There’s nothing better than laying your head on a soft, heavenly mound after a long day. But forget the feathered, downy variety on your bed — we’re talking about flaky Atlanta biscuits! September is National Biscuit Month, so we HAD to celebrate all 30 days with these tasty treats.
We in the South, specifically Atlanta, know how to craft some delicious biscuits. Whether you dunk them, slather them, dust them or smother them, these carb-filled treats have gone from “side” to “main course.” We’ve rounded up our favorite places in Atlanta to sink our teeth into the best biscuits this side of the Mason-Dixon!
As you rise and shine, tasty Atlanta biscuits like these from South City Kitchen also are rising and preparing to be devoured! Image: South City Kitchen
Our Favorite Atlanta Biscuits
Flying Biscuit Café
Various Atlanta locations with specified hours
It’s impossible not to talk about great Atlanta biscuits without mentioning Flying Biscuit Café. With more than 10 Georgia locations (and a few opening throughout the region), Flying Biscuit perfected their recipe to create unbelievably tall, airy, delicious biscuits. In fact, they’re so airy, they may fly right off your plate (hence the name).
Flying Biscuit bakes almost 5,000 biscuits each week per location, which makes sense since breakfast is served all day and almost every menu item comes with a biscuit. Here’s where you really want to get it right: Spread their famous apple butter on a ridiculously fluffy biscuit then pair it with the Creamy Dreamy Grits. Or maybe dunk your biscuit into the Smoked Salmon Scramble and keep the carb train rolling with their addictive “moon dusted potatoes.” Again, you get a biscuit for much of the lunch menu (order the fried green tomatoes). A nice thing about Flying Biscuit is their attention to people with dietary restrictions. They offer lots of vegetarian options including soysage, tofu scrambles and gluten-free options.
I wish I had brought a ruler with me when I took this shot of our table’s biscuits at Flying Biscuit. Look how tall and fluffy they are (plus check out the little sprinkles of sugar on the top)!
Home Grown
968 Memorial Drive S.E., Atlanta, GA 30316 • (404) 222-0455
Hours: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
When I talk about biscuits, one of the first adjectives that pops into my mind is “comfy.” And “comfy” comes in food form at the insanely delicious Home Grown. This quaint restaurant offers the Comfy Chicken Biscuit — a soft, open-faced biscuit covered in moist fried chicken and smothered in the best gravy you will ever have (yes, we’re talking to you, Grandma). This menu item has developed a cult following at Home Grown but if you’re not a big fan of gravy (!), there are other things to load up on your biscuit: bacon, ham, salmon patty, etc.
Southern cooking doesn’t get much better than Home Grown for breakfast or lunch. They have classics like pimento cheese sandwich (fried green tomatoes and bacon), pulled pork or a fried bologna sandwich. Get your order as a Blue Collar Lunch and you’ll get a value-sized portion served with cornbread, a side and a drink.
Enjoy yourself at Home Grown and remember: It’s not just a restaurant name — they have their own on-site garden that the staff try to source as much as possible. Now, if only I could plant my own garden that grew Atlanta biscuits …
Under all that gravy and chicken goodness lies a fantastic biscuit holding the whole thing together. Image: AJC/Wyatt William
Java Jive
790 Ponce de Leon Ave. N.E., Atlanta, GA 20206 • (404) 876-6161
Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (closed Mondays)
If you like your biscuits with a heaping side of nostalgia, Java Jive is the perfect place for breakfast. This restaurant is bursting with Formica countertops, classic ’50s dinette sets, polished chrome and retro accessories that’d make Fonzie proud. And the time warp continues with home-cooked fare that seems like it was made when microwaves didn’t exist.
Java Jive is a cool place that focuses on food made with love and served with a smile. Image: Java Jive
So yes, Java Jive really is the bee’s knees but this is a story about biscuits, so how do theirs compare? Java Jive’s biscuits come warm, puffy (in the best way possible) and ready to float right off your plate. Instead of using my biscuit as a comfy pillow, I dove right into that thing and got it with scrambled eggs, prepared with fresh basil and cream cheese. The other egg dishes are all good and you can substitute tofu or egg whites for an extra charge. Everything on the menu is under $10 so make sure to splurge on lots of tasty items (and make sure to save those Weight Watchers points, as well).
Java Jive has some other wonderful baked goods that will fill your tank and satisfy your sweet tooth. The gingerbread waffles are moist, sweet and served with homemade lemon curd; the pecan waffles feature buttermilk batter bursting with Georgia pecans and cinnamon honey butter.
So fluffy you could also use these as pillows if your dining companions are too boring. Image: Java Jive
Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit
1004 Virginia Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30306 • (404) 330-8285
Hours: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit was born in Charleston, South Carolina, a grab-and-go restaurant that developed from Callie’s Charleston Biscuits. The restaurant, charm and, of course, biscuits, became such a hit that the next place to receive the love was Atlanta! Located in the heart of Virginia-Highland, this eatery has a huge menu featuring the South’s best export since grits.
Biscuits are sold by the pair — hot and buttered — in classic flavors ($3) like buttermilk, cheese & chive and shortcakes, as well as filled flavors ($4) like country ham, black pepper bacon, blackberry and more. If you have an army waiting back home, you can get a baker’s dozen for $19. Add a few “toppings” (called “accoutrements” at Callie’s) for 50 cents each like Carolina honey, sliced avocados, etc. Think your sizable hunger won’t be satisfied by a pair of biscuits? Callie’s serves some wonderful sandwiches like their homemade pimento cheese (in regular or fiery) or egg sandwiches.
Here’s the delicious line-up at Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit when I showed up a few weeks ago. I like savory when it comes to biscuits so my favorite was the cheese & chive (front row, second from the left).
What’s really fun about Callie’s is that if you order a sandwich (I got an egg, cheese and green onion one) to eat in the cafe, it comes on a charming porcelain dish that screams Sunday morning at Grandma’s.
The Deep South Biscuit Co.
Location and hours vary; check the website for upcoming food truck stops
Before you get in a tizzy, we realize that The Deep South Biscuit Co. is a food truck and NOT a restaurant. But to be honest, some of the best foods I’ve ever eaten have come from the mobile, gas-guzzling variety. Deep South’s biscuits are definitely heartier than the fluffier varieties, offering durability when filled. Besides, they promise that each biscuit is made from scratch and served with love!
Check The Deep South Biscuit Co.’s website or social media pages to find out the next place they will be serving some of the city’s best biscuits.
The menu features traditional biscuit sandwich pairings like Biscuit and Gravy (and these biscuits hold up being smothered in rich sausage gravy (also a vegetarian gravy option)) and Ricky Bobby (fried chicken, bacon, cheddar cheese and, again, said gravy). But there also are some modern combos like Southern Buddha featuring fried green tomatoes, pimento cheese and peach-pepper jelly and Fancy Pants with black forest ham, Swiss cheese, peach-pepper jelly and truffle mustard.
And we will end their write-up about a side that words will never do justice: Mac & Cheese Deluxe. The “deluxe” is crucial in this side as the dish consists of pasta, chorizo, three types of cheese — all topped with crispy kale that’s mixed with Salt & Vinegar potato chips. Boom, you’re welcome.
Southern Buddha is so big and delicious that you need a stick to hold this sucker upright.
The Red Eyed Mule
1405 Church St., Marietta, GA 30060 • (678) 809-4546
Hours: Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Saturday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
There are a lot of great places to try outside the perimeter when it comes to Atlanta biscuits and Marietta has a wealth of delicious places — most notably, The Red Eyed Mule. This restaurant was already killing it when it came to baking and serving some of the tastiest biscuits in the Atlanta area. However, when Food Network star and Atlanta’s own Alton Brown stopped by to extol his love of the Jake’s Sloppy Slaw Burger, this little eatery got a huge bump of fans. You can get a standard biscuit for just $1.25 though we think it’s worth it to get it filled with some of their standouts like Applewood bacon, ham or sausage (add the gravy). Or, if your engine needs refueling, definitely order one of Red Eyed Mule’s breakfast egg sandwiches, bursting with fresh eggs, meats and that soft biscuit goodness.
If you could jump into a photo, we think it should be this egg and biscuit sandwich from The Red Eyed Mule. Image: The Red Eyed Mule
You can’t bring up The Red Eyed Mule and not touch on their lunch menu. As Alton Brown can attest, this place is known for their biscuits AND burgers. If you’re not feeling breakfast, go for disturbingly large black angus ground chuck burgers. These behemoths are served on buttered, grilled Texas toast in varieties like Jake’s Sloppy Slaw Burger (mentioned above) or the Dakota Burger featuring grilled onions, bacon, jalapeno pimento cheese and chipotle barbecue sauce. Either way, there is no way you are leaving The Red Eyed Mule hungry. Or on a diet.
RELATED: Don’t Be a Clucking Idiot! Try Richards’ Southern Fried
Buttermilk Kitchen
4225 Roswell Road N.E., Atlanta, GA 30342 • (678) 732-3274
Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (closed Monday)
Buttermilk Kitchen in Sandy Springs is a lovely place to grab breakfast or brunch with the family (though you may need to wait a bit on the weekends). Located in a cozy spot on Roswell Road, Buttermilk Kitchen serves wonderful items like pimento omelet and the fried egg BLT (complete with bacon, pickled green tomatoes and organic spinach laced with lemon mayo on a ciabatta) but they’ve gained a substantial following for one specific item: the chicken biscuit.
We ordered our massive chicken biscuit with a side of rosemary salt hashbrowns at Buttermilk Kitchen. (That large piece of French toast in the foreground doesn’t come with the meal — my dining companions and I shared our portions that morning and I snapped a pic post swap.)
Pimento cheese grits and house pickles adorn a sandwich filled with fried chicken breast and house-made red pepper jelly, all served on the world’s largest biscuit. Seriously, this bread item is huge and can withstand whatever condiments and fillings you throw its way. Though you may have a hard time wrapping your hands around this biscuit, your mouth will certainly thank you for a job well done.
Honorable Mentions: Stilesboro Biscuits, Fagan’s Biscuit Barn, West Egg Café, The Ugly Biscuit, Mountain Biscuits, South City Kitchen and Highland Bakery
Have a favorite biscuit spot that didn’t make this list? Well, we want to hear all about it and then try it for ourselves! Share your go-to Atlanta biscuit stops on Instagram @styleblueprintatlanta or any food we should be writing about because we love hearing from YOU!