We love biscuits for breakfast, so we’re engaged in a never-ending search near and far to find the best biscuits. But when Biscuit Belly opened on Cobb Parkway in Acworth, we bided our biscuit-buying time to give the new establishment time to work out the inevitable kinks that come with a new operation.
Now, months after the opening, we finally wandered in for a weekday biscuit brunch. We strategically timed our visit. We’ve passed by on weekends to find the place slammed with fellow biscuit and brunch afficionados. Our late-morning drop-in at Biscuit Belly meant we missed the breakfast crowd, and the lunch bunch hadn’t yet arrived.
You won’t mistake Biscuit Belly for a local biscuit joint. From the trademarked logos to the trade-dress interior and copyrighted entree names, the place virtually screams “emerging chain.” That’s reinforced by a menu note offering more information on franchise opportunities.
But none of that should dissuade you from visiting Biscuit Belly if you’re in search of a variety of belly-busting biscuits generously stuffed with traditional fixings or topped with rich gravy. And indeed, the fact that Biscuit Belly offers its breakfast and brunch fare accompanied by seven crafted, alcohol-including adult beverages may persuade you to give it a try over other typical breakfast options. But also be aware that these biscuits aren’t bargain-priced, but the entrees and sides are filling enough to often require a take-home box.
For our brunch, we ordered up two biscuit options: The Rockwell and The Boozy Bird. Both came on huge, tasty biscuits with a hint of sweetness. The Rockwell included cheese, a perfectly-fried chicken breast, and goetta sausage gravy. We each added a side of Biscuit Belly tots.
Our Boozy Bird featured a huge buttermilk fried chicken breast atop a similarly-huge biscuit, with our bourbon maple syrup served on the side.
Each order was accompanied by four tater tots, absolutely huge, rolled potato concoctions stuffed with sausage and cheddar cheese and served with a side of sweet maple mayo which were almost a meal unto themselves.
Since our chicken breasts were hanging over all sides of both biscuits, we cut off pieces and tried that along first. The buttermilk batter offered a crispy and tasty bite with the steaming, juicy chicken. If you missed our description of “perfectly-fried” previously, we’ll include it again here to double-down on that description.
Then it was time to try a blended bite to include chicken, cheese, biscuit and that thick goetta sausage gravy.
For those not familiar with the term “goetta sausage,” you’re not alone as we had to look it up. We found that goetta was a German sausage originally made with less-desirable pork cuts (think organ meats!) and mixed with fillers and spices to build up the flavor, texture and volume. Today, most goetta has replaced the organ meats with high quality ground pork, and then blended that with steel-cut oats, and interesting spices like garlic, clove, ginger and mace.
For us, the sausage gravy delivered a unique taste with those herbs and a sweet finish. Honestly, I don’t think I’d enjoy it as biscuit and sausage gravy entree, but it was very tasty with the accompaniment of the chicken and cheese.
As for the Boozy Bird, what wasn’t to love: biscuit, fried chicken and bourbon maple syrup. We’ll let you just imagine that blend yourself.
While I was tempted by the boozy cocktails, too, we passed on those during our weekday visit. But if I go back, I don’t think I’ll be able to resist the Dark and Spicy Bloody Mary which features a poblano pepper tomato mix.
We should also mention our first encounter with the Tractor brand of organic soft drinks. Rewarding myself for the good decision to pass on the booze, I decided to try the root beer. WOW! It was rich, thick, creamy and tasty — definitely not the usual root beer experience. If you go, give it a try.
As mentioned, Biscuit Belly is not for the bargain-minded. Our two-biscuit lunch with sides of tots and one drink totaled more than $30 before tip. But also as mentioned, we took home a carry-out box with a full biscuit to enjoy later. Still, for the price, we’ll consider this a “treat-eat” rather than a regular breakfast stop.
