Portlanders wake up hungry.

The fog’s still clinging to the street corners, your inbox is already filling up, and you don’t have time to cook. A good breakfast sandwich cuts through all of it, fast, hot, and exactly what your brain needs before it fully boots up.

I have been chasing them from the West End to Brunswick and beyond, crossed bridges, stood in line with wet hair, and let yolks run down my wrist more times than I care to admit. These Nine spots aren’t just good. They’re the reason to get out the door.
 

🥪 Best Breakfast Sandwiches in Southern Maine

Tandem Coffee + Bakery (Congress St, Portland)

Why Go? Briana Holt’s biscuit earns its reputation. You can only grab these at the Congress street tandem by the way.

Flaky layers. Baked egg. Sharp cheddar. Smoky pimento mayo. It’s half Southern comfort, half Portland precision. They can sell out by ten; the early birds know what’s up. I’ve eaten more than 30 of these things. The formula’s shifted a bit over the years, but it’s still the one I crave most. Just know this: if you’re not in line before ten, you probably blew it.

Go-To Order: Biscuit sandwich and a malt iced coffee. Sunshine in solid and liquid form.
Website: Tandem

Second Rodeo Coffee (Ferry Village, South Portland)

Why Go? This isn’t your screen-lit, headphone-hushed café. Second Rodeo trades Wi-Fi zombies for locals actually talking, and eating well. The waffle sandwich is a sweet-salty curveball that works. But I keep coming back for the egg and cheese on an English muffin. Add sausage and ketchup. It’s hot, cheap, and hits. At five bucks, it might be one of the best breakfast sandwich deal anywhere near Portland.

Go-To Order: Egg and Cheese sandwich with a cortado.
Website: Second Rodeo Coffee

Ramona’s (Washington Ave., Portland)

Why Go? They’re one of the few spots that actually give you options, which I appreciate. I bounce between the Ramona Roll and the Breakfast Hoagie, but I’ve got a soft spot for anything on a sesame seed roll. That little nutty crunch just hits. These things are packed: soft-scrambled eggs, roasted peppers, Cooper Sharp, and pepperoncini mayo on a full hoagie roll. No matter which one you pick, it lands heavy in the best way.

Go-To Order: The Breakfast Hoagie. Bring napkins.
Website: Ramonas

Palace Diner (Biddeford)

Why Go? Counter stools that spin. A 1927 steel griddle that’s seen more eggs than you have. Thick-cut bacon, soft bun, no shortcuts. Palace Diner doesn’t miss. Every plate feels like it was argued over, perfected, and then cooked like they actually care. It’s tiny, it’s cash only, and yeah, you’ll probably be standing outside in line. But once you're in, there’s nowhere else you’d rather be. To me, it might be the best damn restaurant in Maine.

Go-To Order: Bacon-egg-cheese on a toasted bun with hashbrowns. Add the brown butter banana bread. Throw in a side of sausage. Maybe a single flapjack, just to see how it feels. Honestly? Just eat everything.
Website: Palace Diner

Dutchman’s Wood-Fired Bagels ( Brunswick )

Why Go? Brunswick’s bagel game has officially arrived. The bagels come out blistered, crusty, and just soft enough inside. The bacon, egg, and cheese with “bodega sauce” (I add ketchup and cream cheese, sue me) is exactly what a hungover Sunday needs. The Garden State with lox, dill cream cheese, and heirloom tomato tastes like a New York summer with better manners. They post specials on Instagram and usually sell out before noon, so don’t sleep in. This place doesn’t just make bagels. It reminds you how good a bagel is supposed to be.

Go-To Order: Bacon, egg, and cheese on a toasted everything bagel with ketchup. Don’t forget to swing by Cabot Mill Antiques while you’re there.
Website: Dutchmans 

The Abbey (Maine St., Brunswick)

Why Go? A breakfast sandwich built on bolo levedo, the soft, sweet Portuguese roll more cities should have. Spread with maple-harissa or garlic-herb, then let the cheese and prosciutto do their thing. It’s fantastic. And look, I know this is a breakfast sandwich list, but the Bocadillo? Once I bought it, I knew I’d never leave without one again. Guess I’ll have to master the art of driving with two sandwiches in hand.

Go-To Order: Egg-and-chee… Bocadillo, its the sandwich for me.
Website: The Abby

Indy's Sandwich

Why Go? The Kai Kata breakfast bun breaks the Portland rulebook: two eggs, Chinese sausage, Vietnamese sausage, ground pork, a fistful of cilantro, all on a toasted deluxe roll. It eats like Southeast Asia on a coffee break and lands on your table hotter than the gossip at Scratch.

Go-To Order: Kai Kata with a Thai-tea nitro cold brew. Finish it in the parking lot and call it self-care.
Website: Indy’s Sandwich

Burke’s Perks – Monument Square, Portland

Why Go? Shout out to Izzy for showing me Burk’s Initially, Its a family-run counter in the middle of the Square: griddled egg and sharp cheddar on a buttery roll, hot in under five minutes. Add sausage or slip the $4.75 egg-and-cheese into your bag while the barista pulls an espresso. Cheap, quick, and walking-distance to every downtown office. Incredible.

Go-To Order: Egg-and-cheese with sausage on a roll with Ketchup, Ice Coffee.
Website: Burke’s Perks

Cutie’s (Market St., Portland)

They took the McGriddle, scrubbed the drive-thru guilt, and rebuilt it with Portland attitude. Two maple-brushed pancake buns hug a fried egg, seared sausage, and molten cheddar. Sweet. Salty. Sticky. It tastes like Saturday-morning cartoons grew up, moved to the Old Port, and found better coffee.

Go-To Order: Either the Breakfast Sandwich or the BLT both are incredible.
Website: Cuties

RIP Corner — Gone but Not Forgotten

Hi-Fi Donuts (City Center, closed Apr 17 2025)
Eight years of scratch-made donuts, loud playlists, and a mean sausage-egg bomb. Lease talks tanked, lights went out. The square feels quieter now.

Ohno! Cafe (Brackett St., closed Nov 2024)
Twenty years of West End breakfast legends, the maple-glazed prosciutto bagel, the “Number One” with Tabasco. Staff shortages and family priorities pulled the plug. The neighborhood still walks by expecting the smell of bacon.

Honorable Mentions

Smalls – The sandwich is excellent. The size? Yeah, it’s small. But the coffee’s strong, the bread’s solid, and the place has just enough charm to make you forget you’re still hungry.

Ugly Duckling – A proper English muffin sandwich that could fix your whole day. Cozy vibe, great food, but it’s a bit steep for what you get. Still, sometimes you just want the good version.

Where to Start

Tandem at dawn. Second Rodeo as the bridge fog lifts. Cutie’s for a mid-morning maple hit. Save Brunswick for the kind of morning that turns into a day trip. Nine sandwiches, one happy stomach.

Reading this inside the newsletter and want to jump back to the full issue? [Click here].