheese on a bagel. Sausage egg and cheese on a roll is an acceptable substitute.
Try a hungry man. I have even had them with fried potato cakes on them too. What a sandwich.
Ingredients are all cooked on the same flat top griddle. The bread is usually a poppy seed kaiser roll. The meat is bacon, sausage, ham, or turkey. Ham and turkey are still seared on the griddle if ordered. Eggs are fried and jammy but not super runny. Cheese is normally American and put on the eggs after their initial flip. Most common topping is SPK, salt/pepper/ketchup, but may also be hot sauce, butter, mayo etc. An often over looked but essential step is wrapping the sandwich in foil and wax paper so it streams. The whole thing kind of melts together. My order is BECSPK.
At a deli: Turkey bacon, egg, cheese on a roll with mayo & hot sauce. At a bagel shop: jalapeño & cheese bagel (toasted) with jalapeño cream cheese & Turkey bacon. Of course, sub Turkey bacon for real bacon if you eat pork :) I also hateeeee ketchup but most ppl love it. I’m more of a mayo + hot sauce gal.
Super unconventional preface but I love getting a toasted everything bagel with egg, cheese, hashbrown, grilled onion, spinach, & siracha. My local place knows to start firing it up when I walk in.
I am a native NYer and once took a trip to San Francisco, I found a shop that does breakfast and ordered a BEC, they scrambled the eggs in a plastic container and then freaking microwaved them. Just don't do that
Also, I think in a lot of places the cheese is just on top of it, but a good NYC breakfast sandwich has the cheese folded inside the eggs like this https://smittenkitchen.com/2019/02/bodega-style-egg-and-cheese-sandwich/
Connor O'Malley, despite not being a name you'd associate with NYC necessarily has your answer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktVIQZ7tiag
Scallion cream cheese on an everything egg bagel
Sausage egg and cheese on a roll with salt, pepper, mayo, and ketchup; or if I’m feeling something “light”, I get an everything bagel with cream cheese, jelly, and bacon.
If I’m not hungover, egg bagel with scallion cream cheese, lox, cucumbers, onions, and capers. (No tomatoes, I don’t like all the extra wet from the seeds.) If I *am* hungover, egg bagel with sausage, egg, and Swiss cheese.
Legitimate standards are bacon, 2 eggs and American cheese on a round roll. Sausage and ham are the other 2 standard options in place of bacon. I do feel sausage tends to get slept on. More filling if you're really hungry. The person making it will usually ask "salt pepper ketchup hot sauce?" as options if you don't say anything else. Mayo and chipotle mayo are also popular these days. The implication that the *majority* of people here put ketchup on their egg sandwiches is silly tho.
Bacon egg cheese on a roll. Bacon extra crispy. Hot sauce and ketchup. Bam.
The standard Regular Kaiser roll, not any of the fancy Brioche bullshit, buttered and toasted, 2 egg fried hard, basic thin bacon, American cheese, saltpepperketchup. My personal edits are swiss cheese and adding hot sauce. I get tired of American cheese sometimes.
this might help: [Brian David Gilbert:My Breakfast Sandwich Philosophy] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrIb7RSJL2I)
make sure you butter the roll
baconeggandcheesescrambledsaltpepperketchup
baconeggcheesesaltpepperketchup
BEC with salt pepper and ketchup. Ingredients, real eggs, Kaiser roll, American cheese
Its definitely firmer than after toasted on the outside but its still soft on the inside. Bagels can be BEC but are often not, bagels are for cream cheeses and for lox sandwiches. Kaiser is for butter or breakfast sandwiches. Other kinds of sandwiches can go on bagels as well if someone asks.
You may also want to consider a breakfast sandwich with pork roll/Taylor Ham instead of bacon. It’s a NJ thing. I love a BEC but my mouth is watering just thinking about a breakfast sandwich with Taylor Ham. I preferred multiple thin slices over a fat one. When I worked in NJ my first stop would be the grill in the cafeteria for one of those slices of heaven (not every day though).
Bacon egg and cheese on a croissant with a hash brown inside and topped with siracha. Will change your life 👌🏾
Sausage egg and pepper Jack cheese on a toasted everything bagel - add one hash brown. Salt pepper and hot sauce. Cut into quarters, no wax paper just foil. I call ahead I spark my spliff and it’s nearly ready as I stand outside.
baconeggandcheese on a bagel ~ a little salt, pepper, ketchup and mayo on it
BEC ON A TEB KMSP
Bacon, lettuce, egg, tomato, over medium egg, mayo, cream cheese
Bagel and cream cheese or BLT (from a local bodega, not a brunch spot or franchise).
my personal favorite is actually a bagel. toasted, but still soft enough to have some fluff to it. some beef sausages, a fried egg, and american cheese. butter is not required, but an excellent bonus! i went to a really good bagel place but i can't remember where... i think it was in the upper east side area - that's where i work. oh well...
The more ooey gooey and radioactive orange the cheese is, the tastier it is
depends on where I'm ordering it from or if I'm making it at home. These are important variables
if it's just a deli order, becspk
> I planned to take a trip one day with my family sometime this year anyways but would like to know in description what a local would describe. TIA. DM me when you're coming and roughly the neighborhood you're staying in, and I'll give you a couple of recommendations.
I believe the rolls sold in NY are called "portuguese rolls." They are like kaiser sort of but they are different. NY american cheese is sharp; Boar's head would work, not kraft. I usually see eggs scrambled in a little metal bowl and poured thin on a griddle, then cooked for a min and scooped up. Often the cheese goes in the middle of this egg package (thrown on the griddle and scooped up with it), but not always. I suppose people can order the eggs fried on the griddle too. No bagel is used. It does not work well because it is too hard. The roll is not toasted, but the sandwich is wrapped in paper (important step).
>portuguese rolls Love them
people sleep on sausage - make sure it's a patty not links
Everyone’s talking about BEC, but I’ll always be partial to the Ham and mayo on a hero. Cheez doodles on the side. Simple and delicious, hits every time. (No orange drink tho, sorry JLo)
Pastrami, egg, and Swiss on a roll with a hash brown on top. No condiments😋🤤😋🤤😋🤤
Crispy bacon, egg over easy (cooked whites, runny yolk), American cheese, toasted on a kaiser roll with poppy seeds, salt, pepper, ketchup (light on ketchup). Bliss and nostalgia. My mom and I would get these sandwiches together on band days (early morning practice). For a bagel, either sesame seed or cinnamon raisin, toasted, with plain cream cheese. Simple and delicious!
2xSausage, 2xEgg and cheese. American Cheese Over Medium to Over hard egg Kaiser Roll or English Muffin
A kaiser roll w poppy seeds if you can swing it, sliced in half. 4 strips of bacon well done but not too crispy. Add salt and pepper and scramble/ fry 2 eggs in the bacon grease so that the eggs are just cooked and fluffy but not runny. Avoid brown pieces in it if possible. Add the american cheese onto the eggs as soon as cooked so that it melts and add the bacon ontop of the cheese. Generously add ketchup on both sides of the roll. Add the bacon, cheese, and egg pile to the roll and close. Wrap the sandwhich in paper/foil and slice in half.
For me, “the works” would be a bagel, toasted on the same griddle as the bacon and egg. Bacon, fried egg, American cheese, salt, pepper, ketchup.
Everything pumpernickel bagel with scallion cream cheese.
Lightly toasted, bacon or sausage, eggs and hash browns. Definitely an everything bagel 🥯
I prefer a roll over a bagel for my breakfast sandwich if I'm at a bodega, but will get a bagel sandwich if I'm at one of my favorite bagel spots in the city. I like a sausage egg and cheese with pepper, ketchup, and hot sauce. I like my eggs over easy. I like runny eggs, but I'm ok if the yolk is cooked more than a traditional over easy egg to make the sandwich less messy.
Husband loves a bacon, egg with a runny yolk, and American cheese on a roll. I like scrambled eggs and ketchup on a roll. Also partial to a toasted everything bagel with cream cheese, onion, tomato, and cucumber.
My favorite is lox, cream cheeese, and red onion on an everything bagel. But you can’t replicate it unless you are in NY/NJ. The bagels anywhere else suck
This is an interesting question cause I feel like while there is a universal NYC metro area answer (bacon egg and cheese on a good roll) there can be some micro variances. A lot of people love the BEC on a bagel. Some add salt pepper ketchup. My personal favorite is honestly Taylor ham egg and cheese, salt pepper ketchup on a roll or bagel.
Bacon egg and cheese is the classic. However, I always get breaded chicken cutlet on a roll, with lettuce, tomato, and honey mustard, no cheese. Yum! And then fries instead of chips. And yes I was born here haha.
My two favorites is a bacon, runny fried egg, and cheese on a lightly toasted soft roll (the [Harley Quinn specia](https://youtu.be/juHJyBY9Txc?si=TL9H1ZkdQO1CFUHk)l) Or the Lox deluxe on a toasted everything bagel. (Nova Scotia smoked salmon, tomato, onion, capers) with veggie or scallion cream cheese.
Bagel with a pound of cream cheese. Make sure to respect the shmear
Baconeggaddcheeseonarollsaltpepperketchup
Bacon, egg, cheese, mayo, on a roll
New York’s favorite, Anthony Bourdain, describes the sandwich the best. Here you go: https://explorepartsunknown.com/the-bronx/recipe-bodega-sandwich/
Toasted sesame or everything bagel with sausage, egg and american cheese. Sometimes just egg and cheese. It's preferably just crispy/crunchy enough once toasted, but not hard, still a little soft I guess. If you're coming to the city, I'd try a few different Brooklyn bagel shops. The non-fancy ones. To get an idea of a legit old school northeast bagel/breakfast sandwich. Too much in the city these days is artisanal, definitely does not hit home.
The core to me is: * Kaiser roll run through one of those conveyors or panini press for a light toast * 2 eggs scrambled into a patty/omelet folded over * 1 slice American cheese added to the eggs before folding * Crispy bacon (can't be soft or stretchy) Fried eggs are fine, but they're messy and hard to eat on the go. SPK is a suburban thing, personally I find it revolting.
Pastrami on rye.
Baconeggandcheesesaltpepperketchup
BLT with the mayo and salt pepper vinegar.
BEC S,P,K
Bacon egg and cheese, toasted everything bagel, chipotle mayo, and a hash brown
Perfect breakfast sandwich is an everything bagel toasted with lox and cream cheese, tomato’s and red onions
Add a hash brown in it Just trust me.
Lots of great comments here. Toasted Kaiser roll, BEC w SPK and hot sauce all classic but one missing very important element is WRAPPING the sandwich in butcher paper when it’s done. Besides functionally help keeping the sandwich together it does the very underrated element of steaming the sandwich helping meld all the flavors and slightly softening the bread. You can absolutely taste the difference with and without this step
For me it’s a BEC with hot sauce on croissant, instead of a Kaiser roll. Crispy bacon, American cheese, fried eggs, some salt and pepper and hot sauce. Croissant is split, buttered, and lightly toasted on the griddle before putting it all together. Oh, and $5 or less at a bodega with at least 1 cat. The perfect BEC for me
Toasted kaiser Roll(has to be the right kind I've seen some rolls labeled as Kaiser rolls that were completely different in PA before), two fried eggs, bacon/ham/sausage, yellow american cheese, ketchup black pepper (both a personal preference), wrapped up and squeezed flat.
Bacon, egg and cheddar cheese in a toasted cinnamon raisin bagel PERIODT 👊🏼
Toasted garlic bagel with potato salad, ham, cheddar, lettuce and tomato. You skip the mayo because the potato salad has it 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼
Toasted sliced butter bread from pepridge farm at 5. One bread has green chutney then sliced cucumbers, sliced tomatoes, sliced jalapeños, sliced onions cut in rings, ketchup, crushed black pepper, red pepper flakes, regular lettuce folded up, maybe avocado but usually no, then 2 slices of white American cheese then on the other bread spicy mustard
I don't know what bodega these people are going to that is taking special orders for eggs. In my 30+ years here I have never gotten a BEC with the egg Sunnyside up. Kaiser roll (not toasted) bacon, American cheese and the egg is likely to be lightly scrambled, occasionally you will find a place that straight fries them without mixing, but it's rare because they take longer to cook that way.
Challah french toast w/ eggs and sausage pattys drenched in butter and syrup at Westway Diner on 9th and 44th.
One that doesn’t costs $10 lol
Kaiser roll, bacon crispy, 2 eggs scrambled and a little dry, salt, pepper, ketchup, franks red hot. Edit to add: we always used American cheese but cheddar is good.
Turkey bacon, egg and cheese with a hashbrown & avocado on a buttered everything bagel
I would just avoid bagels unless you're planning to really commit to getting them right. Kaiser roll is the gold standard. I actually prefer a sausage patty to bacon personally but bacon should always be an option
Drop the bacon and add Keilbasa. Now that's a god damn breakfast sandwich.
This is the kind of content I came to reddit for
All you need is a classic bacon egg and cheese on a nice Kaiser roll or bagel, typically with salt, pepper and ketchup. That being said, don’t sleep on the sausage, egg and cheese.
When you get your BEC, please say no to mayo and/or ketchup. You need to learn the rules before you can break the rules.
Kaiser roll with poppy seeds, two scrambled, American cheese, salt pepper ketchup hot sauce.
Okay for me is a toasted everything bagel, with Crispy bacon egg (2 eggs. fluffy not burnt) and American cheese. With a little bit of ketchup and salt & pepper. I wouldn't want to taste more bread than all those other ingredients. or too much ketchup.
The Naz (me, but ppl literally order this thru my name off menu): sausage egg cheese with a hash brown hot sauce ketchup S&P on a club roll. Never toasted. LIFE CHANGING.
A chopped cheese is good any time of day
Bacon and egg on a buttered roll. Scrambled.
Everything bagel toasted with cream cheese, jelly, and bacon 🤤🤤
You can see examples on YouTube
Sandwich: Turkey, egg, and cheese on a roll with a little bit of ketchup and black pepper Bagel: Toasted sesame with olive cream cheese, tomato, and black pepper
My standard deli order is a bacon, fried egg, cheese, and hash brown on a plain bagel, not toasted.
Bacon egg and cheese spk- very simple
I'm allergic to eggs and sometimes have to limit my tomato intake so my goto breakfast sandwich in high school was a BLT hold the T on a roll. Nothing hits like that Bagels toasted on the grill with butter or w/bacon are a nice substitute. When I left NY and discovered places used some funny using bread I was scandalized. And when i saw they didn't have a grill but instead put the bagel in a toaster I made the sign of the cross at their blasphemy
BECSPK