For a homestyle taste of the South brought to the District, check out Mason Dixie Biscuit Co.’s new location in Shaw.
Since the restaurant’s opening earlier this month, Mason Dixie has been hashing out affordable comfort food in a fun and vibrant space. After closing its first location – a drive-thru joint in Northeast D.C. – last year, the sandwich shop now has a 45-seat location that is more accessible to students.
Inside the 1819 Seventh St. NW shop, the decor puts a modern twist to a classic diner aesthetic. Decorative pops of electric pink and turquoise characterize the restaurant’s walls, furniture and a giant mural that states “You Gotta Risk It For The Biscuit” in bold lettering.
Diners can take their food to go, sit at retro black tables adorned with white and turquoise seating or opt to sit at the bar on white and turquoise leather stools. The store is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., while weekend hours go until 4 p.m.
As its name implies, Mason Dixie Biscuit Co. is known for its biscuits, which won the critic’s choice for best biscuit in America at the 2015 International Biscuit Festival. The flaky bread base is the main event on the restaurant’s menu for morning, afternoon and brunch.
No matter what time of day you visit, there are plenty of options that blow your typical Pillsbury biscuit out of the water. However, the biscuit sandwich that will especially curb all your cravings – the chicken, egg and cheese ($9.99 for white meat or $8.99 for dark meat) – can only be found on the restaurant’s morning and brunch menus.
Served only until 11 a.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends, the breakfast sandwich begins with a warm buttermilk biscuit and is then stacked with an egg, a slice of cheese and finished off with a piece of fried chicken. Each sandwich can be amplified by adding on items, like ranch or avocado for 99 cents and bacon or sausage for $1.49.
On its own, the biscuit is incredibly appetizing and is flaky and soft on the inside, with a buttery exterior. The melt-in-your-mouth base for this sandwich is anything but ordinary, and paves the way for the rest of the dish’s elements. The cheese melts as the sandwich is eaten, while the fried egg adds crispiness and weight to the dish. Like the biscuit, the piece of fried chicken would be delicious by itself with a crunchy outside and juicy inside, but topped with other options, the sandwich is heightened to gourmet status, while still being approachable in a homey atmosphere.
If a breakfast sandwich isn’t up your alley, Mason Dixie offers plenty of other options ranging from lunch platters to milkshakes to staple Southern sides.
The beverage menu also features an ode to the South with classic sweet tea ($2.99) alongside milkshakes ($5.99), in flavors like cherry, chocolate and cookies and cream, and frappes ($5.49), which give customers their caffeine fix by blending together cold brew, vanilla ice cream and the option to add flavors like pumpkin spice or chai.
No meal is complete without the classic Southern sides that could leave a diner stuffed on their own like mac and cheese ($3.49), collard greens ($2.99) or cheddar grits ($2.99). But for something less savory, you can choose a lighter side like coleslaw ($2.99) and let the sandwich truly shine on its own.
While Mason Dixie has options for everyone, from a hearty honey-glazed ham platter ($14.99) to biscuits by the dozen to be dressed at home ($12.99), its chicken, egg and cheese biscuit breakfast sandwich will provide Southern comfort for mornings to come after a quick trip to Shaw.
