America's Most Epic Egg Sandwiches Slideshow

Few things do a better job of getting us out of bed on a weekend morning than a perfectly-constructed breakfast sandwich. Even though not all breakfast sandwiches need an egg on them in order to be considered great — hey there, Sausage McMuffin! — there's something about an egg that really puts a solid breakfast sandwich over the top. We've tracked down the 12 most epic egg sandwiches out there.

Yes, their name is borderline inappropriate, but once you get over it you'll realize that this place takes its eggs very seriously. The bacon, egg, and cheese and sausage, egg, and cheese sandwiches are perfectly constructed (we'll be putting honey mustard aïoli on all of our sausage, egg, and cheeses from now on), but the Gaucho is where it's at: a warm brioche bun with thinly-sliced medium rare tri-tip, an over-medium cage-free egg, chimichurri, red onions, and dressed arugula. Steak and eggs have never looked better together.

The simply named egg sandwich is the brainchild of Jam's owner and executive chef Jeffrey Mauro (no relation to the "Sandwich King" of Food Network fame), and it's a lot more than its name might imply. The sandwich starts with toasted ciabatta topped with slow-roasted and shredded pork shoulder. Below the pork are shavings of ricotta salata and plum preserves, and atop rest two perfectly fried over-easy eggs. Talk about a work of art.

Austin's Noble Sandwich Company, formerly known as The Noble Pig, is renowned for its ingenious sandwiches, so it should come as no surprise that its breakfast sandwiches are also the stuff of legend. Take the simple-sounding chorizo and egg, for example: A homemade challah roll is spread with a little tangy salsa, then topped with a mound of finely ground spicy chorizo, melted sharp Cheddar, and a fried egg. Just about every component is made in-house, and they meld together gloriously.

Ignacio Mattos' high-end small plates destination also serves a stellar brunch, and his pancetta, egg, and avocado sandwich is a serious standout. It starts with a poppy seed-topped, almond cream-filled pastry from Bien Cuit called a tebirke, which is split and topped with mashed avocado, crisp pancetta, and a sunny side up egg. We'll be making all our breakfast sandwiches with pastries from now on.

Rick Bayless is a master of Mexican cuisine, and at his casual Xoco his take on the classic torta, a traditional Mexican sandwich, is a wonder to behold. A soft roll is filled with soft scrambled eggs, sliced avocado, melted jack cheese, crumbled queso fresco, and a chorizo-poblano mixture bursting with spice, cinnamon, and vinegar. If you're looking to wake up your taste buds and jumpstart your brain's pleasure center, this is the sandwich for you. Thanks, Rick!

While the Maple (fennel, sausage, and cheddar with bread pudding as a bun) might be this Portland institution's best-known breakfast sandwich, a lack of egg keeps it off this list. Our attention, instead, is turned to the Steak and Egg, which piles sliced flank steak, blue cheese, and a fried egg onto a house-made roll.

This standout dish at Stephanie Izard's standout Chicago diner needs no introduction, just a listing of its components: sesame Cheddar biscuit, sunny eggs, Sichuan pork sausage, chili garlic chive sauce, strawberries. Enough said.

This hip DTLA spot does two things very, very well: fried chicken and doughnuts. No, their breakfast sandwich (mercifully) isn't served on a doughnut. It's an over easy or scrambled egg, with a fried chicken tender or Applewood smoked bacon (order both),Tillamook Cheddar, and special sauce on a round roll. And it's amazing.

Who needs bacon when the pastrami is this good? At Frankel's, a year-old old-school Brooklyn delicatessen, you'll be asking yourself that question as soon as you take a bite of their pastrami, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich, which is quickly becoming one of the city's must-try sandwiches.

Shakshuka — eggs poached in a dish with a spicy tomato sauce — is one the Middle East's and North Africa's most beloved breakfast dishes. How do you translate this into a sandwich? The folks at New York's Irving Farm have it down pat: Chef Danielle Dillon piles a toasted ciabatta with chunky spicy tomato sauce, soft scrambled eggs, Bulgarian sheep's milk feta, and a handful of fresh cilantro.

Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen is a Chapel Hill legend, going strong for nearly 40 years. The biscuit recipe is based on the one used by the owner's grandmother, and the ovens fire up before dawn to keep a steady stream of regulars happy (it's drive-thru-only for maximum efficiency). It's obvious that the biscuits here are things of beauty, but when split and stuffed with a fried chicken breast, scrambled eggs, bacon, and cheese? Out of bounds.

Ask anyone in Nashville where to find the city's best biscuits, and they'll point you to Biscuit Love, where they're being used in a wide variety of applications (several of which include sausage gravy, fried chicken, smoked sausage, and/or cheese). For a true taste of the South, you're going to want to order the Southern Benny, an open-faced biscuit sandwich topped with shaved country ham, two fried eggs, and a healthy ladle of sausage gravy. It ain't pretty, but it sure is delicious.