10 best biscuits in Charlotte — and FYI, these were harder to find than you’d think.
For one of the simplest breads you can get, biscuits are complicated. Are they rolled and cut out? Are they flat and crispy or tall and layered? How about the drop biscuits sometimes called “cathead” biscuits, for their size and craggy tops? (Even that definition is disputed, because ... of course it is.)
There was a time in Charlotte when people lamented all the biscuits. This was a place where you couldn’t get crusty artisan loaves and real bagels, but you could always count on biscuits at breakfast or lunch. Now it’s almost easier to find a great bagel than it is to find a great biscuit.
Good – even great – biscuits are out there, though. We did a tour around town to check out the best contenders:
(1) The Asbury
Sticky biscuits. Yes, they have good regular biscuits, including a daily cast-iron biscuit, a chicken biscuit and biscuits & gravy. But I can’t get past the legendary Sticky Biscuits. They’re more dessert than biscuit, but the combination of soft dough rolled around country ham and drizzled with tangy goat cheese icing gets me every time. Now that pastry chef Jamie Turner is stepping into the baking job, they’ll be in good hands. $7 for a half-dozen bite-size biscuits.
(2) Dish
Biscuits & Gravy. To quote the late “Prairie Home Companion”: Powder milk biscuits, heavens, they’re tasty. These are amazingly flavorful biscuits, with a floury/baking soda taste, and I mean that in a good way. For the pro move, go with the meatless white pepper gravy (get a sausage patty on the side if you need to bring the meat). Or ask for a plain biscuit on the side of whatever you get – it comes drizzled with a little honey. Sweet. $2.99 for biscuits & gravy, 85 cents for a single biscuit.
(3) Earl’s Grocery
The Breakfast Biscuit. AKA the White Lilly (note the two L’s), it got justifiably famous under former chef Marc Jacksina. Now that he’s moved on, it’s good to know the biscuits are still in good hands. A big, square biscuit, it has a soft/crumbly texture and light gold crust. They griddle them and top them with several choices of filling. (Ham, brie and apricot jam is my go-to.) $5.99.
(4) Flying Biscuit
Plain biscuit. This is one of the more interesting biscuits out there. It’s misshapen, like it rose too high and toppled over. But the flavor is excellent, with a top sprinkled with sugar and a crispy crust that’s almost like shortbread on top of the soft middle. If you need more, go with the creamy chicken sausage gravy. $1.69 for a single biscuit, $3.49 for chicken sausage gravy.
(5) Haberdish
Biscuit and Gravy. With a Piedmont mill town theme, of course the Hab’ is going to do a good biscuit. Even better: They use Snowflake flour, a low-protein flour milled in Henderson, N.C., to get a tender biscuit with several distinct layers. You can get multiple biscuit treatments, but you can only get the biscuit topped with peppery sausage gravy at brunch (9 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday-Friday). $6.50.
(6) Holler & Dash
Biscuit & Gravy. Not surprising for a chain that calls itself “a Southern Biscuit House,” this is a technically lovely biscuit: Tall, more than 2 inches high, with visible layers, a floury aroma, crusty top and tender middle. But while the peppery sausage gravy has good flavor, the biscuit under it is bland, desperately in need of salt or a brush of butter on top. $4 for biscuit and gravy, $2 for a biscuit with jam.
(7) Lincoln’s Haberdashery
Rosemary cheddar biscuit. This fist-sized biscuit is one of the most unusual around here. It’s more like a crumbly English scone in texture and size, with a shiny top and sweetened dough. Despite big, orange cheese flecks, the rosemary overwhelms the cheddar, reinforcing the whole English tea time vibe. $3 for a plain biscuit, $7.25 for a Sticky Biscuit topped with Hickory Nut Gap ham and honey butter.
(8) Sunflour Baking Co.
Cheddar biscuits. This is a gargantuan biscuit, almost as big as an adult’s hand, that would easily serve two. Flecked with golden bits of cheese in the “cathead” style, usually meaning a large drop biscuit. $2.95.
(9) The Yolk
Brown butter biscuit. Oh baby, this is biscuit happiness. It’s big, with a crisp crust and nutty/buttery flavor from the browned butter. You can experience it best in the dish There’s Fire: Split in half, topped with smoked chicken gravy and a couple of dabs of jalapeno jam. You can get a single biscuit if they have enough on hand, but they only bake a dozen at a time, says co-owner Subrina Collier: “This ain’t Popeyes.” There’s Fire, $8, single biscuit $2.50 when available.
(10) Zada Jane’s
Grandma’s Biscuits. A simple, honest biscuit that’s easy to split, and they will warm it on the griddle for you. $1.75.
This story was originally published December 13, 2019 at 5:40 AM.