Eight Go-To Breakfast Meeting Spots in Columbus
Plus, a decade-old Arena District restaurant calls it quits, and Metsi's announces an opening date.
Need to Meet? Check Out These Eight A.M. Spots
By Erin Edwards
The Columbus Foodletter is a remote/home office kind of operation, which means we’re always looking for that perfect venue to meet an interviewee or local business owner.
What makes an ideal breakfast meeting spot, anyway?
We look for a place that’s relatively quiet, and one where you have a decent chance of snagging a table. Plus, coffee. Always, coffee. We love the atmospheres at Fox in the Snow and Parable but—no surprise—so do a lot of people. Both can get pretty busy.
Here are some of our other favorite breakfast meeting spots, listed in alphabetical order. Let us know if you have a favorite we missed!
Bada Bean Bada Booze - Quarry Trails
2157 Quarry Trails Drive, Ste. A, West Scioto
Just about any of the four Bada Bean locations will suit your meeting needs: lots of space and relatively chill environs. Thrive Cos., the developer behind this coffee shop-cocktail bar hybrid, has outdone itself with its newest location at Quarry Trails. Its lofted ceilings give you that mountain chalet vibe, while tall windows look out over the metro park and Swan Lake. There’s a long bar with plenty of seating, and a mix of tables and couches. Plus, the patio serves as your very own observation deck where you can watch the canoes float past.
1069 W. Broad St., #715, Franklinton
A Franklinton staple since 2016, this coffee shop/social enterprise on Broad Street added a second location earlier this year inside The View on Grant. Perhaps known best for its Rainy Day coffee drink (featuring a “cloud” of cotton candy), Bottoms Up offers a variety of tea, coffee and espresso drinks as well as a small collection of sandwiches, pastries and empanadas. The Franklinton location has a Bohemian feel and offers four meeting rooms (including one conference room) that you can reserve online at bottomsupcoffee.com/reserve-the-shop.
2571 Neil Ave., Old North
Thanks to a great breakfast menu and a building chock-full of character, the Old North location of Emmett’s is a home run for meeting colleagues or grabbing some quiet time. Housed on the main floor of the former Open Air School, which dates back to 1927, Emmett’s indoor space features large curved windows and handsome blonde wood tables. Guests have access to plenty of patio seating, too, right off the Olentangy Trail. There’s not a weak link on the breakfast menu, which ranges from overnight oats and banana bread to breakfast burritos and egg sandwiches. The Aussie Cap, dusted with cocoa powder, is our go-to espresso drink.
Freedom a la Cart Café + Bakery
123 E. Spring St., Downtown
Open since 2021, this cute Downtown cafe does much more than sling coffee—it plays a key role in Freedom a la Cart’s mission to support survivors of human trafficking. The cafe, decorated in soft mint and terra cotta hues, offers locally roasted coffee as well as all-day breakfast items such as house-baked pastries, a colorful blueberry chia bowl and a tasty rosemary sausage-and-egg sandwich. Cafe purchases benefit the organization’s workforce development program and other services. Don’t forget Freedom a la Cart also offers excellent box lunches and other catering services, too.
624 N. High St., Short North
This Cameron Mitchell restaurant isn’t where you go to hole up for hours on your laptop, but it’s one of the only spots in the Short North where you can hold a buttoned-up business meeting over a full breakfast—and a fine one at that. The Guild House is open 7-11 a.m. during the weekdays for breakfast, then switches to lunch service. We recommend the truffled eggs, smoked chicken hash and pancakes with lemon curd.
77 Belle St., Downtown
With a library-like hotel lobby and ample parking nearby, The Junto has become a popular spot for remote workers and students. (During the summer it gets less crowded.) The lobby combines a hygge vibe with a mix of community tables and more loungey seating, plus there’s an adorable back patio with a fireplace. For coffee and pastries, look to Maudine’s, the bovine-inspired coffee shop attached to the west side of the lobby. On the south side is Little West Tavern, a great option for a lunch or happy hour meeting.
189 E. Main St., Downtown
Located on the street level at the Harlow on Main building, this Yemeni coffee shop is one of many to open in Central Ohio over the last few years—and it’s among the biggest coffee shops in the city. That means ample room to spread out with your team while sipping cups of signature Yemeni coffee or Adeni chai, a milky tea heavily spiced with cardamom. Irresistible pastries include the khaliat alnahl (honeycomb bread), golden basbousa (a syrupy semolina cake) and plenty more. A second Qahwah, which means “coffee” in Arabic, is planned for Hilliard’s TruePoint mixed-use development.
300 E. Long St., Downtown
Happy anniversary to this coffee roaster/social enterprise which just celebrated 10 years in business. Roosevelt’s OG Long Street coffee shop, which boasts tall ceilings and windows that look out onto the sidewalk, remains a popular meeting spot for local entrepreneurs and business leaders. It also sells some of the best locally roasted coffee in town, with funds going to support initiatives fighting hunger, unclean water and human trafficking.
Notes
Around the Columbus Food & Drink Scene
Some breaking news: Nada (220 W. Nationwide Blvd.) is closing for good following tonight’s dinner service. A staffer confirmed the impending closure via phone this afternoon. The Cincinnati-based Mexican restaurant has been an Arena District staple for the past 10 years.
Reservations are now live for Metsi’s, the forthcoming wood-fired Italian restaurant from chef BJ Lieberman. The Short North eatery, which replaces Hiraeth, officially opens June 6 at 36 E. Lincoln St. Grab your reservations here.
Cure Coffee & Cocktails, another venture looking to blur the lines between day and night, will hold its soft opening this Friday and Saturday starting at 4 p.m. both nights. The new spot is located at 154 N. Third St. in Downtown Columbus.
The Light Meeting House, a new coffeehouse coming to 1485 Oak St., will hold its grand opening 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, June 7. The new spot fills the former Addella’s on Oak space in Franklin Park.
love this round-up! i would also add royal flamingo coffee house to the list — great vibes and decor, amazing coffee, and plenty of seating!
Bada Bean Bada Booze has to be the best name of any eating establishment ever. T