I have always loved biscuits. It dawned on me one Saturday to try all the biscuits in the Tuscaloosa/Birmingham area. So, two of my friends and I jumped into my car and went on an adventure. Unfortunately, due to my college-kid fundings and lack of time, we did not get to go to every single biscuit-carrying restaurant, but we did eat 40 biscuits in total. I alone ate 20 (no judge, no shame please). So, in order of eating, these are the biscuits we tried and my high-level evaluation (ranked on a scale of one to five jars of jelly – like stars, if you will – one being the worst and five being the best).
1. Waysider
Photo By: Virginia Dodenhoff
Waysider is a local favorite in Tuscaloosa. It’s a quaint little restaurant filled with portraits of famous Alabama football players. While we were there, a former football player was signing a picture of him. It’s one of those places that truly captures the charisma and charm of Tuscaloosa and the history of the Capstone. They serve amazing breakfast. Be prepared because there is always a long wait. (but, it’s so worth it!) The biscuits here are incredible. They are slightly crisp on the outside but have the perfect smooth consistency on the inside. These biscuits come with every meal and come with a side of all sorts of jelly just waiting for you on the table. Five out of five jars of jelly!!
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2. The Alabama Biscuit Company
Photo By: Virginia Dodenhoff
The Alabama Biscuit Company is in Birmingham. It is super cool and very well kept. The biscuits are out of this world. The number of options is overwhelming in the best sense of the word. I got “The Alabama” which has maple butter sauce and pecans. It was to. die. for. When I first saw the biscuit, my jaw genuinely dropped. It was huge and smelled amazing. I had to eat it with a fork and knife because it was so dense, and there were pecans flooding the biscuit. The mix of the sweetness of the maple butter sauce and the saltiness of the pecans made the perfect combination. It was decadent. Five out of five!
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Now… we couldn’t make it to any other local places in this marathon, but there are so many other restaurants that have great biscuits like Lloyd’s and Bright Star in Birmingham. City Café, Edgar’s, Rama Jama’s, and Another Broken Egg are the heavy hitters in T-town. The biscuits from these family-owned restaurants are on their own level than what we can get at a fast food chain. They are made from scratch and made carefully and with passion. You can taste the love in these biscuits.
Then came time to hit up the fast food chains. These biscuits you can get almost anywhere in the US. So, let’s go!
3. Cracker Barrel
Photo By: Virginia Dodenhoff
Cracker Barrel’s biscuit is outstanding for a chain. It’s light and fluffy. They make this apple butter that is just simply irresistible. It’s like you’re eating a little slice of apple pie. Eating a biscuit here is a whole experience. I ate two of them while sitting on a rocking chair listening to country music. Cracker Barrel is the quintessential southern restaurant chain, and their biscuit surely lives up to its expectation. Four out of five jars of jelly!
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4. Waffle House
Photo By: Virginia Dodenhoff
Now, Waffle House was one of the weirder biscuits of the day. We sat down, ordered our biscuits and watched the cook pull down a bucket full of biscuits off the top shelf. Then, she proceeded to place it on the griddle to cook. I went in to Waffle House thinking it was going to be a bizarre biscuit experience, and it was just that. After seeing how the biscuit was prepared, I wasn’t expecting much from it. The biscuit itself tasted more like a bun. It just didn’t have the perfect biscuit consistency. Three out of five jars of jelly!
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5. McDonald’s
Photo By: Virginia Dodenhoff
For real though, shout out for McDonald’s for being the real MVP and serving breakfast all day now. That is amazing! I decided to change it up a and order a sausage biscuit. I was super pumped for this biscuit! I opened the buttery, greasy plastic paper that hugged this beauty real tight, and all the sudden, I dropped it on the ground. Honestly, it was a tragic event, but that did not stop me from picking it up and taking a bite. You can’t let such a thing go to waste! My friends convinced me I was a repulsive human for doing that, so I purchased another one, and oh boy was it worth it. Four jars of jelly for Micky D’s!
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6. Dunkin’ Donuts
Photo By: Virginia Dodenhoff
At this point, I was seven biscuits deep and didn’t think my body could hold anymore food. I contemplated ending the journey, but I knew I had to persevere for the sake of the article. Since biscuits in the south might as well be their own food group, I was already leery to about eating a biscuit developed by a bunch of folks in New England. This delicacy needs some southern tender, love and care, and to say the least, Dunkin’ Donuts does not have the special touch. I honestly felt like a traitor to my southern heritage eating this piece of food that they consider a “biscuit.” There’s no doubt that Dunkin’ has killer iced office and tasty donuts, but they are not biscuit connoisseurs. I sure do hope that America doesn’t rely on your biscuits to keep runnin’. One star for you, Dunk’s.
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7. KFC
Photo By: Virginia Dodenhoff
I had never actually been to Kentucky Fried Chicken before this marathon, and man oh man, I was not dissapointed! The taste of the biscuit lacked some in the flavor department, but the basics bones of a good biscuit were there. It was light, fluffy and melted in my mouth. It wasn’t the best of the day, and it wasn’t the worst, so I awarded it a 4 out of 5.
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8. Bojangles
Photo By: Virginia Dodenhoff
I wish I could articulate my experience at Bojangles. Everything about this place is right. At Bojangles, we tried three different biscuits: the Cheddar Bo, the Boberry Biscuit and their famous Chicken Biscuit. OMG! The Cheddar Bo is basically a grilled cheese but with a biscuit. That can considered kind of healthy…. right!? It is LIFE-CHANGING. Mixing carbs and cheese is always the answer. The Boberry Biscuit is like biting into a little slice of heaven. It is a warm blueberry biscuit smothered in icing. This icing… wow. It was melting into the biscuit and just made my soul smile. I COULD NOT GET ENOUGH. Finally, we had to end with the legendary Cajun Filet Chicken Biscuit. Bojangles, thank you for making my life complete. Six out of five jars, no doubt!
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9. Popeye’s
Photo By: Virginia Dodenhoff
Now, I grew up on Popeye’s, so I’m a little biased. This place will always hold a special place in my heart. This biscuit is everything you could ever want. It was just as *light yet dense* as I remember it being. This perfect consistency is one for the books. To me, the most important component of a biscuit is how buttery it is, and at Popeye’s, they most definitely agree. This biscuit could save lives. Five out of five, sweet childhood favorite, five out of five.
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10. Church’s
Photo By: Virginia Dodenhoff
This was my first time at Church’s, and I really didn’t know what to expect. To be honest, it was a really sketchy experience.. There is no other way to describe it. I put all those feelings aside and remembered the true purpose of this experience…. to become a biscuit connoisseur. The biscuit seemed promising after seeing that there was honey glaze drizzled on top, but it was on the chewy side…. It’s not an awful biscuit that I would eat again sometime, but I have to give it a three out of five.
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11. Red Lobster
Photo By: Virginia Dodenhoff
If Beyoncé were a biscuit, this would be the one. This is what I am talking about, the Holy Grail of biscuits. I was 16 biscuits deep, and I managed to eat two. These cheddar biscuits are the bees knees, the cat’s meow, the Blue Ivy of celebrity babies – just phenomenal. Red Lobster, you did a real good job. If I could, I would take you here myself… if you know what I mean. Five out of five jars!
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12. Jim ‘N Nick’s
Photo By: Virginia Dodenhoff
This was out final stop. I was slowing down and didn’t think I could make it to 20 biscuits, but you can’t give up on your dreams kids. So, we got here and I had received my biscuits. Luckily, these biscuits are about bite size if you really try. So, I just popped two in my mouth and crushed the Great Biscuit Marathon. These biscuits are delightful. They are petite, cheesy and slightly cornbread-esque. They are wondrous! Jim ‘N Nick’s, y’all should really keep on keeping’ on because I don’t think I could keep living knowing they were gone. Don’t ever stop being you. Five out of five jars to round out the adventure.
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We didn’t get to make it to every fast food chain because either they stop serving breakfast at a certain time, or they closed early. Chick-fil-a, Hardee’s, Jack’s, Milo’s, Taco Bell and Whataburger all have biscuits that are worthy of your taste buds. Now, it’s your turn to go and try some biscuits. You will never be the same again.
If you want to watch a recap of my adventures, click here you can see what it takes to become a true biscuit expert.