If I’m being honest, Simply Honest Cafe is a lovely little spot for breakfast or lunch! The cafe has been flying under the radar near the corners of Livingston and Parsons, close by the ever-expanding grounds of Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
Simply Honest was once upon a time a Scrambler Marie’s. A couple years ago the franchise owner decided to branch out and do his own thing, so he converted the space to the cafe you see today.
They initially began as carryout only, but in recent months they’ve opened up for full counter service. The dining room is big and bright, with lots of comforting greens. It’s great for a big group.
I’ve been curious to check it out, and the folks from Simply Honest invited me to sample some breakfast and lunch dishes. I appreciate that they use a lot of local ingredients on the menu and do much of it from scratch. They get produce from Yellowbird Foodshed, coffee from Roaming Goat, for instance.
I enjoyed a nice, clean cold brew and a freshly squeezed orange juice to start.
I honestly (see what I did there again?) enjoyed all the dishes I tried. They’re all thoughtfully composed, colorful, with good care given to the ingredients. The breakfast bowl, for instance, uses a flavorful crumbled turkey sausage, avocado slices, nicely spiced sweet potatoes, a bit of feta, and two eggs cooked to order. The sweet potatoes, for instance, could have been a complete throwaway, but they give them a nice little zing.
Same for the egg sandwich and side of fruit!
The sandwich layers a fried egg, havarti, greens, a crispy potato cake (I like that detail), and a house sauce on ciabatta. I added the bacon, and appreciated that extra bit of salty crunch to it.
Even the side of avocado toast is simple but nicely done!
The breakfast menu is rounded out with more sandwiches, bowls, bagels, and a parfait. Lunch consists of more bowls, sandwiches, wraps, salads, and soups. One of their signatures is the flatbreads; I sampled the bacon and brussels sprouts. Nice and crispy, and well seasoned!
I enjoyed my sampling at the cafe, and I’ll definitely add it to my list of places to re-visit!
Simply Honest Cafe is open daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Simply Honest Cafe
567 E. Livingston Ave.
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 429-3557
Web: simplyhonestcafe.com
FB: Simply Honest Cafe
IG: @simplyhonestcafe