Eating Columbus: Breakfast Edition

Greetings friends!  I’ve been bouncing around Columbus knocking places off my to-try list, and wanted to share some of my recent favorite breakfast spots!  (For even more Columbus restaurant recommendations, check out the first post in this series here.)

Dough Mama is an adorable, cozy cafe in South Clintonville that serves modernized comfort food.  Everything they serve is scratch made, even the ketchup.  Their avocado biscuit is one of my favorite breakfasts in all of Columbus.  It has greens, tomato,  pickled onions, avocado, and an egg smashed between a cheddar scallion biscuit.  I’d definitely recommend their steak-fry-cut roasted potatoes and the lemon poppy seed muffin, which happens to be gluten free and has the texture of a doughnut.  They also have a vegan lentil-loaf sandwich (served on Dan The Baker bread) that I need to try ASAP.

Skillet, another favorite Columbus breakfast spot, is located in a cozy building in Merion Village (near German Village).  Their steadfast commitment to local sourcing is reflected in the ever-changing menu.  Each morning, the day’s menu is posted to their website for your viewing pleasure.  Last summer, I had an incredible tomato salad at Skillet that I still think about.  It was so very simple, but the TOMATOES.  The tomatoes.  Skillet’s food, including the egg scrambles and omelets, are cooked with more care and precision than you’d see at a typical daytime cafe.  Recently, I tried the fingerling potatoes with cheese curds.  The potatoes were crusty and salty on the outside and the skin sort of popped in your mouth when you bit into it, releasing a tiny explosion of creamy potato.  Divine.  There is usually a wait to get a table at Skillet, but you can call ahead to put your name on the list.  Plus they have free coffee outside while you wait.  Open Wednesday through Sunday, 8am to 2pm.

Trism.  Continuing this breakfast trend, I found a great weekday deal at Trism in the University area.  From 9-11am, you can get a breakfast sandwich on local ciabatta for only $5, plus you can throw in a coffee for $1 more!  Pictured below is the Numero Uno, with local eggs, jalapeno-jack cheese, zesty black bean spread, and sriracha aioli.

I mentioned Baba’s in my first Columbus restaurants post, but any Columbus breakfast roundup would be remiss without including them!  Baba’s is a small, no-frills sort of place, open for breakfast and lunch six days a week (closed Mondays).  Located at the corner of Hudson and Summit, in the SOHUD neighborhood (on the edge of Old North), Baba’s officially opened it’s doors in November 2016, after YEARS of effort by the husband and wife duo, Dan and Caroline Kraus.  From food cart, to food truck, to being bamboozled by contractors–Baba’s came out swinging.  Read more about Baba’s in my post for the cbusfoodbloggers!

Wildflower Cafe is my go-to spot for a classic, low-key, home style breakfast.  My favorite is the Florentine omelette, which has portabella mushrooms, spinach, tomato, scallions, and swiss cheese.  You can sub in sliced tomatoes instead of toast, and you can order one single (enormous) pancake, if you like.

Northstar is a Columbus staple, and I have to say my favorite thing on the menu is the mushroom frittata, which is hearth-baked with roasted mushrooms, sweet onions, and gobs of Gruyere, served with the crispiest of breakfast potatoes.  Though there are multiple Northstar locations, the menus are slightly different at each one (not all of them have the mushroom frittata).