Even though they spell out how special they are in their name, I was late to the game when it came to Winner. Their original Park Slope location had been on my radar since they opened days before the pandemic became a pandemic.
Since then the lines to get loaves of bread, sandwiches, and cookies has only gotten longer and the team has expanded to a more ambitious dining situation with their second restaurant aptly named Runner Up.
There are also more Brooklyn locations now aside from the original and I was able to navigate to Crown Heights one weekday morning and I finally got to experience the winning experience at Winner.
I knew I had to experience their acclaimed breakfast sandwich and I was blown away. I felt like I had no choice but to add either bacon or their homemade Chinese sausage. Although bacon is the classic pairing in NYC with eggs and cheese, I was intrigued by their sausage.
I made the right choice. Reminiscent of sausages I’ve had in Chinatown, this patty was spiked with Chinese wine and loaded with sweet umami flavors. It was enhanced by the unique addition of a chili crisp sauce that also acted as a foil to the fluffy but crisp egg custard and decadent cheddar cheese.
This all came between two buttery brioche slices that made for a perfect texture.
While others have known that this has been a champion sandwich for years now, it by far took the gold for the best breakfast sandwich I had all year. Price: $10/$15 (with sausage or bacon)
| WINNER |
| 747 Franklin Avenue (at Sterling Place). Crown Heights, Brooklyn |
| winner.nyc/location/winner-on-franklin/ |
