The Ten Best Breakfast Sandwiches in Denver

Breakfast is not only the most important meal of the day; it's also the only meal where you can consistently score the finest creation of early birds: the breakfast sandwich (so take that, lunch and dinner!). Whether on a biscuit, English muffin, croissant, bagel or roll, the soul-satisfying combination of eggs, cheese and meat will keep you going for the rest of the day — fueled by thoughts of where to get your fix the next morning. Here are the ten best places for breakfast sandwiches in Denver, in alphabetical order.


Basil Doc's Pizza, Bistro and Burrito Bar
330 Holly Street
303-322-5832
If you've got an oven, you might as well crank it up first thing in the morning. That's the attitude at Basil Doc's in the Hilltop neighborhood, which serves simple, inexpensive and tasty biscuit sandwiches baked in the same oven that turns out pizzas by night. Omelet biscuits start at just $4.25, but you can pile on the toppings (there's no shortage of those) if you want something fancier. A pizzeria that does breakfast sandwiches may be a neighborhood secret, but it's a great stop for a.m. commuters, too.

The Bindery
1817 Central Street
303-993-2364
Breakfast at the bindery is like a mini-vacation, where you can relax over coffee in the airy space while the aromas of baking bread envelop the space. Choices are few but come loaded with the same luxurious ingredients that chef/owner Linda Hampsten Fox uses in her dinner menu: king oyster mushrooms, rotisserie porchetta and lemon aioli, for example. For added indulgence, opt for the open-faced croque madame tartine, stacked with prosciutto, spinach, Gruyère and a sunny egg. You'll wish you'd bought a one-way ticket for this vacation.

Emmerson
1600 Pearl Street, Boulder
303-953-9852
Yes, this Boulder eatery only has one breakfast sandwich, but it's the sandwich that has fed millions of hungry New Yorkers every morning for generations. Emmerson's Bodega sandwich wedges a fried egg, American cheese, salt, pepper, ketchup and a choice of bacon, ham or sausage into a plain roll for a portable, no-nonsense breakfast that's quite the opposite of the restaurant's intricate, elaborate dinner fare.

Hi Rise
2162 Larimer Street
303-296-3656
Hi Rise is a true urban breakfast and lunch joint: bustling, well-worn and speedy with the breakfast sandwich. Various combos on housemade bagels will please a variety of palates, but go with a biscuit when you need a little something extra to get you through the day. A big, fluffy biscuit conveys cheese, bacon and a fried egg with no tomfoolery. In a growing city like Denver, there should be something as good as Hi Rise on every corner — but until the rest of the city catches up, be sure to route your morning commute down Larimer Street.

La Fillette
4416 East Eighth Avenue
303-355-0022
Head to this east-side bakery for one of the best croissants in town; take a few for the road, but not before digging into a croissant breakfast sandwich topped with a fried egg and your choice of breakfast meats and cheeses. Green chiles or sautéed leeks are also part of the price to give these sandwiches a little something extra. If buttery croissants are a little too rich, La Fillette also makes its own English muffins and ciabatta so you can mix things up on multiple morning visits.

Masterpiece Delicatessen
1575 Central Street
303-561-3354
Being great at building sandwiches stretches beyond lunch and dinner, at least at Masterpiece Deli, where a breakfast sandwich is as rewarding as anything on the rest of the menu. Bagels or English muffins serve as sturdy springboards to deli delight, with pastrami, the company's own bacon and any number of other meats and veggies cooked right and heaped atop an egg. Even if you don't live in LoHi, a morning detour could become a habit.

Moxie Eatery
70 Broadway
303-524-9236
Go trendy with an avocado toast topped with a fried egg, or choose from seven other sandwiches, some with upscale offerings like lamb with cumin yogurt or prosciutto and pesto, and others offering classics like sausage and cheddar or smoked salmon and cream cheese. This stretch of Broadway may be one of the city's top nightlife destinations, but Moxie makes it a great spot for breakfast, too.

Olive & Finch
1552 East 17th Avenue, 303-832-8663
3390 East First Avenue, 303-955-0455
Baked goods are one of the specialties at Olive & Finch, so breakfast sandwiches come on housemade brioche, croissants or focaccia. The breakfast menu feels like a tour of Europe; try the City French, with eggs, ham, Brie and red pepper aioli, or stick with a classic croque madame on brioche. And if you're just not a morning person, don't feel left out: You can get a breakfast sandwich here any time of day.

Port Side
2500 Larimer Street
720-381-2504
This Larimer Street spot is perfect for a coffee and breakfast sandwich before a busy day, especially if you select the Duke, a filling egg sandwich stuffed with juicy pulled pork, pickles, arugula and Duke's mayonnaise. There's also a veggie version with zingy kimchi, or a Plain Jane, for purists who crave nothing more than egg and cheese.

Rise & Shine
5126 West 29th Avenue
720-855-0540
The petite but perfectly layered biscuits at Rise & Shine in West Highland are great for those who can't decide on a sandwich. Just get two! You can go eggy or eggless, depending on your mood, with sandwiches named after North Carolina towns or choose-your-own constructions on the biscuit of the day. You rise, these sandwiches will shine.