One of our favorite discoveries from last year – Cookie Cravings Bakery – celebrated a re-brand and a revamp this past weekend. Newly christened Cravings Carryout Cafe, the cafe has new signage, branding, and a new menu. They dropped the “Cookie” from their name because they do so much more. The cookies are still there, but the focus is now on sandwiches, wraps, and other sides, all highlighting the neighborhood carry out element.
Owners Matt, Lindsey, and Joan Tewanger have made some small changes to the space. You’ll see new equipment, shelves, and menu boards.
This includes a new retail shelve with T-shirts, granola, plus growlers and bags of Thunderkiss Coffee.
The boards showcase the new menu, replete with rolls, burritos, sandwiches, and sides.
There’s iced and hot coffee, plus juice and tea. I completely forgot to photograph the third board that highlights specials.
We stopped in about half an hour after opening on Saturday, and already they were busy. Matt was working his magic in the back.
Cravings added some more seating in the side yard, with has great promise for spring, summer, and autumn breakfasts, especially when there’s a welcoming fire in the fire pit.
We knew we were going to visit over the weekend, but the promise of bronuts pretty much guaranteed we’d come searching. What’s a bronut? It’s a brioche donut. Cravings makes killer brioche, and they’ve mixed the dough with lemon and rosemary, fried it, and iced it. The donuts were perfectly soft, fluffy, and warm. Ours disappeared in a matter of seconds.
And then it was on to the sandwiches. Oh, the sandwiches. They were beautiful and delicious, stacked high on golden brioche rolls.
We started first with the Breakfast Roll, featuring cheddar, bacon, a fried egg, and a rosemary aioli. We barely managed to sneak some bites while our boys devoured it. Our five-year-old (who is not picky, but knows his stuff) said it was one of his favorite sandwiches.
We also snagged a plate of the sausage biscuits and gravy, made using Bluescreek Farms sausage. It was thick and chunky, served with a soft biscuit, and just what you would ask for in biscuits and gravy.
Our favorite of meal was the BLT. Like the breakfast roll, it was served on a beautiful brioche roll.
The sandwich was stacked high with thick-cut bacon, greens, a basil mayo, and these stunning tomatoes. We did not expect to find tomatoes like this in March. Usually you get those sad, tasteless, translucent ones in the winter, but these were dark and red. Matt roasted them to perfection.
With the firepit going in the side yard, they set out a cute little smores kit.
So after brunch we enjoyed some smores roasted over the fire.
All in all, it’s an exciting new stage for the restaurant! Congrats to Matt, Lindsey, Joan, and the crew!
If you want to visit & connect:
Cravings Carryout Cafe
227 E. Third Ave. (off Fourth St. in Italian Village)
Columbus, OH 43201
(614) 725-0090
Find them on Facebook and @CravingsCafe614
New hours are Tues-Fri, 11a-7p; Sat & Sun, 9a-3p
[…] expanded menu at Cravings Carryout Café (formally Cookie Cravings) in Italian Village. There’s a great write-up of it on the Breakfast with Nick […]