I was a guest on All Sides Weekend on WOSU this past Friday, and one of the topics of discussion related to where to go for Easter brunch. Having never been out for Easter brunch in Columbus, I did as much research as I could, searching online, visiting and calling restaurants.
The number one thing I learned was that you should book ahead, by which I mean, book now. Easter Sunday is April 24th this year, but most of the popular Easter brunches fill up a week or two in advance. I would recommend calling to make a reservation (rather than booking online) to make sure you confirm the details of the brunch or dinner offering.
Columbus has a number of special occasion buffet brunch options and these include places such as Cameron’s, Polaris Grill, Worthington Inn and Anna’s Greek restaurant on Sawmill. Lindey’s offer a la carte brunch downstairs, as well as a brunch buffet upstairs and at 3pm they start serving dinner, The Refectory offers an Easter dinner (from 11:45am-6pm) with three courses for $38. The menu includes several of their signature dishes and they also offer a children’s menu. Spagio will be offering an Easter brunch from 10:30am-3pm and will also be open for dinner.
Other brunch options (for any Sunday not just Easter) include the Latino themed Barrio, Italian Due Amici downtown and Sage in Old North Columbus. Third & Hollywood have just started opening for lunch Friday-Sunday (11:30am-) the croque madame sandwich with ham, cheese and a fried egg would make a great brunch. Sadly Rigsby’s has just discontinued their brunch service, but will probably be offering a special Easter brunch menu based upon my last discussions with them. If I hear more, I’ll update here.
One of the brunches that looked interesting was Latitude 41‘s family style brunch featuring some great local ingredients such as Bluescreek cottage ham, Snowville Cream & Taste of Belgium waffles. Since I can’t find the menu online anywhere, I’ll post it below. The menu is $35 per person or $25 for children 5-12.
First Course
Choice of:
Ohio Nicoise Salad with local duck egg, warm fava beans, bacon, frisee, asparagus, chicken jus
Or
Maine Lobster Bisque with lobster salad, tarragon oil, cognac cream
Main Course (Family Style)
Stuffed Saddle of Lamb wit tomato confit, swiss chard, pine nuts, wild mushrooms, mascarpone
Bluescreek Cottage Ham with honey bourbon glaze, apple pecan chutney
Chicken Grand-mere with bacon lardons, Russian banana potatoes, celery root
Clams BLT with grilled romaine, smoked bacon pomodoro sauce, olio verde
Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict with soft poached egg, dill hollandaise, asparagus salad
Herb Roasted Fingerlings, Chickpea Panisse, Horseradish Potato Gratin, Roasted Spring Root Vegetables, Eggplant Capanotina
Dessert
Taste of Belgium Waffle with mascarpone, ricotta, orange zest, local honey
or
Strawberry Cobbler with walnut brittle, snowville cream
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Franklin Park’s brunch menu is one of the pricier at $50 for members and $55 for non-members but the menu does look good and it’s a beautiful setting if you are entertaining out of town guests.
There are also some out of town options if you want to combine your Easter Brunch with, say, a hike in Hocking Hills. The Inn at Cedar Falls has a $21 Easter Brunch from 11:30am-1:30pm (menu) and Shaw’s Inn in Lancaster has an a la carte Easter dinner from 11:30 to 5:30pm
There are plenty of more casual options such as Tip Top, Surly Girl Saloon, Cafe Corner, Starliner Diner , Northstar, Tasi and Skillet where you can’t make reservations and may have to wait in line. We recently posted about the new breakfast offerings at Pistacia Vera. The newly renovated Jury Room (now part of the Betty’s Family of Restaurants) is also now serving brunch and has some great brunch cocktails if you need a drink to help you through the festivities. Menu here.
And, finally, if you are looking for something a little out of the ordinary, dim sum at Sunflower or Lee Garden always makes for a great brunch (but be prepared to get there early).
