New German Village brunch spot opens in former Skillet space
When Becker Nezbella went out West, he noticed that you could grab a quick (and delicious) breakfast burrito paired with an iced latte almost everywhere.
“We just don’t really have that here in Columbus though,” he mentioned.
“And I thought, ‘Why not?’”
For three years, he sat on the idea that he could open a coffee shop & brunch-centric cafe, but he couldn’t find the perfect spot. Until that is, he was out on a walk with his dog, and saw that Skillet was closing.
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Before the owners had even announced that the space was available for lease, Nezbella tracked down their contact information and reached out about renting it out, in hopes he could take it over with his own cafe.
Now, The BeckFast Place, located in the 1800s-era building at 410 E. Whittier St., is up and running.
The concept is a little different from the sit-down breakfast restaurant Nezbella’s family ran in Edinboro, Pennsylvania, for 12 years before selling it to their employees and moving to Columbus.
The BeckFast Place is designed more as a grab-and-go spot. If you’ve been in Skillet in the 17 years they were open, you’ll know that space is limited. There are about 18 seats inside, plus outdoor tables, but this isn’t a full-service restaurant where you’ll wait to be greeted and seated.
Their menu will include bagel sandwiches, breakfast burritos, salads, wraps and Nezbella’s own take on a breakfast-centric Philly cheesesteak: shaved steak, egg and cheese, all wrapped up burrito-style.
And of course, the Borks.
The donut-beignet hybrids are named after Nezbella’s dog, Barkley, who recently passed away. They’re currently available in cinnamon sugar and maple bacon.
For coffee, The BeckFast Place uses fair-trade coffee company Hemisphere Coffee Roasters out of Mechanicsburg, serving everything from traditional coffee and cappuccinos to Americanos and nitro cold brew.
There’s also the Fridge Cig, made with espresso, Coke and cold foam. Basically, it’s like a vanilla Coke with an extra dose of caffeine.
And if you want your morning coffee to taste like breakfast, there’s the Blueberry Pancake Latte.
For now, Nezbella is focused on getting The BeckFast Place into the rhythm of German Village.
“My goal is for people to go out on a walk and grab a coffee and a quick breakfast, maybe enjoy it in Schiller Park,” he said. “We want to be part of people’s daily routines in The Village.”
While breakfast options aren’t available quite yet (stay tuned on their Instagram for that announcement), Borks and Frig Cigs are ready to go. The BeckFast Place is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday through Monday, with Tuesdays off.
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