If You Are Going To Buy A Breakfast Sandwich At Starbucks, Here's Our Top Pick

As evidenced by its new springy lavender oatmilk drinks and fancy hot honey-laced beverages, there's much more to Starbucks than plain coffee. But once you choose your ideal caffeinated (or non-caffeinated) drink, the chain has a plethora of food items to choose from as well, which it began selling as early as 2003. As you may expect from an international coffee house, Starbucks' breakfast items vary widely in quality — and we have plenty of opinions about why you may want to avoid the Classic Sausage Sandwich. 

But if you are in the mood for a breakfast sandwich with your morning cup of joe, the Bacon, Gouda, & Egg is the one to go for in our opinion. Dare we say that the Bacon, Gouda, & Egg Sandwich is the only food item on the Starbucks menu that we actually crave? It's a different version of a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich than you'll find in a New York City bagel shop, for example, but surprisingly, that doesn't mean it's any less delicious. 

The sandwich features applewood-smoked bacon, melted, aged Gouda, and a Parmesan, cage-free egg frittata on an artisan roll — and it came in at number one in our ranking of all the Starbucks hot breakfast items. But you don't just have to take our word for it. In a survey Tasting Table conducted, this sandwich nabbed the top spot as well, with 38.1% of those polled choosing it as their favorite Starbucks breakfast item.

At first glance, Starbucks' Bacon, Gouda, & Egg Sandwich looks like it could be any other fast food breakfast item, which is why it's even more surprising how yummy it is once you take a bite. The ciabatta roll tastes fresh and manages to be the ideal mix of chewy on the inside and crusty on the outside. The Gouda cheese melts perfectly over the eggs, melding their textures together into a creamy interior of the sandwich. And the pieces of bacon provide the perfect bite to contrast all the softness while adding to the saltiness of the cheese. 

In short, while this sandwich is small, it's rich, satisfying, and distinctly craveable — all the things a bacon, egg, and cheese combo should be. It's also the perfect breakfast after a night out with too many boozy drinks, which you would never expect to find at Starbucks. Plus, it manages to pack in 19 grams of protein. But are any other breakfast items at Starbucks worth bothering with? 

The Spinach, Feta, & Egg White Wrap came in second place for Tasting Table readers and sixth place on our list, for those looking for a vegetarian option or just something lighter. It boasts a whopping 20 grams of protein while offering a crispy whole-wheat wrap and a soft but flavorful filling with egg whites, spinach, feta, and sun-dried tomato cream cheese. So, if you're looking for a tasty morning at Starbucks, we'd recommend starting with those two choices.