Sweet Heat: Get on the hot honey train with these local dishes

Hot honey may seem like a strange combination of flavors at first, but trust us (and the millions of other Americans hopping on this delicious new food trend): It’s the real deal. Imparting both sweetness and heat, it seems to work best on dishes that are savory and salty, like pizza and fried chicken—but it isn’t limited to these.

Mike’s Hot Honey is likely the brand you know best, but hot honey can be found throughout Columbus. We’ve curated a list of our favorite local dishes made with hot honey—used as a condiment, an over-the-top drizzle, and more. Your taste buds can thank us later, even if they’re on fire.

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The Eagle, Fried Chicken

The fried chicken served at The Eagle, a unique food hall-style eatery located in the Short North, is fantastic on its own. What really sets this dish over the edge, though, is the side of hot honey it’s served with, allowing diners to experience sweet, salty, savory, and spicy flavors all in one remarkable bite.

Paulie Gee’s, Hellboy

Brand name, baby. This pie from the inimitable Paulie Gee’s doles out a healthy drizzle of Mike’s Hot Honey on top of Italian tomatoes, hot sopressata, fresh mozzarella, and parmigiano reggiano. This one is hot, but not overbearing, with Mike’s honey playing beautifully alongside the sweetness of the tomatoes and saltiness of the cheese and meat.

Kittie’s, Breakfast Sandwich

If you thought combining syrup with your sausage patty was a breakfast hack, wait until you try it with hot honey. It’s an upgrade. This sandwich is nothing complicated, but still manages to package an array of flavors. It features a sausage patty and scrambled eggs served on a biscuit with hot honey (or pimento cheese).

Novella Osteria, Ricotta Crostini

Hot honey on a traditional Italian appetizer? One million times yes. This antipasto from Powell’s Novella Osteria puts hot honey on top of crostini with ricotta and hazelnuts. And honestly, the only real problem we can foresee with opting for this delicious starter is the fact that it might very well outshine your entree.

Kitchen Social, Crispy Chicken Platter

While the name of this dish does sound delicious, it’s honestly an undersell. Included with your fried chicken order is a generous compliment of hand cut fries, house made coleslaw, and Mike’s Hot Honey. This is a unique entree, and it can definitely get messy, but I can promise it’s worth that trip to the sink to clean off your hands.

Fibonacci’s Pizza, The Reaper

Ok, so while the other pizza we featured on this list wasn’t overwhelmingly spicy, this one is. It’s sign-a-waiver kind of spicy. Located inside Studio 35, Fibonacci’s offers the aptly-named Reaper, which features a red sauce made from Carolina Reaper peppers, house cheese, one topping of your choice, and hot honey. 

What’s your favorite thing to have with hot honey? Let us know in the comments.

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