The 19 Best Restaurants In Columbus, Ohio 2024 – Columbus

Columbus might be Ohio’s capital, but the dining scene often gets overshadowed by other “C” cities to the north and south. The mix of longtime Midwesterners, immigrant communities, and Ohio State University students means there’s a little bit of everything. Just a couple of the great options include strawberry aguachile, pasta with kofta meatballs, or classic French food at a former combination church-schoolhouse. And there’s no shortage of good spots to try during a stroll through German Village or something quick right before a Columbus Crew game.

THE SPOTS

photo credit: Erika Gene Clark

There’s no other restaurant like Agni in Columbus. This fine dining spot comes from a Bobby Flay-slaying, Top Chef alum, who often puts creative and nostalgic Midwestern spins on the Bengali recipes he grew up with. The restaurant is appropriately named after the Hindu god of fire: there’s always a flame roaring in the back to churn out a six-course tasting menu (and you might even be surprised with extra courses, too). Expect dishes like adorable anellini pasta with kofta meatballs—a riff on Chef Boyardee—and an incredible cured Rohan duck that’s almost always on the menu, recently prepared with an adobo glaze. This is where you should go to splurge on a nice night out or fancy first date. The wine pairing is worth the extra $85 and the somm is known to occasionally throw in sake or mini Bud Light—this is Anheuser-Busch territory, after all.

photo credit: Sam Kendall

Always a contender to be the city’s top restaurant, Veritas has had many different lives over the last 10 years. Today, it’s the spot to impress a business client or cheers to something special. The tasting menu is around $105 and dishes change often, usually based on wherever the chef has traveled to most recently. Take the Japanese “supper club,” which had things like delicate chawanmushi and perfectly-marbled A5 wagyu nigiri. Or the Thai-influenced menu, featuring a modern take (hello, liquid nitrogen) on the traditional dessert mango sticky rice. Does it take itself a little seriously? Sure. But the result is immaculate plating, well-choreographed service, and outstanding food. Once you’ve thrown down the company card for dinner or taken your last sip of celebratory wine, head upstairs for a nightcap at The Citizens Trust, an old bank building reincarnated as a cocktail bar.

photo credit: Brain Kaiser

Filled with greenery, the stark-white dining room at Comune feels straight out of a Scandinavian design catalog. It’s always a solid choice for a date night, and the plant-based menu is a pretty big departure from traditionally meat-heavy Midwestern restaurants. Dishes are always rotating in and out, but expect things like caramelized sunchokes with mushroom jus, ramp-stuffed rigatoni in a yellow curry sauce, or a watermelon carpaccio that visually mimics meat but has all the brightness of summer. There’s a standout list of natural wines, along with creative cocktail options like a thai basil martini or pisco mixed with kumquat and lychee. 

Pistacia Vera has been open for almost 20 years and dabbles in brunch, but what you should really come here for are the laminated French pastries and desserts. Think things like perfectly flaky croissants, shiny eclairs, cushiony macarons in every color, and a show-stopping, domed chocolate mousse bombe. They don’t have indoor seating, so you’ll have to grab your goods and head out to the handful of tables on the sidewalk. That’s where you can people-watch neighbors walking their Goldendoodles and 1800s architecture-loving tourists visiting on weekends.

photo credit: Justin Singer

General Tso’s cauliflower, strawberry aguachile, al pastor baos, and steak of the day with beef-fat fries—the menu is full of surprises at Chapman’s Eat Market. But one thing is certain: It’s going to be a good meal. Their dishes might have some ingredients you don’t see often at other Columbus restaurants, but the top-tier sourcing and clever combinations should reassure any picky eaters or apprehensive out-of-towners. Make sure to order the homemade ice cream, which has flavor cameos like earl grey with chocolate ribbons and a sherbert combining coconut, lime leaf, gooseberry, and tamarind. The space used to be the original Max & Erma’s (a one-time Applebee’s competitor), and now it matches the zany food with rose pinks, sage greens, and loud wallpaper with white birds. You’ll probably need a reservation, but you can always try snagging a spot at the bar next to the porcelain arm. 

photo credit: Tyler Jamison

Always lively with the celebratory clinks of wine glasses, Speck is ideal for a birthday gathering or night out with the grown-ups. Kick off the meal with a classic Negroni or the Campari-spiked Garibaldi, then order perpetual table pleasers like the speck and burrata starter featuring crisp giardiniera and the gem lettuce salad that comes under an avalanche of parmesan. The pasta here is made in its very own “pasta room,” which overlooks the street-level dining room and churns out noodles for dishes like bucatini pomodoro, sausage ragu mafaldine, and the decadent casarecce with bone marrow. No visit is complete without a digestif and the chewy Tuscan lemon cookies.

photo credit: Robb McCormick

Refectory is the best place in town that does classic French food, which has made it a go-to for special occasions, or when you just want a proper terrine. Their tender lamb chops are perennial favorites, and ending a meal with the vanilla crème brûlée is mandatory. The restaurant has been around for over 40 years in a historic 19th-century church-schoolhouse (hence the name), which is now home to a dining room with a couple of dimly-lit corners and white tablecloths, plus stained-glass windows and a fireplace. Definitely plan on ordering wine—they have a cellar of more than 700 bottles.

It’s always a good time of year to eat at this upscale bistro. During the summer, everyone wants a seat on the large leafy patio (it’s first come, first served). When it’s cold out, the cobblestone streets, copper bar, tin-tiled ceiling, and red-leather banquettes are the perfect setting for dinner with your parents before seeing The Nutcracker. Servers still wear ties and the menu is made up of beloved bistro dishes: french onion soup, beef carpaccio, and delicate angel hair pasta with shrimp in a spicy Cajun cream sauce. Take a picture outside the historic front entrance on the corner of Beck and Mohawk—the valet guys won’t judge.

photo credit: Tyler Jamison

Rooh calls itself “progressive Indian,” which basically just means amping up traditional recipes with creative spins, cute glassware, and snappy decor, like the striking mural of a woman greeting you at the entrance. It’s a great place to meet friends for a Happy Hour that carries over into dinner. Start with the fluffy-topped Paan Clouds cocktail, featuring local Watershed gin, paan, date, honey, lemon and, yes, goat cheese. Add a round of several small plates like their green chickpea bhel, which remixes the classic, puffed rice street food by adding fresh avocado and mango. We also like the sweet potato chaat with fried kale, a beautifully-presented riff on palak patta chaat. The butter chicken entree is just as tender and delicious as you’d expect, and even better with some warm naan.  

photo credit: Maria Siriano

Wolf’s Ridge has been a triple threat for over a decade, serving equally excellent craft beer, cocktails, and food. This Downtown brewery restaurant offers two distinct experiences: a greenery-filled dining room and a warehouse-esque taproom. The weekend brunch is one of the finest in the city, when the spotlight is put on comfort food dishes like gravy-soaked biscuits, a drippy burger, and eggs benedict with canadian bacon and fried green tomato. If you only try one Wolf’s Ridge beer, make it their coffee vanilla cream ale, Daybreak, that has a nice balance of sweetness. But their reimagined cocktails like the romantic martini with Japanese gin, yuzu, and vetiver are worth extending brunch for another round.

photo credit: Tyler Jamison

Head to Old Worthington and check out this laid-back Bengali American cafe brought to you by the same chef from Agni. Beverages range from milk chai to mochas made with rose water jaggery, but the short combo breakfast and lunch food menu is really the highlight. We love the simple breakfast sandwiches with bacon, cheesy eggs, and herb chutney, and the bigger dishes are also worth getting—especially fried rice with crispy chicken and Joya’s take on the kati roll with egg and lamb on griddle-fried paratha. After ordering at the counter, try snagging a seat in the narrow dining space (which gets crowded on the weekends), or head out front for a sidewalk seat.

Wario’s original location, a carryout window right across from Nationwide Arena, makes for one of the best options if you’re not trying to eat a Skyline chili dog during the game. Their take on a Philly cheesesteak, featuring eight ounces of quality rib-eye and housemade whiz on a soft semolina roll, is a clear standout. So are the chicken cutlet, roasted pork and broccoli rabe, and Italian cold cut subs. Wario’s sizable sandwiches run $13-19, but they’re gigantic, and there’s no way you can sneak these behemoths into a Blue Jackets game. Just know that Wario’s closes at 7pm most days and isn’t open Mondays or Tuesdays.

photo credit: Tyler Jamison

It can be tough to choose just oneof Budd Dairy Food Hall’s various vendors, but you should head over to Modern Southern Table. The short menu has Cajun, Lowcountry, and soul food classics, and an order of Alabama-style fried chicken with crispy skin, paired with sides like sticky sweet candied yams and savory Geechee red rice, is almost required. It can be tough to find a good version of fried catfish in the Midwest, but theirs gets a nice saltiness from the cornmeal batter. Grab your order and one of the Kool-Aid punches, aka “dranks,” and find a seat in the huge food hall or on the rooftop patio.

photo credit: Tyler Jamison

For one of the most entertaining dining experiences in Columbus, visit this full-service Filipino restaurant during “Boodle Night,” when they put on kamayan meals you’ll eat without utensils. Tables covered in banana leaves are topped with heaps of crispy lumpia, fried bok choy, sticky adobo ribs, glistening longganisa sausages, and, of course, garlic rice. A crisp import lager pairs well with the umami-forward food, or go for one of the bar’s tropical cocktails that have tangy kalamansi and pandan. These dinners are weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, but it’s also worth coming back another time for a la carte entrees and a weekend brunch.

photo credit: Tyler Jamison

This is the best place for pit barbecue in Columbus, and perhaps the whole state. James Anderson (better known as the “Ray Ray”) runs this growing fleet of pit barbecue food trucks, plus one dine-in location, that specializes in smoked beef brisket, wet or dry-rubbed spare ribs, and sides like baked beans and collard greens. If you’re with a group, order the appropriately named Meatsweats box featuring the greatest hits: brisket, pulled pork, jerk chicken, dry-rubbed ribs, and hot links. We also love the sweet-and-spicy jerk chicken thigh sandwich and waffle fries. Hit up Ray Ray’s Franklinton truck, which conveniently sits next to Land-Grant Brewing’s beer garden and taproom, and is great for that chaotic nine-person group chat meet-up. But there are more locations like the original Clintonville truck next to Ace of Cups and a Victorian Village one that does a street food-style menu.  

photo credit: Tyler Jamison

The setup at Hoyo’s Kitchen is like if Chipotle did Somali food, with rice, injera, or salad setting the base for build-your-own bowls or wraps. If you can handle a jolt of capsaicin, go for the spicy rice—otherwise, the basmati and injara options also serve as reliable foundations. When it comes to proteins, spicy chicken suqaar and sweet mango chicken are both great, but the standout is the tender, flavorful hilibari. Top it all off with a drizzle of the bright, green chile basbaas sauce and vegetables like red lentils, stewed cabbage, and chickpeas. No trip is complete without a side of golden-fried sambusas and a cup of Hoyo’s piping hot chai tea. Columbus has the second-largest Somali community in the United States and Hoyo’s food has been so in demand that they now have three locations.

photo credit: Tyler Jamison

Some of the city’s best Chinese food can be found in a Kenny Centre strip mall at Xi Xia. The restaurant’s specialty is its chewy noodles that are painstakingly made by hand. You’ll find them in their excellent signature dish: stirred noodles with supple pieces of beef shank, bok choy, and a kick of chili oil. The springy strands also show up in soup dishes of rich, slow-cooked bone broth that’s a solid hangover cure. Don’t miss the wonderfully gelatinous spicy chicken feet, the excellent lamb rice pilaf, or the salt-and-pepper chicken that’s an excellent takeout order for the family.

photo credit: Tyler Jamison

You’ll want to come by Riziki’s on Sunday, when you can get urojo made from tumeric and potato that’s often served as street food in Tanzania. They’re technically known as Sunday Fundays, when you’ll also get to add toppings like crispy sambusas, tender mishkaki skewers, and cassava chips. If it’s too warm for a bowl of soup, the chapati fried in ghee is also great and the perfect vehicle to sop up your curry of choice. Wash it all down with a glass of the spicy tangiwizi juice made from fresh ginger that’ll refreshingly clear out your sinuses. Casual lunches and quick bites work well in their small dining area painted in bright blues and sunny yellows as a love letter to the Indian Ocean around Zanzibar. 

photo credit: Abby Dillon

This Short North cafe is a bagel shop that combines New York and Montreal styles: their options are boiled and then baked over fire for a crispy exterior. You can get the usual flavors and while there are plenty of sandwiches to choose from, the pastrami, egg, and cheese one paired with crispy fried potato wedges is a sure bet. For something lighter, opt for The Lox’s namesake sandwich with zesty capers and crisp onion—they make a vegan version as well. We also love stopping by for lunch when they serve cubans, egg salad sandos, and weekly specials like spiced Moroccan lamb sandwiches.