Best breakfast sandwiches in Victoria

November 01, 2020

It’s hard to beat a good breakfast sandwich in the morning, whether it’s a simple brioche with a perfectly cooked egg and melted cheese or a towering concoction of Eggos and crisp bacon. There are countless variations on this classic, all of which provide the perfect fuel to get your motor running on these cooler fall days.

Victoria is a city steeped in brunch restaurants and swimming in great breakfast sandwiches. Lucky us! Here are some of our favourites, plus one intriguing honourable mention.

1. The Parsonage Cafe

The Parsonage Cafe, run by Fernwood Coffee Company, has long been a neighbourhood favourite. But even if you’re not a Fernwood local, their breakfast bagel is well worth going out of your way for.

It’s stand-out feature is the Montreal-style bagel, baked up fresh by the neighbouring Mount Royal Bagel Factory. These chewy, sesame-topped bagels are a cut above the average grocery store offering.

The bagel is topped with a free range egg, melted cheddar cheese, and your choice of creamed spinach, sliced tomato, or crisp strips of bacon from local butchery Slater’s First Class Meats. Or go wild and opt for all three!

Website1105 Caledonia Avenue

2. Morning People

Morning People food truck is a relatively new addition to Victoria’s dining scene. It was founded by a couple of breakfast-lovers with a passion for fresh, local ingredients and home cooking. So it’s no surprise that they’re offering a quality breakfast sandwich.

The whimsically named I Just Had the Best Dream starts with a toasted ciabatta bun (a more than worthy alternative to the popular brioche) that’s topped with a farm fresh egg, aged cheddar, local greens, tomato, house-made ketchup, and garlic aioli. Meat-lovers can add bacon or a sausage patty, and we highly recommend a side of their excellent hashbrowns.

At present, the truck is located in the heart of Cook Street Village, in a quiet and sunny courtyard. Get there this fall while the weather is nice!

3. Rise & Grind

Rise & Grind, located in the heart of downtown, is a one-stop shop for all your breakfast needs. They have over 15 breakfast sandwiches on the menu, so even the pickiest eaters are sure to find something to love.

The classic is called The Originator, featuring a squishy brioche bun topped with bacon, egg, cheddar, sriracha mayo, and green onions. Vegetarians will love The Veginator, which subs avocado for the bacon.

But if you’re going to a place with so many options, why not try something out of the ordinary? Check out The Big Mac Drip. This glorious triple-layer sandwich features eggs, cheddar, sausage, and bacon, and uses Eggo waffles in place of a bun. The whole thing comes doused in syrup.

4. Bear & Joey

Designed to pay tribute to the cafe culture of Sydney, Australia, Bear & Joey has quickly found success in Victoria — and for good reason! The light-filled space is gorgeous, the coffee is fantastic (try a Flat White for a true Aussie experience), and the food is delicious.

The breakfast sandwich comes topped with bacon, egg, spinach, paprika aioli, and a divine tomato-onion relish that balances the whole thing with a perfect hit of acidity.

But what will catch your eye first is the unique pink brioche. It’s made especially for Bear & Joey by local favourite Crust Bakery by incorporating beet powder into the dough. The result is a bun that not only looks impressive but has a rich earthy flavour.

5. Fern Cafe and Bakery

Too often restaurants tack on a vegan option as an afterthought, but not Fern Cafe & Bakery. They’re Victoria’s only 100% vegan cafe and bakery, so you can trust that each menu item was crafted for maximum deliciousness, not just to meet an occasional dietary demand.

The breakfast sandwich starts with a toasted bun from Portofino bakery, which is topped with a tofu egg, vegan sausage, chedda, ketchup, and mayo. It’s truly delicious, not just delicious for a vegan option. It hits all the same juicy, fatty, savoury notes that you know and love in a breakfast sandwich.

6. Sherwood Cafe & Bar

Most restaurants are at their best when they specialize, doing one thing extraordinarily well. But Sherwood Cafe & Bar is the rare exception. They open early, close late, and deliver exceptional food and drink the entire time. The 8 a.m. breakfast is just as impressive as the 8 p.m. cocktail program. No easy feat!

There are two breakfast sandwiches on the menu. The classic features a fried egg, bacon, potato crisp, tarragon aioli, house ketchup, and greens on a toasted brioche. The potato crisp is a stand-out addition, providing great textural variety.

However, as a lover of fancy cheeses, I’m even more partial to the vegetarian Florentine, which is topped with spinach, egg, Grana Padano, tomato, tarragon aioli, house ketchup, and greens. My advice: take a friend and try them both.

7. Honorable mention: Boom and Batten Breakfast Pizza

For a waterfront fine-dining restaurant with incredible ocean views, I was surprised by the excellent value for money offered at Boom + Batten. This is true even at dinner time, but it’s doubly true at brunch, when you’ll get the same chef-driven experience for a fraction of the cost.

Yes, they have a breakfast sandwich. And yes, it is as delicious as you’d expect from this classy eatery.

But I’m here to talk about the breakfast pizza. Baked in their Forno oven, it’s topped with bechamel sauce, bacon, potato, egg, maple syrup, and chili oil. It’s creamy, crunchy, salty, sweet, and spicy all at the same time. There’s nothing else like it in the city!

Did we miss anything? What’s your favourite breakfast sandwich in Victoria? Let us know!