Breakfast Sandwich Near Me? Make It a Real Bagel

If you’re searching “breakfast sandwich near me” in Chicago or southern Wisconsin, Gotham Bagels makes them at six shops: Gold Coast, Lakeview, South Loop and the Magnificent Mile in Chicago, plus Lake Geneva and Madison. Every sandwich is built on a bagel we hand-roll, kettle-boil and bake that day, and you can walk in, order ahead for pickup, or get it delivered.

That’s the quick answer. Here’s how to get the most out of it.

Where can I get a breakfast sandwich near me?

Pick the closest shop. Each one opens early and stays open through lunch, and holiday hours are posted on every location page.

Shop	Address	Hours
Magnificent Mile	162 E Superior St., Unit B, Chicago	Daily 6:30am–2pm
Gold Coast	1212 N Dearborn St., Chicago	Daily 7am–2pm
Lakeview	2801 N Lincoln Ave., Unit B, Chicago	Daily 7am–2pm
South Loop	521 S Dearborn St., Chicago	Daily 7am–1pm
Lake Geneva	300 Wrigley Dr., Unit B, Lake Geneva, WI	Daily 7am–2pm
Madison	112 E Mifflin St., Madison, WI	Tue–Sat 8am–2pm; Sun 8am until sold out (usually noon); closed Monday

Early commuter? The Magnificent Mile shop opens first, at 6:30. Note that the South Loop closes at 1pm, so plan a late breakfast there accordingly.

Why does the bagel matter so much?

Because a breakfast sandwich is mostly bread. A soft, puffy roll goes soggy under a hot egg and melted cheese. A proper bagel holds up.

The difference is the boil. A short bath in hot water pre-gelatinizes the starch in the dough, which thickens the crust and gives a New York bagel its chew. Bagels that are only steamed in the oven come out lighter and puffier, with a thinner crust, according to the same NPR reporting. That’s fine for toast. It’s not great for a sandwich with a fried egg in it.

So when a place near you says “breakfast sandwich,” ask what it’s on. Ours are on bagels that were rolled by hand, boiled and baked in a deck oven that morning.

Which Gotham breakfast sandwich should I order?

Start with the classic and work your way out. Chicago and Lake Geneva share one menu; Madison has its own.

At every shop:

• Bacon, Egg & Cheddar. Thick-cut bacon, a fried egg and aged cheddar. The one people come back for. (In Chicago and Lake Geneva, turkey bacon is available on request.)
• Spicy Sausage, Egg & Cheddar. Spicy Italian sausage, egg and aged cheddar. In Madison the sausage is Gotham-made and the egg is over-easy.
• Pastrami & Egg. Pastrami piled over an egg. Madison calls it the Early Willy.
• The Rocky’s Deli. Bacon, fried egg, aged cheddar, a potato latke and spicy ketchup. Breakfast and a side in one bite.
• O.M.F.G. Nashville fried chicken, thick-cut bacon, a fried egg, aged cheddar and a spicy aioli. Not a light start. Not trying to be.

Simpler: the One Egg Sandwich in Chicago and Lake Geneva, or the Egg & Cheddar in Madison.

Only in Madison: the Smoked Heritage Ham, Egg & Gouda; the Super Tuscan (fried egg, fresh mozzarella, heirloom tomato, greens and pesto); and the Hall of Fame Breakfast with Wagyu skirt steak and scrambled egg.

Then pick your bagel. Everything is the crowd favorite under a B.E.C., but a plain or sesame lets the bacon talk. See the whole lineup on the Chicago & Lake Geneva menu and the Madison menu.

Can I get my eggs runny?

Several of our breakfast sandwiches come with a fried or over-easy egg, and the menu flags them. The FDA’s general advice is to cook eggs until both the yolk and the white are firm, and it notes that young children, older adults, pregnant people and anyone with a weakened immune system are at greater risk from undercooked eggs. If that’s you, or you just like a firmer yolk, tell us when you order.

How do I skip the morning line?

Order ahead. Every Gotham shop takes online orders for pickup or delivery, and your order goes straight to the kitchen. In Chicago and Lake Geneva, online ordering opens when the shop opens, so you can order from the train and grab your sandwich on the way in.

Rather stay put? Choose delivery at checkout and enter your address. The Chicago shops and Lake Geneva deliver to about four miles out; the checkout tells you whether you’re in range. Madison delivers within the City of Madison and to Middleton and Sun Prairie. And add a coffee: Chicago and Lake Geneva pour Passion House, roasted in Chicago, and Madison pours JBC Coffee Roasters, roasted right there in town.

Where did the bacon, egg and cheese come from, anyway?

Nobody owns it. Food historians point to an 1897 cookbook for the first recipe for a true breakfast sandwich, though it used chopped meat and no cheese. By the second half of the 20th century the bacon, egg and cheese had spread through delis, diners and food carts.

In New York it became something bigger. A Hunter College team writing for the Food Atlas of New York calls the B.E.C. a symbol of New York City, and credits cheap ingredients and quick prep with making it a staple of the city’s bodegas and corner stores. On a bagel, it’s about as New York as breakfast gets. We told the longer version in the Bacon, Egg & Cheese origin story.

Can I order breakfast sandwiches for a group?

Yes, and this is where it gets easy. The Sandwich Platter is nine Gotham sandwiches, wrapped and sliced in half (18 halves), and serves 9. You choose three types and we make three of each. Want the whole table covered? Pair it with a bagel platter, which comes with a NY Dozen® (13 bagels) and serves 13, and coffee service.

The rule of thumb is one sandwich or one bagel per person; our how much should I order guide does the math. There’s no order minimum. Online ordering has no minimum notice, so smaller orders can often be scheduled for the same day, but for a big order, place it at least a day ahead. Chicago offices can start with the breakfast catering page, and everyone else can head to catering.

The bottom line

The best breakfast sandwich near you is on a bagel that was boiled, hand-rolled and baked fresh that morning. Find your closest Gotham, order a Bacon, Egg & Cheddar on an everything, and have it ready when you walk in.