This Oakland eatery is breaking the NYC breakfast sandwich rules

In a city as multicultural and economically diverse as New York, a few daily necessities unite everyone and create its energetic fabric. One is the subway system, which brings all walks of life together. Another is the bodega — in San Francisco, we call it a corner store — which supplies basic goods for the entire neighborhood. Lastly, there is the bacon, egg and cheese, or BEC for short, which to many is the “culinary mascot” of New York.

Inside a tightly packed store, to the left of the cash register and perhaps behind a wall of plexiglass, two eggs are cracked open and dumped onto the plancha, where they create a runny, yolky map of egg as sprawling as the city itself. The expert wielding the rectangular, metal turner folds over the cooked sides after a few minutes and creates a not-so-square square of yellow-and-white fried egg mixture that keeps the runny yolk from bursting before you take a bite. For the last 30 seconds or so, a thin slice of American cheese is placed on top to melt while the bagel is toasting. Careful placement of the flimsy cheese-and-egg concoction on the bottom half of the bagel is necessary before a few strips of crispy bacon are crisscrossed on top of the cheese. The whole meal is then smushed down by the other half of the bagel while being wrapped to go in butcher paper.

The bacon, egg and cheese isn’t made with high-quality ingredients; it’s a basic bagel, eggs from caged chickens, a Kraft single slice and cheap bacon. (I found that New Yorkers often frown upon the fancy-schmancy ones.)

For me, the bacon, egg and cheese was the go-to breakfast option after a long night out. It was also one of the few satisfying experiences during the original lockdown period of the pandemic. Enjoying a BEC kept many New Yorkers sane while the world seemed to be falling apart.

In the Bay Area, we’re not known for such sandwiches. There are many great options, as SFGATE’s Grant Marek discovered, calorie by calorie, last year. But in my experience, as San Franciscans, we don’t wake up with a hankering for them like on the East Coast.

When Egg Pals, a BEC pop-up in Oakland, started making waves as a rival to the crown jewel of New York City, I decided to give it a shot to see if it would fulfill my longing desire to taste that delectable hangover cure once again.

Two Sundays ago, I arrived at Ramen Shop with a slight festive hangover. The Asian eatery, at 5812 College Ave. in Oakland, a stone’s throw from the Rockridge BART station, has been home to the breakfast sandwich pop-up since its inception, back in September.

I entered through the front door, which led me to some curtains, draped in a semicircle. As I pulled back the heavy linens, that delicious waft of eggs and bacon hit me. Sizzling sounds emanated from the back kitchen as satisfied customers devoured their Egg Pals sandies.

I perused the menu, which also featured a tea service from another pop-up, Molly’s Refresher, and put in an order for the bacon sandy, which most closely resembled a classic BEC, and breakfast tater tots.

After unwrapping the golden tinfoil with a cute Egg Pals logo sticker, the first bite I took was so light I didn’t realize I had eaten almost a quarter of the sandwich in one fell swoop. The brioche bread was as soft as a pillow. The well-folded eggs buoyed the slightly thicker slabs of bacon, which, admittedly, I wished were crispier. Pickled red onion slices burst through to create some balance to the sandwich, and an herby mayo, which definitely had some dill in it, kept everything layered with flavor.

I wish I had one right now as I write this.

The tater tots were arguably the best I’ve ever eaten. More golden than I’ve ever seen, they were a perfect balance of crunchy and potato-y and didn’t give me a headache from the oil they were fried in, like other tater tots have. A delectable mayo accompanied the resplendent little bites. I only wish I had been more innovative and placed a few of them in the sandwich for breakfast sandy supremacy.

While fond memories of my New York days didn’t come rushing back as I had hoped, the bacon sandy at Egg Pals was still delicious.

(From left clockwise) Egg Pals owners Brack DeFries and Chris Morgan cooking eggs on the grill; a bacon sandy made with two fried eggs, bacon, American cheese, pickled red onions and herby mayo on a brioche bun with a side of tater tots and blowhole hot mayo aioli sauce; Catherine Pyun and Brianna Meli (left to right) sit inside Ramen Shop’s pop-up restaurant Egg Pals.
(From left clockwise) Egg Pals owners Brack DeFries and Chris Morgan cooking eggs on the grill; a bacon sandy made with two fried eggs, bacon, American cheese, pickled red onions and herby mayo on a brioche bun with a side of tater tots and blowhole hot mayo aioli sauce; Catherine Pyun and Brianna Meli (left to right) sit inside Ramen Shop’s pop-up restaurant Egg Pals.

It wasn’t authentically New York style. In fact, New Yorkers might furrow their brows at its expressive ingredients (e.g., pickled onions and herb mayo) and price tag — $11. The sandy was more California style, if there is such a thing. As with many of our great foods in the Bay Area, chefs have taken classic dishes from other places and added a unique twist to it. That can be a selection of finer ingredients because of our bountiful produce out here (which should cost more, therefore driving the price up slightly), or it can be using creativity from their experiences in West Coast kitchens, which are far less stuffy and old-school than on the East Coast. That’s exactly what Brack DeFries and Chris Morgan have done at Egg Pals.

After spending a total of $17 (before tax and tip) on my Sunday morning breakfast, I walked out onto College Avenue realizing that a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich can achieve its goal, no matter where it’s from — my hangover was gone.

Egg Pals, 5812 College Ave., Oakland, inside Ramen Shop. Next pop-up: Sunday, Jan. 15.