Katalina’s, Too | Facebook | T: @katalinascafe | IG: @katalinascafe
3481 N. High St. (map it!)
Columbus, OH 43214
(614) 689-8896
Open daily 8a-3p
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten free? Y/Y/Y
We’ve long been fans of Katalina’s, making many, many visits to the Harrison West cafe over the years (and remembering when it was Cafe Corner and Katalina’s Cafe Corner). So it’s surprising it took us this long to get to the new Clintonville restaurant! But finally we’ve made things right.
Katalina’s, Too, as the Clintonville outpost is called, expands on the quirky Katalina’s charm, the favorite menu items, the “Peace, Love, and Pancake Balls” branding. If you know and love Katalina’s cozy little Harrison West cafe, with its patio and its Thunderkiss Coffee and its writing all over the walls, it’s safe to say you’ll love the new cafe, too.
The benefit is more space at the Clintonville store. The dining room and the lovely outdoor patio is larger than the Harrison West Cafe.
The menu has gotten a few touch-ups, too. Yes, you’ll still find the pancake balls and pork & egg sandwich and the breakfast tacos. But a few new tastes have been added to the lineup.
One of the returning dishes, the huevos rancheros, tops Shagbark Mill chips with black bean puree, ranchero sauce, Snowville crema, avocado, tomatillo sauce, and sunny-side up eggs. Served in a cardboard container, the dish gets a little soupy, but the flavor is all there.
One new addition is the Everything But the Chicken Sink Sammy. My favorite breakfast dish at Katalina’s is the Breakfast Chick ‘Which, only available only at the Harrison West Cafe. So I like what they’ve done with fried chicken in the past.
This version echoes a Monte Cristo, but featuring a fried chicken breast instead of ham. It’s dredged in crushed Shagbark chips and a Nashville hot chicken spice from North Market Spices. Generally, a good sandwich, but I wanted the chicken to be saltier and spicier!
Our favorite of the new additions was the Chile Relleno Casserole A-Go-Go. It’s a poblano pepper stuffed with pimento cheese and topped with cornbread, ranchero sauce, Snowville crema, and cilantro. It’s served in a little tin baking dish, and comes with a little side salad.
Of course, you can’t miss an order of the pancake balls with sweet and spicy bacon. We chose the Nutella filling, although you can try dulce de leche and apple butter, too. It’s served with a side of Milligan’s Maple Syrup. Milligan’s makes great syrup, but the bourbon-barrel version Katalina’s uses overwhelms the palate a little bit.
You can’t go wrong with hot or iced Thunderkiss Coffee, and the new Katalina’s lets you purchase bottles of hot sauce or maple syrup, T-shirts, and other swag.
And it’s really hard to beat the big patio, set along the front of the building facing High Street, but raised up above street level. It’s sure to be a hopping place in nicer weather, and would make a great stop paired with a visit to the Clintonville Farmers Market.
