5 great breakfast sandwiches to fit any mood

Wake up to five variations-from biscuit-and-egg combos to a gussied up doughnut version-on the hand-held breakfast staple.

Lauren Culley didn't plan to make a breakfast sandwich for the Italian Village cafe, but felt her menu needed a savory item to offset its sweet pastries. It's turned into the breakout hit of the year. Its fluffy souffled eggs, Swiss, candied bacon, arugula and a tangy Dijon mustard spread make it more delicious than a sandwich has any right to be. foxinthesnow.com

A lot of love goes into chef Henry Butcher's Creole and Cajun cooking, and it even shows up in simple items such as his breakfast sandwich. Cradled between buttery soft biscuit halves are egg, cheese and a choice of ham, turkey sausage or bacon (Butcher will always recommend the bacon). His sandwich is filling, but not so filling that you shouldn't order a side of fresh beignets to go with it. creolekitchen.biz

Spinelli's relies on Columbus-made Sammy's Bagels to craft their crave-able breakfast sandwiches. There are nine bagels to choose from, but the Everything completes the deli experience as a bookend for Spinelli's Lox Sammie. The salty bagel plays well with smoked salmon, cream cheese and slices of red onion. spinellisdeli.com

DK's donut sandwich isn't for the faint of heart, but it is for anyone who can't decide between sweet and savory. Owner Anthony Teny uses glazed doughnuts as the base, sliced in half and grilled to caramelize the edges. He then stuffs it with crispy bacon, American cheese and two fried eggs-because the last thing you'd want is runny egg ruining your doughnut sandwich. thedkdiner.com

Clintonville's Portia Yiamouyiannis makes the traditionally egg- and meat-heavy breakfast sandwich accessible to vegan diners. Her breakfast wrap centers around a raw patty made from nuts, seeds, tomato, onion and miso. It's topped with more tomato and onion, plus pickles, mustard and an egg-free mayonnaise, then wrapped in a house-made, gluten-free tortilla. portiascafe.com

Nicholas Dekker blogs about breakfast atbreakfastwithnick.com.His book, "Breakfast With Nick: Columbus," is a complete guidebook to the morning meal.

The Honorable Roll

What can we say? Columbus has too many good breakfast sandwiches. These ones deserve a shout-out, too.

Katalina's

In a menu loaded with big sandwiches, Katalina's Latina stands out for its simplicity. A hard-fried egg, crema, tomatillo sauce and cheddar pair well with strips of the cafe's signature sweet-and-spicy bacon. katalinascolumbus.com

Cravings Carryout Cafe

Cravings could sandwich just about anything between its soft and buttery brioche bread, and we'd eat it. The Breakfast Roll is the simplest way to show it off, with bacon, egg, cheddar and a rich rosemary aioli. cravingscarryoutcafe.com

The Angry Baker

Angry Baker's French toast sandwich wanders into knife-and-fork territory. Made from the house brioche, it balances the sweet bread with savory ham and Swiss, then leans back to sweet with a heavy maple syrup drizzle. theangrybakerote.com

Taste of Belgium

Taste of Belgium puts fast food breakfast sandwiches to shame with the McWaffle. Dense Liege-style waffles are made from a heavy batter infused with beet sugar. Two waffles bookend a runny fried egg, bacon and gruyere, with a little cup of maple syrup for drizzling or dipping. authenticwaffle.com

AJ's Cafe

Although AJ's serves a wrap with bacon, egg and cheese, the Zen Wrap is a healthier start to the day. It's stuffed with lentils, rice, spinach, shredded carrots, sliced apples, tamarind and flavored with a fresh cilantro vinaigrette. ajayscafe.com