Looking for Great Happy Hour Food? We Asked Some Experts

Compiled by Bethia Woolf

Columbus may love a happy hour as much as any city in the country (maybe more?), but happy hour isn’t just about cheap drinks. Across the city, a growing number of restaurants are using the 4-6 p.m. window to show off elevated, kitchen-driven food at a fraction of the price, going well beyond the usual bar snacks.

To find the best happy hours for serious food lovers, we asked some of our favorite local foodies, food writers and Instagram tastemakers to share their go-to spots. Between all of them, we ended up with more than 20 happy hour recommendations worth building your evening around.

A note before you go: Most restaurants limit happy hour pricing to the bar or lounge area, so plan to grab a seat there rather than a dining-room table.

Lindsay Ronneberg (@cbusfoodie614) picked Rooh in the Short North.

Rooh

“It’s the perfect way to experience one of the city’s best upscale restaurants without the upscale price tag. The happy hour menu features shareable small plates ranging from $7-$11, while handcrafted cocktails are just $10. Some of my must-orders are the pani puri, lamb keema Hyderabadi, sweet potato chaat and the Mango Mule, which is easily one of my favorite cocktails in Columbus.”

Rooh Happy Hour | Monday-Friday, 5-6 p.m. | 673 N. High St., Short North | roohcolumbus.com

Recommended by Lindsay Ronneberg — @cbusfoodie614

Donnie Austin of Aardvark Wine & Beer picked his favorite happy hour spot near work.

Subourbon

“I’m a huge fan of Subourbon’s happy hour, as their food menu reminds me of my old favorite, G. Michael’s. If you’re ordering plates to share, include the pork belly, fried green tomatoes, KFC bites and BBQ shrimp—and if they happen to have the catfish and okra, that’s my favorite. They have a bourbon slant on the beverage menu, but the team dreams up great cocktails, too, alongside wine by the glass and draft beers.”

Subourbon Happy Hour | Monday-Saturday, 4-6 p.m. | 2234 W. Dublin-Granville Road, Linworth | subourboncolumbus.com

Recommended by Donnie Austin, Aardvark Wine & Beer — aardvarkwineandbeer.com

Wing Kwong (@takowing.eats), who focuses on Columbus’ Asian food scene, picked two happy hour spots.

Fukuryu Ramen

“Fukuryu Ramen has an unbeatable deal for happy hour ramen. Select bowls are under $8.99. Happy hour runs every day with half off all cocktails and draft beers.” Picks: Japanese fried chicken and shio ramen.

Fukuryu Ramen Happy Hour | Daily 3-6 p.m. | 1600 W. Lane Ave., Suite 160, Upper Arlington; 4540 Bridge Park Ave., Dublin | fukuryuramen.com

Domo

“For sushi, Domo in Short North would be my pick. Their happy hour menu has a great variety, from sushi and appetizers to donburi and udon bowl options. Plus, it’s available on Sundays, too.” Picks: agedashi tofu, spicy crab panini and tiger roll.

Domo Happy Hour | Tuesday-Thursday, 4-6 p.m.; Sunday, 3-5 p.m. | 976 N. High St., Short North | domoskb.com

Recommended by Wing Kwong — takowingeats.com

Nick Dekker (@breakfastwithnick) picked two spots, starting with Cobra.

Cobra

“Cobra is so effortlessly cool and easygoing. You’d almost not know this casual neighborhood bar has drawn national attention for its Asian-inspired food and drink. Their happy hour showcases favorites like the Cobra Old-Fashioned and the Amber by 311 Negroni. If you’re going with a group, order all five food items; I’m partial to the Shanghai Noon Burger and Mama Chien’s Dumplings with pork filling.”

Cobra Happy Hour | Monday, Wednesday-Friday, 4-6 p.m. (closed Tuesdays) | 684 S. High St., Brewery District | cobrabarcolumbus.com

Worthington Tavern

“As Worthington residents, the Worthington Tavern is our go-to for a quick drink or an easy night out. It’s hard to beat happy hour on the back patio at sunset. It runs Monday-Friday and features $2.50 oysters, $12 pizzas, half off drafts and $9 specialty cocktails. My order is the soppressata pizza with hot honey and the Blacksmith Smoked Old Fashioned.”

Worthington Tavern Happy Hour | Monday-Wednesday, 4-6 p.m.; Thursday-Friday, 2-6 p.m. | 671 N. High St., Worthington | worthingtontavern.com

Recommended by Nick Dekker, Breakfast with Nick — breakfastwithnick.com

Jeremy Quam (@thatsandwichdude) picked Barcelona, the German Village institution celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

Barcelona

“Barcelona has one of the best happy hours in Columbus with $8 tapas and drinks at the bar, and it’s available on Saturdays, too. Grab a filete de hierro plano, patatas bravas and a famous housemade sangria!”

Barcelona Happy Hour | Tuesday-Saturday, 4-6 p.m. | 263 E. Whittier St., German Village | barcelonacolumbus.com

Recommended by Jeremy Quam — @thatsandwichdude

Julie Miller of What Should We Do Today Columbus picked Sidebar.

Sidebar

“Sidebar’s menu is mainly tapas, so it’s a great place to meet a group of friends and share small plates, available no matter where you sit with $9, $10 and $11 tapas plates, $16 pizzas and $11 cocktails. My favorites are the beef empanadas and the spicy potatoes, with an $8 glass of sangria. Great spot for dinner before a show Downtown.”

Sidebar Happy Hour | Tuesday-Friday, 4-6 p.m. | 122 E. Main St., Downtown | sidebarcolumbus.com

Recommended by Julie Miller — whatshouldwedotodaycolumbus.com

Alina Antonyuk (@tastingcolumbus) picked the Sycamore in German Village.

Sycamore

“The food is flavorful, bright and rotates seasonally. Whenever we go for happy hour, we order one of everything. You can’t go wrong with the burger, Cuban, meze plate or roasted carrots.”

Sycamore Happy Hour | Monday-Friday, 4-6 p.m. | 262 E. Sycamore St., German Village | sycamoregv.com

Recommended by Alina Antonyuk — @tastingcolumbus

Nicole Seeley picked Cameron Mitchell’s The Avenue Steak Tavern, with locations in Grandview and Dublin.

The Avenue Steak Tavern

“The Avenue feels like a true gem—the perfect place to meet friends, sneak in a date night, or grab a good bite after a busy day. I’m obsessed with the baked cheese fondue, the steak bites and the short rib toast — the kind of dish you order and immediately tell the table to try. I especially love the Mai Tai for a fun, sweet tropical twist.”

The Avenue Steak Tavern Happy Hour | Monday-Friday, 4-6 p.m. | 1307 Grandview Ave., #3013, Grandview; 94 N. High St., Dublin | theavenuesteaktavern.com

Recommended by Nicole Seeley — @sweetlyseeley

Melanie Bange (@ohiogirl.travelingworld), one of our Columbus Food Adventures tour guides, offered several recommendations. We’ve always known she’s an overachiever!

Cameron Mitchell Restaurants

“The deals and quality are elite. Most restaurants offer appetizers half off and drinks several dollars off. My 11-year-old stepson always requests the braised veal meatball from Marcella’s. My 3-year-old adores the blue cheese chips at Cap City Diner. My 15-year-old stepdaughter enjoys the mozzarella bar at Valentina’s. My partner loves the pub burger from The Pearl, and I appreciate everything at The Guild House.”

Cameron Mitchell Restaurants | cameronmitchell.com

Lani Rooftop Lounge

“Lani, the only rooftop spot in downtown Powell, fuses Asian bites into high-end small plates. We’re fans of the 24-hour pork belly with marble potato salad, the Caprese martini and the sunset view. Time it right and you can catch a Golden Hour cocktail during golden hour.”

Lani Rooftop Lounge Happy Hour | 4-6 p.m., bar and soft seating | 50 E. Olentangy St., Powell | lanirooftop.com

Hank’s Low Country Seafood & Raw Bar

“Hank’s, on the corner of High and Gay streets, is one of our go-to seafood spots in Central Ohio, but only for High Tide Happy Hour, available Tuesday through Sunday. Come for the Downtown view with a side of dirty martinis and stay for the fried green tomatoes with remoulade sauce.”

Hank’s Happy Hour | Tuesday-Sunday, 4-6 p.m. | 6 W. Gay St., Downtown | hanksseafoodrestaurant.com

FYR Short North

“Since Chef Warn took over the kitchen, FYR has crafted a menu of relatable comfort foods. It has my favorite crab cake in the city, tender crudo, and a grilled gem lettuce salad I could eat daily.”

FYR Social Hour | Tuesday-Friday, 4-6 p.m. | 404 N. High St., Short North | fyrshortnorth.com

Flour

“The Polaris Fashion Place location may seem unexpected, but that’s what sets it apart—nothing like watching the line at The Cheesecake Factory while you enjoy a higher-quality bite. Every visit, the caramelized pear and prosciutto is on my order.”

Flour Happy Hour | Sunday-Friday, 4:30-6 p.m. | 1540 Polaris Pkwy., Polaris | flouramodernpastabar.com

Recommended by Melanie Bange — @ohiogirl.travelingworld

Malini Swank (@lakesandlattes) called out the Polaris location of Marcella’s as her family’s current favorite.

Marcella’s

“Happy hour is available at the bar, lounge and patio, and the service is fantastic. I love the sangria, and my husband loves the Milan Manhattan. We always get the meatball and the spinach dip and assorted flatbreads. It’s kid- and family-friendly, especially on the patio.”

Marcella’s Happy Hour | Monday-Friday, 4-6 p.m. | 319 Polaris Pkwy., Polaris | marcellasrestaurant.com

Recommended by Malini Swank — lakesandlattes.com

Food photographer Jordan Posner had two picks for East Siders, starting with Bexley’s The Top Steak House.

The Top Steak House

“Social Hour at The Top Steak House in Bexley is such a treat—a small menu, but everything is made from scratch. My favorites are the crab dip and the prime rib sliders, made with in-house chips and cold-sliced prime rib. There are drink discounts, too, but I’m here for the food.”

The Top Social Hour | Monday-Wednesday, 4-5:30 p.m., at the bar | 2891 E. Main St., Bexley | thetopsteakhouse.com

Mastro’s Steakhouse

“Social Hour at Mastro’s has such a fun vibe with a great selection from the regular menu plus a few Social Hour exclusives. We were obsessed with the cantaloupe martini and the oysters, three for $6. Also, the maguro lime roll and wagyu sliders were both excellent. The prices are super reasonable for a fancy-schmancy steakhouse.”

Mastro’s Social Hour | Monday-Friday, 4-6 p.m., at the bar/lounge | 3965 New Bond St., Easton | mastrosrestaurants.com

Recommended by Jordan Posner — foodfestmedia.com

Erin Vasicek (@spiffycolumbus) picked one of two pizza recommendations, GoreMade in Italian Village.

GoreMade Pizza

“The happy hour at GoreMade Pizza may not be the most extensive, but the vibe is more conducive to focusing on your company. They sling some of my favorite pizza in town. It’s hard to beat a 12-inch cheese or pepperoni wood-fired pizza for $11, paired with a $5 Ohio craft beer or seltzer, or $7 wine, cider or cocktail.”

GoreMade Pizza Happy Hour | Tuesday-Friday, 3-6 p.m. | 936 N. Fourth St., Italian Village | goremadepizza.com

Recommended by Erin Vasicek — @spiffycolumbus

Abby Valencic (@daytripscbus) another Columbus Food Adventures tour guide, picked Harvest Pizzeria.

Harvest Pizzeria

“Harvest Pizzeria’s happy hour fits the bill with roughly $7 small plates plus drink deals. Some plates are on the regular menu, while a few are exclusive to the 4-6 p.m. weekday window. The Buffalo cauliflower has a kick, and the arancini are filling without being too heavy. The Front Porch cocktail is refreshing without feeling too boozy.”

Harvest Pizzeria Happy Hour | Weekdays, 4-6 p.m. | Multiple Columbus-area locations | harvestpizzeria.com

Recommended by Abby Valencic — @daytripscbus

From upscale small plates to bargain oysters, Columbus’ happy hour scene proves you don’t need to spend big to eat well. Have a favorite foodie happy hour we missed? Drop it in the comments or tag us on Instagram. We’re always looking for the next great deal.

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Why You Won’t Find Columbus in Michelin Guide’s American Great Lakes Edition...Yet

By Erin Edwards (with additional reporting by Bethia Woolf)

In April, the world-renowned Michelin Guide announced that it would be expanding its coverage in the U.S. by adding an American Great Lakes edition. Though Chicago has been part of the esteemed culinary guide since 2011, the rest of the Midwest has been waiting in the wings.

The new edition, which debuts in 2027, initially included six cities: Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Pittsburgh. Alhough Cincinnati was left off the original list, the Queen City has since been added to the guide for 2027.

That leaves Columbus as the obvious omission in Ohio. So, what gives and what are some local chefs saying about it?

First, a short explainer on the Michelin Guide: The publication, founded in 1900 by the French tire company Michelin, sends out teams of secret guide inspectors to evaluate restaurants in participating cities based on five criteria: “ingredient quality, harmony of flavors, the mastery of culinary techniques, how the chef’s personality shines through their cuisine and, crucially, consistency across the entire menu and over time.”

For those restaurants that meet Michelin’s criteria for “outstanding cooking,” the organization then awards restaurants either one, two or three stars. According to Michelin, a restaurant’s decor and service are not considered.

The Michelin Guide does offer other forms of recognition beyond stars. For example, a Bib Gourmand designation recognizes businesses that serve “exceptional food at moderate, value-for-money prices,” while the guide also includes “Selected Restaurants” that offer good food but don’t rise to the star or Bib Gourmand level.

The fact is, Michelin doesn’t add your city to its guide out of the goodness of their butter-basted hearts—or solely based on culinary merit, although culinary chops are very important. Over the last few years, as physical book sales have declined, the Michelin Guide has expanded into new markets (both in the U.S. and globally) through paid partnerships with tourism bureaus, often with a 3-year commitment.

Experience Columbus, the city’s tourism bureau, has long touted our dining scene, whether it’s by inviting in food writers to experience the city or organizing a citywide push for James Beard Award nominations.

We asked Experience Columbus, which has been in talks with Michelin, about the reason why Ohio’s capital city wasn’t included in the American Great Lakes edition for 2027.

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Head to Nook at The Creative Space for Dominican Fare & Dominoes

By Erin Edwards

Does it make sense to recommend a hearty soup during this sultry (and smoky) July? It does if that soup—sancocho—hails from a tropical place. Plus, the sancocho served at Nook at The Creative Space is too good to wait until the thermostat drops.

Open almost exactly a year, Nook is a bright and welcoming Dominican-American community space on Parsons Avenue on the Near South Side. The business isn’t only a cafe but also a coworking space and event venue where you’ll find people holding meetings, catching a World Cup game, playing games of dominoes and, yes, tucking into bowls of sancocho, La Bandera Dominicana and other authentic Dominican dishes.

We decided to visit for a July lunch and were first greeted by our lovely server, Joel. The space itself—boasting hardwood floors, tall ceilings, a bar, nice cafe tables and greenery—was a welcome respite from busy Parsons Avenue outside.

Lunch started with a pair of nice empanadas, the pastry pleasingly crisp and soft at the same time. Options include cheese, ground beef, ham and cheese, and buffalo chicken. Other snacks include tostones and salami as well as chicken wings.

Since breakfast is served all day, we ordered the iconic Dominican breakfast known as Los Tres Golpes, which translates to “The Three Hits.” What arrived was a large rectangular plate with a base of mangú (mashed green plantains) topped with the three hits: fried eggs, a protein (either Dominican-style salami, longaniza or chicken wings) and queso frito (fried cheese). We went with longaniza—a definite hit along with the rest of the dish.

Other all-day breakfast options include avocado toast, breakfast burritos, ham-and-cheese paninis, fruit smoothies and more.

If you’re looking for something hearty and generous, I do recommend chef Lidia Baez’s excellent sancocho, a beloved stew in several Caribbean and Latin American cuisines. The thick, yellowish-green broth ties together a medley of ingredients including chicken, beef, corn, carrots, yuca, yautía (a starchy tuber) and auyama (a type of pumpkin). It’s accompanied by a large plate of white rice and sliced avocado. It’s even better the next day.

Nook serves two other traditional Dominican entrees that I hope to try in the future. The first is asopao rice soup, the Dominican version of comforting chicken-and-rice soup. The second is La Bandera Dominicana, the national dish of the Dominican Republic, traditionally served with habichuelas rojas (stewed red beans), stewed meat (usually chicken or beef) and white rice. Nook allows customers to build their own bandera by giving you an option of proteins, including beef stew, salami, longaniza, fried chicken wings and others. You can also add sides like salad, cassava fries or green plantains.

You can pair your meal with coffee, tea, fresh juices or a bottle of Country Club, a popular brand of fruity Dominican sodas that reminds me of Fanta. The restaurant also carries malta, a non-alcoholic malt beverage that’s popular in the Caribbean.

During our lunch, a lively game of dominoes started up at a table nearby—a fact made obvious by laughter and the loud slamming of tiles. In fact, Nook will soon begin hosting Saturday domino nights in collaboration with the nonprofit organization Dominicans in Columbus Ohio (DICO). The events are open to the public, and the first domino night of the season takes place this Saturday, July 18, at 5 p.m.

Find It:

Nook at The Creative Space

1014 Parsons Ave., Near South Side

Hours: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Mon.; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Thurs.; 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Fri; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sat.

Shin Omakase Takes Over Isla on Tuesdays & Wednesdays

By Andy Dehus

Omakase is a high-end Japanese dining trend that is taking off both nationally and in Columbus (we wrote about it here), and the latest local entrant is Shin.

Helmed by seasoned sushi chef Kevin Wang, Shin operates as a pop up inside of Isla, chef Andrew Smith’s restaurant in Merion Village. Shin will be serving guests on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for the foreseeable future.

Chef Wang invited us to a kitchen counter preview during which he treated us to his premium six-course menu, including a trio of pre-sushi delights, a granita palate cleanser, nine unique nigiri sushi preparations and a clever dessert.

Both wet- and dry-aged selections from among the best fish available in Columbus were put to effective use, no doubt aided by chef Wang’s virtuosic knife skills. Amberjack, sea bream, yellowtail kingfish and striped jack mackerel all make an appearance, as does a fun tour of the lean, medium and fatty parts of the tuna.

Elements of Wang’s Taiwanese heritage make subtle but impactful appearances, with the most striking coming in the form of the meal’s finale: a taro ice cream sandwich rolled through crushed peanuts and dried cilantro. It’s a popular flavor combo in Taiwan and a satisfying finish to a skillfully executed meal.

Seating at Shin is limited, with seven kitchen-facing counter seats turned over twice per evening; seatings are at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. To reserve seats or learn more, check out @shinomakase on Instagram.

News

Around the Columbus Food & Drink Scene

Yats Cajun Creole announced this week that it will be shutting down its Grandview location—its last in Ohio—after 12 years in business. According to the announcement on Instagram, the storefront’s last day will be Thursday, Aug. 20. Yats’ food truck will remain in operation.

Bagels & Jam Co., a new business specializing in hand-rolled bagels, is now open in 4465 Cemetery Road in Hilliard. The shop also plans to offer cinnamon rolls, rugelach, sandwiches and more.

Columbus Independents’ quarterly gift certificate sale is back. It’s a perfect opportunity to support our independent restaurant scene by buying gift cards good at any participating restaurant. Purchase gift cards here.

Last week, Bob Vitale with The Columbus Dispatch reported that Rosalita, the forthcoming Mexican restaurant from chef Josh Dalton, will not open until January 2027. Skipping ahead of Rosalita was Amara, Dalton’s new Mediterranean restaurant that opened last week in the former Milestone 229 space.

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Opinion: Matcha Mania is a Sign of the Times

By Andy Dehus

Food and drink have gone all in on visuals.

While you can’t enjoy the flavor of a dish or beverage through its depiction on a screen, you can become enamored with its appearance. It naturally follows that the more appealing a preparation looks in an Instagram feed, the more likely the viewer is to clamor to try it. This incentivizes kitchens with the greatest social media-driven ambitions (i.e. almost every new opening and many others) to prioritize the photographic impact of their preparations over other competing concerns.

Furthermore, it’s coming to light that the image on the screen has to make a big impression quickly, lest it succumb to the scroll. Subtlety will not be rewarded, but bright, edgy colors will. In a New York Times article titled “A Must For The Next Food Craze? Be ‘Social Media Gorgeous’ ,” flavor expert Mark Webster notes, “One of our criteria for new flavors is that the color [my emphasis] has to be social-media gorgeous, something that influencers gravitate to.”

All of this is a lot of windup to make a series of points with some local relevance:

Matcha is, all of the sudden, all over Central Ohio. Matcha’s ubiquity is driven by its striking shade of jade green that positively leaps from the screen. It’s a hue that’s shot around the world at the speed of electrons, not unlike the lurid purple of ube that the aforementioned NYT article was highlighting back in April of this year.

Ube is so last month, and matcha is right now. The king is dead, long live the king (ha).

Have you actually ever tried matcha? Real matcha? The kind that Art of Tea, a reputable tea vendor who is unambiguously trying to sell you some, describes as tasting like seaweed, spinach or vegetable broth? The kind that, in my experiences in Japan, tasted more like freshly cut grass smells?

Most consumers haven’t tried it, and probably won’t, because almost nobody locally is selling matcha as a straightforward uncut preparation. At minimum, it’s being heavily diluted with milk in a latte, and more commonly it’s merely the headline ingredient in an elaborately flavor-bombed concoction designed to mask matcha’s inherently challenging taste.

Ube, for all of its visually driven appeal, at least has the added advantage of being a flavor that naturally plays well with the ingredients typically found in your average cafe’s toolkit.

The term “micro trend” has been used to describe social media-driven consumer enthusiasms that disappear as quickly as they arrive, and I expect that matcha is poised to be a textbook example.

You may have read all of this (and thanks for sticking with me) and still think, “So what? Seems harmless enough. It’s just a drink!” To which, I offer three thoughts:

• When even a flavor expert emphasizes the importance of color over flavor, it seems reasonable to point out that this compromise is now part of the deal when encountering visually driven micro trend products. Matcha seems particularly egregious on this front, especially when promoted in a way that gives no hint as to what it tastes like or how much effort has been put into neutralizing its natural flavor traits.

• Food or drink producers need to weigh the shelf life of micro trends against the cost of including the next-big-thing on their menu—or basing their entire business on this trend.

• On the other hand, if your teenage children think you’re as lame as mine does, then maybe a matcha-frappe-latte-ccino in a clear cup, casually choked down in front of them like you were born into it, may buy you some zoomer cred.

On all counts, pick your poison!

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News

Around the Columbus Food & Drink Scene

For the first time ever, Central Ohio’s own Black Radish Creamery medaled at the American Cheese Society Judging & Competition, which took place last week in Louisville. Black Radish took home bronze medals for both its Bandit Red Cheddar and Bankston cheeses.

The bakery Love Riley will celebrate the grand opening of its new Grandview shop on Saturday, July 18. The first 100 guests will receive free slices of cake. The new bakeshop is located at 1089 W. First Ave., formerly home to The Butcher & Grocer. Love Riley specializes in custom cakes but also sells cupcakes, macarons, brownies, iced cookies and more from its baking case. Love Riley’s original shop remains open at 14 Dillmont Drive in Lewis Center.

Columbus Food Adventures’ July Supper Club will feature chef Justin Wotring, founder of Caroline’s Sandwiches in the North Market. One of the city’s most exciting young chefs, Wotring will lean on his experience in French, Italian and other world cuisines for this six-course dinner taking place at 6 p.m. on July 23 at The Parker House, a one-of-a-kind wooded property in Gahanna. Get your tickets here.

Budd Dairy Food Hall (1086 N. Fourth St.) is hosting a rooftop tiki party, dubbed the Lei’d Back Tiki Beach Bash, from 6-9 p.m. on Friday, July 24. The ticketed event will feature tiki cocktails, island-inspired bites and a live DJ. Get your tickets here.

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Waroeng Brings Indonesian Cuisine to Northwest Columbus

By Bethia Woolf

In February, we wrote that 2026 would be an exciting year for Indonesian cuisine in Columbus. This year is proving even more promising than anticipated.

Nusantara, the Indonesian restaurant expected to debut this year in Clintonville, was beaten to the punch by Waroeng Buckeye Hibachi, which opened Tuesday, July 7, on Route 161 near Sawmill Road.

Waroeng is a new project from the Indonesian owners of Buckeye Hibachi. Although hard-to-find Indonesian fare is what drew our attention, the restaurant also offers the Buckeye Hibachi menu.

Waroengs (or warungs) are small cafes that are an integral part of village life in Indonesia. They typically serve a modest selection of traditional home-cooked meals.

Waroeng’s Sawmill-area restaurant is a little more ambitious, offering a range of popular dishes from across the archipelago. The menu includes more than 30 Indonesian dishes, among them noodle dishes, soups, appetizers, entrees and desserts. There’s also a very extensive coffee- and matcha-focused drink menu. There’s clearly a lot to explore. With just the two of us, we were able to try only a few dishes on our first visit, but here’s what we had:

Pempek: Savory fish dumplings cut into slices and served with egg noodles, cucumber and cuko. Cuko is a sweet and tangy sauce made with tamarind, brown sugar and, I believe, fish sauce; it tasted of crab to me. The dumpling has a lightly crisp exterior, a gummy interior and a line of bright yellow cooked egg yolk running through the center.

Bakso goreng: Fried chicken meatballs with a craggy exterior and a dense interior. Ground chicken is combined with tapioca starch and seasoning, then served with a sweet chili sauce.

Buntut bakar: Grilled oxtail. It’s unusual to see oxtail grilled; it’s most commonly served stewed or braised. The oxtail was lacquered in a dark, caramelized sauce and quite tasty, though a little chewy. It came with an oxtail broth that had a hint of cinnamon, plus melinjo crackers (also known as emping). These traditional Indonesian crisps are made from the seeds of the Gnetum gnemon tree. Waroeng also offers ribs and chicken prepared the same way; I’d probably choose one of those next time.

Nasi Padang: Rendang with rice, egg, green sambal and curry. Rendang is a dish of beef slow-cooked in coconut milk and spices until the liquid evaporates. I was a little disappointed by the rendang at Waroeng, which lacked the punchy flavor of other rendangs I’ve tried.

Opor ayam: Chicken curry soup, and my favorite dish of the meal. It’s a chicken soup with a coconut-curry broth and a hard-boiled egg, served with a large shrimp chip, rice and pickled vegetables. Coconut-based curries can be very rich, but this one managed to be both light and full of flavor.

I’m looking forward to a return visit to try more of the menu, and I’ll be sure to save room for dessert. I’m especially intrigued by the Indo-Dutch klappertaart.

Find It:

Waroeng Buckeye Hibachi

3512 W. Dublin-Granville Road

614-389-5029

Indonesian glossary to help navigate the menu:

• Nasi = rice

• Ayam = chicken

• Goreng = fried

• Bakar = grilled

• Mi = noodles

• Telur (or telor) = egg

• Sambal = chili paste/condiment

• Kare = curry

• Kelapa = coconut

News

Around the Columbus Food & Drink Scene

Chef Josh Dalton’s new Mediterranean restaurant, Amara, opens today, July 10, at 229 S. Civic Center Drive. (The restaurant is already booked through the weekend, with future dates being added soon.) Amara fills the former Milestone 229 space, offering diners an indoor/outdoor dining option on the Scioto Mile once again. Diners can expect craft cocktails, shareable items such as hummus or labneh with housemade pita bread, and entrees like lamb chops, whole grilled dorade and roast chicken. See the Amara menu here.

The fast-growing national chain PopUp Bagels is landing in the Short North this year at 850 N. High St. Founder Adam Goldberg started PopUp Bagels in 2020 out of his home kitchen as a pandemic side hustle. The company now has more than 45 locations nationwide with more on the way. PopUp Bagels is leading the “rip-and-dip” trend, in which bagels are meant to be enjoyed by ripping off a hunk and dunking it into a bowl of cream cheese.

Columbus Business First reported this week that The Old Mohawk (819 Mohawk St.) may be getting a new owner with a familiar name. Rick Doody, the son of Lindey’s founder Sue Doody and one of the folks behind Cleveland-based NCR Ventures, is reportedly closing in on a deal to purchase the German Village institution. Rick Doody told Business First that if the deal goes through, the staff would be retained and no major changes would be made to the restaurant for a year or two. Stay tuned.

The local nonprofit Service! Relief for Hospitality Workers is holding a fundraising campaign to help take its new restaurant/workforce training center, The Line, over the finish line. You can help get the doors open by contributing here.

According to news reports, Linworth Grill (2245 W. Dublin Granville Road) has closed in the Linworth Crossing Center. The Persian restaurant is reportedly looking to reopen elsewhere. You can read more about the Linworth dining scene here.

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New Columbus-Area Bars to Check Out This Summer

By Erin Edwards

After visiting new bar after new bar for this story, I couldn’t help but think back to the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact it had on local watering holes.

How those tight-and-confined spaces—where you could relax with a drink in hand and share conversation (and the same air) as other people—suddenly became no-go zones. So many bars closed down for months and some never returned. I remember thinking: Will Columbus’ bar scene ever recover?

Pandemic-era concerns—the high cost of ingredients, staffing shortages—still operate in the background along with new worries, Namely that the youths don’t drink.

Despite those concerns, I think the bar scene is looking more hopeful and exciting than it has in years. This spring/summer feels like a turning point—a time when new bars are sprouting like mushrooms in the Shire. And not just new bars but interesting spaces with a story to tell about Columbus in the here and now.

Here are eight newcomers to check out plus two more cocktail bars to look forward to:

If you love maximalism, inventive cocktails and inclusive spaces…

Franklinton finally has a proper cocktail bar thanks to former Mouton manager Theo Lentz, who opened The Shapeshifter in June. The colorful, art-filled space is located at 129 McDowell St., just steps away from Land-Grant Brewing, Rehab Tavern and Wild Goose Creative’s new space. The bar carries a lineup of creative cocktails built around a theme as well as twists on classic cocktails, a handful of beers, NA drinks and affordably priced wines by the glass. The snack menu includes items such as a charcuterie, deviled eggs, dill pickle popcorn and an intriguing dirty martini dip. Happy hour is 5-6 p.m. Wednesday to Friday and all day Sunday, when cocktails are $2 off.

If you love hanging out in your friend’s hip, plant-filled living room…

If there’s any indication that hard, community-style tables are out, and lounge seating is in–it’s Good Land at 510 W. Walnut St. And what a fun hang Good Land is. On one hand, this Sweeney’s neighbor is a retail shop selling t-shirts, hats, 3D-printed home decor and wine bottles. On the other, it’s an indoor/outdoor lounge filled with greenery, retro couches and board games. The large back deck offers room to spread out, and alongside it is an art-filled gallery room that provides even more comfy sofa seating. It’s like being at your neighbor’s, only cooler. If looking to imbibe, guests can either grab a wine bottle from the cooler to open on site or order a wine, beer or cocktail from the bartender. Happy hour takes place 5-7 p.m.Tuesday through Friday, when all bottles are $10 off and drafts are $2 off.

If you still love draft beer but also liquor and citywides…

The Daily Etcetera isn’t new-new, but it’s the name of a fresh chapter for the Brewery District bar formerly known as The Daily Growler. Likely thinking, like the rest of us, that beer growlers are so 2010s, the establishment shut down this spring for a cosmetic renovation and overhaul of its beverage offerings. The bar briefly reopened in June, showing off a new-look downstairs bar, new rugs on the floors and fresh paint on the walls. (The overall aesthetic is now closer to The Daily Bar in Italian Village.) The Daily Etcetera still offers tons of craft beer (24 on draft), but now places more emphasis on cocktails, wine and “citywides,” which are Philly-inspired “beer-and-a-shot” pairings. Etcetera retains my favorite aspect, which is a wide range of nooks and crannies where you can sit, including patio seating out front, standard tables downstairs, cozy couches upstairs and firepit seating out back. Two weeks after reopening, the bar became yet another victim of the car-crashing-through-front-door phenomenon. Luckily, the business was closed at the time and damage wasn’t too severe. The Daily Etcetera re-reopens today, July 8, at 702 S. High St.

If you miss The Light of Seven Matchsticks…

Although it can’t replace the free-wheeling creativity of The Light of Seven Matchsticks, The Nine (5597 N. High St.) might fill that Matchsticks-shaped hole in your heart, especially if you live near Worthington. I love the sophisticated vibe of this subterranean bar/restaurant—it’s a nice date night spot (though not quiet)—and I love the elegance of the cocktails even more. Beer and wine is also available. The tight food menu ranges from whipped feta to aguachile to nebbiolo-braised short ribs. Be forewarned that The Nine does not accept reservations, so plan accordingly.

If you miss The Grass Skirt…

Speaking of maximalism, the owners of the new Mound Street location of Huli Huli Tiki Lounge have done a stellar job turning the former Jury Room into a Polynesian fever dream. There’s lava, fishing nets, totems, skulls, bamboo, orchids aplenty, neon straws, little umbrellas and, of course, a wide range of amusing tiki mugs. And did I mention the Moai fireplace? Columbus hasn’t had a tiki bar since The Grass Skirt shuttered in 2019, so it’s wonderful to see its neon-hued return. The bar just added a patio out front, plus there is free parking after 5:30 p.m. and on weekends.

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Pop Up Report: Campero-Style Fried Chicken at Subourbon

We’re really enjoying the trend in which restaurant owners let their employees use the premises for pop ups on days that they’re closed. Over the last few years, we’ve seen the Funky Duck burger pop-up at the Lox (sadly, no more); Abby’s Pasta and Pastries at Downtown’s Little Cat Boba on Mondays; and Arepas Craft slinging arepas out of Si Senor’s Grandview location on Sundays.

The latest pop up led by a restaurant crew is presented by the Salvadoran kitchen staff of Subourbon in Linworth, and we decided to check it out.

Erin recently wrote about the fried chicken shortage in Columbus, and, almost as if her prayers had been answered, Homemade Fried Chicken appeared. Operating out of the Subourbon kitchen on Sundays from noon until 9 p.m., the pop up offers a focused menu that includes fried chicken with sides as well as wings, popcorn chicken or shrimp, and a pupusa burger.

The fried chicken was excellent, and my 12-year-old declared the breast to be “audaciously juicy.” The crust was both crispy and well-seasoned and neither too thick nor too thin.

Sides include matchstick-thin fries, fried yucca, mashed potatoes, fried plantains, salad and a very conventional American slaw (I was hoping for curtido, the Salvadoran cabbage slaw). One side and bread are included but you can add others. We didn’t try the pupusa burger or the tiramisu, but hope to return for both.

The Subourbon dining room is open during the pop up. Expect to wait around 20 minutes for the chicken which is fried to order.—Bethia Woolf

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Dish

Wendy’s Secret

A dear friend came to town recently, so that was cause for a celebratory dinner at Agni. I hadn’t dined at chef Avishar Barua’s restaurant in a while so it was my first time having his “Midwest Nostalgia” tasting menu.

No surprise, but everything was fantastic, from the Happy Meal-inspired first course (hello, tiny bao McRib) to the lovely beverage pairings to the truly excellent service.

When we inevitably asked our guest to pick a favorite course, he chose a dessert playfully named Wendy’s Secret, no doubt a nod to Wendy’s Columbus cousin Victoria. Clever.

Perhaps you’re already in on the secret—the menu’s been out for a while—but in case you’re not … here goes:

The nostalgic dessert is presented as a single “french fry” accompanied by a “Frosty”—an homage to one of America’s more oddball culinary traditions. That is of course our penchant for dipping fried potato into Wendy’s famous not-quite-a-milkshake chocolate milkshake.

Here’s where the mind games and hijinks come in: The french fry you’re served is actually a baton of chocolate ice cream; meanwhile the Frosty is a warm and frothy potato foam.

While your mind tries to make sense of this familiar-yet-new combo, you can just hear chef Barua laughing over your shoulder—as if he’s just played the Uno reverse card that he’s been hiding all along.—Erin Edwards

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A Pair of Root Beer Aficionados Spill Their Secrets

By Bethia Woolf

A recent trip home to the UK reminded me just how quintessentially American root beer is. It doesn’t quite have the same ring as “as American as apple pie,” but root beer is a drink most Europeans have never even tried.

Root beer is pure Americana, with a history that traces back to Native American herbal remedies. Root beer was traditionally made from sassafras root, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned real sassafras in commercially produced food and drinks back in 1960. These days, blends of other spices and artificial flavors are doing the work instead.

The week of July Fourth seemed like the perfect time to dig into this North American drink, and the upcoming holiday’s hot weather practically begs for a refreshing root beer float.

Meet the Experts

I decided to call in some experts. A few days later, I was sipping root beer on a patio with Erin Vasicek and Mark Moxley-Knapp, and their credentials are seriously impressive. Erin, who writes and shares recipes at The Spiffy Cookie, has tried 327 different root beers to date.Meanwhile Mark—who goes by “Root Beer Aficionado” and also counts root beer cousins like birch beer and sarsaparilla in his tally—has sampled more than 430.

Erin cooks with root beer, too, and keeps an extensive collection of root beer recipes; both will also happily road-trip for a good root beer or an old-school drive-in. The two met and became friends at a root beer tasting event at the now-closed Market Street Soda Works in Newark.

Craft root beers can carry notes of wintergreen, anise, mint, and burdock. Wintergreen in particular can be pretty divisive, which might be why root beer isn’t for everyone.

I asked Mark why he’s such a fan of the earthy soft drink.

“Because there’s a lot of variety. There are so many, and they’re all different,” he says, adding that you never know when the next bottle you crack open is going to be a winning formula.

A Lifelong Love Affair with Root Beer

For both Erin and Mark, there’s a strong element of nostalgia at play and both fell in love with root beer at a young age. For Mark, who grew up in Findlay, the local root beer drive-in was a family favorite. His memories of going there are tangled up with his love of the drink, though he laments that there aren’t nearly as many drive-ins left as there used to be. He also thinks his parents let him drink root beer earlier than most sodas because it’s (usually) caffeine-free.

Erin, who was raised in western New York, started collecting root beer bottles around age 10 on a cross-country family road trip. Drinking out of a brown bottle felt exciting and grown up, so she saved them as a souvenir. She loved that the bottles, and the root beers themselves, were different everywhere she went. She’s since expanded her “collection” to drafts and cans, but there’s still a thrill in finding one she hasn’t tried.

What Makes a Good Root Beer

I asked Erin and Mark how they judge a good root beer, and the answer was simple: They look for a balance of flavor and a flavor that lasts. They explain that root beers tend to fall into two camps: sweet and creamy ones like Mug and A&W, and more complex, herbal, medicinal ones like Sprecher and Virgil’s.

Erin rates root beers on her own, self-proclaimed “biased” 1–5 scale:

1 – Pours it down the drain, unfinished (bad)

2 – Okay, but wouldn’t buy it again (meh)

3 – Pretty good, classic root beer, nothing exciting (solid)

4 – Delicious and worthy (great)

5 – Get your hands off my root beer! (excellent)

(You can find Erin’s root beer ratings on her blog here.)

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If you’re shopping for root beer at a grocery store, Erin and Mark both recommend Point Premium Root Beer from Wisconsin if you can find it; otherwise, go with Sprecher or Virgil’s. Stewart’s gets the nod as a good sweet, creamy “beginner” root beer. Neither of them is a fan of alcoholic root beers. Both agree the best way to drink root beer is in a chilled mug, no ice. For Mark, it tastes even better if you’re at an old-school drive-in.

The Perfect Float

Of course, we got onto the subject of root beer floats. People have been pairing root beer and ice cream since the late 1800s. Erin, who isn’t personally a fan of floats, suggests picking a root beer that isn’t too sweet, since the ice cream will bring plenty of sweetness on its own.

Mark’s tip for a perfect float: Choose a good-quality root beer and a premium vanilla ice cream. Fill your glass a third of the way with root beer, add the ice cream, then top it off with more root beer—that way the ice cream doesn’t sink straight to the bottom, and you get less foam. You can drink it right away, or let it sit a while so the ice cream melts, then stir it up and dig in.

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Around the Columbus Food & Drink Scene

Alberta’s Pizza Tavern, known for its scratch-made pies and meatball subs, has opened in the former Chef Hiro space at 1297 Parsons Ave. Alberta’s is a journeyman of sorts, having recently operated out of bars such as Classics Sports Bar and The Pointe Tavern.

The longtime Short North establishment Lemongrass Fusion Bistro (641 N. High St.) shut down for good on June 28 after nearly three decades in business.

ZC Tea, which had closed its Short North storefront in the former Zen Cha space, announced that it is now serving matcha, tea and espresso inside the hotel lobby of the Moxy Short North (808 N. High St.). ZC Tea’s hours are 7-11 a.m.

Linworth’s food and drink offerings continue to grow. Koffee Paradise is now open at 2285 W. Dublin-Granville Road, the former Tomatillos space in Linworth. This marks the second location for the Filipino coffee shop, which offers specialties such as ube lattes, matcha and dalgona coffees. You can find the original location at 6308 E. Main St. in Reynoldsburg.

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Where to Find Root Beer in Central Ohio (and Further Afield)

By Bethia Woolf

Central Ohio has a long root beer history of its own. Frostop got its start in Springfield back in 1926, and you can still find it at Ace Hardware and some grocery stores. (Frostop is now headquartered in Columbus.)

Sadly, Central Ohio doesn’t have much left in the way of old-school root beer drive-ins. The closest ones seem to be about an hour away: Stewart’s Drive-In in Marion, where you can still get it served in a chilled glass mug; Wot-A-Dog in New Carlisle; or The RootBeer Stande in Dayton. Other parts of the state seem to have more retro root beer stops than Central Ohio. And you probably won’t be shocked to hear that Jungle Jim’s has a vast root beer selection of its own.

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Add Hidmona Eritrean Cafe to Your Must-Try List

By Erin Edwards

With only five months under its belt in an unassuming Reynoldsburg strip mall, Hidmona Eritrean Cafe might be one of my favorite restaurant openings of the year.

After all, this East African restaurant ticks off many of the criteria I look for: a cheerful dining room with nice art on the walls, the World Cup on TV, and helpful servers willing to answer our pesky questions. Most importantly, the food is excellent—although the pace can be a bit leisurely.

One question you may be wondering: Are Eritrean and Ethiopian cuisines the same? Almost, not quite. But they closely rhyme.

Injera and berbere are foundational to both cuisines. Many dishes are identical in both Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine, but sometimes with different names and approaches to spicing. Ethiopian menus use Amharic names, while many Eritrean dishes are in Tigrinya, the primary language spoken in Eritrea and the Tigray region of Ethiopia. For example, the stews known as wat (wot) in Ethiopian restaurants are called tsebhi in Eritrean eateries; gomen (Ethiopian collard greens) is hamli on the Eritrean menu; and misir wat (red lentil stew) is timtimo. Other dish names like kitfo and shiro appear to cross over.

With Eritrea’s colonial history with the Italians, you’ll often find more berbere-spiced pasta dishes on the menu than in Ethiopian restaurants. Hidmona lists two pasta dishes on the menu: lasagne and spaghetti. (On our visit, it was out of the lasagne.) There is sometimes more seafood, too, given Eritrea’s coastal location.

To get an omnivorous overview of Hidmona’s cookery, I recommend ordering the mahberawi ($19.99). This combination platter (ideal for two guests) includes a saucy beef dish in the center, zigni (called kai wat in Ethiopian restaurants), surrounded by mounds of vegetables. Our platter included three kinds of spiced legumes as well as alicha (a mild potato and cabbage stew) and hamli (collard greens). The zigni and hamli are standouts.

Hidmona also boasts one of the most unique food preparations I’ve experienced lately—a dish called hilbet ($18.99). Picture a thick red sauce nestled in a pale, fluffy cloud and sitting atop dark injera. It was a generous portion, meant for sharing. The red sauce, called silsi, is spicy and tomato-based. Meanwhile, the pillowy hilbet is made of fava beans, fenugreek, lentils and other spices that have been ground together and then furiously whipped with water to create its fluffy texture. This vegan Eritrean dish (also found in northern Ethiopia) is a specialty during the fasting season of Lent. (In fact, I think any vegan diners out there would be wise to add Hidmona to your restaurant rotation.)

I’m hoping to return soon to Hidmona for breakfast. There are Belgian waffles, frittatas and pancakes, sure, but our server recommends returning for the Hidmona Special ($18.99), with frittata, ful medames (fava bean stew) and kicha fitfit (torn flatbread mixed in clarified butter and berbere).

For now, Hidmona’s beverage choices include fresh juices, spiced tea, coffee and espresso drinks. However, the Reynoldsburg restaurant has a nice L-shaped bar, and we’re told a liquor license is in hand. Look for the restaurant to extend its drink menu and hours soon.

Find It:

Hidmona Eritrean Cafe

1731 Brice Road, Reynoldsburg

614-604-6493

Hours: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. daily (hours expected to change soon)

Notes

Around the Columbus Food & Drink Scene

We missed a detail when reporting earlier this week about Fat Arnie’s Provecho, the new concept coming soon to Uptown Westerville. As The Westerville News reports, a neighborhood bar called The Blind Pour will be opening alongside Provecho. Arnie’s co-owner Chris Beardman is developing the bar with Columbus radio personality and podcast host Dino Tripodis.

Surfs up for the new Playa Bowls at 4422 N. High St. in Clintonville. The new location of the fruit and smoothie bowl franchise will hold its grand opening at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 27.

The Cleveland-based fast-casual chain REBol plans to open a storefront at 435 Polaris Parkway in Westerville, formerly home to Hot Chicken Takeover.

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Taking the Temperature at Johnnie’s Tavern

Open since 1948, Johnnie’s Tavern (3503 Trabue Road) is just about as big a tavern icon as Columbus has to offer. Many a local has held up its Johnnie’s Super Burger as the stick by which all other hamburgers are measured.

Though Johnnie’s squat standalone building in San Margherita has remained essentially uncha…

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Inside Paradise International Food Market in Dublin

By Bethia Woolf

With the plethora of Middle Eastern markets and restaurants opening in Columbus, it can be hard to stand out. But Paradise International Food Market, which celebrates its grand opening today, June 19, is rising above the crowd.

Perhaps it was the smell of fresh bread when we walked in this week or the well-stocked cases of warm pies that hit us with nostalgia for the old Salam Market in Columbus Square, but right from the beginning the signs were promising.

Located in Karric Square Shopping Center, the market is a clean and brightly lit grocery store with wide aisles. While its owners are Palestinian, the market carries a broad array of products from across the Middle East and Turkey. There is a butcher, a produce section, frozen food section and a dessert counter, but the main attraction is the hot food counter. The well-equipped kitchen includes a traditional bread oven, shawarma spits, a kebab grill and a rotisserie (the latter not yet in operation).

The fresh Levantine breads baked at Paradise include the football-shaped Iraqi samoon and round Palestinian-style kamaj. Meanwhile, savory pies come in a variety of flavors, including cheese, labneh and olive, beef kabab, chicken kebab, spinach, ground beef sambusa and chicken curry, all sealed like an empanada. The bakers also make open-faced savory manakeesh, with za’atar (wild thyme, sumac, sesame seeds and salt) being especially popular, as well as sfeeha, which are open-faced meat pies topped with ground meat.

The hummus is excellent, among the silkiest and smoothest I’ve had, and it arrives liberally garnished with tatbeeleh (a spicy green pepper relish), olive oil and chickpeas. The recipe comes from The Nile Restaurant in Bridgeview, Illinois, where the staff trained before the market opened.

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Catfish & Spaghetti, an All-American Dish That Tells a Story of Migration

By Erin Edwards

Shrimp and grits? Of course. Chicken and waffles? Most definitely.

But fried catfish and spaghetti?

Although this curious combination of seafood and pasta may not be as nationally renowned as the other two …

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What We Enjoyed at Khaja Ghar

By Andy Dehus

Find a ramshackle space in a low rent part of town, bootstrap it into some semblance of functionality, and then cook the food you know best as well as you know how to do it. It’s a timeworn formula for the city’s immigrant kitchens, and nobody in recent memory has pul…

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Meet Cordial, the Next Chapter of The Bottle Shop

By Erin Edwards

In some ways, walking into the former Bottle Shop on King Avenue felt like you were a student taking a gap year, backpacking around Europe or South America and living the youth hostel life.

Cordial, the rebrand of the popular cocktail bar/wine shop at 237 King Ave., intentionally feels a bit more like grad school, even down to the aesthetic. The bar officially switched to its new moniker on June 9.

The Bottle Shop’s founders, Barbara Reynolds and German Vasquez, opened the bodega and quirky cocktail bar in late 2015. Over time, the pair turned it into a popular destination for interesting cocktails and natural wine. After a tumultuous period that led to a staff uprising, Greg Stokes (the owner of Accent Wine) bought the business from Reynolds and Vasquez in 2022.

“In some ways I think it felt like coming home,” says Stokes, who began his career in fine dining at Dragonfly Neo-V and Till Dynamic Fare, once located just a few steps away on King Avenue.

Since purchasing The Bottle Shop, Stokes has slowly been making changes to the interior design—moving from a bohemian vibe to a slightly more sophisticated one—but Stokes says he still wants to honor what made the bar and bottle shop unique in the first place.

“Obviously the aesthetic here has changed a bit,” says Stokes, adding that changes to the interior are meant to “make it feel like the cool professor’s hang out.”

“To me, this is like the neighborhood living room,” Stokes adds. “This is the space where people in the neighborhood get to come and celebrate and laugh and cry, and I think that’s important to preserve places like that.”

The desire to create a “community space” is exactly why Cordial is hosting Palomino Coffee, Stokes says, referencing the new coffee shop operating out of Cordial in the mornings Wednesday through Saturday.

Another of his goals is to maintain a level of affordability for bar patrons. Bar manager Ari Stewart’s opening drink menu, dubbed “Mumbai Masala,” features cocktails in the $9-$14 range—this at a time when prices for ingredients are rising and other bars are pricing cocktails between $15-$20. Meanwhile, wines by the glass are affordably priced in the $10-$15 range.

“Wine is so ludicrously expensive, especially to learn,” says Stokes, a longtime sommelier. To make wine more accessible—especially to nearby OSU grad students looking to learn about wine—Cordial offers flights of six wines for $25 every Friday and Saturday night. Customers can also purchase a bottle from the adjacent shop to open in the bar for just a $10 corkage fee. On Sundays, patrons can enjoy a bottle of wine with no corkage fee.

In explaining the name change—which some people have strong feelings about online—Stokes says he liked the double entendre of cordial, the drink, and cordial, describing warmth and hospitality. But the name also reflects an evolution of the space from its early days as a wine carryout with a small bar.

“I think today the cocktail bar is just as important as the wine shop, so I don’t think the Bottle Shop fully described what it was anymore,” Stokes says. “To me, renaming [the bar] Cordial is having a name that catches up to who we are.”

Find It:

Cordial Cocktail Club & Bottle Shop

237 King Ave., Dennison Place

Hours: 3 p.m.-11 p.m. Tues.-Thurs.; 3 p.m.-1 a.m. Fri.-Sat.; 3 p.m.-11 p.m. Sun.

Current Obsession: Shepard Baking Co.’s Cardamom Buns

By Erin Edwards

Despite the strength of our diverse food scene, Scandinavian fare is one of Columbus’ blind spots. Clearly, I need to visit Stockholm, where cardamom buns—aka kardemummabullar, aka my latest food obsession—are aplenty.

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What to Expect at The Line, Opening Downtown This Summer

By Bethia Woolf

A new restaurant coming this summer to Downtown Columbus will serve a purpose beyond the plate.

The Line, located at 145 N. Grant Ave. in a former Columbus College of Ar…

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Central Ohio’s Growing Gelato Scene

By Bethia Woolf

Over the last few years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of gelato shops in Central Ohio, and I’ve been on a mission to try as many as possible. Fortunately, my favorite—at least so far—is close to home.

While gelato is essentially …

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This is part of a series of articles about Central Ohio farmers markets. We have previously written about the German Village and Grandview Heights farmers markets.

Six Vendors to Know at Clintonville Farmers Market

By Bethia Woolf

On a Saturday morning on High Street, the Clintonville Farmers Market hums with a particular kind of energy—tote bags swinging, neighbors stopping mid-sidewalk to catch up, cooking aromas wafting through the air. It is a farmers market, yes, but also something more: a weekly community ritual that has anchored this Columbus neighborhood for decades. I have been dropping in since I moved to Ohio 20 years ago, and when I sat down to write about it again (my last piece was back in 2010), I found a market that has evolved in some ways and stayed stubbornly, beautifully the same in others.

The essential character of the Clintonville market remains what it has always been since its foundation: a strictly producer-only market that is very much a beloved neighborhood institution. The focus is food, and there are serious shoppers loading their totes and wagons for the week. But talk to the people running and attending the market and a fuller picture emerges.

Liv Morris, the new market manager, describes it as a weekly community party—eating, dancing, a chance to meet neighbors. Common Greens board member Todd Mills calls it a cultural hub where “all the unique qualities that make the neighborhood great are on display.” Local business owner Olivera Bratich, whom I ran into shopping there, put it simply: “The market is part of the rhythm of life in Clintonville. You see the same faces every week.” And with its location right on High Street, a trip to the market folds easily into the rest of a Saturday’s errands.

The market was originally founded in 2003 with just six farmers but has grown over the years to average 60 vendors each week from the end of April through Thanksgiving, with over 100 vendors across the span of the season. Morris explains that market management looks for a balance of vendors, heavy on produce but careful not to oversaturate the market with the same items. They seek out farmers who grow different produce and try to spread produce vendors geographically throughout the market.

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Since 2021, the Clintonville Farmers Market has been part of Common Greens, a nonprofit organization that also coordinates farmers markets in Bexley, Upper Arlington and the OhioHealth Market; as of this year it will also operate a Downtown Market on Thursdays at Columbus Commons. Mills says that the mission of Common Greens is to build great markets and foster a thriving local food economy.

While some vendors also sell at Worthington, Grandview Heights or other farmers markets, a handful can only be found at the Clintonville Farmers Market. They include Local Millers, Good Food Bakery, Gooseberry Farm, Knosh, Sonflour Bakery, B Farmer Honey and Fulton Creek Organics.

Here’s a bit more about six of them:

Gooseberry Farm

An urban farm located off Cooke Road, Gooseberry Farm is in its third season at the Clintonville Farmers Market, but this is its first season attending weekly. Noah Bergen, who has been farming for 12 years, grew up in Columbus shopping at the market and moved back four years ago. He says it made sense to set up at the market he loves, close to the farm. Bergen grows lettuce, baby greens, root vegetables, kohlrabi, herbs and ground cherries. Bergen is now farming full time and has been selling out each week.

Good Food Bakery

Baker Renee Morgan has been at the Clintonville Market for at least 16 years. Her focus is gluten-free baked goods, and she has a devoted following of regular customers. Her best-selling items at the market are the cinnamon rolls and the lemon blueberry bread. Outside of the market, she makes gluten-free buns for Dirty Frank’s Hot Dog Palace and gluten-free pizza crusts for Fibonacci’s Pizzeria.

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Meat Moot Offers Great Proteins in Debatable Portions

One visit is never enough to get the full picture of a restaurant, but it’s generally enough to get the lay of the land. The gist of our experience at Hilliard’s new outpost of the Istanbul-based barbecue chain Mea…

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