Where to Find Flaky and Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits around Boston

By Eric Twardzik
03/21/2022
Vinal Bakery

Boston may be better known as the birthplace of the Parker House roll, but many of our local chefs know how to make a solid buttermilk biscuit, too. Whether you prefer yours plain with a little butter or smothered in meat and breakfast gravy, here are five local spots turning out biscuits you need to try.

Trina's Starlite Lounge

Trina's Starlite one of the Best Brunch Places in Boston serving Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits around Boston

There are many reasons to visit the famed Sunday and Monday brunch at Trina’s Starlite Lounge, but the homemade biscuits rise near the top of our list. The buttery biscuit is flaky but dense, and stays together around your sandwich—which is key, because these are sandwiches worth savoring. Just like the name implies, the Good Ol’ Breakfast Sandy is a simple but outstanding entry in the record with two oozy eggs, sharp cheddar cheese, and your choice of crispy bacon, sausage, or spicy tomato sauce. The Chicken on a Biscuit supports a pickle-brined version of a favorite fried chicken with house pickles and American cheese.

Sweet Cheeks Q one of the Best Brunch Places in Boston serving Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits around Boston

Before visiting the Fenway barbecue joint Sweet Cheeks Q, you may be warned not to fill up on biscuits (especially considering the always-fun desserts on the menu, too). Celeb chef and restaurateur Tiffani Faison is as well-known for creating Sweet Cheeks’ fluffy buttermilk biscuits as she is for being a judge on Chopped. Considering these delicious biscuits arrive by the bucket with a side of honey butter that melts on contact, not filling up on them is a hard rule to follow. So here’s a better tip: Try to save a biscuit so you can take advantage of the pastry’s pull-apart quality to make a mini barbecue sandwich once that tray of brisket arrives.

Vinal Bakery - Best Cookies in Boston

Vinal Bakery is our go-to for the best English muffins in Greater Boston, but don’t sleep on the superlative Somerville bakery’s buttermilk biscuits—seriously, they often sell quickly, so consider ordering online early. Big, rustic and flaky, these biscuits are good enough to enjoy as-is or topped in a number of ways: If it’s a weekend, make sure to ask about rotating specials accompanied by seasonal spreads such as ricotta and rhubarb jam, apple cider jelly, or lemon cream and fresh raspberries. Any of Vinal’s top-notch sandwiches can be upgraded to biscuit sandwich status, too: the Ham Jamboree prepared with smoked ham, brie, jam, and baby kale is a particularly worthy choice.

Forge Baking Company

Forge Baking Company one of the Best Brunch Places in Boston serving Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits around Boston

A bustling bakery-cafe on Somerville Ave., Forge Baking Company makes a variety of breads in-house every day, including towering buttermilk biscuits that are flaky and flecked with crunchy crystals of salt. You can enjoy them on the sweet side of brunch as a Loaded Biscuit, split crosswise and filled up with smooth cream cheese and a house-made blueberry lemon jam. These buttermilk behemoths are soft yet sturdy enough to make for a great sandwich, too: Try The Aster with egg, gruyere, ham, and hot honey. Pairs well with iced espresso.

Sarma one of the Best Brunch Places in Boston serving Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits around Boston

Most of the baked goods on this list are sized for breakfast, but the Pork Belly Biscuits at Sarma satisfy our cravings for fluffy, buttermilk biscuits in a different way, and at a different time of day. Somerville’s stellar Mediterranean small-plates restaurant dishes up a trio of few-bite-sized biscuits on its menu of magical meze. Each mini sando is stacked with a slice of fatty glazed pork belly and layers of membrillo (quince paste), a cider reduction, and whipped feta. The flaky biscuit is merely a (delicious) vehicle to let the sweet, sharp and tangy combination of flavors shine through.

3 Little Figs one of the Best Brunch Places in Boston serving Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits around Boston

This small bakery and cafe is situated in a quiet section of Somerville—lucky for the folks who live nearby. But 3 Little Figs transcends neighborhood status and becomes destination-worthy thanks to a coffee program featuring renowned roasters, and homestyle yet unusual pastries and plates like sheep’s feta Spinach Pie. You’ll often find us ordering the Pepper Biscuit breakfast sandwich with scrambled egg and cheddar: Every bite of the baked good is equal parts buttery and punchy with black pepper.

 

Updated by Jacqueline Cain

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