The Egg & Cheese Pita at Mitsos Greek Food and Coffee
I would happily submit Mitsos’s Egg & Cheese Pita as the Motor City’s official breakfast sandwich. It’s deceptively simple and yet provides a consistently satisfying breakfast for under $5 — exactly what a sandwich in the morning should be. Mitsos’s sandwich features a fluffy two-egg omelet with melty cheddar cheese wrapped in fresh pita bread that’s baked each morning. The bread is tender, fluffy, light, rippable to the teeth, and almost too hot to touch. The whole thing is pure warmth, with flavors so symmetrical each bite just melts away in your mouth. Try the Egg & Cheese Pita once, and you’ll start to wonder why more places aren’t serving breakfast sandwiches on pita bread. This is the breakfast sandwich I keep coming back to; I’ve had it nearly a dozen times this year.
Cost: $4.25. Ingredients: Pita bread, two-egg omelet, melted cheddar cheese. 2614 Riopelle St., Unit 4, Detroit.
The Biscuit Sandwich at Forest Bakery
Imagine a simple McDonald’s egg biscuit sandwich made with all the technique and culinary prowess of three bakery wizards, and there you have the Forest biscuit sandwich. The homemade biscuit itself has a golden and rugged exterior that encases the sandwich with ease but is pillowy soft and warm inside. This buttermilk biscuit crumbles but never breaks, making it a perfectly stable vehicle for fillings. The caramelized onions and “Dijonayo” (what it sounds like: Dijon mustard and mayonnaise) augment the golden-yellow scrambled eggs, and the thick, melted American cheese is rendered gooey in such a way that it deliciously coats each ingredient. The sandwich is available only Thursdays and Fridays, but it’s worth planning your mornings around.
Cost: $9.50. Ingredients: Buttermilk biscuit, scrambled eggs, Dijonayo, caramelized onions, and melted American cheese. 8140 W. Nine Mile Rd., Oak Park.
The OG Breakfast Sandwich at Q Bakehouse & Market
Q Bakehouse is an Asian-owned daytime bakery that specializes in Asian American sweets and baked goods. As such, it’s known to serve a trio of breakfast sandwiches (a rotating special is available on the weekends). I find myself coming back to the incredible OG Breakfast Sandwich, which allows for plenty of flavor enhancers like fu ru (fermented bean curd) and chile crisp breakfast sauce. The fu ru mayo adds a ton of rich umami, and the Chinese breakfast sausage is subtly sweet and soft. There’s a staggering amount of flavor packed into this single sandwich, and I believe it’s the only Chinese American breakfast sandwich in southeast Michigan to boot.
Cost: $9. Ingredients: House-made milk bread bun, Chinese breakfast sausage, white American cheese, scallion ginger fu ru mayo, chile crisp breakfast sauce, egg patty with scallion and cherry tomato. 1608 Jackson Ave., Ann Arbor.
The Egg and Cheese Sandwich at Norm’s Diner
If you read my recent review of Norm’s, you know I love this sandwich. The secret is in chef Elise Gallant’s spicy pimento cheese, which is infused with her mom’s recipe for spicy pepper jelly. The sandwich is sticky, rich, and every bit as comforting as the restaurant itself. This chunky, two-hander sandwich, which comes stabbed with a frilly toothpick for practical reasons, is well worth the $13. Cost: $13. Ingredients: Scrambled eggs, spicy pimento cheese, and a homemade sausage patty on a toasted English muffin. 8029 Agnes St., Detroit.
The Egg Sandie at Alba
Alba’s breakfast sandie is perhaps the most decadent breakfast sandwich of all — and the one breakfast sandwich that people always ask me if I’ve tried. By using a soufflé method for the eggs, Alba turns the texture impossibly soft and rich. The brioche bun is both enriched with butter and grilled crispy. Meanwhile, the chile de árbol aioli adds smooth smokiness, and the chives bring a bit of fresh bite. Alba’s Egg Sandie is many Detroiters’ favorite for good reason — it’s executed the same way each and every time, so you know exactly what you’re getting.
Cost: $8. Ingredients: Soufflé egg, buttered brioche, cheddar cheese, chile de árbol aioli, fresh chives. 2124 Michigan Ave., Detroit.
The Chevapi Breakfast Wrap at The Balkan House
The Balkan House’s breakfast sandwich is inspired by southeastern Europe, where grilled chevapi sausages are a common delicacy. The wrap itself is wound tightly like a proper burrito, and the flatbread encasing the eggs, cheese, chevapi, and onion is crispy from being cooked on a flattop. The chevapi sausages are beefy and juicy, and each bite of the wrap packs a welcome pop of fat. Wonderfully, the breakfast wrap also comes served with a side of ajvar — a sweet-and-sour, bright-orange roasted red pepper dip that acts as a flavorful condiment and adequate lubricant for the sandwich. Ajvar is a popular spread in the Balkans and is a striking accent to scrambled eggs. Once you try the combo, it’s hard to go back. Ask for extra.
Cost: $14. Ingredients: Chevapi sausages, red onion, cheddar cheese, scrambled eggs, kajmak and ajvar spread wrapped in an unleavened flatbread. 314 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale.
Over My Egg Body at Bev’s Bagels
There are quite a few different breakfast sandwiches at Bev’s Bagels, and a multitude of customizable options, but I’m partial to the simplicity of the Over My Egg Body, a breakfast bagel sandwich that features a fried egg, Cooper sharp cheese, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper. Max Sussman specializes in sourdough bagels made with organic flour. The result is something crispy and light but not a gut bomb. Bev’s uses exceptional ingredients, from the spectacular Cooper sharp cheese that’s tangy and milky to the always wild-caught fish. The real spice of life at Bev’s, however, is getting to choose what style of bagel you want. I usually go with the za’atar, which is herby with oregano and spiked with lemony sumac.
Cost: $8. Ingredients: Choice of bagel, Cooper sharp cheese, fried egg, mayonnaise. 4884 Grand River Ave., Detroit.
This story originally appeared in the December 2025 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Click here to get our digital edition.
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