Hardee's Bacon Egg & Cheese Biscuit

If you've never had a Hardee's biscuit, this is the one to start with. Bacon, egg and cheese is a familiar mix, so the biscuit itself stands out.

Hardee's bakes its biscuits in-store through the morning. Expect a taller, flakier biscuit than the pre-made kind sold at most drive-thrus.

At $4.29 it ties the Sausage & Egg Biscuit on price. The bacon version is lighter: 510 calories versus 600, and 28g of fat versus 39g.

The Super Bacon Biscuit ($4.49) adds extra bacon and a second slice of cheese for $0.20 more. Protein goes from 19g to 27g.

The Monster Biscuit ($5.19) is the full-load option at 800 calories.

The Bacon Egg & Cheese Biscuit Combo costs $6.29 with Hash Rounds and a drink. That's $2.00 more than the biscuit alone.

Small Hash Rounds cost $1.99 on their own. So the combo mainly saves you the price of the drink.

Combo calories run from 770 to 1,580, depending on the Hash Rounds size and the drink you pick. Black coffee keeps it near the low end.

Order early. Biscuits are freshest during the 7 to 9 AM rush, when batches turn over fastest.

Breakfast usually ends at 10:30 AM on weekdays. Each store sets its own hours.

Allergens listed by Hardee's are egg, milk, soy and wheat.

Hardee's sells the same bacon, egg and cheese filling on a brioche-style bun for $3.99. That's $0.30 cheaper than the biscuit.

Hardee's lists the brioche version at 420 calories, about 100 fewer than the biscuit.

The biscuit is the reason most people visit Hardee's in the morning. If you're there for the biscuit, stay with this one.