I’ve been writing drunk brunch reviews on Drink Up Columbus since 2012, during which time I have dined at more than 60 different brunch spots in Central Ohio, so I often get asked what the best brunch dish in Columbus is. For a while, my answer was easy: the chicken and waffles at Sage, but unfortunately Sage closed in 2013, a few months after owner and chef Bill Glover left to run the kitchen at the new Gallerie Bistro & Bar at the Hilton. I interviewed Chef Glover for an article about happy hour at Gallerie back in 2014 and used the opportunity to BEG him to bring those chicken and waffles to Gallerie. He said he had considered it, though since the Hilton restaurant is required to offer a breakfast menu similar to that available at the chain’s other hotels (Gallerie is still one of — if not the only — in-Hilton restaurant allowing its kitchen creative freedom) it wasn’t necessarily an option.
All of this backstory is so you understand why I actually squeeled out loud when I saw that my friend and fellow blogger Nick Dekker wrote a post about breakfast at Gallerie and in it was unmistakably my beloved chicken and waffles. I took the first possible opportunity to shove them in my facehole.
Gallerie offers a hearty breakfast buffet, including eggs-your-way, for $19, in addition to eight brunch dishes, but come on, I only had eyes for one thing on this visit. Why do I love Glover’s chicken and waffles so much? Because the juicy chicken breasts with crunch buttermilk coating. Because the fluffy waffle seasoned with sage. Because the mildly spicy hot sauce aioli. Because everything.
Mimosas and bloody marys are offered along with a selection of specialty cocktails including the Pamplemousse (OYO Honey Vanilla Vodka, grapefruit, simple syrup, basil leaves) and The Carribé (Appleton Rum, Myers Dark Rum, pineapple juice, coconut, orange juice). I was so excited about the chicken and waffles that I actually forgot (?!?) to order a drink. YEAH.
Breakfast at Gallerie Bar & Bistro (they don’t actually have a dedicated “weekend brunch,” rather the chicken waffle — and, you know, other stuff — is part of their daily breakfast menu) is served Monday-Friday from 6:30-11am; and Saturday-Sunday from 7am-12pm. Gallerie located inside the Hilton downtown at 694 N High Street.
