Greenwich Patch Picks: 4 Great Places To Get A Breakfast Sandwich

GREENWICH, CT — Unusual as it may sound, you can tell a lot about a local eatery based on their breakfast sandwiches. The way a place handles their morning sandwich selection can say a lot about their style, attention to quality and penchant for variety.

When thinking of these types of sandwiches, the casual customer likely imagines the standard bacon, egg and cheese found on most morning menus, but many restaurants are realizing they can go so much further than that; that a sandwich is simply a blank canvas on which they can create edible art. (To sign up for Greenwich breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

Since there are some mornings where the usual coffee and toast just won't suffice, residents may find themselves at some point this year in need of something more substantial, and fast!

With this in mind, Patch reached out to four different places in Greenwich we consider to be top-notch breakfast sandwich makers.

While these places are certainly high quality and well-deserving of their place on this list, it should be noted this is not a definitive ranking of the best places to get these types of sandwiches in town. If you think your favorite place got snubbed, please let us know by commenting and we may add it to the list or include them in a future updated list.

It also should be noted these are not ranked in order; they are simply a sampling of our current favorite breakfast sandwich spots in Greenwich.

With that said, let the feast begin!

Garden Catering

185 1/2 Sound Beach Avenue

A staple of the Old Greenwich community, Garden Catering has been serving chicken nuggets and potato cones to hungry customers for over 30 years.

According to co-owner Tina Carpenteri, Garden Catering serves breakfast sandwiches all day, and each one is prepared to order on fresh New York-style hard rolls. They are also customizable to ensure customers enjoy them the way they like. Add avocado? Sure. Extra egg and extra cheese? You got it!

They can even be made "inside out," meaning the roll is flipped over and toasted on both sides on the grill, then built on top of said roll.

According to Carpenteri, Garden Catering's most popular breakfast sandwich is "the Hotsy," a bacon, egg and cheese with smashed potato cones and a generous portion of "Hotsy's Chili" on a hard roll. The Hotsy was even recently voted "Best Breakfast Sandwich in America" by Restaurant Hospitality magazine.

"Hotsy's chili and delicious potato cones make this breakfast sandwich a fan favorite," Carpenteri said.

Other breakfast options Carpenteri recommends sampling include a bacon potato wrap, featuring a hash brown patty, scrambled eggs, bacon and cheese.

"I get this and use egg whites on the days I want a little something special," Carpenteri said. "Ask for the wrap toasted; it's so good!"

See also: Barbecue Pop Up Opens At Garden Catering In Old Greenwich

Garden Catering's menu also offers healthier options for customers, such as a turkey, egg white and cheese sandwich. They also have gluten free options, and sandwiches can even be ordered in a dish rather than on bread.

More information about Garden Catering: www.gardencatering.com.

Upper Crust Bagel Company

197 Sound Beach Avenue

Tucked into a cozy spot along Sound Beach Avenue, Upper Crust Bagel Company has been serving up fresh-made bagels and coffee to customers in Old Greenwich and beyond for over 25 years.

While known for their namesake, bagels, Upper Crust also offers customers a variety of breakfast sandwich options for those mornings when they crave something a little extra.

"Customers love our breakfast sandwiches," co-owner Robert Guerrieri said, "because we make them with love, using premium ingredients and making them fresh to order."

Among the sandwiches on their menu, Guerrieri points to "the OG" as their most popular morning sandwich option. The OG boasts thinly sliced Atlantic smoked salmon and creamy cream cheese, topped with sliced Bermuda onions and tomatoes.

See also: Popular Bagel Shop Celebrates 25 Years In Greenwich

Guerrieri also recommends customers try their "Early Riser" egg sandwiches with either bacon, sausage or ham on one of Upper Crust's award-winning bagels.

"We have been serving the community for over 26 years," Guerrieri said, "and we still consider ourselves blessed to serve and be part of this supportive and loving town."

More information about Upper Crust Bagel Company: www.uppercrustbagel.com.

Lenny's Bagels

207 East Putnam Avenue

A relatively new addition to the Greenwich breakfast scene, Lenny's Bagels opened its first Connecticut location in the Cos Cob area of town back in October following repeated requests from customers at their other New York locations.

According to co-owner Richard Damato, customers have already embraced the family-run bagel shop's extensive sandwich menu over the past few months of operation.

"Customers love our breakfast sandwiches because there's nothing better than fresh, hot-off-the-grill, perfectly made eggs, scrambled or fried to your liking on a hot, fresh bagel," Damato said. "We have a large variety of breakfast sandwich creations with various meats, cheeses, vegetables and toppings, or [customers] can simply create [their] own."

While Lenny's offers inventive sandwich combinations like "chorizo, cheddar and hash brown" and "steak, jalapeno and mozzarella," Damato said their classic bacon, egg and cheese sandwich is still their most popular option

"It's classic," Damato said. "Our flavorful, crispy bacon makes it hard to resist."

See also: New Family-Run Bagel Shop Opens In Greenwich

For any sandwich combination, Damato also recommends adding either hash brown or avocado. Customers that prefer their breakfast sandwich without bread can try one of their breakfast bowls, such as the "Yard Bird" with three fresh eggs, fried chicken, melted cheddar and hash browns.

"We are so fortunate to have such a loyal customer base," Damato said. "We take pride in keeping our customers satisfied...we look forward to serving our delicious products for many years to come."

More information about Lenny's Bagels: www.lennysbagels.com/cos-cob.

Garelick & Herbs

48 West Putnam Avenue

It's fair to say breakfast sandwiches and eating healthy don't typically go hand-in-hand, though many local eateries are addressing that by adding options like turkey sausage and egg whites in place of the traditional eggs and bacon.

At Garelick & Herbs, which has locations in both Greenwich and Fairfield, they emphasize offering customers a healthier sandwich option without skimping on the portions, according to co-owner Paola Garelick.

"Our breakfast sandwiches are hearty yet on the healthier side," Garelick said, "as we believe delicious food doesn't always have to be unhealthy. Breakfast is a very important start to your day and should fuel your body with proteins and healthy carbs."

With that in mind, Garelick noted their Greenwich location's most popular sandwich option is the "Brainstormer," featuring easy over eggs, grilled chicken, sharp cheddar, avocado and shaved Bermuda red onions on multigrain toast.

"It's healthy and hearty," Garelick said. "Many of our customers are super active and busy people. This sandwich is healthy yet super hearty to jumpstart your day."

In addition to sandwiches, Garelick & Herbs also offers an array of omelettes, such as the "Power Up" made with egg whites, local Vermont ham, sharp cheddar, red and yellow peppers, blistered tomatoes and vidalia onion.

As a bonus, the shop's freshly brewed coffee can be purchased by the cup or the pound and ground for home brewing, Garelick said. Ordering also couldn't be easier.

"Many of our customers are working from home and have additional family members living at home again," Garelick said. "We have implemented an easy online ordering at [our website] offering breakfast, lunch, dinner socially polite catering, gift baskets and more. Take out, curbside and delivery is available as well."

More information about Garelick & Herbs: www.garelickandherbs.com/greenwich

Did we miss any other great places to grab breakfast sandwiches in Greenwich? If so, comment and let us know. We may update this list again in the future and would love to know some other hidden gems. (Did you like that story? Invite your friends to subscribe to Patch.)