UPDATE January 2022: Luck Bros has closed the coffee shop but will continue roasting. Read about Boston Stoker’s location in the space.
Luck Bros Coffee House | Facebook | T: @luckbros | IG: @luckbros
1101 W. 1st Ave. (map it!)
Grandview, OH 43212
(614) 299-9330
Open Mon-Fri, 7a-7p; Sat & Sun, 8a-7p
Accepts cash & credit/debit
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten free? Y/N/N
Kid-friendly? Y
Date of Visit: Friday, February 4, 2011 at 9:00 a.m. [Updated 4/17/20]
IMPRESSIONS: Those of us living in Columbus recognize that our city’s culinary scene is and deserves to be well known for a lot of good reasons. Our ice cream is famous. We have multiple James Beard Award nominees. Even some of our sandwiches are infamous. But other areas deserve more attention, and I submit for your consideration: our coffee scene. We’ve got some world-class roasters and top notch baristas. They’ll more-than-gladly show you how to roast your beans properly, and teach you correct brewing , help you delve into the world of latte art. They are passionate and fiercely defensive of Columbus coffee. And one of the stars of this coffee scene is Andy Luck and Luck Bros Coffee House.
ATMOSPHERE: Luck Bros is a quiet little coffee shop in a curving retail strip in Grandview, along with Marshall’s, the Old Bag of Nails, and a few other stops. The shop itself is a favorite for studiers; it’s got lots of space and plenty of quiet corners. Booths, tables, and even a small patio out front give you plenty of places to sit and sip.
Andy and his crew are dedicated to coffee culture. Even their website is loaded with info on brewing techniques, storage, and proper grinding. You can order a standard cup o’ coffee or all of your coffee shop creations at Luck Bros, but if you really want to experience coffee, you should sidle up to the brew bar. Here they prepare single cups of the beans that Andy imports from all over – some in town, some out. The great thing about the brew bar is getting to watch your coffee being prepared. Beans are carefully ground, filtered through Hario V60 filters (pictured above). These regulate how the water and grounds interact. Hot water is poured from a stainless steel Hario kettle, with a long, thin spout. This offers superb control over the water flow. Coffees are always high quality, and range in prices from $2.25 for a standard cup, or up to $15 per cup and beyond for super specialized beans. The result is always coffee the way it’s meant to be, with such rich flavors and aromas, you’ll forget you’ve ever heard of cream and sugar.
FOOD: Aside from your regular coffee shop pastries, Luck Bros offers a breakfast bake, made fresh every day. A generous slice of the bake will keep you filled longer than a muffin. Andy said the bake comes from an old family recipe, which he was also kind enough to post on their website. It’s a fairly simple casserole-like dish, layering eggs, cheese, hash browns, and kielbasa. It’s very easy to like. EDIT: they don’t seem to be serving the breakfast bake any more.
SERVICE: The morning we visited, a barista named Sarah was at work, and she was super, super nice. Andy clear teaches his employees to love coffee and coffee culture as much as him. Sarah was very knowledgeable and interactive as we ordered our coffee and breakfast.
OVERALL: Just go to Luck Bros and try the coffee. Let Andy tell you about the beans he’s purchased. Watch him brew you the right cup of coffee. Stop and read a book. Relish yet another superlative reason why Columbus is a great – if sometimes under-appreciated – city in which to live, eat, and drink.
[…] in used One Line bottles. (Other shops now cold brew this style, too, including Crimson Cup and Luck Bros). The tower looks like a miniature chemistry set. The upper chamber is filled with ice, which melts […]