Breakfast, as we know, is the most important meal of the day. A healthy breakfast can be the start to a productive day, a balanced diet and an overall healthy lifestyle. We all try to be a little healthier early in the morning — some of us may even eat a piece of fruit to start off the day. However, healthy can get a bit boring. Sometimes it’s good to be bad, even before noon. Sometimes we need to swap the whole wheat toast and egg whites for something a little sinful but 10 times as tasty. And if you ever feel the need to break out of that new health kick you just kicked off and start your day with a little indulgence, look no further than Ace Biscuit and Barbecue.
Ace may not be kind to your waistline, but it is oh so good to your stomach.
As the name implies, Ace specializes in two things — biscuits and ‘cue, combining the duo to make a killer all-day-breakfast menu. Starting early in the morning — 8 a.m., to be exact — Ace serves up the heartiest of breakfast meals, most between two halves of a biscuit. Their food combinations take traditional savory breakfast fare to a new level of indulgence — combinations like mouth-watering fried chicken, sausage gravy and house-smoked pimento cheese, or slow cooked and tender beef brisket topped with caramelized onions, cheddar cheese and a fried egg can start the day with just the right amount of juicy, fatty goodness.
From the moment you arrive at Ace, it’s easy to see where all this down-home cooking comes from. Ace is a quintessential barbecue joint in every sense of the phrase — from the painted white brick exterior, to the chalkboard chock-full of daily specials and savory meat combinations, to the plethora of pig decorations on every available surface. And if the humble and charming homestyle decor didn’t sell the restaurant, the smell from the open kitchen certainly will — the smoky smell of cooked meat, something only a true ‘cue restaurant can produce, makes the stomach start growling long before your food arrives.
Ace also doesn’t limit itself to early morning eats. Open until 3 p.m. every day of the week, the barbecue joint also rocks a satisfying lunch menu. Serving all the traditional Southern fare, like pulled pork, ribs, mac and cheese and collard greens — not to mention the sinfully juicy burger topped with their famous pimento — the lunch offerings prove this breakfast joint also has the chops to contend with any barbecue smoker in Charlottesville.
However, in all barbecue restaurants, the secret is in the sauce, and Ace’s sauces delivers on all fronts. Ace sports five homemade varieties of barbecue sauce, from traditional sweet red sauce and Carolina-style vinegar-based to a more daring mustard-based concoction. The shop even has their own homebrewed hot sauce, providing the perfect amount of spicy kick to your morning routine. Ace’s array of sauces provide even more variety to their already expansive menu and ensure that each visit will offer a new set of flavors to enjoy.
I can’t recommend an Ace biscuit enough — there really is no better way to start the day than with fried chicken and gravy or a slab of ribs. Whether you go for a savory brunch, an early morning kickstart or just to spend time with staff that makes you feel truly at home, Ace Biscuit and Barbecue is the place to be. Even as a relatively new kid on the block, I’ve got a feeling that Ace will be serving up delicious homestyle cooking for a long time.
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