Food

10 Pandemic-Born Breakfast Spots Worth Rolling Out of Bed For

We are a bagel and breakfast-sandwich desert no more.

An egg sandwich from all-day breakfast sandwich purvyor Butter Me Up. Photo courtesy of Butter Me Up.

Baker’s Daughter
1402 Okie St., NE
The hybrid cafe/market is a far more casual operation than Matt Baker’s Ivy City tasting room, Gravitas. The chef’s menu features chia bowls, egg sandwiches, and a bowl laden with polenta, short rib, and eggs.

Buford’s Biscuits co-owner Lauren Barrett. Photograph courtesy of the restaurant.

Buford’s Biscuits
15 Loudoun St., SE, Leesburg
Fluffy cathead biscuits are the bookends of choice for sandwiches with a Southern twang—the Nashville hot chicken is first brined in sweet tea—and gravy flights that sell out by lunchtime.

Butter Me Up
651 Florida Ave., NW
For all-day, every-day egg sandwiches (and Bloody Marys), go for this pop-up/delivery operation out of the Shaw restaurant HalfSmoke.

Ghost Dog Egg Man 
2340 Wisconsin Ave., NW 
The breakfast vendor in Glover Park’s virtual food hall, Ghostline, serves brioche-and- egg sandwiches and Tex-Mex breakfast burritos exclusively for pickup and delivery.

La Famosa 
1300 4th St., SE 
Navy Yard’s colorful Puerto Rican spot evokes the island with vibrant guava pastries and smashed-plantain mofongo. The drink offerings include tropical fruit smoothies made with guanabana and tamarind.

Mercy Me 
1143 New Hampshire Ave., NW
The Call Your Mother/Timber Pizza team is behind the all-day cafe slinging breakfast tacos and Roman-style pizzas. Creative pastries like the caramelized-pineapple empanadas are inspired by South America.

The bagel shop opens on Saturday. Pre-order begins Friday. Photo courtesy of Pearl's Bagels.

Pearl’s Bagels
1017 Seventh St., NW
The Shaw shop layers sourdough bagels with jalapeño-spiked pimiento cheese or smoked-tuna spread. Construct your perfect egg-and-cheese at home with DIY-bagel-sandwich kits.

Sourdoughnuts
sourdoughnutsgf.com
This delivery-only bakery is frying gluten-free cake doughnuts with a tangy sourdough base—for a sweeter bite, try the yeasted renditions. Seasonal chai doughnuts and apple fritters are also available for pickup at Herndon’s Elden Street Tea Shop (714 Pine St.).

Tatte 
1200 New Hampshire Ave., NW; 1301 Connecticut Ave., NW 
The Boston transplant is serving Middle Eastern-influenced dishes such as a halloumi breakfast sandwich and seasonal shakshuka. The cafe — which is opening a Bethesda location next year —has a long list of gluten-free options.

Yellow 
1346 Fourth St., SE
Pita breakfast sandwiches, labne-filled croissants, and golden date coffee cake are all part of the Levantine offerings at Michael Rafidi’s bakery adjoining his dining room, Albi. There are a few more options on weekends, including urfa-pepper-dusted bagels and shakshuka.

Daniella Byck
Lifestyle Editor

Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Northeast DC.