The Goat | Facebook | T: @LCGoat | IG: @LCGoat
219 S. High St. (inside LC RiverSouth) (map it!)
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 779-0800
Open Mon-Wed, 7a-10p; Thurs, 7a-12a; Fri & Sat, 7a-2:30a; Sun, 7a-10p
To be honest, I have kinda written off the locations of The Goat across the city. They seemed to be pretty straightforward and not particularly creative pubs, built as Lifestyle Communities’ in-house restaurant – they have locations across the city, mostly in the suburbs, except for the one downtown in the LC RiverSouth development.
But I have to adjust my opinion after a couple visits to The Goat downtown. I think it’s adapted more to its location, and I’ve found the food to be pretty creative. I visited first to catch up with a friend over coffee and breakfast, then returned more officially to explore it for a Columbus Dispatch review (which you can read here!).
The Goat’s spacious dining room is split into multiple sections, and includes a small lounge at the front corner, bar seating, booths, plus two- and four-tops.
Just inside the main entryway sits a small coffee shop counter, with full espresso service and baked goods.
They even offer a walk-up window on South High Street for to-go service. Pretty smart!
Their breakfast and coffee offerings fall under a menu called Morning Ritual. Coffee includes regular brewed and iced coffee, plus a whole range of espresso drinks, including some house specialties.
My cappuccino was pretty well executed, although a little too milky. Perhaps the ratio was off, or the espresso used wasn’t particularly strong in flavor.
The breakfast menu is what really surprised me. There are some creative and trendy touches that gave me pause, and had me interested in returning.
There’s a selection of muffins with combinations like maple with blueberry and bacon or chocolate and espresso. I sampled the baked apple cinnamon roll, which comes out piping hot. The roll itself is not strong on the cinnamon, but the apple, soft cream cheese, and dusting of cinnamon makes up for it.
On one visit, my friend ordered a breakfast sandwich. It’s simple and easy to love: a buttery soft biscuit (which is so soft it comes apart a little bit), scrambled egg, cheddar, and bacon.
The Goat picks up on the trend of all-things-Nashville-hot-chicken. They use the same biscuit and add thick-sliced pickles, tender fried chicken (which isn’t quite as hot as it could be), and then a LOT of pimento cheese. It’s messy, but pretty well seasoned – again, just not as hot as I’d like.
Big win on the huevos rancheros: it layers a crispy fried tortilla, black bean spread, hash browns, grilled tomato, over easy egg, with chunks of avocado, and drizzles of lime sour cream and chipotle aioli. It’ll come apart when you dig into it. Like I note in my Dispatch review: the portion doesn’t seem huge at first, but it’s only $5, and it’s flavorful enough that you’ll be satisfied.
I think The Goat’s downtown location is an interesting addition to the local dining scene, and their breakfast seems to be sailing under the radar. I like that the space offers plenty of room for bigger groups, the price points are easy-to-like, the coffee quite is worthy, and the dishes creative and thoughtful.
Disclaimer: this post was partly paid for as part of a Columbus Dispatch review. Photos and opinions here are my own.
