The Best Breakfast Sandwiches That Are Worth Waking Up For
5 Honolulu brunches on a bun.
For non-morning people like me, I have to have a good reason to get out of bed on a lazy weekend. But a good breakfast sandwich can motivate an early outing, especially if it arrives quickly, savory and for under $10. Here are five favorites.
Wai‘oli Kitchen and Bake Shop’s Breakfast Sandwich
Photo: Martha Cheng
Tucked away in Mānoa Valley, the Wai‘oli Kitchen and Bake Shop serves breakfast in an open-air dining room and lānai dripping with nostalgia. By midmorning, the dining room was already warm, but a frozen Kona coffee helped battle the heat. Here, the large croissant with local scrambled eggs, cheddar, with a side of roasted tomato was delightfully buttery but also heavy enough to send me back to bed.
$7.50, 2950 Mānoa Road, waiolikitchen.com
SEE ALSO: The Historic Wai‘oli Tea Room Reopens as the Wai‘oli Kitchen and Bake Shop
Sweet E’s Café’s Enormous Breakfast Sandwich
Uncharacteristically, I woke up before 7 a.m. to do a 5K charity walk in Kapi‘olani Park. Thank goodness Sweet E’s awaited around the bend like a finish line. For the Enormous Breakfast Sandwich, choices of bread include bagel or croissant, and meat options are ham, kālua pork, sausage, bacon and Portuguese sausage. Surprisingly, the ham came cubed and scrambled into the eggs, rather than sliced, and was topped with cheddar, tomato and mixed greens. Though stacked high, it was easy to eat and definitely a worthy prize for my early morning workout.
$7.95, 1006 Kapahulu Ave., (808) 737-7771
SEE ALSO: Hip Kaka‘ako Bar WorkPlay Now Serves a Mellow Saturday Brunch
Bean About Town’s Croque Monsieur
At the tiny café Bean About Town in Kaimukī, I can get a pour-over in minutes, as well as a croque monsieur. Although I was disappointed that this was more a grab-and-go panini, with no egg-dipped bread like a traditional croque monsieur, the gooey Gruyere and sliced ham inside were still very tasty. And for $5, a pretty good deal.
$5, 3538 Wai‘alae Ave., No. 101, beanabouttown.com
SEE ALSO: Moke’s Bread & Breakfast Opens Second Location in Kaimukī
Kaimuki Superette’s Soft Scramble Sammie
Feeling like I needed a boost of green energy, I was happy to find that Kaimukī Superette’s breakfast sandwich came with kale scrambled with the eggs, and I added sliced avocado for $1.50 extra. Tomato chutney and brie also provided a punch of flavor, and the nicely textured bolillo roll—somewhere between a brioche and a ciabatta—held it all together. This sandwich is definitely worth coming back for, so long as I can make it before they stop serving breakfast at 11 a.m.
$7, 3458 Wai‘alae Ave., kaimukisuperette.com
SEE ALSO: First Look: Kaimuki Superette and Ed Kenney’s Upcoming New Restaurant
Morning Glass Coffee + Café’s Egg-A-Muffin
I’m often warned that there’s a line outside Morning Glass’ small café by 7 a.m., but that being an ungodly hour for me on a Saturday, the earliest I could make it was 9:45 a.m. Yes, there was a line, but it moved quickly, and I lucked out and found a seat right away. The Egg-A-Muffin is a popular choice: a made-from-scratch English muffin with a runny egg, applewood smoked bacon, arugula and tomato jam. Paired with an iced Americano, and I can see why regulars wake up early for this.
$7, 2955 E. Mānoa Road, morningglasscoffee.com
