North Brooklyn’s Best Breakfast Sandwiches

North Brooklyn offers a bounty of breakfast options. This neighborhood has everything from tacos to burritos to bagels to biscuits, and of course, classic breakfast sandwiches. If you’re looking for something spicy, something with a Southern flair, or something super unique, you’ll find just that and more in Greenpoint and Williamsburg. 

Here’s a guide to North Brooklyn’s best breakfast sandwiches. 

Blue Light Speak Cheesy

Blue Light Speak Cheesy, located at Getaway Coffee Shop (158 Green St.), sells some of the most mouth-watering breakfast options in Greenpoint, including tacos, burritos, bagels, and classic breakfast sandwiches.

Locals flood the small shop on Thursdays, the only day to try the popular breakfast burritos, made with scrambled egg, pepper jack cheese, potato, spinach, chipotle aioli, and crunchy lime-flavored cabbage. 

On Saturdays, there are a few varieties of bagel sandwiches. Try the Marisa Explains It All with pesto, cream cheese, scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, and pickled red onion. Sundays feature more classic breakfast sandwiches. One of the most popular is the Fling with chive scrambled eggs, cheddar, caramelized onion, and Sriracha aioli. 

Lastly, Blue Light Speak Cheesy recently switched Taco Tuesday to Wednesday to allow the staff to rest for two straight days. On Wednesdays, locals get the double decker breakfast tacos with scrambled eggs, soyrizo, avocado, crema, cilantro, radish, and cotija. They can be made vegan or gluten-free. 

Crema

Crema (182, Driggs Ave.) is a Korean-owned coffee shop that has been open for years but still sees lines down the block for locals craving breakfast sandwiches.

There are only two options: egg and cheese with an egg omelette with cheddar cheese, arugula, and mayo on a milk bun; and the bacon, egg, and cheese with the addition of smoked bacon. The sandwiches are simple, but really well done. 

Locals will note that the owners display a sign that reads: “We have a limited amount of breakfast sandwiches and pastries we sell in a day and we need to reserve them for our coffee-buying customers. If you have coffee from elsewhere when ordering or picking up the sandwich or pastry we may refuse to sell you the item.” It may seem harsh, but the lines show that the sandwiches are worth it. Plus, the coffee is good! 

Tacombi

Small Mexican chain, Tacombi (242 Metropolitan Ave.), recently brought back their breakfast tacos, which are available all day. 

There are two options. The huevos al pastor includes eggs with thinly sliced, crispy Mexico City-style “al pastor” roasted pork, melted Oaxaca cheese, roasted tomatoes, jalapeños, chiles, onions, cilantro and dry chile salsa, wrapped in a fresh Vista Hermosa flour tortilla.

The second option is the huevos con nopales with eggs, crunchy nutritious cactus cooked in salsa verde, with the same toppings as the “al pastor.”

Tacombi says that their variation of breakfast tacos is customary to what you would find in Northern Mexico, where it is always served on a flour tortilla.

Okka

Okka (117 Nassau Ave.) is a new coffee shop and cafe in Greenpoint with Turkish pastries and Devoción coffee and espresso, iced coffee, hot chocolate, chai, and of course, Turkish coffee. 

Okka recently started selling traditional simit breakfast sandwiches. Simit is similar to a bagel, but thinner and slightly larger. Friendly Owner Hakan describes as street food for busy people in Turkey and one of the most popular breakfast options in Turkey.

Okka offers their breakfast sandwich with a sesame seed simit, melted cheddar cheese, and thin, round slices of chorizo. It’s a perfect handheld option for those on the go. 

Bakeri

Bakeri, a women-owned company with locations in Greenpoint and Williamsburg, is one of North Brooklyn’s best bakeries. Bakeri’s Greenpoint location (105 Freeman St.) boasts gorgeous floral wallpaper and whimsical handwriting. But even without the magical ambience, this bakery would be worth a trip for the mouth-watering food.

Bakeri has a breakfast sandwich called Biscuits and Eggs, but don’t be fooled by the simplistic name — this sandwich is anything but ordinary. Bakeri’s breakfast sandwich includes sharp cheddar from New York and two organic scrambled eggs on a rotating type of biscuit, which is often chive-flavored. Like all of Bakeri’s baked goods, the biscuit is delicious, soft, flaky, and melts in your mouth. 

Pies ’n Thighs

Pies ’n Thighs (166 S 4th St.), known for Southern specialties like fried chicken, opened in 2006 after owners Sarah Sanneh and Carolyn Bane met as cooks at Diner.

The cute corner location in South Williamsburg serves several tasty breakfast biscuit sandwiches with cute names, like the Banjo, which includes egg and cheese on a biscuit. Two popular ones that you can’t get at many other spots in the neighborhood are the biscuits & gravy with sausage gravy on a buttermilk biscuit and the Rob Evans on a Biscuit with sausage gravy, scrambled eggs, and American cheese on a buttermilk biscuit.

Black Seed Bagels

Black Seed Bagels (214 Berry St.) recently opened the brand’s newest location in Williamsburg earlier this year. It is an artisan bagel chain led by James Beard-nominated executive chef and head baker, Dianna Daoheung, who developed Black Seed’s signature bagel recipe by combining a New York-style bagel with Montreal baking techniques.

The bagels are smaller than other New York options but very delicious. This is a great spot to get a classic cream cheese sandwich or opt for something sweeter like a cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese and raspberry preserves. 

Edith’s

Edith’s Sandwich Counter (495 Lorimer St.), not to be confused with the newer location called Edith’s Eatery and Grocery (312 Leonard Street.), serves Montreal-style bagel sandwiches. Edith’s final touch to most sandwiches involves a crispy latke that makes the sandwiches extra filling. 

The BEC&L includes crispy local bacon, an omelette style egg that is usually larger than the bagel, sharp cheddar cheese, and a latke, with a side of Edith’s special sauce. It’s the most classic breakfast sandwich on the menu and a great place to start. 

If you’re feeling more adventurous, try the Middle Eastern with an omelette, homemade tomato jam, Israeli famers cheese, Aleppo, and herbs on a sesame bagel, or the LEO with an omelette filled with smoked salmon, caramelized onions and chives, served on your choice of bagel with a schmear of cream cheese.