This past Wednesday, all Liberty students besides Juniors taking the ACT had school off. To take advantage of this, we visited Emmett’s Cafe at Open Air for breakfast. We went with our friend, Avery Cook and were excited to try the great food we’d seen on their social media. 

The drive was around 25 minutes but we would all say it was well worth it. This location is in a nice older area of Columbus so its surroundings were very vintage. When we first arrived there were a solid amount of people both inside and leaving, many just wearing average day clothing, making us assume they were regulars of the neighborhood cafe, as it’s called on the website. We had no idea what the interior would look like, it was a vast minimalistic open layout with a wall of greenery, accents of brick and window, and a lot of seating area. We later discovered there was more room to sit in the back, which instead of the clean, white slate of the front room had a dark, brick and wood interior. The ordering process was similar to Northstar Cafe, set up where you pick up a paper menu while entering the line, order and pay at a front counter, and then wait as your food is brought to you. The front counter was surprisingly open, allowing you to see most of the employees as they worked on drinks. We hadn’t planned what we were getting before coming so looking at the menu took some time. It took Hannah the longest out of the three to decide between the breakfast burrito, the “one handed” breakfast sandwich, and their special for the week, the “midwest” breakfast sandwich. One downside was that they didn’t accept cash as a form of payment, only cards. We all placed our orders and chose a free elevated table to sit at, from which the entire room was visible. 

Hannah got the midwest breakfast sandwich and February special strawberry matcha, Vivian got the overnight oats and an oat milk latte, and Avery got the “Old North Breakfast” and their fresh squeezed orange juice. On the midwest breakfast sandwich was two toasted brioche buns, cheese, a fried egg, bacon, tater tots, and chipotle aioli subbed in for the original ranch. The overnight oats were oatmeal and chia seed based topped with walnuts, bananas, blueberries, Ohio maple syrup and cinnamon. With the Old North Breakfast came 2 eggs, roasted potatoes, toast, an arugula salad, and avocado since Avery is vegetarian and didn’t want the prosciutto. All the food was served on ceramic plates and the drinks were either served in glasses or ceramic mugs. The drinks came first but it did not take long for them to arrive with our food, which looked absolutely great. The strawberry matcha was dusted with decorative dried rose petals and matcha powder and the oat milk latte had a leaf design. Both drinks were the perfect balance between foamy and smooth and the flavor of the oat milk latte was reminiscent of Fox in the Snow Cafe. This was the first time any of us had tried strawberry flavored matcha and it did not disappoint. The drink was not overly sweet and the strawberry syrup paired perfectly to elevate the matcha. The latte came to 6 dollars and the matcha came to 6 dollars, both reasonably priced, especially to other cafes we’ve visited.

Hannah’s midwest breakfast sandwich was a unique combination of great components. The brioche bun was soft, making the big sandwich easy to bite into. The tater tots, an Emmett’s signature, were perfectly crispy. The bacon wasn’t skimped on and covered an entire layer of the sandwich. It was thick and crispy and was a little sweet, making us think it was caramelized in some way. The egg was perfectly cooked and the chipotle aioli was refreshingly spicy instead of mild. The American cheese used for the sandwich was a little intimidating but it didn’t end up overpowering it at all and surprisingly paired well with the other parts of the sandwich. The sandwich totaled to $12 which may seem steep but it was filling enough where it couldn’t be finished and contained a lot of different, quality ingredients. 

Vivian’s overnight oats were both delicious and surprisingly filling. Though oats can often have a strange texture, these oats did not disappoint her in that way. The chia seeds were perfectly mixed in, not able to notice any sort of texture from there, and the base was a perfect light sweetness. As for the toppings, the Ohio maple syrup stole the show. This was arguably her favorite part of it, adding a delicious natural sweetness to the oats. The only critique would be the walnuts, as they were overly salty and overpowering the rest of the bowl. Though, the bananas and blueberries were perfectly ripe and fresh. As for the oat milk latte, she was pleasantly surprised. She is quite particular about these lattes, but Emmett’s really knows how to craft a good latte. The oatmilk had a necessary sweetness that allowed the latte to be drank unsweetened, and the latte art was very visually appealing. There was no bitterness to the latte and it was an overall solid drink. While the oats seemed to be a little pricey at $11, all of the ingredients were clearly fresh and warranted the amount. The $6 latte seemed expensive as well, but that has seemed to be the new standard at cafes, so it was nothing unexpected. 

Avery’s breakfast had a variety of food, all healthy yet filling. The substitution of avocado was greatly appreciated and she spread it on her toast while eating the eggs, which she got fried over easy. There was a green vinaigrette on her arugula salad, overall simple but tasty when paired with the other things on her plate. The potatoes were well seasoned and crispy and they gave her a generous amount, which we appreciated while tasting each other’s orders. The eggs had a good amount of salt and pepper but were a bit too runny, she mentioned that the next time she visits she’ll order them cooked in a different style. The orange juice was refreshing and natural but the glass was small and barely lasted into the meal, leaving Avery with only water because they did not do refills. The juice cost $4 which makes sense because it is hand squeezed and all natural but the glass was so small that it did not seem worth that price, which is only 75 cents less than a normal latte. The plate itself was $16, Avery was fine with this because she expects small cafes to be a bit more expensive and it felt worth it for the quantity and quality of the food she received.

Overall this was a great visit for all three of us and we will most definitely be returning. The ambience was calm and clean which paired perfectly with the food, we each spent what we normally do at a sit down breakfast place and the menu has so much variety that we each have an idea of what we will order the next time we go. Emmett’s Cafe is Patriot Press approved!