Don Bosco Cafe (Facebook / @bosco_cafe / instagram: @bosco_cafe)
80 S. Sixth St. (map it!)
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 470-4366
Open Mon-Fri, 11a-2p (brunch Sun 11a-2p)
Accepts cash & credit/debit
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten free? Y/N/N
Kid-friendly? Y
Thanks to Bryant from Yelp Columbus, we recently made a wonderful discovery: the Don Bosco Cafe. The cafe is actually one small part of the five-story, 100-year-old Bosco Center at State and Sixth Streets downtown.
Owners Beth and Randy Emrich have been working on the building, which began its life as the Silesian Center. They’re in the process of revitalizing it into the community center it once was.
The Don Bosco Cafe is easily found through the entrance off Sixth St. There’s a small ordering counter and then a couple big, bright dining rooms.
The current menu features breakfast, tacos and wraps, and pizzas, soups, and sides. During the winter, they don’t serve breakfast during the week, but they’re open lunch hours 11-2. Breakfast hours should return in the spring.
On the day of our visit, they were sharing the breakfast menu with us. This includes mainly customizable breakfast bowls, tacos, and wraps, although there are currently omelets, bagels, oatmeal, and other items as well. (To the right you’ll notice Beth and Randy’s son Alex of the Street Thyme food truck. The Center serves as his home base.)
I opted for a very generous breakfast wrap/burrito with eggs, cheese, beans, chorizo, all the good stuff. It came with a side of potatoes, which were very well cooked and seasoned. Home fried potatoes are often treated as throw-aways, but these were on point.
Not pictured: a very good Bloody Mary.
For our boys we ordered little breakfast tacos.
During our visit to the cafe, they took us on a tour of the entire building. The Bosco Center features plenty of old school details like old tile floors.
The center is also home to a ballroom.
And a full gymnasium + a pool (which isn’t in operation at the moment).
There are renovated rooms for people staying at the Center. It’s right across the street from Grant Hospital, and our guide mentioned the rooms being used for families of patients at the hospital.
And then… the piece de resistance! There’s a bowling alley that dates back a couple decades. Secretly, I love bowling (even though I’m not that great at it). The Bosco Center has now started offering Brunch & Bowl on Sundays from 11a-2p. It’s an amazing deal: $20 for a breakfast item, a drink (Bloody Mary, mimosa, beer), and bowling. There, I’ve just planned every Sunday for the rest of the year for you.
You can follow Bosco Center activities on their Facebook page, too. There are meal specials, dance nights, and other activities throughout the week.
