They call him “Dr. Breakfast.” Nicholas Dekker, 34, an affable theater lecturer at Columbus’ Ohio State University, loves the first meal of the day, and this passion has made him a local celebrity. His blog, Breakfast With Nick, and book of the same name chronicle Columbus’ multitude of brekkie spots.

Dekker arrives at one of his favorites, Katalina’s Café Corner, toting a custom-made messenger bag emblazoned with a cartoon table scene of waffles, eggs, toast and coffee.

A cozy, Mexico-influenced venue, Katalina’s specialties include Pancake Balls — rounds filled with dulce de leche, Nutella, or strawberry jam (they’ve served over 100,000 since 2009) — and a savory pulled-pork, avocado and over-easy egg sandwich that Dekker dubs “a big delicious mess.”

So, why is breakfast such a thing in this capital city? “Columbus, in general, is a good food city,” Dekker opines between sips of coffee from excellent local roaster Thunderkiss. “By nature of that, our breakfast scene is, too.” He pegs it to the city’s duality of tradition and forward-thinking innovation, easy access to fresh farmland product, embracing and nurturing of local business (yet, ironically, chains White Castle and Wendy’s were founded here), and a morning person culture that prizes social opportunities to start off the day. Not a morning person? Plenty of spots offer all-day brekkie.

One is Northstar Café, a haunt of progressive locals in the Short North arts district. Supreme freshness is order of the day — baked goods, like ham and cheddar scones, display times removed from the oven — while menu eye-catchers include Cloud Nine ricotta pancakes and a sweet potato-turkey hash. Another Short North gem, Tasi Café boasts wonderful poached eggs over black bean cakes.

The soulful, flavor-rich corned beef hash at Skillet, in the leafy German Village neighborhood, is reason enough to warrant an early arrival for weekend brunch — waits can hit 90 minutes. At the 30-seat, farm-to-fork “rustic urban” restaurant, Chef Kevin Caskey brines beef for two weeks (all meat is butchered in-house), serving it with buttery soft potatoes, peppers and over-easy eggs. Menus may change every service, but Caskey’s breakfast/brunch items are creative and delicious enough to sometimes appear at dinner. A creamy, sweet breakfast risotto with a brûléed top supplants ho-hum oatmeal; tender chicken medallions swim in white cheddar grits; and buttermilk biscuits come smothered in lamb chorizo gravy.

Caskey beams as he discusses all the exciting things going on in the city. He notes that even new craft brewpub Wolf’s Ridge, has gotten in on the awesome breakfast action: Their eggs benedict is distinguished by pale ale hollandaise and seared turkey pâté. “There’s a huge amount of chef talent [in Columbus],” Caskey says. “They don’t want to work for a chain or corporate entity, they want to do what’s close to their hearts.”

French pastry is close to the heart of Spencer Budros, chef at patisserie Pistacia Vera. A flaky, chewy, caraway-seed-infused rye croissant, smoked salmon tartare and ratatouille quiche appear at brunch, while his macarons are a sweet treat anytime (and a bargain at $1.50 each).

European pastry can also be savored at chef/owner Vicki Hink’s Angry Baker in the hipster ’hood Olde Town East (with a staff straight out of “Girls” central casting), in addition to breakfast treats like sweet potato pancakes and vegan biscuits with mushroom gravy.

Last summer saw the opening of Kolache Republic, a minimalist storefront dedicated to Czech kolache. Made from mildly sweet yeast dough, tasty varieties of this Danish-like pastry include scrambled eggs and crumbled house-made sausage.

Authentic Louisiana specialties are found at Creole Kitchen. Chef Henry Butcher, a Bayou native, puts love and fiery cayenne pepper into his Eggs Basin Street — poached eggs over cinnamon-infused rice patties and soupy red beans with Andouille sausage and béarnaise sauce.

At homey L’Appât, extrovert chef Didier Alpani, hailing from the French-influenced West African Republic of Benin, serves up light, healthy eats such as open-faced garlic and spinach egg sandwiches and spicy veggie potato scrambles. Those making the trek to Grandview Heights’ DK Diner, however, seek the polar opposite — artery-clogging, all-day hangover fare like a morning egg sammy or bacon cheeseburger, served on a grilled doughnut.