An authentic Southern breakfast isn’t complete without a fluffy biscuit, dripping with butter, slathered with gravy, or stuffed with bacon or sausage. You might have to wait in line for one of these elemental breakfast treats at Asheville’s Biscuit Head, but those in the know say it’s worth sticking around for.
Husband and wife team Jason and Carolyn Roy opened Biscuit Head to share their love of breakfast. Their first Biscuit Head restaurant opened on Haywood Street in West Asheville in 2013. Success followed and their second Asheville location opened a year later on Biltmore Avenue. Roy is the creative hands in the kitchen, while Carolyn is the business mind; a perfect combination for operating a successful restaurant.
Don’t expect to find smooth, perfectly cut biscuits at Biscuit Head. In Roy’s kitchens they make cathead style biscuits. These are not rolled and cut with biscuit rings, they’re scooped and dropped onto the pan. Some say this technique makes fluffier biscuits because the dough isn’t worked so much, allowing it to rise and peak to golden clouds as big as a cat’s head. That’s why people around here call them, “cathead biscuits.”
Biscuit Head may be all about the first meal of the day, but it stretches the goodness Americans love in their breakfast through to lunch. You could call them a brunch restaurant, as their menu remains the same throughout their service hours (Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., and on the weekends until 3 p.m.). Even if you wanted a cathead biscuit stuffed with brisket for dinner, you couldn’t get it here—they do not serve dinner any night of the week.
Guests order at the counter where bright, hand-painted signs break down the choices for easy selection. A printed menu is available which guests can pick up and salivate over while waiting in line to order. It’s not uncommon to find lines stretching out the doors during the busiest times of day. Once you’ve ordered, you’re given a number for pick-up at the counter.
Let’s get down to the food now. While the biscuits are dreamy, so is everything else that goes along with them. Take the jam and butter bar. All of the butters, syrups and jams are made in house. The butter is whipped with sweet and savory innovations. Imagine such temptations on your biscuit as:
- Bananas foster jam
- Amaretto jam
- Tomato jam
- Cayenne jam
- Peach and rosemary jam
- Lemon tarragon butter
- Chocolate mint butter
- Lime caramel butter
- Sriracha butter
- Spicy pesto butter
- Chocolate raspberry truffle butter
- Sweet potato butter
- Bacon butter
It’s not uncommon for people to order nothing but a biscuit for $3, then stretch it into a meal with butters and jams.
Those who prefer a savory breakfast come here for the biscuits and gravy. Biscuit Head takes this Southern staple to a new level with six different gravies (espresso red eye, fried chicken gravy, pork sausage gravy, spicy veggie “chorizo” gravy, sweet potato coconut gravy, mushroom medley gravy), plus a gravy of the day. Can’t decide which gravy you want on your biscuit? Choose a Gravy Flight of three gravies to help you discover your favorite.
You’ll find three variations of the Benedict here, too. The Cajun Benedict is open-faced and topped with creole mustard, andouille sausage, two poached eggs, roasted red peppers, scallions, and of course, hollandaise sauce. The Asheville Benedict is topped with scallion cream cheese, fresh tomatoes, two poached eggs, hollandaise, roasted red peppers, and a tossed kale salad. Finally, split a biscuit; top it with warm brie; fried green tomatoes; red, ripe tomatoes; smoked-tomato hollandaise, and you have Fried Green Tomato biscuit heaven.
Other savory offerings include generous helpings of pulled pork, beef brisket, country ham, fried catfish or fried chicken along with your biscuit.
Beverage options include several choices of coffee styles, a plentiful array of teas, juices, lemonade and soda, as well as a few adult brunch-style beverages. Try something different with one of their Bloody Marys made with sake, or sip a Bellini or Mimosa (grapefruit Mimosas, too!), or select from a variety of beers.
Like many restaurants in Asheville, Biscuit Head strives to operate as green as possible, using as much recyclable and compostable materials as available. Their close relationships with local farms and suppliers ensure they get the freshest and most sustainable ingredients available.
Biscuit Head prices are surprisingly affordable when compared to many sit-down restaurants of its caliber. A family of four can enjoy a full breakfast and beverages for little more than a fast food drive-thru.
Insider Tips:
-Biscuit Head is always busy, so after you’ve ordered at the counter, scope out a table, then head to the butter and jam bar to grab your biscuit toppings while you wait for your number to be called.
-If you’re ordering one of the savory plated items, you might want to order a side biscuit just for the toppings and call it dessert—it saves a second wait in line!