Handsome Biscuit — Restaurant in Norfolk

My first time coming to Norfolk, VA I wanted to try Handsome Biscuit because I was told that the sweet potatoe biscuit is a must try when in the area, but I didn’t get a chance because they close early at 2pm…..Well I’m back in the Norfolk area again this week and I finally got my chance to try…..and well…..Unfortunately, I am a little disappointed

I want to start by saying that the biscuit sandwiches are completely customizable with many options to choose from. You do not have to stick with the traditional sandwich. You can add more of something you like, take away an item, or mix it up. I really enjoyed this feature as I walked to the counter and made my selections from one of the kiosks.

The Biscuit Sandwiches:

[ ] Hella Fitzgerald – This is fried chicken with bacon, cheddar cheese, and sausage gravy. I also selected the sweet potatoe biscuit….Here we go….To start, unfortunately, the chicken did not taste fresh. It appeared to be precooked and warmed when ordered. I know freshly fried chicken, and this wasn’t it. The chicken skin lacked a crunch and was soggy. It was tepid and lukewarm to the touch. The bacon was good, though, as well as the sauce gravy. The biscuit lacked the distinctive sweet potatoe flavor I was hoping for, but I could taste a hint of it. The biscuit itself also seemed to be precooked and warmed later. It wasn’t fluffy or flaky. To be honest, I’m not sure what this was or what to call it, but this was not it for me.

[ ] The Dirty South – This was a fried chicken, pickles, pimento cheese, and hot sauce. This all sounded good and looked good, but it was a true tragedy. Again, the chicken and biscuit didn’t seem to be freshly cooked to me. I don’t recall the smell of grease cooking or bread baking when I walked into the restaurant, and it was slightly warm. I would be curious to know when these items were actually prepared. To wrap up, unfortunately, I’m giving Handsome Biscuit the lowest rating I’ve ever given. I had high hopes and anticipation for this place, and it let me down. Please do not let this review discourage you from trying this restaurant. It wasn’t for me, but you may have a better experience. If so, please let me know.

Restaurant Rating: 50 out 100% (F-)

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Gotta start this one off by acknowledging how amazing the customer service and the workers are at this location. Everyone is super friendly and helpful, and goes above and beyond to make you feel at home and comfortable despite the changes that have been made.

That being said- I am a former Norfolk native now living in Richmond. Any time I come home to visit I look forward to treating myself to HB. My former neighbor from park place opened the place up right before I moved to Richmond in the 20teens and I was incredibly impressed with the quality of food and small family-owned niche atmosphere of HB. From handmade syrup sodas to the richness of a fresh baked sweet potato biscuit, it was unique and like no place I had been before. I’ve bragged on HB to everyone I can over the years, and take my friends and family there every time I have the chance. I’m sad to see that it has changed so much over the years.

I stopped in this weekend to treat myself, and was surprised to find there was no line, no one in the parking lot (which I had always encountered previously). I walked in to see the place fully re-arranged, giving a very closed-off feeling which I hadn’t felt before. The menu has changed significantly, and is now a self-ordering system on screens at the front counter. I was completely thrown off as this no longer felt like the HB I know, and felt more like those new McDonalds kiosks. Some of the best menu items no longer existed. It felt corporate and didn’t feel like I was interacting with and supporting the small business I had come to love over the years.

The food was sub-par compared to what I’d always experienced before. The biscuit fell apart immediately and no longer holds its own as the backdrop for the sandwich. It seems like the recipe has been changed, and not for the better. The chicken was good, but overall I wasn’t blown away how I always had been in the past. Fried tater tots from a bag just don’t hit the way those sautéed greens used to.

Overall I’m confused more than anything else. What happened to HB? Was it expansion to ODU that prompted these changes? Budget cuts post-pandemic? It disappointing to see one of my former favorites on such a steep downward trajectory. I know where y’all started and hope you get back there...

We used to LOVE this place. My husband took me here when we were dating, and I immediately fell in love with the place. Whenever we go to Norfolk, we try to stop here. Slowly but surely they have gotten rid of almost everything that I loved. They used to make a seasonal flavor “soda” that I always liked to try. They would make a syrup that would then be poured over club soda. Nothing crazy, but they were tasty. They stopped doing that which isn’t the end of the world…but I was bummed. They also used to make excellent, from scratch hash browns. Pairing that with their Lupo sauce was a must for me. They were SO good. Now they just have generic tater tots which I can make at home so easily and cheaply, why would I bother paying so much for them there?

Which brings me to their Lupo sauce….they had this spicy, sweet, hot sauce that was simply delicious. I asked if they had it the last time I was there, and they said they don’t offer it anymore. 😭

They also got rid of my favorite biscuit option called the Bleu Blazer. It was a fried chicken biscuit topped with pickled cabbage, bleu cheese, and bleu cheese dressing. 🤤 Again I would put their Lupo sauce on it, and let me tell ya….that was my jam. Sure it smelled pungent, but it was SO good. They hardly have anything special on the menu anymore. It’s quite sad. They always used to be slammed and I mean SLAMMED. You knew that was going to be the case when you went there, but it became part of the atmosphere. If you found a spot to sit you sent someone to hold it for you while you waited on the food. There is very little parking, and there would be a line out the door, but everyone knew it was worth it, and we all enjoyed ourselves. The last time we went, there were a couple of people picking up takeout, but other than that, it was a ghost town. We just went back in December, but I think that was our last visit. 😢 The Hella Fitzgerald is still yummy, but the whole experience has just shifted so badly. I wasn’t impressed with the biscuit options anymore, and the whole menu seemed so generic overall. Bring back the old...