When it comes to fast-food breakfast sandwiches, the options are plentiful.
But, each restaurant also puts its own spin on the meal.
At Chick-fil-A, for example, chicken is unsurprisingly a main ingredient at breakfast time.
Photo: Shutterstock. Design: Eat This, Not That!
Meanwhile, Panera plays to its strengths by loading its sammies onto its famous fresh-baked bread and bagels.
Join me for the ultimate breakfast sandwich showdown.
Here’s how each chain ranked in descending order from my least favorite to the overall best.
Photo: Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
I went for a standardbacon, egg, and cheese on a toasted flatbreadthe six-inch rather than a footlong.
The folded sammie cost me $4.79.
The look:They don’t call it a flatbread for nothing.
Photo: Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
This breadreally, the entire sandwichis squished down to the max, not to mention distressfully dry.
The taste:I think Subway ought to stick to lunch.
My immediate thought was simply “no” as I gnawed at the flatbread.
Photo: Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
The outer casing was crackly and brittle like a cracker, and what was inside wasn’t an improvement.
I think swapping the flatbread for some of the chain’s fresh bread would automatically upgrade the meal.
But, as is, it’s a major flop.
Photo: Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
The taste:At a certified breakfast joint, one would expect the bagels to be up to scratch.
But, at Tim Hortons, they taste like they came from a 99-cent bag at the grocery store.
The everything seasoning was limited and it was so dry that I could hardly chew my way through it.
Photo: Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
However, the egg gave me pause, flaunting green spots around the yolk that were less than appetizing.
But ultimately, the McMuffin won out due to its much longer stint as a breakfast icon.
This classic sandwich has been around since the 1970s, originally prepared open-faced and designed to resemble Eggs Benedict.
Photo: Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
I requested theSausage McMuffin with Egg, as I zipped through the McDonald’s drive-thru.
The order that cost me $3.99.
The look:Surprisingly just like its picture on the menu board.
Photo: Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
The English muffin is perky and coated in tiny grains.
It’s fluffy and spongy with a flavor good enough to eat all by itself.
The remainder of the sandwich, however, is just simply average.
Photo: Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
It’s a fan favorite and one that I have certainly indulged in before.
This time around, the sandwich cost me $5.25.
The look:The presentation here leaves much to be desired.
Photo: Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
Compared to the other breakfast sandwiches, it’s rather small and compressed.
On the flip side, the bacon needs some work.
It looks and feels uncooked with a kind of slimy texture.
Photo: Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
The taste, however, is oily and boring with just the slightest hint of smokiness.
With this protein foul-up and bread overload, Starbucks lands in the middle of the pack.
I was intrigued by theHam, Egg & Cheeseoption and paid $4.19 for the sammie.
The meat seems to be your average everyday deli ham, just covered in gooey cheese.
Underneath, the eggs are yellow and folded over similar to an omelet.
The taste:I was pleasantly surprised by the Croissan’wich.
Thin and salty, the ham does in fact taste just like deli ham.
Could I recreate essentially the exact same thing at home?
Most definitelyand perhaps do it even better.
The look:Inviting with a significantly more authentic-looking croissant compared to Burger King’s.
The taste:First off, the smell is incredible.
After this experience, I had high expectations for the tasteexpectations that were met…for the most part.
At the same time, the croissant is also quality, providing a buttery and flaky base.
The cheese, however, goes largely unnoticed and the egg was an overcooked letdown.
One slider cost me just $2.69.
The look:Palm-sized yet charming, like something you would buy to eat at the state fair.
The outside waffles are fairly pale, offset by the charred sausage patty inside.
The egg seems to be cooked in an overhard-like style.
The taste:Very McGriddle-esque.
The waffle bun is sweet with the slightest hint of maple syrup.
The entire sammie is small yet filling and I was more than pleased with this breakfast treat.
I chose the latter, which cost me $4.39.
Everything is shimmering with a buttery-looking glaze.
The taste:This particular sammie looks like it was made with care and tastes like it, too.
The bacon is also delicious, landing in between fatty and dry with a light crisp.
I would probably eat it by itself which is saying a lot for a fast-food bacon offering.
But, you know what’s even better than a doughy bagel with cream cheese?
A doughy bagel stacked with eggs, cheese, and other savory toppings.
The look:The largest sandwich I tried without a doubt.
The bagel bun comes with its standard broiled shredded cheese on top and feels like toasted to perfection.
The egg comes folded and the sausage patty is surprisingly hefty, nearly matching the size of the bagel.
The taste:Hearty and delicious.
Another surprise ingredient also helped this sammie to stand out and that would be the garlic aioli drizzle.
The only negative I could see with this option was the egg.
One of the most notable has to be the Chick-n-Minis.
It cost me $4.59.
The taste:Each layer of this sandwich is everything you could possibly hope for.
First off, the biscuit is soft, flaky, salty, and buttery.
The chicken is succulent and filling with that classic Chick-fil-A breading.
Each piece does its part to stand out but everything works seamlessly together at the same time.
And, for these reasons, I had to name it as the undeniable best.
