Luck Bros' Coffee House - Grandview Heights

Luck Bros' Coffee House is a hidden gem in Grandview Heights! It's a little off the beaten path, away from Grandview Avenue where several great restaurants and shops reside, Luck Bros' can be found in a little shopping area along 1st Avenue, across from Pierce Field.

Mission Coffee Co. - Short North

Mission Coffee is a small coffee shop in the Short North. Located in a former garage (the windows in the big garage door let in a lot of natural light!), the coffee shop has a cool yet cozy and welcoming atmosphere. Mission opened its doors in 2011 by coffee enthusiasts Jonathan Starr and Jared Williamson.

Ajiri Tea

Trying out my Ajiri hand knit hat - it's warm and comfy!

I discovered Ajiri Tea last summer when stopping at Winans Fine Chocolates & Coffees in German Village for some coffee. I picked up a box of rooibos (ROY-bus), which is a delicious red, caffiene-free tisane (a tisane is an infusion of herbs, it's not tea because it doesn't come from the tea plant, Camellia sinensis). Rooibos is my favorite non-caffeinated beverage and I thought the boxes were beautiful. They are handcrafted in Kenya by women from dried bark and banana leaves. Ajiri, which means 'to employ' in Swahili, is a company in Kenya that provides employment for women and an education for orphaned children through the sale of their tea and coffee. 

Happy February!

An e-Valentine for all of my readers! 

Panera Bread - East Side

Before I went gluten-free, Panera Bread was one of my favorite restaurants. They serve two of my favorite things: bread and coffee! How awesome is a restaurant that gives you bread as a side item when you order a sandwich? Amazingly awesome! I enjoyed every sandwich, soup and coffee drink I had from Panera, and was pretty disappointed that I wouldn't be able to eat there anymore once I discovered my wheat intolerance. 

Bob Evans - Upper Arlington

When I was a kid, Bob Evans was one of my favorite restaurants (my sister and I had a hard time with the name though and usually called it "Bev Obbins").  Breakfast foods like scrambled eggs, omelets, biscuits, pancakes, waffles and bacon are some of my favorite foods and they're all delicious at Bob's!  We used to eat there a lot growing up, and since Bob's serves breakfast foods all day, I'm positive that I have never had anything off of their lunch or dinner menu (breakfast food for dinner is my second favorite meal, after pizza, of course!).

Stauf's Coffee Roasters - Grandview Heights

Stauf's Coffee Roasters is a micro coffee roaster in Grandview Heights.  Stauf's roasts coffee for Cup O' Joe, MoJoe Lounge and their own coffee shop located on Grandview Avenue.  I love that you can see Stauf's roaster in the coffee shop (pictured below, top middle photograph)!

Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice

I enjoyed my first pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks today - served with a commemorative PSL coffee sleeve to celebrate 10 years since the popular drink was introduced.  It doesn't matter that the temperature today hit 85°F it's starting to feel like Fall to me!

Cup O' Joe - Grandview Heights

Cup O' Joe is a local Columbus coffee shop with tons of locations!  They serve coffee, espresso drinks, smoothies, sandwiches and sweets like muffins, cheesecake and brownies.  Check out their menu here!  There is plenty of indoor and outdoor seating and in the case of the Grandview Heights location, the seating area is often full of OSU students studying and working on their laptops.

Northstar Cafe - Clintonville

Northstar Café is one of my favorite Columbus restaurants!  It's a great local restaurant that focuses on organic and local produce.  It's also a wonderful place for me to eat at with my family as there are options for our variety of dietary restrictions (there are fantastic gluten-free, vegetarian and even vegan options) and while the restaurant is very popular, the wait has never been too long for us.  If you do happen upon the café during a busy period, or are dining alone, they have a nice selection of magazines to browse while you wait for your meal!

North Market - Arena District

The North Market, located in the Arena District, is a fantastic local food venue!  Kenneth and I usually stop at the market for something specific, but we almost always end up walking through all of the market stalls, checking out what's new.  Some of our favorite vendors include The Greener Grocer (we've subscribed to their weekly market bag twice now, always great produce and locally produced cheese and other food!), Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, Flavors of India (they were the vendors we bought our lunch from at Asian Fest in May), Bubbles Tea & Juice Company (I get an intense craving for bubble tea every summer and this is where I go to satisfy it!), CaJohns Fiery Foods and North Market Spices.

Boxcar & Coffee - Depot Coffee House

I stopped at The Depot Coffeehouse in Urbana on my way home from Piqua today.  An old box car sits near the parking lot.  A sign details its many uses and restorations after being  built in 1913.  It was most recently restored in 2007 by the Champaign County Preservation Alliance.  

Winans Fine Chocolates & Coffees - German Village

I love Winans Fine Chocolates and Coffees!  It's my favorite coffee shop!  Winans is based where it started in my hometown of Piqua, Ohio, where Winans coffee is still roasted and the chocolates are made in the candy kitchen!  There are two Winans coffee shops in Columbus, one in German Village (where these photos were taken) and another in Dublin.