The brunch buffet at Matt the Miller’s Tavern has been calling my name for quite some time now. It’s one of those places that I’d had on my “must try” list, but for one reason or another, I just hadn’t gotten there yet. And I’m not really sure why not. With restaurants in three different areas of town – Grandview, Dublin, and Polaris – there really is no excuse. But when I recently spoke to our friends at MtM about collaborating with the blog for our bi-monthly gift card giveaway (stay tuned for details!!), I figured this was the perfect opportunity for me to get my brunch-lovin’ self over to check them out. So with Mrs. Grub Guy and the boy in tow, we visited their Grandview location recently to partake in the mega-brunch buffet madness.
Matt the Miller’s offers an upscale, casual atmosphere with a kitchen that serves a delightful menu of tavern-style favorites. The interior of the Grandview space was comfortably designed to feature such modern trends as partially exposed brick walls, chalk-board-like signage, and comfortable seating.
In addition to their delicious food, MtM offers a fully stocked bar, making it a popular destination for happy hour.
They’re also passionate about beer, offering a constantly rotating inventory of craft, draft, and local beers. When we visited, several selections from local craft brewers like Seventh Son Brewing, Four String Brewing, and Columbus Brewing Company were on tap.
Although I don’t usually pass up the chance to throw back a local brew, I just wasn’t feeling it this morning. Breakfast grub was what I was looking for, and thankfully I didn’t have to look far. The brunch buffet is a killer spread of breakfast favorites, as well as other options like baked ham, really good scalloped potatoes, fresh salads, and more. In addition, for a few bucks extra, they offer a Bloody Mary bar and a coffee bar featuring local roaster, Crimson Cup Coffee.
The brunch buffet action takes place on the bar side of the restaurant, with a line of catering tureens on one side opposite additional platters displayed along the bar. It’s an up one side, down the other kind of thing, and it seemed to keep the constant long lines (I waited for the crowd to clear to snap this pic) of hungry brunch-goers flowing.
The Ultimate Bloody Mary Bar ($7.00) was kept fully stocked and was definitely a popular destination for thirsty fans of this brunch-time mainstay.
I didn’t waste any time checking out the Brunch Buffet ($16.95) after we were seated. My first plate consisted of a big pile of nicely cooked hash browns, scrambled eggs, a couple of strips of bacon, eggs benedict, a couple small squares of a margarita flatbread, and some fruit (gotta stay healthy lol).
Grub Boy was intrigued by the waffle bar and the build-your-own-omelette station. The guy working this area did a great job, and he was probably the busiest dude in the whole place. He smiled, nodded, and seemed to cook every order perfectly. Since there were so many other options that didn’t require waiting for food to cook, none of us went with an omelette, but I definitely will next time. The waffle bar offered toppings such as fresh whipped cream, berry compote, a really yummy cinnamon-sugar butter, chocolate chips, pure Ohio maple syrup and more.
The boy’s plate was filled with a waffle, some delicious pasta Primavera (topped with a pesto sauce), and a rustic turkey hash, made with yellow squash, zucchini, red onion, peppers, red potatoes, and diced turkey breast.
One of the highlights of the buffet to me was the addition of some really amazing flatbreads. While we were there, they put out probably 4-5 different ones, and each of them looked incredible. I tried a couple of them, and my favorite was the one that featured slices of tender steak with an earthy, balsamic drizzle on top. My wife liked the goat cheese & tomato. She said she could have eaten that all day.
Here’s another plate of some of the aforementioned buffet items. Included though, are a couple of house-made donuts that we really enjoyed. They were not your typical donut holes, but were a bit more dense and chewier, which I liked. They were rolled in cinnamon-sugar and were served with the option of chocolate drizzle. Really yummy.
One feature I thought was especially nice was the kids brunch buffet table. Included in the regular kids price (kids under 2 yrs old eat free/3-4 $5.95/5-10 $7.95), it’s a nice option for those little picky eaters who don’t want anything but typical kids stuff. Mac & Cheese, Chicken fingers, and tater tots were kept toasty in the warmer, while cups of applesauce and even Oreos for dessert were the kiddies other offerings. They also offered kid-friendly silverware for little hands.
This round, I pulled a few sliced chicken fingers from the kids table, piled them on top of my waffles, and coated them with maple syrup. I also grabbed a couple of those donuts, and added the drizzle. Plus some more eggs and some of that slap-yo-mama-it-was-so-good steak flatbread I mentioned earlier.
Another component that we really enjoyed was the Crimson Cup Coffee Bar ($2.95). There were four choices – Armando’s Blend, Sticky Toffee Caramel Creme, Celtic Grogg, and Armando’s Decaf. I loved the concept, but would have enjoyed seeing some fancy extras like maybe some flavored creamers or something. I don’t always use them, but when I do, I love me some fancy little creme cups.
Being that it’s St. Patty’s Day weekend, we both drank the Celtic Grogg with a splash of half & half. It was really, really good, and completed the meal perfectly.
And then, as if we actually had more room in our bellies, we decided to finish with a couple of desserts. The wife and boy chose the chocolate mousse, and I had cake. Yeah, they were both just a tasty as they look.
Matt the Miller’s brunch buffet definitely has my seal of approval. Everything we ate was extremely flavorful. Our boy even made sure he told our waitress how much he loved the food, and that he liked it even better than Chinese food (which is a HUGE compliment coming from him – Chinese is his favorite!!) The staff at MtM was great too. Our server was hopping and never let our drinks get too low or our table get too stacked with dishes. The buffet runners kept a fresh, hot round of food on the buffet at all times, which was really impressive given the number of people going through the lines, and the size of some of their plates. Great job, ladies and gents.
Seriously you guys, if you’re a fan of buffets, go here. My only complaint is that they only do it once a week. When you visit, be prepared to wait. We arrived at around 11:30, and waited for about 45 minutes which wasn’t so bad, because they let you sip your Bloody Mary and coffee while you’re waiting, plus they treated us to some pre-buffet flatbreads. People LOVE this place, and for good reason. So do yourself a favor…wait. It’s worth it.
Matt the Miller’s Tavern (Grandview) is located at 1400 Grandview Ave, Columbus, OH 43212 (MAP). They’re open Monday – Tuesday, 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM, Wednesday – Saturday, 11:00 AM – 1:00 AM, and Sunday 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM, with brunch from 10-2. For more info, follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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