5 Food Trends We're Seeing in Columbus, from Focaccia Sammies to Chopped Cheese
Plus, Columbus coffee roasters did the city proud at this year's Golden Bean World Series.
Focaccia Sammies, Chopped Cheese & Other Food Trends We’re Seeing Right Now
By Bethia Woolf
The Dubai Strawberry Cup Goes Viral
These days, when something food-related takes off on TikTok and Instagram, it spreads like wildfire. The Dubai strawberry cup recently became the latest viral dessert, and it was inspired by the Dubai viral chocolate bar.
The Dubai viral chocolate bar was created in 2021 by Sarah Hamouda of FIXDessert Chocolatier in Dubai and named “Can't Get Knafeh of It.” The bar features a chocolate shell filled with kadayif (fine shreds of phyllo pastry) and pistachio cream. In 2024, thanks to a viral TikTok video, it became a global sensation, inspiring pastry chefs and chocolatiers worldwide to create their own versions.
Columbus saw its first Dubai viral chocolate bars last summer, and they are now widely available. This year, the latest viral trend is the strawberry cup, which takes the key flavors and elements of the chocolate bar but transforms the chocolate into a sauce, layering it with kadayif, pistachio and fresh strawberries. I started noticing these treats filling my feed in early February, just in time for Valentine’s Day. But their popularity hasn’t slowed down.
Where to find Dubai strawberry cups: Al Aqsa Sweets, Finjani Yemeni Cafe, Habibi Cafe & Sweets, and the Lewis Center and Sawmill locations of Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co. More spots are likely to follow!
Focaccia is the New Sandwich Bread of Choice
Focaccia may have ancient origins, but it’s having a serious 2025 moment. King Arthur Baking named its Big and Bubbly Focaccia as its 2025 Recipe of the Year, and the Washingtonian recently declared, “Focaccia is everywhere.”
In Columbus, focaccia has become the new sandwich bread du jour. Many restaurants are baking it fresh daily and loading their sandwiches with high-quality Italian ingredients like stracciatella, mortadella, pesto, prosciutto and mozzarella. At Frascati Market inside The Little Grand Market, the most popular focaccia sandwich is the Spicy Salami (see photo above), featuring hot Calabrese salami paired with capicola. Chef Lara Yazvac Pipia, who hosts a brunch pop-up at Antiques on High on Sundays, is going more “fusion” and filling her focaccia sandwich with Spanish chorizo and manchego.
Where to find focaccia sandwiches: Speck Italian Eatery (lunch menu only), Piazza Pelino, Frascati Market at The Little Grand, and “High on Brunch”at Antiques on High.
Move Over Matcha … Hojicha Lattes are Here
You’re probably familiar with matcha and chai lattes, but a new latte is gaining popularity around town. Long a staple at Belle’s Bread, hojicha lattes use Japanese hojicha—a roasted green tea known for its lower caffeine content and distinctive roasted flavor. It’s a little smoky, a little sweet and hard to describe in just one note. Like other lattes, hojicha can be served hot or cold, depending on personal preference and the weather. They’re a perfect afternoon pick me up if you don’t want too big a shot of caffeine.
Where to find hojicha lattes: Belle’s Bread, Mjomii Dessert & Coffee House and the Short North’s new ZC Tea House (formerly ZenCha Tea Salon), where they add a touch of mocha to their version.
New York-Style Chopped Cheese Arrives in Columbus
As far as we’re aware, ANA Shawarma first brought the chopped cheese sandwich to Columbus when they opened in 2023. The shawarma vendor is one of the many ghost kitchens located in High Street Kitchens in Clintonville and had chopped cheese on the menu when it opened. This cult NYC bodega sandwich is now one of ANA Shawarma’s best sellers and the sandwich’s popularity is catching on around town. Buck City Sammies at East Market offered chopped cheese as a special recently, and it was so popular that Buck City added it to the menu permanently.
What is a chopped cheese? It’s a hamburger-adjacent sandwich made with ground beef cooked with onions and cheese that are chopped together on the grill. It’s served with lettuce, tomato and condiments on a sub roll. At Buck City, the Bodega Chopped Cheese is made with a 1/2 pound of wagyu beef, chopped up with aged sharp cheddar and American cheese. It’s sauced up with housemade confit garlic special sauce and topped with lettuce, tomato and onion. The chopped cheese became popular after Anthony Bourdain featured it in a Bronx-themed episode of “Parts Unknown” in 2014, and by 2016 The New York Times was reporting on it. Now it’s arrived in Columbus.
Where to find a chopped cheese: ANA Shawarma, High Eats, Buck City Sammies at East Market
We’re Seeing a Flurry of Indian Pizza Options
When we wrote an article on international pizzas for Columbus Monthly early in 2023, there were a couple of places in town offering Indian-style pizza. Now Indian pizza has exploded in Columbus, and I’m counting at least 10 vendors stretching from Hilliard to Reynoldsburg. They range from regional chains to ghost kitchens and offer flavors like butter chicken, chili paneer and tandoori chicken. Moon Pizza in Hilliard has been getting rave reviews and has an extensive pizza menu with a lot of vegetarian options like Amritsari choley (chickpea) and potato masala. Halwani’s Pizza & Stromboli has been serving a variety of international pizzas in Grandview for over a decade, but in 2024 they expanded with two new locations on Sawmill Road and in Hilliard.
Where to find Indian pizza: Moon Pizza, Halwani Pizza & Stromboli (3 locations), Masala Slice, Two Fatt Indians, Tikka Curry & Grill, Pizzawala's and Dadu’s Bakery & Sweets
Have you tried any of these trends? Let us know what you think!
Notes
Around the Columbus Food & Drink Scene
Columbus was represented extremely well at this year’s Golden Bean World Series, the largest coffee roasting competition in the world. Brandon Bir, the director of sustainability at Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea, was named Overall Champion at the awards, which took place last week in Antigua, Guatemala. He also earned gold in the espresso category and silver in the milk-based category.
A round of applause is also in order for Royal Flamingo Coffee and founders Bryan and Beth Brzozowski. The local coffee roaster medaled in two of the three categories it entered in this year’s Golden Bean. Royal Flamingo won bronze for both filter coffee and espresso with milk. The same coffee, Enigma Hops, won in both categories. Enigma Hops is now available at Royal Flamingo Coffee House in Grandview—one of our favorite coffee shops that transforms into a bar at night.
Columbus Food Adventures will continue its “Taste of” series on Wednesday, March 26, with a special “Taste of Bolivia” dinner prepared by the owners of Teas Your Spirits in Hilliard. Bolivian cocktails will be available for purchase. Reserve your seats for the 6:30 p.m. dinner here.
You can kick off St. Patrick’s Day a week early during North Market Bridge Park’s Lucky Leaf Market on Saturday, March 8, from 9 a.m. to noon at 6750 Longshore St. The Saturday farmers market event will feature local vendors, brunch from the market’s vendors, exclusive cocktails at Market Bar and more.
The focaccia trend was on my radar but not these other dishes. For focaccia my go-to is Pelinos but I'm excited to try Lara Pippia's brunch pop-up. Re: Indian pizza: I've had halwani's pizza and enjoyed the flavors - I'd like to try Moon pizza to see if their crust is more my style, too.
I see a side trip to Al Aqsa Sweets on my next Costco run for a Dubai Strawberry Cup. Also to High Eats or ANA Shawarma on my next trip to Lucky's for the Chopped Cheese.