History

Biscuits and gravy is the foundational Southern breakfast, with documented origins in 19th-century Appalachian and Piedmont kitchens. The dish became canonical at Atlanta's Waffle House (founded 1955 in Avondale Estates) and the city's diner counters. Atlanta Breakfast Club, Thumbs Up Diner and Mary Mac's Tea Room serve the modern Atlanta benchmark; the dish remains the cheap-and-filling Atlanta breakfast classic.

Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 30 minTotal 50 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • For the biscuits: 350g all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 150g cold unsalted butter cubed
  • 1 cup (240ml) very cold buttermilk plus extra for brushing
  • For the gravy: 500g good breakfast sausage (Tennessee Pride or Jimmy Dean style; lean ground pork mixed with sage, black pepper, salt and a pinch of cayenne works as a substitute)
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 600ml whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper (plus more to finish)
  • Pinch of grated nutmeg
  • Salt to taste
  • Hot sauce on the side

Method

  1. For the biscuits: whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the cold butter in with a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture has chunks the size of peas (do not over-mix; visible butter pieces give flaky layers).
  2. Make a well, pour in the cold buttermilk and stir with a fork until just combined. The dough should be shaggy and slightly sticky.
  3. Turn out onto a floured surface. Pat to a 2cm thick rectangle. Fold in thirds like a letter, pat out again, fold a second time. Pat to 3cm thick.
  4. Cut 6cm rounds with a sharp biscuit cutter (do not twist; press straight down). Place biscuits touching on a baking tray. Brush tops with buttermilk.
  5. Bake at 220C for 12 to 15 minutes until deep golden on top.
  6. For the gravy: crumble the sausage into a heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until browned and crisp at the edges. Do not drain the fat.
  7. Sprinkle the flour over the sausage and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
  8. Gradually whisk in the milk, scraping the base. Bring to a simmer, whisking; the gravy will thicken in 4 to 5 minutes.
  9. Stir in black pepper, nutmeg and salt. Taste; it should be peppery enough that you notice. Add more pepper.
  10. Split the hot biscuits in half on plates. Ladle the sausage gravy generously over each. Serve with hot sauce on the side.

Tip from the editors. Cold butter and cold buttermilk are non-negotiable; warm dough makes flat biscuits. Pepper the gravy aggressively; under-peppered cream gravy tastes flat.

Where to eat biscuits and sausage gravy

Biscuits and sausage gravy in Atlanta

Atlanta Breakfast Club ★ 4.3

Street food$downtownMon-Thu, Sun 06:30-15:00; Fri-Sat 06:30-22:00

Atlanta Breakfast Club on Ivan Allen Jr Boulevard in downtown Atlanta runs all-day Southern breakfast: crispy chicken biscuits, chicken and waffles.

Try: Crispy chicken biscuits and chicken and waffles

Tip: No reservations; the line builds before 09:00 weekends but moves fast. The crispy chicken biscuits with grape jelly are the canonical first order.

249 Ivan Allen Jr Blvd, Atlanta, GA 30313

Thumbs Up Diner ★ 4.1

Street food$old-fourth-wardDaily 07:00-15:00

Thumbs Up Diner on Edgewood Avenue in Old Fourth Ward, Atlanta runs all-day breakfast and burritos since 2002. Open daily 07:00-15:00. At 573 Edgewood Ave SE.

Try: Burrito and pancakes

Tip: Cash and card. No reservations; line builds by 09:30 weekends. The Heap with chorizo runs the heaviest breakfast in town.

573 Edgewood Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30312

Mary Mac's Tea Room ★ 4.6

Southern$$midtownDaily 11:00-21:00

Mary Mac's Tea Room in Atlanta opened 1945 and runs Southern Sunday dinner classics in a four-dining-room compound on Ponce de Leon, with the same recipes.

Signature: Fried chicken, Pot likker and cornbread, Peach cobbler

Order: Pot likker with a side of cornbread, then fried chicken with three sides.

Tip: Order the pot likker as a starter; it comes free with cornbread. No reservations Monday through Thursday lunch; OpenTable for dinner and weekends.

224 Ponce de Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30308 Book →

Waffle House (Howell Mill) ★ 4.0

American diner$$west-midtownDaily 24 hoursUntil Open 24/7

Waffle House on Howell Mill in Atlanta runs 24/7 like the rest of the 90-plus metro locations: scattered-smothered hash browns, pecan waffles.

Try: Hash browns scattered smothered covered, pecan waffles, all-day breakfast

Tip: Order the hash browns scattered, smothered, covered; it's the local language. Tip your waitress in cash.

1700 Howell Mill Rd, Atlanta, GA 30318

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