Dough Mama Cafe & Bakery (Facebook / IG: @dough_mama)
3335 N. High St. (map it!)
Columbus, OH 43202
(614) 268-3662
Open Wed-Fri, 8a-5p; Sat & Sun, 9a-3p
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten free? Y/N/N
Kid-friendly? Y
Visited: Sunday, November 22, 2015 at 12:30 p.m.
Dough Mama is another one of those burgeoning success stories – particularly in the realm of bakeries – where someone – in this case Perrie Wilkof – who is professionally trained, starts baking pies from home, then moves to bigger facilities, and eventually opens their own storefront. I think of Sassafras or Laughlin’s as other prime examples.
And so here we are! Dough Mama – which I first experienced in pie form at spots like Katalina’s – has now grown to a bakery and cafe in the heart of Clintonville. I for one am selfishly happy for it, as both a Clintonville resident and an all-around breakfast- and baked goods-eating person.
Dough Mama’s pies are top notch, and it’s fun to see what she’s doing with a cafe now, too. Although the pie and cookie selection is always plentiful, the cafe menu so far is small and straightforward: oatmeal, sandwiches, pot pie, a salad, plus other rotating features.
The cafe and bakery are in a dual storefront. One side is the ordering counter, the other side is seating. The place isn’t large; our visit during a busy Sunday brunch meant a little waiting for a table to open up. I’m hoping it smooths out, and Columbus diners seem to have figured out the whole counter service/take a number/find a table bit. Regardless, Dough Mama’s space is lit with big windows, and it’s cozy and welcoming.
For starters, they serve Thunderkiss Coffee, and you can’t go wrong with Jason’s roasts. He excels at supplying these little cafes and bakeries around the city, like Katalina’s, Bexley Coffee Shop, South of Lane, etc.
But then there’s this thing called maple milk. It’s, not surprisingly, maple syrup whipped into a glass a milk, and I’d like to dunk cookies in that from now on, thank you.
Our brunch included a couple sides, like a soft and crispy-edged biscuit accompanied by honey butter and jam.
Then we delved into both breakfast and lunch sandwiches. All three were a little small on the portion side, and needing a touch more seasoning, but they are beautiful plated. First, the salmon avocado toast and side salad. There’s a nice little ball of the salmon, although it needed more zest from the capers. Nice dressing on the salad.
The ham biscuit. Again, it felt a little small, but it did pack a nice punch of flavor, using a cheddar scallion biscuit as a base while adding pickled onions to the egg, ham, and greens.
Finally, the Grammie’s Sammie, built on greens, pickled onions, cheddar, and thin slices of turkey bacon meatloaf.
We rounded out the meal with a cookie and a slice of pie, both complemented by the maple milk.
Aerial view of brunch. All told, a very nice meal, even if the portions left us wanting a little more. Interesting flavors, good options for both sweet and savory, and again beautifully presented.
And, of course, you should always save room for pie. In addition to breakfast and lunch, I can see Dough Mama becoming a neighborhood favorite for cookies, coffee, and a slice of pie. Keep up with the bakery on social media to watch the seasonal rotation of flavors. Looks like there’s enough interesting stuff going on to keep you coming back.
