There's a good reason why the Surfer Girl Sandwich at Java Kai in Kauai is so popular. The combination of ingredients works perfectly together to create an epic and memorable breakfast sandwich. Luckily, it's easy to recreate even if you're far away.
During my trip to Hawaii in June 2026, I ate some truly fabulous breakfast sandwiches. In fact, some of my favorite meals in general throughout the trip were breakfasts.
I decided to recreate at least one of them upon returning home, but before getting into the details, let's take a quick look at a few of the best breakfast sandwiches I had (prices and details are as of summer 2026).
Breakfast Croissant @ Arise Kona Bakery and Cafe in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island $14 -- toasted croissant, egg, cheese, bacon, tomato, local avocado, greens, garlic aioli.
Breakfast Bagel @ Little Fish Coffee in Poipu and Hanapepe on Kauai $10 -- toasted bagel, frittata, cheddar cheese, bacon, tomato, pesto cream cheese schmear.
Surfer Girl Sandwich @ Java Kai in Old Koloa Town, Kapaa, and Kilauea on Kauai $16.50 -- toasted bagel, scrambled eggs, Manchego cheese, bacon, tomato, spinach pesto, caramelized onions.
As you can see, all three of these fantastic breakfast sandwiches have a handful of ingredients in common but it's the "extras" that set them apart from each other. Honestly, I loved all three of them and couldn't easily pick a favorite. I'd get them all again without question.
I decided to recreate the Surfer Girl Sandwich from Java Kai for the purposes of this post, but it's easy enough to swap out a few ingredients to create either of the others. I think just having some guidance on winning combinations makes this recipe incredibly versatile.
Ingredient notes
- Bagel: Use your favorite kind of bagel, or even toasted sourdough bread, to make this Surfer Girl Breakfast Sandwich. I like using an everything bagel.
- Cheese: The cheese they use at Java Kai is manchego, which is a delightful Spanish sheep's milk cheese. You could certainly swap it out for another cheese of your choice if you prefer.
- Pesto: They use a spinach pesto at Java Kai, which you could certainly make yourself, however any pesto you like would work great in this sandwich. I use a classic basil pesto in mine.
- Bacon: Use 2 slices of crispy cooked bacon broken in half to fit inside the sandwich. To cook my bacon, I line a baking sheet with foil and then parchment paper, arrange the bacon in a single layer and bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes. Then I remove them from the pan with tongs and drain on a paper towel.
- Tomato: I find that I only need 1 slice of fresh tomato for this sandwich, but if your tomato is smaller you may need a couple.
- Caramelized Onions: To make caramelized onions in advance, peel and slice a bunch of onions. Add them along with a pinch of salt to a heavy, wide skillet over medium heat with a little oil or butter. Once softened, reduce the heat to medium-low or low and cook slowly, stirring regularly until the turn a deep, rich brown. If they start to burn, add a splash of water to deglaze the pan and provide a gentle, wet, cooking environment. The caramelization process should take about 45 to 60 minutes if done correctly. Two pounds of onions (weighed before trimming and peeling) will yield about ¾ cup of caramelized onions.
How to make it
Halve and toast a bagel to your liking. Set aside.
Melt butter in a small nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Season beaten eggs with a little salt and pepper, then add them to the skillet. Use a rubber spatula to stir the eggs so they cook evenly.
Once the eggs start to set, don't disturb them. You want it to set almost like an omelet instead of being soft with small curds like regular scrambled eggs.
Top with shredded cheese, lower the heat to low, and cover, allowing the cheese to melt with the residual heat and steam. Fold the edges over as needed so the egg will fit inside the toasted bagel.
Spread the cut side of the bottom of your toasted bagel with pesto. Then top with sliced tomato, caramelized onions and cooked bacon.
Finish with the cooked eggs and then place the top half of the bagel over the bottom to enclose the sandwich. Slice in half if desired and serve immediately.
I served my Surfer Girl Breakfast Sandwich with homemade cold brew in my souvenir mason jar from Wishing Well Coffee & Tea in Hanalei, Kauai; always remember to Slow Yourself Down...
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips
I recommend making the caramelized onions well in advance. You can store them in the refrigerator for several days and even portion and freeze them so they're available whenever you need them.
This is a very filling and satisfying breakfast sandwich. You may even want to share it with someone (or save half for later, wrap in foil and refrigerate; reheat in the toaster oven when you're ready).
Variations
To recreate the Breakfast Bagel from Little Fish Coffee, cook the eggs as a frittata instead (using a loaf pan might be easiest for cooking a smaller portion) and cut into squares. Swap the Manchego for cheddar and melt it onto the frittata portion. Keep the bacon and tomato, but skip the pesto and caramelized onions. Instead, whip some pesto into cream cheese and schmear that onto the bagel before assembling. Enjoy!
To recreate the Breakfast Croissant from Arise Kona Bakery and Cafe, replace the toasted bagel with a halved and toasted croissant. Spread the top half of the toasted croissant with zesty garlic aioli. Then fill the croissant with soft scrambled eggs melted with some cheese. Top the eggs with bacon, tomato, avocado and mixed greens. Cover with the top and enjoy!
Other recipes you may like
- Hawaiian Loco Moco (Hamburger Steak with a Fried Egg and Gravy)
- World's Greatest Sandwich from Spanglish (BLT with Egg and Cheese)
- Strammer Max (German Open-Faced Ham and Egg Sandwich)
- Uitsmijter (Dutch Ham, Gouda and Egg Sandwich)
- Galette Complète (Ham, Egg, and Cheese Buckwheat Crêpe)
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also follow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Surfer Girl Breakfast Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 bagel of your choice (I recommend an everything bagel)
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 2 eggs beaten
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 to 3 tablespoons grated manchego cheese
- 1 tablespoon pesto
- 1 slice fresh tomato
- 1 tablespoon caramelized onions
- 2 slices cooked bacon broken in half (to fit the sandwich)
Instructions
- Halve and toast the bagel to your liking. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a small nonstick pan (ideally, small enough so it's close to the diameter of your bagel, otherwise you can fold over the edges of the egg in the sandwich so it fits) over medium-low heat. Season the beaten eggs with a little salt and pepper, then add them to the skillet. Use a rubber spatula to stir the eggs so they cook evenly.
- Once the eggs start to set, don't disturb them. You want it to set almost like an omelet instead of being soft with small curds like regular scrambled eggs. Top with the shredded cheese, lower the heat to low, and cover, allowing the cheese to melt with the residual heat and steam. Fold the edges over as needed so the egg will fit inside the toasted bagel.
- Spread the cut side of the bottom of your toasted bagel with pesto. Then top with tomato, caramelized onions and cooked bacon. Finish with the cooked eggs and then place the top half of the bagel over the bottom to enclose the sandwich. Slice in half if desired and serve immediately.
Notes
- Bacon: Use 2 slices of crispy cooked bacon broken in half to fit inside the sandwich. To cook my bacon, I line a baking sheet with foil and then parchment paper, arrange the bacon in a single layer and bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes. Then I remove them from the pan with tongs and drain on a paper towel.
- Caramelized Onions: To make caramelized onions in advance, peel and slice a bunch of onions. Add them along with a pinch of salt to a heavy, wide skillet over medium heat with a little oil or butter. Once softened, reduce the heat to medium-low or low and cook slowly, stirring regularly until the turn a deep, rich brown. If they start to burn, add a splash of water to deglaze the pan and provide a gentle, wet, cooking environment. The caramelization process should take about 45 to 60 minutes if done correctly. Two pounds of onions (weighed before trimming and peeling) will yield about ¾ cup of caramelized onions.
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
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