Excellent | Worth a Detour

Boll Weevil Cafe & Sweetery
Review by: Michael Stern
A week after the Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, waiters were wearing t-shirts that declared the Boll Weevil Cafe & Sweetery to be a place where “a big slice is a good thing.” The reference is not to the duffer’s banana ball; it is to the cafe’s layer cakes, which are outlandishly tall and portioned out in majestic, icing-laden triangles. Whether simple fresh strawberry cake or Seventh Heaven Chocolate Cake, which includes layers of white chocolate cheesecake and chocolate ganache, these slices are a dessert lover’s dream — the cake fresh and buttery, the icing thick and creamy. Strangely, whipped cream that decorates plates on which slices are served is watery stuff: second rate, not good enough to accompany these fine cakes.
Before tackling the 30-item dessert menu, which includes cheesecakes and pies as well as the lavish layer cakes, customers tuck into meals that range from sandwiches on house-baked bread to such southern icons as shrimp & grits, pimento cheeseburgers, and Cajun gumbo. There are salads galore — healthful as well as hearty, a soup menu that includes hoppin’ john, and several meat-free items for vegetarians. I’ve enjoyed a pimento grilled cheese sandwich with applewood-smoked bacon on toasty slices of house-baked sourdough bread as well as a turkey-spinach dip-provolone sandwich called Curious George. (George Harrison is the guy who opened the restaurant in 1990; his son runs it today.) The Curious George is made on honey-sweetened wheat bread that reminds me of King’s from Hawaii.
Boll Weevil is located along the city’s repurposed riverfront in what began as a warehouse in the heart of Augusta’s cotton row. To set the mood in its comfy-casual dining rooms, a sound system pipes out vintage mid-20th century rhythm & blues tunes from the likes of Ben E. King, Smokey Robinson, Martha and the Vandellas, and Augusta favorite son James Brown. In fact, the brick-paved street on which the restaurant is located, once called 9th Street, has been formally renamed James Brown Boulevard.
Directions & Hours
- Monday: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Tuesday: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Wednesday: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Thursday: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Friday: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
- Saturday: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
- Sunday: 12:00 – 8:00 PM
Information
Price | $$ |
Seasons | All |
Meals Served | Lunch, Dinner |
Credit Cards Accepted | Yes |
Alcohol Served | Yes |
Outdoor Seating | No |
What To Eat
Curious George Sandwich
DISH
Grilled Cheese Sandwich
DISH
Hummingbird Cake
DISH
Banana Chocolate Chip Cake
DISH
Fried Green Tomatoes
DISH
Carrot Cake
DISH
Pasta Salad
DISH
Tropical Dream Cake
DISH
Shrimp & Grits
DISH
Saltine
DISH
House Salad
DISH
Perfect Chocolate Cake
DISH
Jambalaya
DISH
Roasted Apple Tomato Soup
DISH
Boll Weevil Cafe & Sweetery Recipes
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