Biscuit Belly is one of the newer breakfast spots in Fayetteville, and after seeing the early…read morepositive reviews, we decided to give it a try on a Sunday morning. We got there maybe an hour and a half to two hours after opening, and luckily there was no line when we first walked in.
The place itself is really cute. The decor and overall setup give it a fun, modern breakfast vibe, and it feels bright and welcoming without trying too hard. It's definitely the kind of place that makes a good first impression when you walk in.
Since it was our first time, though, we had no idea what we wanted. Of course, while we were standing there staring at the menu like we had never ordered breakfast before, more and more people started lining up behind us. The people directly behind us seemed just as undecided, but I still felt rushed. Eventually the cashiers announced that anyone who needed more time could grab a menu, sit down, and come back when ready. We ended up doing exactly that. I just wish I had known that before standing there awkwardly holding up the line.
We started with the Bonuts for the table, biscuit donut holes coated in cinnamon sugar. They come with either bourbon cream cheese frosting or berry jam, and we got both. Apparently the second dip is an extra 50 cents, which I did not realize until afterward, but whatever. The bourbon cream cheese frosting was definitely the winner. The berry jam was fine, but next time I would save the 50 cents and stick with the cream cheese.
Each kid got their own order of two pancakes with a side of home fries. No drink included, just pancakes and potatoes, but they were happy and, more importantly, quiet. I finished some of what they left behind and the pancakes were actually really good, fluffy with a nice chew. They were topped with powdered sugar, because apparently syrup alone does not contain enough sugar for children. Or me. This was also after the Bonuts, so we were really committed to the breakfast sugar experience.
My wife originally wanted the Mama's Boy, fried chicken with roasted jalapeño pimento cheese, spicy pickles, and fried green tomato, but they were out of one of the ingredients. She switched to the Fire in Your Belly, with fried chicken, Nashville hot mayo, spicy pickles, and cheddar.
She also ordered the Praline Mocha, which I tasted and really liked. I probably would have ordered it myself if she had not beaten me to it.
I got the Brown Sugar Shaken, espresso, brown sugar, vanilla, and milk. It basically tasted like brown sugar boba without the boba, which worked for me.
For food, I ordered a seasonal special that I believe was called the Biscuit Dipper. Think birria-style meat and consommé, except instead of tacos, everything is built around a biscuit. On paper, this sounded fantastic.
Then I took my first bite.
The meat was cold. Not lukewarm, cold enough that my first thought was that it tasted like refrigerated meat that had been reheated but not reheated long enough. The second bite was not quite as cold, but it still was not warm. None of the meat was actually hot. The consommé was warm, but really should have been hotter too. The biscuit and melted cheese crust seemed fresher and were closer to warm, which somehow made the temperature difference even more noticeable.
What confused me was that the restaurant was not particularly busy. The kids' food came out first, followed shortly after by mine and my wife's together, so it did not seem like our plates had been sitting around forever.
After my second bite, I asked my wife how hers was.
Cold chicken.
So it was not just my plate.
The frustrating part is that both dishes had the potential to be really good. The flavors were there, but fried chicken and birria-style meat are not things I want served barely above refrigerator temperature.
I was not planning to hunt someone down and complain. I am usually the person who says, "It's fine," even when it really isn't. But when someone came by to clear our plates and specifically asked how the food was, I told them the truth.
A manager or supervisor came out afterward, apologized, and gave us two coupons for free biscuit sandwiches on a future visit. I appreciated that. They did not argue or make excuses, they just acknowledged the problem and gave us a reason to come back.
And we will come back. My wife's Fire in Your Belly is already in the biscuit sandwich category, and I assume the Biscuit Dipper would qualify as well if it is still around.
There was a lot I liked here. The ambiance is cute, the Bonuts were good, the pancakes were good, both coffee drinks were good, and the staff handled the issue well. Both entrees also tasted like they would have been really good if they had simply been served hot.
So for now, three stars. There is definitely potential here, and we already have two free biscuit sandwiches waiting for us. We'll see what round two brings.
