Drunk Brunch: Explorers Club

This weekend for Drunk Brunch my husband and I headed south to Merion Village to drink and dine at Explorers Club.

We walked into what appeared to be a house converted into a charming little bar and restaurant, and were greeted by an exceptionally friendly host, who led us past the buzzing brunch crowd to a small table in the back.

After perusing the drink menu, our server shared with us the Saturday morning drinks specials were $4 peach Bellinis, mimosas or Bloody Marys, and I was happy for a chance to save a few bucks so I got a Bellini, which was packed with peach and surprisingly served in a full pint glass. My husband ordered the Bubbly Mary (a Bloody Mary with champagne), of which I was pretty skeptical. I’m not big on Bloody Marys, but actually didn’t mind the Bubbly Mary, and found the flavor and space was nicely muted by the champagne.

Other bubbly drinks to try are the champagne margarita or the strawberry delight (vodka, champagne, strawberry puree). Explorers Club also has a full menu of non-bubbly margaritas to choose from.

Explorers Club has a full and diverse brunch menu, ranging from simple combos of breakfast meat, griddle items and eggs, to complex dishes like chorizo sausage and gravy with jalapeno corn muffins, and BBQ pulled pork pancakes with Jack Daniels syrup. It was difficult for both of us to choose just one dish to order.

I decided on the grilled mac and cheese sandwich, served on country white bread with an amazing bacon-tomato jam. You can add sliced bacon or a fried egg for an extra $2, but don’t, because you won’t be able to finish this massive filling sandwich as is. Perfect cold weather comfort food.

My husband had one of the daily rotating specials, which was a barbacoa lamb taco with fried egg, which packed a good amount of wanted heat, helped by the homemade hot sauce served on the side which he piled on. The potatoes served with both of our dishes were perfectly prepared with a nice crispiness on the outside.

Brunch at Explorers Club is served Saturdays from 9am-2pm and Sundays from 9am-3pm. Explorers Club is located at 1586 S. High Street.

Read about other drunk brunch spots in Columbus.