15 Breakfast Sandwiches in Austin Worth Waking Up For

The humble breakfast sandwich fuels this nation. They're blue collar by nature, but clean up nice; they propel us to work, cure our hangovers, and accent our brunches. Stuffed between two bready components you'll almost always find egg in some form, a meaty center, some ooey gooey cheese, and maybe a sauce. They're ubiquitous in Austin, but we've rounded up some of our favorites.

P. Terry's

Multiple locations; pterrys.com;
served every day until 11am

Unassuming at the drive-through, the breakfast sammie at Austin's growing chain of stylized burger shacks is one of our favorites. The Egg Burger comes with cage-free scrambled eggs and American cheese on a toasted bun, and an option for all-natural sausage, bacon, or ham – for just over $3. The filling-to-bun ratio is spot-on, and with add-on homestyle breakfast potatoes ($1.60) and an orange juice (fresh squeezed daily, $2.05), it's a smart move to get your day rolling.

Dan's

Three locations in Austin, one in Buda; dans-hamburgers.com;
served every day until 10:30am

It's zero frills, and just under $7; it's griddled white toast, eggs cooked to order, American cheese, bacon (or ham, sausage), lettuce, and tomato. Quick comfort food done right.

Uncle Nicky's

1123 E. 11th; 4222 Duval; unclenickys.com,
Mon.-Sun., 8am-11pm

We're not sure who anointed it the "World Famous Breakfast Sandwich," but it's pretty damn good, and for under $6, it's definitely a winner with Taylor Ham, fried egg, cheese, and ketchup on a roll. The ketchup surprisingly does set apart the sando, so we highly recommend giving it a try; if not, they will sub mayo.

Stars Cafe

3101 N. I-35; starscafeaustin.com;
offered 24/7, 365

The artist formerly known as "Star Seeds Cafe" offers the B(E)LT – classic bacon, fried egg, lettuce, and tomato, in between toasty bread – served in a quintessential modernized-but-still-vintage diner. For $9, we recommend adding cheese, which sets the sandwich at just $11, but life's short and what's a breakfast sando without cheese?

Wright Bros. Brew & Brew

500 San Marcos St., #105; thebrewandbrew.com;
Sun.-Wed. 7:30am-8pm; Thurs.-Sat. 7:30am-10pm

This one – the S.O.B., or Son of a Bun for the uninitiated – is a Cadillac breakfast sandwich with a Kia price tag ringing up at just under $7. It contains thick-cut bacon, scrambled eggs, smashed tater tots (yep, inside), American cheese, roasted tomato aioli, and is served on a Martin's potato roll with a packet of Crystal hot sauce. Yes, you can inflict plenty of mods on this sando, but save yourself the trouble and order it as is. It's a beast.

Sawyer & Co.

4827 E. Cesar Chavez; sawyerand.co;
check website for breakfast hours

The Cajun spin on the breakfast sandwich here is a nice way to spice up the routine. It's Breakfast on a Biscuit, with fried egg, cheddar cheese, choice of Andouille sausage, bacon, or boudin for about $6. We should probably mention the Frenchie breakfast sandwich, which boasts Creole mayo and po'boy bread for $8. Let the good times roll indeed.

Wholy Bagel

3637 Far West; 4404 W. William Cannon; wholybagelatx.com;
available all day everyday, except Mondays, from 8am-2pm at both locations

It's one of Big Al's Favorites. The No. 1 is a plain bagel, with seared pork roll, gently fried egg, and melty white American cheese. I want to love this, for the simple fact Wholy Bagel is using pork roll on their standard sandwich. The fillings are great in this sandwich. Critically, the bagel is a New York-style scratch-made joint, cold proofed overnight, and kettle boiled, which makes it a steal at $6.

Austin Diner

5222 Burnet Rd. #550; theaustindiner.com;
served every day, 7am-3pm

The move here is to order the Cheesy BLT and add an egg: Abracadabra, a breakfast sandwich! Tucked into a nondescript shopping center on Burnet, this throwback spot calls Dan's, Waffle House, and the Original Pancake House peers. This sando rings up just under $12 with a hearty side of potato chips and a few pickle spears, but you can definitely split this sandwich with a pal.

June's All Day

1722 South Congress; junesallday.com;
Mon.-Fri., 11am-4pm; Sat. and Sun. 9am-3pm

If Brew & Brew serves the affordable Cadillac, June's serves the Bentley at a Bentley price. The croque madame is well worth its weight in United States Treasury Notes. Jambon paris, Gruyère, fried egg, mixed greens: Their menu description is modest, but this dish is a monster – very rich, fatty, appropriately salty, and loads of gooey umami. It's a decadent knife and fork affair and shareable, but go ahead and dive in solo after your debaucherous night at Neon Grotto. Just over $20, but it delivers.

Cherrywood Coffee House

1400 East 38 1/2 St.; cherrywoodcoffeehouse.com;
served all day everyday, 7am-11pm

They've got a mile-long menu and options are the name of the game. As for our reco, we opt for the classic breakfast sandwich made to order with eggs, cheese, bacon, and avo. Plenty of other toppings, including veg/vegan, and multiple bread and bun options from croissant to gluten-free toast. There's plenty of Crystal hot sauce at every table, and a vibrant outdoor patio scene.

Cenote

1010 E. Cesar Chavez, 6214 Cameron Rd.; cenoteaustin.com;
hours vary by location

This breakfast sandwich is either meant for an entire crew or Andre the Giant. It comes with a choice of either ciabatta or croissant, a choice of breakfast meats including all the usuals and turkey sausage, an avocado option, and a massive heap of scrambled eggs with cheese, and a side of chipotle mayo. We're talking about a construction site amount, about 10 cubic yards of egg here. And if that's your thing, it's a steal at $9.

Magnolia Cafe

1920 S. Congress; magnoliacafeaustin.com;
served every day 8am-10pm

We're still grieving the Lake Austin location (so many memories, so much mud), but Magnolia South of the river offers a croissantwich that cures any blues. It's scrambled eggs, grilled red onions, pecanwood smoked shoulder bacon, and provolone cheese, and is served with chipotle apricot jam on the side. In true Mag fashion it's unique and priced right at $9.50.

Better Half Coffee & Cocktails

406 Walsh; betterhalfbar.com;
Mon.- Fri., 9am-3pm; Sat.-Sun, 8am-3pm

They're back, baby, and their breakfast sandwich is legit af. The dish boasts a house-made English muffin, crispy hash browns, smoked paprika aioli, arugula, and a fried farm egg, for 8 bucks. You can add bacon, avocado, sausage, or Beyond sausage for $3 more. Pro tip: The egg is served sunny side up, which is great if that's your vibe, but they'll over-easy it, fry it hard, or scramble it if you prefer. This sandwich actually doesn't need cheese; the aioli contributes a creaminess, but it never hurts to add a slice of melty American.

Nervous Charlie's

5501 N. Lamar; nervouscharlies.com;
served every day, 7am-3pm

At Nervous Charlie's it's basically a choose-your-own-adventure book. Keep it simple when it comes to the breakfast sando. The Classic is two fried eggs, choice of protein, and cheese, but we suggest you level up and opt for the Longhorn, which adds breakfast potatoes and Charlie's hot sauce to the original. Ordering online is definitely the move here if you want to get in and out.

Cafe No Sé

1603 South Congress; cafenoseaustin.com;
every day, 7am-3pm

If you're into a touristy ambiance, and you don't mind a wait, this is an option. They put a twist on a classic scrambled eggs and cheese by adding marinated tomatoes, almond pesto, cheddar, and provolone, and serve it on a toasty Easy Tiger brioche. It's $14, and comes with a side salad or fries. You can add Nueske bacon for $5, avocado $3, or a sunny egg for $2. It's a cheerful situation with pasta salad vibes.