The Old Man and the C(offee): Hemingway's Coffee Nook

Part of the Poindexter Village staircase mural at the
Columbus Metropolitan Library, as depicted by renowned
local artist Animah Robinson

Depending on your particular likings, your high school English class was either right in your vocabulary zone or something you dreaded during the school week. It may surprise you to find out that as a regular blogger the past four-plus years, I had a middling attitude toward English class, especially in comparison to things like science- and math-related classes, which I was far more enthusiastic about back then.

This middling attitude could be swung drastically in either direction if we were venturing into novels and literature. I came to dread novels from William Faulkner and F. Scott Fitzgerald, while books from George Orwell and John Steinbeck were guaranteed page-turners for me. Then there was the vast middle of works which were more shrug-inducing than anything, such as the numerous plays of Shakespeare or the stories of Ernest Hemingway.

I admit I don't read too much of that type of literature these days, but at the very least the notion of Hemingway has evolved from the middling to the desirable, at least when it comes to coffee.

It was within sight of The Torrents of Spring when Hemingway's Nook opened up in March of 2015. Coffee in Columbus is something of A Moveable Feast around the metro, and the downtown area, which lies Across The (Scioto) River and Into The Trees from Franklinton, has more than its fair share of great choices for a cup of coffee in the area.  When this Cub Reporter stumbled upon it, I realized it is somewhat hidden away in the 175 On The Park building next to the Columbus Commons area, making this cafe is easier to miss than most.

Offering A Clean, Well-Lighted Place for a cup of joe with a casual, friendly feel, Hemingway Nook's adds enough art, antiques, and other accessories just enough to evoke a Parisian cafe atmosphere (why, what did you expect, the Green Hills of Africa?). Combine, it's just enough to make you (mostly) forget you're inside a fairly cozy space inside a modern office building.

As with any place, the question of what To Have and Have Not always comes up, and the usual coffee creations can be found here (helped along with beans provided by Grandview Heights's Luck Bros. Coffee.) But for me, Hemingway's cold coffee creations are what I lean toward, all great ways to combat The Dangerous Summer heat.

One might think that The Snows of Kilimanjaro would be a natural iced coffee drink name choice, but this cafe does just fine with creations with names like Hadley's High Rise (caramel sauce, espresso, steamed milk and whipped cream) and my favorite in the Ode to Paris (French vanilla, espresso, steamed milk, and topped with whipped cream and cinnamon).

Mix in some seasonal special drinks (current selections include their Kafka, which blends in Mexican Coca-Cola, espresso and vanilla, and their Baklava Latte), with a couple of standard food options like a bagel or muffin, and Hemingway's Coffee Nook offers you a pleasant way to make set yourself True at First Light.

Hemingway's Coffee Nook
175 S 3rd St. (Downtown - Google Maps)
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 745-3712
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