Ranked: The best local restaurants for biscuits and gravy in Lexington
In Kentucky, we take our biscuits and gravy seriously. The world’s largest biscuits and gravy competition, The Gravy Cup, is held annually in February in Louisville.
We’re not the only ones: An Arkansas couple posted a wedding video on Twitter a few years ago that went viral of their biscuits and gravy fountain. It has now been viewed 1.5 million times.
Makes sense. Some say the relationship in general between biscuits and gravy is a love affair like no other.
We love our biscuits and gravy so much, in fact, we celebrate “National Biscuits and Gravy Day” on multiple days: February 21, December 2, and December 14, depending on which source you believe — and some even celebrate the second week of September as “National Biscuits and Gravy Week.”
Whether it is “white gravy,” “sawmill gravy,” or “cream gravy,” when served with “cathead biscuits,” “rolled biscuits,” or “drop biscuits,” a plate of old-fashioned homemade biscuits and gravy are about as good as gets for breakfast when you are ready to put some South in your mouth.
You know you have found truly great biscuits and gravy when the biscuits are hot, light and airy, pillowy-soft, tender, fluffy, fresh-baked, flavorful, and the gravy is smoky, rich and thick — but not too much so — and ladles easily.
Chefs far and wide have their preferred (and often closely guarded) favorite gravy recipe, and debate rages on the perfect ratio of roux to liquid for the perfect gravy.
Thankfully, there are lots of noteworthy restaurants right here in Lexington where you can get your biscuits and gravy fix, like your mother or grandmother perhaps used to make with their own family recipe.
I recently decided to seek out where you can find the best biscuits and gravy in Lexington.
Here is my list of top 11 local restaurants serving biscuits and gravy that will tantalize your tastebuds. I have ranked them based on my most recent visit to each place.
(The list was originally going to be the dozen best but then Magee’s Bakery unexpectedly closed.)
The competition was fierce down the stretch.
11. Winchell’s Restaurant & Bar
Winchell’s Biscuits & Gravy Plate consists of two biscuits and a rather small bowl of standard gravy served with one side item. Winchell’s is a popular neighborhood spot for breakfast, but unfortunately, the biscuits were hard, the serving portion of gravy could have been larger, and the gravy could have had more flavor. ($7.99)
348 Southland Dr., 859-278-9424, winchellsrestaurant.com
Breakfast hours: Saturday 8-11:30 a.m.; Sunday 8 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
10. Fiddletree Kitchen & Bar
I stopped in for brunch to check out the Biscuit & Gravy available on the a la carte menu. The flavor of the house-made sausage gravy had nice chunks of sausage but overall was unremarkable and was served over one small buttermilk biscuit. ($8) There are better options for biscuits and gravy in Lexington.
444 Parkway Dr., 859-544-1011, Facebook.com/FiddletreeKitchen
Hours: Tuesday-Friday 7-10 a.m.; Saturday-Sunday brunch 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
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10. Wild Eggs
With two locations in Lexington, Louisville-based Wild Eggs’ buttermilk biscuits come smothered with choice of their house-made bacon gravy or their chorizo gravy, or you can have both. I tried the combination of both gravies and preferred the chorizo gravy out of the two available. It had a bit more zesty flavor.
1925 Justice Dr. 859-543-0532, 3735 Palomar Centre Dr. 859-277-0402, wildeggs.com
Hours: Monday-Friday 6:30 a.m.-2:30 pm; Saturday-Sunday, 7 a.m.-3 p.m.
8. First Watch
Here you will find your choice of a house-baked buttermilk Biscuit & Turkey Sausage Gravy with Eggs and a side ($11.99) or a Biscuit & Turkey Sausage Gravy a la carte ($5.99.) The turkey sausage gravy was somewhat thin but still flavorful. For those who are craving comfort food and are more health conscious, First Watch’s biscuits and gravy is for you.
1080 South Broadway 859-252-2226, 119 W. Reynolds Road 859-785-4689, 2894 Richmond Road 859 899-3447, firstwatch.com
Hours: 7 a.m.-2:30 p.m. daily.
7. Bob Evans
Bob Evans’ Sausage Gravy & Biscuits is a cup of their legendary, time-honored, signature house-made sausage gravy with two freshly baked buttermilk biscuits ($5.99.) The draw here is you know what to expect and it is going to be good each and every time — and the price is right. My server thought the biscuits seemed small and brought me two more. You have to appreciate that type of service.
2566 Richmond Rd., 859-269-1003, bobevans.com
Hours: 7 a.m.-9 p.m. daily.
6. Doodle’s Breakfast & Lunch
Doodle’s has been a NoLi District hotspot favorite for breakfast and brunch for more than a decade and serves up their Biscuit & Gravy with scratch-made sausage gravy on top of a grilled biscuit, with two local eggs, and choice of cheese grits or fried potatoes ($11.) You can’t go wrong when you make a stop here to satisfy your craving for really good and consistent biscuits and gravy.
262 N. Limestone, 859-317-8507, doodleslex.com
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday: 8 a.m.-2 p.m.; closed on Monday.
5. Minton’s at 760
Described on the Minton’s menu as “Fluffy Weissenberger Mill buttermilk biscuits topped with made to order sausage gravy, your choice of bacon or sausage, two eggs and hashbrown casserole” ($14.) Available only on weekends.
Minton’s is one of those no frills, laid-back establishments that is as comfortable as your favorite old shirt and jeans and their biscuits and gravy is as satisfying as any breakfast platter you will find in town.
Clay Gillum, 22, a University of Kentucky student was also dining at Minton’s during recent my visit and ordered it on the urging of his girlfriend who had eaten the popular dish there in the past.
“I’m hungry and she said order (the biscuits and gravy.) It’s a good fall back if you don’t see anything else on the menu you like.”
760 N. Limestone, 859-948-1874, mintonsat760.com
Brunch hours: Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
4. Maple Street Biscuit Company
Maple Street Biscuit Company’s Risky Biscuit is a “flaky biscuit, covered in scratch-made sausage (or Veggie Risky Biscuit covered in shiitake mushroom gravy) with a kick” ($8.) The biscuit was drenched in a tasty gravy and definitely enjoyable — on my second visit. On my first visit, the biscuit had the texture of a hockey puck. Maple Street is a newcomer to Lexington and their biscuits are inconsistent but very good when you catch them at the right time.
2270 Nicholasville Rd., 859-554-5700, maplestreetsbiscuits.com
Hours: 7 a.m.-3 pm daily.
3. Tudor’s Biscuit World
With two enormous homemade buttermilk biscuits drowning in a more than an ample portion of sausage gravy, Tudor’s Gravy Platter is consistently delicious and definitely easy on the wallet ($5.29.) When your name has “Biscuit World” in its title, your biscuits best live up to your billing and Tudor’s Biscuit World’s biscuits certainly do. Tudor’s biscuits are massive and the gravy cannot be beaten for the price.
757 E. New Circle Rd., 859-368-0900, tudorsbiscuitworld.com
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 5:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; Sunday, 7 a.m.-2 p.m.
2. Biscuit Belly
Biscuit Belly markets their fare as “damn good biscuits” and their One & Done (Goetta) Biscuit and Gravy ($10.50) dish is hands down one of the best in Lexington. The scratch-made biscuits are light, fluffy, and delicious, and overall, this dish is what biscuits and gravy were meant to be — filling and savory and close to perfection. Goetta is a German-American breakfast sausage staple popular in Cincinnati with a smoky-sweet peppery flavor. You will leave here satisfied and ready to return.
652 E. Main St., 859-350-6900, biscuitbelly.com
Hours: Monday-Thursday: 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; Friday-Sunday: 7:30 a.m.-3 pm.
1. Josie’s
According to Kristin Silvey, Josie’s general manager, their standout gravy is the creation of kitchen manager, Fernando Garcia.
“It has the perfect blend of lots of sausage, heat from red pepper flakes and black pepper and the richness is provided by the fact we use cream instead of milk to smooth all the flavors together. We have won every competition we have entered our gravy in.”
After trying it I understood why. Josie’s Sausage Gravy & Biscuits ($9.50) is the best I sampled. It was peppery, savory, and a perfect gravy to biscuit ratio with delightful bits of sausage and the biscuits more than held their own under the delicious gravy.
Josie’s is now my go-to spot for biscuits and gravy in Lexington. It is my choice for Lexington’s Biscuits and Gravy Winner’s Circle.
821 Chevy Chase Pl., 859-523-8328, josies-ky.com
Breakfast hours: 8 a.m.-2 p.m. daily.
Rob Bolson is a freelance writer residing in Lexington, Kentucky, who writes about food and culture. Follow him on Instagram at @robbiebolson .
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