The Best Fast Food Breakfast Items That Are Available Any Time Of Day
Customers claim to love all-day breakfast, but very few fast food restaurants actually offer breakfast past 11 a.m. From a corporate perspective, it makes sense. Most people are going to order breakfast at breakfast time and lunch at lunchtime, so why try to appeal to a small niche of late risers? But sometimes you just need to get breakfast at 2 p.m. Especially if you had a long night out or you work unconventional hours. If that describes you, don't worry; we have your back. We've found the best fast food breakfast items that you can get at any time of day.
First, we looked for fast food chains that serve breakfast all day and landed on the nine most popular options. We chose the best-reviewed breakfast item from each of those chains. Our choices were based on customer feedback and online reviews.
Ultimately, we determined that these nine items are in the top tier of fast food breakfast. All apologies to the McGriddles, but if I can't eat you at 3 p.m., you aren't making the cut.
Dunkin': Bacon, Egg, and Cheese
Dunkin' is known for its coffee and donuts, but don't overlook the breakfast sandwiches. For many Americans, these sandwiches are a quick and filling morning go-to. Overwhelmingly, one Dunkin' breakfast sandwich stands above the rest.
A Mashed reader poll from 2022 showed that 25% of those surveyed declared the bacon, egg, and cheese the best breakfast sandwich at Dunkin'. According to the Dunkin' website, you can get this sandwich on a bagel, croissant, English muffin, or biscuit. Personally, we've never been to a Dunkin' that serves biscuits or offers them as a sandwich bun. If you can find one, though, we'll gladly take a heads-up.
Since Dunkin' only serves breakfast, the full menu is available as long as the store is open. And while your nearest Dunkin' location might be out of your favorite donut flavor by 3 p.m., it will still be able to whip up a bacon, egg, and cheese in a jiffy.
Jack in the Box: Loaded Breakfast Sandwich
If you want a big breakfast sandwich, look no further than Jack in the Box. We recommend the chain's Loaded Breakfast Sandwich to both hungry and indecisive breakfast lovers. This fan-favorite is a solution to choice paralysis. Loaded with ham, bacon, and sausage, you won't be craving meat any time soon. The sandwich also includes two freshly cracked eggs and two slices of American cheese, all nestled between a sourdough bun. That's right, Jack in the Box is one of the few fast food joints that cracks its own eggs.
Fans on Reddit frequently mention Jack in the Box as the home of the best fast food breakfast. The Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich is another item that has a lot of positive buzz; however, we have to give an edge to its loaded cousin. Fast food should be indulgent. For serving up its bounty between two pieces of crisp, buttery sourdough, we can't help but praise the Loaded Breakfast Sandwich for its commitment to indulgence.
Starbucks: Bacon, Gouda & Egg Sandwich
Where else can you find a breakfast sandwich with gouda cheese? This ingredient choice is an anomaly in fast food, and it's what sets this Starbucks breakfast sandwich apart. The cheese on the bacon, gouda, and egg sandwich gives it a smokey and creamy flavor profile that is unmatched by anything else in fast food. Plus, the artisan roll it's served on is as soft as a literal pillow.
This sandwich is often in pretty hot demand, typically selling out before the afternoon. If you can snag one after noon, though, it's well worth the mere 360 calories.
There are a few hacks Starbucks diehards offer up to make this sandwich even better. TikTok user Erin O'Brien recommends you ask to get the sandwich toasted open-faced, so the bacon gets nice and crispy. Other folks on Reddit suggest adding an extra strip of bacon to the sandwich to take it to the next level.
Sonic: SUPERSonic Breakfast Burrito
There aren't many fast food chains that offer genuinely good breakfast burritos. At McDonald's, the burrito is easily a second-string option compared to the Egg McMuffin, but at Sonic, it might just be the best item on the whole menu. Sonic offers breakfast all day, and this burrito is consistently mentioned as one of the things the chain does right.
The SUPERSonic Breakfast Burrito is loaded with more fillings than you'd expect. In addition to the typical eggs, cheese, and sausage, it contains tater tots, tomatoes, jalapeño, and diced onions. Obviously, the inclusion of those crispy potatoes is part of the winning formula. Those who swear by this burrito, though, also cite the veggies as a big part of what makes the item stand out among other fast food breakfasts. The added freshness from the tomato and heat from the pepper ensure this burrito has dimensions and isn't just a big mess of salt, carbs, and eggs. It is a well-balanced breakfast. Well, as balanced as you can get at Sonic.
Bojangles: Cajun Filet Biscuit
The fried chicken biscuit is a perfect brunch item, hitting both those breakfast and lunch cravings. Yet most fast food chains that serve the item don't serve it past breakfast time. Southern chicken chain Bojangles realizes the fault in this decision. Here, you can get a Cajun filet biscuit at any time of day.
Bojangles serves all its breakfast biscuits all day. You'll find the typical bacon and eggs on this list, but it also includes more traditional Southern options like country ham and chicken-fried steak. If you have to try just one, we recommend the Cajun chicken filet.
This sandwich is pretty basic — just a fried chicken filet and a biscuit — but it's beloved by many. Bojangles diehards on Reddit frequently claim that this humble chicken biscuit is the best thing on the menu. Many fans of the chain agree that it's hard to argue with the beautiful contrast of crispy chicken on a soft, buttery biscuit.
Au Bon Pain: The Good Egg sandwich
Au Bon Pain isn't the first place that comes to mind when you think of fast food, but this coffee and breakfast chain certainly fits the bill. In our experience, the pastries are what a McDouble is to a real cheeseburger hamburger: a mass-produced facsimile. However, one of the chain's breakfast sandwiches stands tall above the rest of the menu — we're talking about The Good Egg.
The Good Egg was permanently added to the chain's breakfast menu in 2017 and quickly became a fan favorite. On it, you'll find two eggs, a slice of cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and avocado on a rustic baguette. A spread of spinach and lemon aioli is added and harmoniously brings all the elements of the sandwich together. The result is a tasty vegetarian breakfast that many diners recommend.
Due to its availability any time of day, it is also a great option for college students and their erratic schedules. Especially since many Au Bon Pain locations are on or near university campuses.
Tim Hortons: Timbits
When it comes to Tim Hortons' breakfasts, the egg sandwiches are polarizing. Some Canadian fast food lovers can't get enough of its bacon and egg sandwiches, while others can't stand them. One Reddit user described the experience of eating one as "chewing on bits of shredded paper." But the Timbits are a must-try, according to everyone who's ever stepped foot in a Tim Hortons. The only hot debate about these donut holes is over which flavors are best.
Timbits are the Tim Hortons equivalent of Dunkin's Munchkins. Anyone who has tried both will tell you that Timmy's takes the cake, or the donut, as it were. The Sour Cream Glazed is consistently mentioned by diners as one of the best flavors due to its moist and creamy texture on the inside. Meanwhile, Tim Hortons diehards still hold the torch for discontinued Timbits flavors like Honey Cruller and Cherry Chip.
White Castle: Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Breakfast Sliders
A lot of fast food aficionados probably don't associate White Castle with breakfast; but the slider chain serves its breakfast menu all day. This includes its sausage, egg, and cheese breakfast sliders, our pick for the best breakfast item at White Castle.
White Castle serves its breakfast sliders on the chain's signature steamed hamburger buns. It also offers them served on Belgian waffles and toast. We agree with the food critics who tried all three and say the original comes out on top. The ratios of filling to bread are perfect on a hamburger bun, while the waffle and toast options are too bready.
You can also get a burger patty with egg and cheese on a slider bun, but we think the sausage is meatier and is a better fit for breakfast. White Castle also uses fresh eggs, which is a big advantage over much of its competition.
Panera Bread: Bear Claw
Here's a caveat: Panera Bread does not actually serve its savory breakfast all day. After 10:30 a.m. (at most locations), you can no longer order anything with an egg. Breakfast wraps and sandwiches are off the table the moment the menu switches over to lunch. However, you can still get pastries, muffins, and other breakfast sweets until the store runs out, which could be as late as closing time. The favorite of these among Panera stans is the bear claw.
Called the best pastry at Panera by many obsessives on Reddit, this Danish-inspired pastry is filled with an almond paste. The bear claw is then glazed and finished with chopped almonds on top. With each bite, you get the sweet almond flavor coming through, accompanied by the flake of the pastry and the crunch of the nuts. Panera isn't going to have the best bear claw you've had in your life, but it might be the only one you can buy at 5 p.m. after all the locally owned bakeries have closed for the day.
Methodology
We determined which fast food breakfast items were best based on reviews and feedback from customers that we found online. User discussion on forums like Reddit, reader surveys and polls, social media reactions, and content creator reviews were all sources we used. Simply put, we were looking for the most popular breakfast items from each of the chains we researched.
We selected these nine fast food chains for two reasons. First, they each serve these breakfast items all day. Secondly, they can all be found in a large number of cities and states throughout the country. Each chain we picked has more than 100 locations across the United States, save one: Au Bon Pain, which has more than 50 locations spread across 17 states. To us, that's significant enough for it to be considered a nationwide chain.
Static Media owns and operates Daily Meal and Mashed.