From rooftop restaurants to new coffeehouses, sushi to shakes, check out what’s opened recently in Columbus!
Short North
The Short North Arts District has seen its usual growth over the past months, including the new Fireproof restaurant in the old Fireproof warehouse building. The wine and cocktail lounge features a diverse tapas menu. Accomplished Cleveland chef Jonathan Sawyer opened his first Columbus outpost, SeeSaw, which features wood-fire cooking. Seek out dishes like wood-fired cauliflower, dry-aged beer tartare, fried chicken, burgers, short rib and beyond. The second floor is a bar and lounge, so you can continue the festivities late into the night.
Cameron Mitchell opened two new restaurants in the neighborhood, at the top and bottom levels of the same building. At street level is Del Mar SoCal Kitchen, focused around seafood dishes like oysters, tuna poke, lobster rolls and swordfish. On the upper level is Lincoln Social Rooftop, the place to enjoy a cocktail or glass of wine with terrific views of the neighborhood and the city below.
The fast casual Japanese eatery Ampersand Asian Supper Club opened this year. It features small plates, ramen and rice bowls, a full bar, plus traditional Japanese-style seating.
And finally, the popular national chain Shake Shack opened a store in the Short North – it joins a new one at Easton Town Center as well – serving their signature collection of burgers, fries and milkshakes. The same building – the new Graduate Hotel – also includes Poindexter Coffee on the ground floor.
Olde Towne East/Brewery District/South Side
Gemüt Biergarten made its home in a restored firehouse on Oak Street and Parsons Avenue in Olde Towne East. Marvel at the stained glass windows while sipping a liter of hefeweizen and tasting schnitzel, bratwurst and kebapi.
Jonys Sushi in German Village features carryout service of artfully prepared sushi. Matt & Tony’s Wood-Fired Kitchen, a new concept from the owners of Pat & Gracie’s, serves up tavern favorites like burgers and sandwiches, steaks and seafood.
On the South Side, the family-run Way Down Yonder found a new home this year, and has become a much-loved hangout for memorable New Orleans classics like gumbo, red beans and rice, po’ boys, etouffee, wings, shrimp & grits and so much more.
Downtown/Arena District
The new Canopy By Hilton hotel on Nationwide Boulevard includes the ground floor restaurant Central Market House, named for the historic market (a companion to the North Market). Stop there for salads, bowls, flatbreads, sandwiches and tartines. Keep an eye out for a new twelfth-story rooftop bar to open soon as well.
Nosh on High opened in the southeast corner of the Lazarus building, focusing on lunch and dinner with a menu of small plates. Head there for entries like jalapeno popper mac and cheese, fresh oysters, roasted cauliflower, shaved rib eye.
Victorian Village/Grandview
The long-running Stauf’s Coffee Roasters opened a new location – their sixth total – inside a renovated church in Victorian Village, offering spacious digs for studying, catching up with friends, or grabbing coffee on the go.
Upper Arlington welcomed SOW Plated, an organic eatery serving complex meat- and plant-based dishes. In Grandview, the owners of The Butcher & Grocer and La Tavola joined forces to open The Old Spot, a joint focused on scratch-made comfort foods like sausage boards, wings, burgers, fried chicken sandwiches, and meat pies.
Dublin
Longtime favorite Katzinger’s Deli opened a second location in Dublin this year. Now residents on the north side can easily pick up reubens, pastrami sandwiches, chicken salads and giant pickles.
The regional chain Egg-O-Holic opened a location in Dublin, too, featuring eggs cooked hundreds of different ways in classic Indian preparations.
