fox in the snow cafe
1031 N 4th St, Columbus, OH 43201 (Italian Village location)
Columbus is a top rate coffee town and right now Fox in the Snow is leading the pack in coffee quality, unbelievable baked goods (on site) and dropping the goodness into each cup. There are and have been other great coffee shops in Columbus (Mission Coffee Roasters who used to have an outpost in the Short North was fantastic but they are no longer there). Matt has been to Columbus boatloads of times in the past thirty years (family) and has seen the birth of a great coffee scene.
Coffee:
The blackeye from Fox in the Snow uses Tandem Coffee Roasters (Tandem Coffee Roasters - Portland, ME - Coffee Shop and Bakery) from Portland Maine. Matt first ran into the Tandem Name while visiting offspring in college near Portland. They are a great coffee roaster with excellent shops in Portland….but Matt digresses. The coffee was Fox in the Snow Blend and the espresso was West End Blues. Fantastic on both accounts with really smooth taste and low acidity.
Barista:
The first time Matt strolled into “Fox” he was wearing a Bowdoin sweatshirt. The manager immediately struck up a conversation surrounding Portland Maine and Tandem. He is super friendly and has a great line about Maine…”The Ireland of the United States”. Matt comes to Columbus 3-4 times a year and the manager always recognizes him and strikes up a conversation. He defines that lump of goodness. The baristas are serious about their craft and are careful purveyors. It gets pretty busy here post 8:30 on a weekend so they are grinding it out but still friendly.
Vibe:
Concrete floors, great tables and open architecture with plenty of seats and natural light streaming in really makes you feel great as you walk in the door. That, and the olfactory ecstasy from the in house bakery leads you to the counter of baked goods and coffee bar. The bakery items are intentionally unmarked so as to spur conversation with the customers upon ordering. Great idea to get the conversation going.
Make You Better:
Matt is curious about the lack of a music vibe at Fox as it never seems to be part of the scene. Maybe Matt is too early (8:00 on a weekend and 7:00 on a weekday), but it’s nice to have some tunes going as you enter. I am not usually a fan of a coffee shop that opens at 8:00 on a weekend, but also understand the baking time needed for a full on bakery operation. One more “make you better” items to consider for Fox in the Snow is that there is only size of coffee - a 12 ounce version. Matt finds this to be an error, but it’s a small item. Fox is plenty big for studying and hanging out, but with the acoustics, it’s a bit loud as it gets crowded.
Fox in the Snow is a complete coffee and bakery setup; a three tool player (coffee, baked goods and vibe) in the Columbus coffee scene. Matt says it’s a must if the Buckeye State calls you….
Ever wompling……Matt