This Former Ho-Hum Restaurant Scene is Becoming an International Food Destination
In food news: Cobra gains more accolades, and Maison Skalli closes one location.
Surprises Abound During a Recent Hunt for New International Eats
By Andy Dehus
Recently, Bethia and I spent a meandering afternoon exploring a certain neighborhood’s international foods—as we are wont to do from time to time.
We thought we’d share a snapshot of the day.
First, a stop into an Iraqi-run bakery offering baklava galore. Then, around the corner to a Palestinian shawarma joint that, in addition to the expected offerings, also slices seasoned turkey meat off of a vertical rotisserie. Never seen that before.
Check out the Middle Eastern market next door? Why not? And we might as well peruse the menu of the taco truck in the parking lot while we’re at it.
Across the street, there’s a fun-looking Latin American market called Santiago that, upon closer inspection, features an order-at-the-register kitchen cranking out chilaquiles, barbacoa and other Mexican favorites behind the meat counter. Then, we were off to a new halal burger joint just down the road, recently opened by the nephew of the gentleman who ran the counter at the first Yemeni coffee shop in Central Ohio.
Though it ended up feeling like an ambitious outing, it was the sort of happenstance that could have easily played out on a hot stretch of Morse, Brice or Bethel Roads.
Instead, this all occurred within a few blocks in Hilliard—the same Hilliard where locals used to tell us, “We have Starliner Diner, and we have chains.” Where only a few years ago, a brainstorming session with the visitor’s bureau about how to promote Hilliard’s food offerings left everyone scratching their heads.
We’ve been noticing a steady drip of intriguing international openings in the ’burb over the last 18 months. For example, The Foodletter recently covered Creme de la Creme’s Ukrainian fare, and the Algerian pizzas hiding inside of Daylight Donuts.
But lately it’s been a firehose of interesting new additions. Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Palestinian, Moroccan, Jordanian, Indian, Algerian and other cuisines have all popped up, with rumors of even more to come soon.
During our excursion, Vanilla—the aforementioned Iraqi bakery at 2604 Hilliard Rome Road—was a clear standout, featuring not only a solid rendition of knafeh and a unique crumble-topped take on halwa, but also one of the most extensive ranges of baklava in the city. Vanilla’s basbousa was a favorite, and delectably unique for including patterned dollops of custard baked into the traditional semolina cake base. Pricing is very reasonable.
Teas Your Spirits, another new Hilliard arrival at 5286 Center St., is what you get when a Dominican tea lover and her Bolivian spouse, whose resume includes Rigsby’s and Tasi Cafe, decide to pack all of their varied culinary interests into one charming, little, just-off-the-main-drag eatery. Everything about the thoroughly eclectic menu makes you wonder if it could work, and everything about the experience confirms that it does. Start with the best empanadas in the city, and explore from there. We were impressed by the clear concern for quality of ingredients, the high level of craft you’d expect based on the head chef’s resume, and a quirky, warm and welcoming vibe.
Beyond the above (and suggestions below), there are more bright spots on the Hilliard food scene yet, including at least one relatively high-profile opening coming this summer. As we continue to explore, we’ll continue to share!
Other Notable International Spots in Hilliard
Daawat Indian Cuisine (6542 Hayden Run Road, Ste.1) A casual Indian restaurant with a mix of traditional Mughlai, South Indian, Hyderabadi and Indo-Chinese dishes
Dahab Restaurant & Cafe (3708 Fishinger Blvd.) Middle Eastern fare with an emphasis on Jordanian dishes
Finjani Yemeni Cafe (4734 Cemetery Road) A pleasant cafe serving Yemeni coffee and pastries
Halal-Mediterranean Food Imports & Bakery #3 (3652 Main St.) A one-stop shop for Middle Eastern groceries, halal meats, produce and prepared foods like hummus, falafel and shawarma
Juice Time (1722 Hilliard Rome Road) A Saudi-owned cafe with Kuwaiti origins, offering a dizzying range of Middle Eastern-style beverages and desserts
Mala Hotpot (3777 Park Mill Run Drive) Traditional Chinese-style hotpot dining with individual pot service
Moon Pizza (3861 Park Mill Run Drive) Hilliard’s entry into the expanding Indian pizza genre
Olive Tree Lebanese & Mediterranean Cafe (3185 Hilliard Rome Road) The original Middle Eastern restaurant in Hilliard and still one of the most popular
Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co. (3221 Hilliard Rome Road) This Tinapple Plaza location was the first Yemeni coffee shop to open in Central Ohio.
Pho Thanh (4568 Cemetery Road) A Vietnamese restaurant offering traditional fare like pho, banh mi and vermicelli noodle dishes
Pine Coast Cafe (3229 Hilliard Rome Road) A Yemeni-run, halal take on burgers, cheesesteaks and other American favorites
Santiago Supermarket (5431 Roberts Road) An orderly Latin American market with a kitchen offering Mexican favorites
Shawarma & Grill House (5394 Roberts Road) A Palestinian-owned spot featuring shawarma and an intriguing range of regional breakfast dishes
Tu Taco Mexican Food (5378 Roberts Road) A taco truck offering a small menu of authentic tacos, tortas and more
Zaytoon Mediterranean Grill (5450 Westpointe Plaza Drive) A fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant where you can build your own bowl with hummus, salad, falafel, proteins and more
Notes
Around the Columbus Food & Drink Scene
Speaking of Hilliard, the Moroccan-French cafe Maison Skalli announced this week on social media that its Hilliard location has closed after less than a month. In the announcement, the owners said they are “working on a brand new second location that is designed to give you an even warmer experience.” Maison Skalli’s Dublin location remains open at 2746 Festival Lane.
Columbus Independents, an organization dedicated to promoting independent restaurants, is holding its quarterly restaurant gift certificate sale on Wednesday, April 23. For just $17.50, you’ll receive a gift certificate for $25; for $35 you’ll score a $50 certificate.
The folks at Cobra are racking up the accolades. The esteemed Tales of the Cocktail Foundation (TOTCF) recently announced its Regional Top 10 Honorees for the 19th annual Spirited Awards, and Cobra is nominated in two categories. The “good night bar” on South High street is contending for both Best U.S. Bar Team and the Best U.S. Restaurant Bar awards in the Central Division. Top 10 nominees will be announced in May, with the annual awards ceremony taking place in July in New Orleans.
Chapman’s Eat Market is offering a weeklong preview of its forthcoming sister restaurant Metsi’s, which we previewed here. You can reserve your seats now for the ticketed 6-course Italian dinner series taking place May 4-10. Tickets are $75 per person.
Ok wow this makes me want to try so many things! I'm especially intrigued by the rotisserie turkey and basbousa. Thanks for the tips!