Our Favorite Bites and Dishes in 2025
Happy New Year! As we kick off 2026, forgive us if we're still reminiscing about some of our favorite bites from the past year.
After looking back through our food photos and searching our collective memories (which are far less reliable than the photos), it’s clear that it’s been a very good year of eating in Columbus.
Here are some of our favorite new discoveries from this year:
One of the more daring dishes I enjoyed—no, adored—this year was from an April visit to Gene’s in historic Dublin. I mean, the audacity of the chef to put a dish of turnips on the menu! But these jewel-like, glazed turnips came bathed in dashi and topped with speck and orange pops of roe. A true knockout.—Erin
My favorite dessert of the year has been gelato. Last summer, my friend Tania and I attempted to try all of the gelato places in Columbus, and we got pretty close. My favorite spot, which is dangerously close to home, is Piazza Pelino. The flavors change slightly each time you visit, but I always love the coffee, pistachio and chocolate.—Bethia
Though the fish coming out of the fryer can vary, during every visit I’ve made to Modern Southern Table the Mississippi fried fish has been catfish. The smartly salted cornmeal crust—perfect. Fish flavor and texture–perfect. Ratio of crust to fish—perfect. MST has nailed it in a way that nobody else in town has, and if the waits are anything to go by, the word is out.—Andy
This year was a great one for sandwiches in Columbus. We have old standbys like Brown Bag Deli, Katzinger’s and Wario’s, but also newcomers like Caroline’s, Milo’s and Fat Arnie’s. The best sandwich I had this year—and even Andy, a turkey skeptic, will agree with me—was Dan the Baker’s turkey and bacon sandwich on housemade “slab” bread.—Erin
Every new introduction at Mjomii Dessert & Coffee House has had countless hours of refinement behind its development, and the cafe’s coffee jelly is surely no exception. It doesn’t just taste of coffee, it tastes brightly of a quality roast, and its deft balance of delicateness and firmness is a tribute to a preparation style that prides itself on achieving a perfect texture.—Andy
The best “life hack” I can share is getting a bar seat at Agni, where you can enjoy some of the menu à la carte without committing to the full tasting-menu experience. It’s best to go right when Agni opens, or later in the evening after the peak dinner rush. The boneless duck wing I had there was one of my favorite bites of the year.—Bethia
Another wing I’ll be hunting down again is the stuffed chicken wing from Lovely’s Lao Street Eats. I first fell in love with this dish when Siem Reap was open on the West Side (circa 2012–2013), and I was thrilled when Lovely’s offered it as a special. If you see it on the menu, don’t hesitate. It was worth waiting a decade to have it again.—Bethia
One of my favorite new restaurants is Osaka Ton Katsu, located by Columbus Commons. (It made our 2025 list of favorite new restaurants, too.) I love the small and focused menu, the attention to detail, and the fact that I can enjoy “Midnight Diner” soup, tonjiru.—Bethia
Kittie’s Cakes, Fox in the Snow and bygone Omega Artisan Baking have long had my favorite cinnamon rolls in town, but I have a new go-to spot for excellent cinnamon rolls: Pick’Em Up Joe Coffee Co. in Grove City. Even if you live 25 minutes up I-71, it’s worth the drive to this cute Broadway coffee shop that also bakes outstanding kolaches.—Erin
A new craving of mine is the di guo pork rib stew at Fiery Sky Asian Kitchen. It’s perfect for winter: warm, hearty and meaty, with pumpkin and potato that soak up the spicy gravy beautifully. Read more about Fiery Sky here.—Bethia
In my line of work, one of the most common questions I get is: “What’s your favorite restaurant?” I always decline to answer that one. Another one I struggle with is usually “Who has the best steak?” This year, I have an answer. In 2025, the best steak I devoured was a medium-rare wagyu strip at Butcher & Rose, eaten at the bar in the lovely, light-filled space that hugs Broad Street.—Erin
Everything on chef Yudi Makkasau’s menu at Haru Omakase is a pleaser, but when asked about his favorite fish one night, he grinned slightly as he said the barracuda. I’d never seen it on a sushi menu before, but shortly thereafter I smiled, too. The meaty but yielding flesh had been thoughtfully torched and was accompanied by scallion, shishito pepper and nori paste to make for an unforgettable nigiri bite.—Andy
My favorite new chef discovery is Jeremy Nelson of Umbral Supper Club. Over the past 20 years, the Ohio chef has crisscrossed the country working in Michelin-starred kitchens in cities including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. More recently, he’s settled in Columbus. We attended one of his supper clubs earlier this year and immediately asked him to collaborate on an event with Columbus Food Adventures. His meticulously thought-through courses are paired with exquisite plating and plenty of clever flavor combinations. We’re lucky to have such a talented chef join the roster of Columbus chefs.—Bethia
I’ve already mentioned Family Restaurant & Bakery more than anywhere else this year, but its deliciously distinct Iraqi preparation of kefta served in house-baked samoon bread has me bringing them up again. Read more about the restaurant here.—Andy
Maybe some of the best food advice I read this year came from Joya’s chef de cuisine Miguel Bautista who says his go-to chilaquiles can be found at Tio’s Diner. Make that two of us.—Erin
There isn’t a prettier place to enjoy a Japanese-style omakase meal than the Hilton’s Stories on High, and this year there wasn’t a more attention grabbing course than their delicately basted and binchotan-grilled quail skewer.—Andy
We Tennessee natives have deep, abiding affection for tomatoes. So I really enjoyed chef Andrew Smith’s celebration of summer tomatoes during an August trip to Isla. First, was a tomato sandwiched in a near-perfect biscuit; soon after came a concentrated tomato course that captured the essence of the fruit, turning its tomatoey-ness up to 11.—Erin
Korean restaurants make a good case for short rib being the king of prepared beef, and they make that case through kalbi. Though I’ve had delicious kalbi at Don Pocha and Gogi, my favorite bite of it this year was found at Bethel Road stalwart Min-Ga Korean Restaurant.—Andy
A couple of other fun things I ate this year include Dewey’s smashing pumpkin pizza, which I’m already looking forward to next fall, and the naanwich at Tandoori Grill. It’s a sausage roll meets naan and kebab, and it’s truly a match made in heaven.—Bethia
One of my favorite lunches happened when I wandered solo into Speck Italian Eatery and wasn’t feeling like pasta or focaccia. So, I ordered a wacky pairing: The gem salad, easily one of the city’s best salads. The greenery comes positively snowed under in fluffy Parm. Clearly, I needed more cheese, so I added a side of crispy new potatoes. The showstopper is the potatoes’ impossibly light Parmesan foam—I could eat it by the spoonful.—Erin
Thank you for the recommendation of pick ‘em up Joe in Grove City. Incredible cinnamon rolls! I’m quite picky about cinnamon rolls and these are the closest I’ve had to homemade in a long time . We also enjoyed some savory kolaches.