You roll out of bed and try to shield your eyes from the neon alarm clock light. Groggy and still half asleep, you shuffle across the house and make your way to the fridge to uncover the most alarming sight of all. There’s not a drop of milk, a single egg, or a slice of bacon to whip up this morning. There’s only one thing left to do, so choose wisely. These are the best fast food breakfast joints to cure any sleepless night, hangover, or sugary, greasy, or savory morning craving.
1. McDonald’s
The grease-soaked paper bag is a familiar sight in the morning at McDonald’s, and there is nothing quite as satisfying as starting your day with an Egg McMuffin and a Hash Brown. But if you’re not in the majority who opt for the classic breakfast sandwich combo, there are plenty of other cheap options like the Bacon, Egg & Cheese Bagel or Fruit & Maple Oatmeal. And if you’re feeling rather hungry, try the Big Breakfast with Hotcakes offering a biscuit, sausage, eggs, hash browns, and hotcakes. The best part of all? At McDonald’s, breakfast is served all day!
2. Chick-Fil-A
Chick-Fil-A breakfast is a newer addition to the fast-food chain. (Does this mean they’ll open up on Sundays for the post-church crowd? Probably not.) However, the breakfast menu items are the best thing to happen to the industry since, well, the opening of Chick-Fil-A.
Our personal favorite is the Chicken Biscuit, accompanied by an order of hash browns and a vanilla iced coffee. You get a little bit of everything – savory and buttery from the Chicken Biscuit; salty and crunchy from the hash browns; and sweet and bold from the iced coffee. Other delicious breakfast options on the list include the Hash Brown Scramble Burrito, Egg White Grill, and Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit.
At Chick-Fil-A, breakfast ends at 10:30. Sigh.
3. Krispy Kreme
From sprinkle-coated, jelly-filled, icing-topped doughnuts to seasonal favorites, no Krispy Kreme treat will come close to the Original Glazed Doughnut. Unlike many of the menu’s candy-covered sweets, the Original is not too overbearing, but it offers plenty of sugar to get you going in the morning.
But of course, if you’re in the mood for something a bit extra – like the Cake Batter Doughnut or the Reese’s Outrageous Chocolate Doughnut – we won’t judge even a little.
And since Krispy Kreme’s whole business model is based on breakfast, they serve it all day (duh).
4. Dunkin’
Dunkin’ offers some of the best breakfast options and some of the greasiest. But sometimes, we don’t want a stomach ache after eating breakfast, you know? Dunkin’s Wake Up Wraps are the perfect choice – small enough to keep you from feeling stuffed, but satisfying enough to give you the boost you need in the morning. You won’t even feel bad adding a side of hash browns into the mix (though you might need to order two – they only come with six).
Other best sellers in the a.m. are the classic bagel and cream cheese, Egg and Cheese Sandwich, or the Big ‘N Toasted. And fortunately, you can get your Dunkin’ favorites at any time because they serve breakfast all day.
5. Sonic
Sonic isn’t an obvious option for fast food breakfast, but it does serve up a delightfully filling Breakfast Toaster. With your option of bacon, ham, or sausage, eggs, and cheese on Texas Toast, you can’t get a sandwich like this anywhere else.
In fact, Sonic has an entire breakfast menu of items that are unique compared to its other fast food counterparts, including the Brioche Breakfast Sandwich, the French Toast Sticks, and the Ultimate Meat & Cheese Breakfast Burrito.
The Sonic menu is another godsend that serves breakfast all day.
6. Burger King
Something BK has that McDonald’s does not? Besides a King for a mascot and (sometimes) chicken fries – it’s the Croissan’wich. This breakfast sandwich has bacon, egg, and cheese on a fluffy croissant (AKA a seemingly normal sandwich with a fancy name).
Another unique-ish offering on the breakfast menu is BK’s line of Sourdough King sandwiches, including the Double Bacon, Double Sausage, and Double Ham.
Burger King unfortunately only serves breakfast until 10:30 in the morning.
7. Starbucks
Starbucks’ menu is ever-changing, offering a new sandwich, drink, or bakery treat every other week, it seems. So you know if a menu item remains on the menu for a while, it must be a good one. The Slow-Roasted Ham & Swiss Breakfast Sandwich is one of the best on the list, accompanied by your favorite frappe-vanilla-latte-pumpkin-espresso drink. We also love options like the Bacon, Egg and Gouda Sandwich and the Spinach, Egg, and Feta Wrap.
There is no cut-off for Starbucks’ breakfast – order it all day!
8. Panera
While Panera isn’t quite considered a McDonald’s or BK in the fast food world, it still offers a solid breakfast sandwich. Panera’s options are typically a bit pricier than something you’d find at your nearest drive-through, the bakery is focused on providing healthier, fresher, and cleaner ingredients which is something you won’t find in an Egg McMuffin meal.
The Avacado, Egg White, and Spinach Breakfast Sandwiches are as healthy as it sounds but tastes equally as delicious. And if you’re in the mood for something a little less organic, the pastries, muffins, and scones never fail to satisfy a sweet tooth.
Panera breakfast ends at 10:30 a.m. during the week and 11 a.m. on the weekends.
Breakfast mania is a real thing these days – with everyone and their brother bringing breakfast to the table. For more options that aren’t on this list, check out what’s on KFC and Taco Bell’s a.m. menus.
