Best Southern Lunch in Atlanta: Flying Biscuit Café

Since 1993, Atlanta has been obsessed with the southern comfort food and all-day breakfast menu at Flying Biscuit Café. What started as a quaint neighborhood eatery has blossomed into a booming franchise with more than a dozen locations throughout the southeastern United States. We caught up with Brad Rubenstein, managing partner of Flying Biscuit Café in John’s Creek, to get the scoop on those creamy, dreamy grits everyone talks about as well as some new menu items to look for this fall.

What’s the story behind Flying Biscuit Café? When did you first open?

Delia Champion opened the first café in Candler Park in 1993, which is still where the original store is. Now there are 14 locations throughout Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida. I describe the food as “eclectic southern cuisine.”

What is your most popular dish?

The Shrimp and Grits is our best seller both in-house and with Fooda. When we set up for lunch, sometimes everyone wants Shrimp and Grits. We also serve collards and they’re extremely popular as well. One of our best-selling breakfasts is the Southern Scramble, which is eggs scrambled with turkey bacon, spicy collard greens, onions, and cheddar cheese.

What inspires the menu creations at Flying Biscuit?

The original menu was created by Delia Champion. It’s evolved over the years, but a lot of the original menu, about 80 or 90 percent, is in tact. We’ve revamped and added new things. If another store runs a special that’s successful, we might add it to the menu.

Do you have a recipe we can share with readers at home?

Atlanta Magazine shared a recipe for our famous flying biscuits. Get the recipe here.

Why do you think consumers voted you Best Southern Lunch in Atlanta?

We put a lot of pride into everything we serve, and I think in doing these [Fooda] pop-ups we’ve gotten better and better at the food quality. We’d rather be a little late than rush and not have something that’s 100 percent. Plus, everyone in Atlanta really loves our creamy, dreamy grits with cream and white cheddar cheese.

What are some food trends you’re seeing in Atlanta, if any?

People are looking for an experience when they go out to eat. There’s a restaurant in Atlanta called Gunshow where the chefs present their dishes to diners at their tables on rolling carts. It’s kind of like dim sum.

Do you have any exciting plans for Flying Biscuit in the near future?

We’re looking at expansion; we have several other locations in the works. We’re also getting a lot of new menu items in the fall, like a Crab Cake Benedict, Chicken Chorizo Hash, and turkey burgers. A few of the locations have been running a test menu that has been going really well, so we’re going to roll those items out in the next few months. We’re also doing cold brew coffee and fresh juices and smoothies.

With its southern-inspired menu of comfort foods made with fresh ingredients, Flying Biscuit Café won the distinction of Best Southern Lunch in Atlanta in the Best of Fooda Atlanta Awards 2017. If you’re in the area, stop by the John’s Creek store for some of their creamy, dreamy grits, and watch for those new menu items to hit this fall!