Best of OSU: The Brunch Squad takes on breakfast at Hangover Easy

Sara Stacy, Ghezal Barghouty, Sheridan Hendrix, Ashley Nelson
Thu, 29 Mar 2018 02:29:21 +0000
Arts & Life, Best of OSU, Dining, best of OSU 2018, dirty sanchez, hangover easy, HOE fries, the breakfast report, the brunch report

The Lantern brunch squad (plus Ashley, of course) headed to best breakfast winner Hangover Easy Wednesday morning to give some honest takes on campus’ most beloved breakfast spot. The Ohio State favorite is known for its cheap prices, huge pancakes and simple breakfast options, and overall, I think we were all pretty satisfied.

Here are our thoughts on our first breakfast venture:

A Veggie omelette with a side of fruit from Hangover Easy. Credit: Ghezal Barghouty | Arts & Life Editor

Ghezal’s pick: Veggie omelette, $7.99, coffee, $2.50 and side of fruit, $3.50

After writing a few brunch columns and exploring more of my breakfast options, I’ve come to learn that breakfast isn’t all that bad. A year ago you would have never heard me say that I was craving an omelette, but here we are. Our waitress gave me literally 0.2 seconds to decide what I wanted to eat –– I’m the most indecisive person at restaurants –– and my rash decision-making skills ordered me eggs. And I was satisfied.

I went with the veggie omelette, but Hangover Easy’s version came stuffed with a delightful surprise –– HOE fries, named specifically for Hangover Easy. The omelette had just the right amount of thickness, wasn’t too cheesy and was filled with vegetables cut up into small enough pieces to enjoy. The side of fruit was definitely a good call on my part, too, because for me, the lingering taste of eggs isn’t how I like to end my meals. But, I digress. Overall, I’d say this egg-venture was successful.

Tater tots with a side of coffee from Hangover Easy. Credit: Sara Stacy | Assistant Arts and Life Editor

Sara’s pick: Tater tots, $3.50 and coffee, $2.50

I’m a simple woman. It doesn’t take much to please my taste buds, just as long as it doesn’t have animal products or gluten (OK, maybe I’m a little picky). However, give me any form of fried potatoes and I’ll be a happy camper. Since the brunch squad tried its hand at breakfast, we ended up eating pretty early, but I’m not really a breakfast person. So, just a single order of tots was plenty to satisfy my not-yet-ravenous appetite.

I’m not going to call myself a tot connoisseur; I just could eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Honestly, as long as they’re crispy, and not gross or soggy, I’m good. Hangover Easy’s tots definitely fit the bill for me. They had a nice outer crispiness and were adequately flavorful. My only complaint was that they were a bit too salty for my liking. Paired with a cup of coffee, it was just the right fare for a pre-class breakfast jaunt.

Hangover Easy was voted best breakfast in the 2018 Best of OSU poll. Credit: Sheridan Hendrix | Oller Reporter

Sheridan’s pick: the Dirty Sanchez, $8.50, coffee, $2.50, parking ticket, $30

Hangover Easy is one of my go-to breakfast joints in Columbus, so I was thrilled to hear Lantern readers agreed. I love to take my family here when they come to visit me on campus, and it’s an affordable boozy breakfast spot with friends.

For this award-winning breakfast, I went with my tried and true favorite ––?the Dirty Sanchez. A breakfast burrito to take them all: scrambled eggs, chorizo, Hangover’s legendary HOE fries, and queso, wrapped in a flour tortilla and topped with fresh pico de gallo, cheddar cheese and more queso. So much queso. If you’ve followed our brunch adventures thus far, you’ll know I am a woman who loves her cheese. Smother and cover my meals in melty cheesy goodness, and I am in heaven. I could eat a bowl of Hangover’s queso like soup and I would be living.

This breakfast hits all five food groups and leaves me full well into the afternoon. With a cup of average coffee in my system and a morning spent with three of my favorite ladies, Hangover came through once again. I’ve never had a bad meal or a bad time when I’m at Hangover. I did get a parking ticket though on this particular morning for not filling my meter (curse you campus meter maids,) but I won’t let that get me down. Hangover Easy is too good for that.

The Western Omelette with a biscuit and HOE fries from Hangover Easy. Ashley Nelson | Lantern TV Station Manager

Ashley’s pick: Western omelette, $8.50, coffee, $2.50

I infiltrated the Brunch Squad for an early-morning run to Hangover Easy. I’ll be honest, I have been to Hangover Easy only a handful of times, and, as graduation gets closer, I know I need to rectify this mistake.

As a relative newcomer to this classic breakfast and brunch spot I wanted to see how good they were at the basics, so I went with a western omelette, which had green peppers, onions, tomatoes, ham and two types of cheese. All of the veggies were diced small so that they weren’t chewy, which is my biggest gripe with omelettes usually. The cheese was the perfect level of meltiness and the eggs were fluffy.

To preface, potatoes are my favorite food. So when I saw that Hangover Easy was famous for its HOE fries, I was intrigued and excited. My omelette didn’t come with them so I ordered a side of this famous dish, and unfortunately I was a little disappointed. I might have been expecting too much with the hype but they were just chunky, under-salted potatoes. The best potatoes are the ones that don’t require any sort of enhancement, and I had to smother mine in the nearest condiment, which happened to be ketchup. In another context, with something cheesy or creamy to go with them, they probably would have been much better.

Overall, I’d say my experience was pretty good and I’ll definitely be coming back before I leave Columbus. Thanks to the brunch squad for letting me make an appearance.