In the August/September issue of Garden & Gun Magazine, well-known food writer and dining critic John Kessler ranked the best breakfast joints in the South.
“Whether you’re craving corned beef hash, quail and eggs, or just need a hangover cure—stat—we’ve scoured the South for the best places to get the day started right,” Kessler wrote.
Looking for the best blueberry pancakes? Head to The Pancake Shop in Host Springs, Arkansas. In search of the best doughnuts? Drive south to Pembroke Pines, Florida and stop in at Mojo. Got the family with you? Monell’s in Nashville, Tennessee tops the list of the best family-style breakfast spots.
But if you’re looking for the best biscuits in the South — which, frankly, means the best biscuits in the world — there’s no need to leave the Yellowhammer State; just head down to the coast and pay a visit to Biscuit King’s Fun Barn in Fairhope.
Here’s what Kessler had to say about Biscuit King’s:
This low-slung building — a popular stop for Mobilians on their way to the beach — would look like a storage locker were it not painted barn red and marked by a placard of a cartoon couple two-stepping. On most weekends, guests line up patiently under its awning for a table inside and the signature “ugly biscuit,” which true to its name is a buttery, misshapen lump that weighs in at slightly under half a pound. Also called the “ultimate,” it comes stuffed with a steamy complete breakfast concealed within two kinds of sausage, bacon, egg, and cheese. As owner Willie Foster tells the ugly biscuit creation myth, it sprung into being one day about twenty years ago after he took over home breakfast duties from his wife. “I was trying to make a plain old butter biscuit like my aunt Mamie’s,” he recalls. “Once I got close, I began experimenting with fillings. My family was in shock when they tried it, it was so good.”
To check out the complete list of the South’s best breakfast joints, head over to Garden & Gun.
Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims
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