Sitting in the heart of FRESHFARM’s Dupont Circle farmers market every Sunday, the Hog Haven Farm has everything and more of what a breakfast sandwich needs.
Hog Haven – a first-generation family farm – sells local meats and its famous Hog Haven Breakfast Sandwich, a handcrafted assortment of their fresh sausage, eggs and English muffins. The farm, located outside Richmond, Virginia, opens pop-up stands at farmers markets around the DMV with tents that are hard to miss as they pump out wafts of that alluring aroma of greasy breakfast sausage.
The Dupont Circle stand is situated right outside of the nearby Metro station, sandwiched between a bakery and produce tent.
As I approached the stand, a couple of friendly workers greeted me with a smile and welcomed me before taking my order. A pair of black, chalkboard-like menus hung from either side of the tent – one displayed the hot breakfast sandwich ($11) and its three variations – and the other showed the local meats available for purchase.
To my pleasure, there was no wait, which was a nice break from the crowded produce vendors that dominate the market. As the only customer there at the time, I got the staff’s full attention.
If you’re eyeing the meat lineup, take your pick from bacon ($15/lb), ham ($13/lb), tenderloin ($22/lb), ribs ($13) and four sausage varieties – Italian hot and sweet, sage, and maple ($13/lb). Other items seated on the stand include bottles of lemonade ($3.50/bottle, $10/three bottles), cheese spreads ($11-$13), jars of tomato aioli ($10) and more.
Though all the available items were enticing, I came for the breakfast sandwich. The meal was made fresh in front of me on a flat top grill, wrapped in foil and handed to me like a gift.
Stacked between two slices of an English muffin, the sandwich includes a sage sausage patty, a cage-free egg, grass-fed cheddar cheese and Hog Haven’s own tomato aioli. The dish was a step up from my typical breakfasts, bringing me back to my New York roots.
The scent of sizzling sausage and fresh-baked English muffins emanating from the tent had my mouth watering from the moment I approached the stand to the second I dug in. I walked the sandwich to a nearby bench, where the indulgence began. The sandwich was gone in about 10 minutes and left me feeling warm and full, exactly what I needed on a bitter winter day.
Each component of the sandwich burst to life with every bite – the sausage patty was hearty and firm, the egg melted in my mouth and the tomato aioli added a hint of spice and acidity to cut the greasiness. The sharp cheese spread evenly across the patty, perfectly sandwiched by a homemade English muffin, sweet and soft.
Taken straight from the farm, the juicy sausage links and fluffy scrambled eggs are healthy and authentic alternatives to the breakfast sandwich options at your local McDonalds, Starbucks or D.C.’s spread of cafes.
The homemade English muffin stood out among the rest of the ingredients because of the needed break from the savory profile that it brought to the dish. Combining the sweetness of a waffle and the saltiness of a biscuit all into one substance, it was unlike any other bread I’ve had in the DMV. The soft, pillowy texture of the inside of the muffin, met with the slight crunch of the outside from the griddle for the perfect start and end, or top and bottom, of the sandwich.
Hog Haven also offers substitutes to the sandwich to accommodate all allergies, dietary restrictions or preferences. A veggie sandwich substitutes an extra egg for the sausage patty, while a platter layers the sausage patty with another egg instead of the English muffin.
Hog Haven’s other pop-up stand locations include Arlington (Columbia Pike and Westover), Bethesda and Fairfax each Sunday and Arlington (Courthouse), Alexandria, Charlottesville, Columbia Heights and Falls Church every Saturday. Hog Haven also offers online ordering for their sandwiches and fresh meats available for pick up.
In need of a hangover breakfast after a long night out? Taking a morning stroll to Dupont Circle to kick off your week? Or simply wanting to try something new? Stop by Hog Haven. It’ll be worth your while.
