The bacon, egg, and cheese (on a bagel, of course) is a staple of American culture. Let’s be honest though, the East Coast does it best. But like everything else in the food world, the bacon, egg, and cheese has been experiencing a shake up. Now, spots are opening up all around Manhattan touting their new, improved, and “elevated” bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches. Because the BEC started its life in local corner bodegas around New York, I decided to put it to the test — which BEC is best?
The Taste Test
I’ve been eating bacon, egg, and cheese’s for a minute and since being at school in NYC, they almost always come from where they originated: bodegas. It’s about three bucks for the OG cheesy, salty, artery-clogging goodness. Sold. But because the BEC is so wildly popular in New York, there are many eateries opening up with this sandwich at the center of the menu. I decided to hit up BEC, an eatery that prides itself on its elevated take on egg and cheese sandwiches in a cheery setting, to see if this matched up to my local bodega’s sandwich.
To be totally fair and impartial, I had a friend pick up the sandwiches—one from BEC and one from Heavenly Market, which is on the corner of my block (don’t ask how many times a week I go) — so this would be a blind taste test. Just two sandwiches, and a girl.
Sandwich #1:
I pick up the first sandwich and I immediately notice the quality of the bread. I can tell it’s fresh brioche with pieces of bacon and cheddar baked in. As I kept eating though, my hands became messy because of how oily it was. I was not expecting that. The best thing about Sandwich #1 was the quality of the ingredients, from the freshness of the eggs to the sharpness of the cheddar. It was flavorful and above par.
Sandwich #2:
Going from the ultra-sharp cheddar of Sandwich #1, I was initially very disappointed with the quality of Sandwich #2’s cheese. It was almost flavorless and a bit rubbery, texture-wise. The eggs, though, were seasoned and flavored to perfect, wiping the floor with #1. The bacon in this one was definitely saltier and more crisp. I could tell from the first bite that this was the unhealthier of the two. However, I kind of didn’t mind it in the moment. A good bacon, egg, and cheese can do that to you.
The Reveal:
As expected, Sandwich #1 was from BEC and Sandwich #2 was from my local bodega, Heavenly Market. Although I will now be incorporating BEC into my repertoire on account of the quality ingredients, it wasn’t so significantly better as to make me stop going to Heavenly altogether. Also, the $9 price at BEC is three times Heavenly’s price. I get it, you pay for quality and I’m all for it, but I’m still not turning my back on the bodega bacon, egg, and cheese any time soon.
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