10 places to get a breakfast sandwich in Tampa Bay

Eggs, bacon and cheese — you really can’t go wrong.

I’m not sure when exactly my love affair with the breakfast sandwich began, but I think it’s fair to say my taste has evolved a bit from the McDonald’s Egg McMuffin and Burger King Croissan’wiches of my youth. (The fast-food versions still make occasional appearances, but are now mostly reserved for road trips.)

The obsession really took off in my mid-20s: I was working in New York City and juggling three jobs at once (catering chef, recipe tester, tabloid reporter) and bodega breakfast sandwiches quickly became a lifeline. The spot two blocks from my apartment wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, but it was special in that it was my bodega, my reliable stop for a bacon, egg and cheese on a buttery roll when simply nothing else would do. Sometimes I’d swap in a bagel, and later on, while living in New Orleans, I came across a few breakfast po-boys, which were pretty good.

All these years later, not much has changed: I’m still enamored with that classic combo of crispy bacon, creamy scrambled eggs and oozing melted American cheese. There’s just no better way to start the day.

Here in Tampa Bay, there are plenty of great contenders, but I’d be hard-pressed to say which one is my absolute favorite. How can you pick one when they’re all so good?

The infrastructure of the sandwich matters, but there’s some flexibility. I may be partial to biscuits and rolls, but brioche buns, bagels — even croissants — are all acceptable here.

The only real prerequisite? It’s got to be delicious. Here are 10 of the Tampa Bay area’s most reliable spots for a solid BEC.

Bandit

The popular St. Petersburg cafe has a devout following for its breakfast sandwiches, including a vegan version and one that swaps in sausage, egg and cheese on a biscuit. But their OG Egg & Cheese ($9.50) was the first breakfast sandwich I ate upon arrival in Tampa Bay, and therefore has my heart. The sandwich features soft scrambled eggs, American cheese and Duke’s Mayonnaise on a buttery brioche bun. You should definitely add a few slices of the thick-cut bacon for $1.50, just saying.

2662 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. banditcoffee.co

Supernatural Food & Wine

A few years ago, a pop-in from celebrity chef Alton Brown propelled this downtown Tampa sandwich shop to fame after he named their bacon, egg, and cheddar sandwich ($9) the “best breakfast sandwich ever.” It’s since become the bay’s most popular breakfast sandwich, and for good reason: Served on a toasted focaccia bun with thick-cut bacon, a soft-cooked egg, extra sharp Cheddar and the spot’s creamy house sauce, this one is as good as it gets.