Flying Biscuit Cafe serves up creative comfort food and biscuits to die for.
By Gray Chapman
There are a lot of things to enjoy about living in a city, and one of them is that quintessential city tradition of “getting breakfast.” But just because we live south of the Mason-Dixon line doesn’t mean that you have to choose between Waffle House and IHOP for your bacon fix (though Waffle House is always a great choice, particularly in the wee hours of the morning). Luckily for us, Atlanta has seen a rush of new breakfast spots throughout the city. But the Flying Biscuit Cafe remains the unanimous favorite in the hearts of Atlantans for their creative comfort food, provincial atmosphere and agreeable prices.
There are a lot of places to go (and foods to eat) before you can call yourself an Atlantan, and The Flying Biscuit Cafe is undoubtedly one of them. Fellow Atlantans agree — the restaurant often has hours-long wait times for Sunday brunch, but go on a weekday and avoid the crowd. The Flying Biscuit has become as much a part of Atlanta as The Varsity or I-85 traffic, and there are a lot of good reasons why.
The breakfast at Flying Biscuit is hearty, but have no fear of a triple bypass on a plate dripping with bacon grease and a side of cholesterol. Chef April Moon takes old breakfast classics and punches them up with creative ingredients and healthy substitutions. If Southern-style downhome cooking met up with farm-fresh, San Francisco-esque organic fare, their love child would be the Flying Biscuit menu. Dishes like the smoked salmon scramble, the Clifton Omelette (goat cheese, mushrooms, basil and tomato coulis) and organic oatmeal pancakes may conjure up visions of $20 bills, but the prices at Flying
Biscuit are surprisingly doable for a student budget — you can usually get a big meal (often with leftovers to enjoy back at Spring House) for less than $15.
Each Flying Biscuit fan has their die-hard favorite dish (more about mine later), but everyone can agree on two things: the grits, and — surprise — the biscuits. Flying Biscuit’s Dreamy Creamy grits are just that — the creamiest, dreamiest, most delicious grits you’ll ever taste. I love them, and I don’t even like grits. The biscuits are, of course, the cafe’s signature. Legend has it that on opening day, Flying Biscuit had to close their doors by 11 a.m. after selling out of their first batch of 90 biscuits. Now, each location lovingly bakes about 35,000 biscuits per week. Made by hand, with real butter and cream, these biscuits come with every meal that Flying Biscuit serves, complete with a side of cranberry apple butter that goes perfectly with the fluffy concoctions.
As for my die-hard favorite meal? The Egg-ceptional eggs, without a doubt. The eggs are fried and served atop black bean “love cakes,” another signature Flying Biscuit move. Flying Biscuit’s popularity has given Atlanta multiple locations of the restaurant, including one close to SCAD in Midtown at the corner of 10th St. and Piedmont Road. But if you truly want the whole Flying Biscuit experience, give your car a little extra gas and head to the original location in Candler Park. The tiny spot is always buzzing with people, even on a weekday morning, and the strip of unique storefronts on McLendon Avenue make for great window-shopping while you’re waiting. The interior of the restaurant is whimsical, rustic and cheery, with farmhouse touches and a painted “Sunflower Room” with a panoramic mural of sunflowers so bright and cheerful, you’d think you were in Lacoste.For more information, including menu, locations and more, visit the Web site www.flyingbiscuit.com.
