Fancy Some French Tacos or Algerian Pizza? Here’s Where to Find Them in Columbus
Plus, Dr. Wich's "High on Brunch" pop up kicks off this Sunday at Antiques on High.
Finding Algerian Fare in Unexpected Places
By Bethia Woolf
Columbus has a growing Algerian population, and while the city does not yet have an Algerian restaurant, we have started to see Algerian food popping up in unexpected places.
The first place we encountered it was at Daylight Donuts in Hilliard. An Algerian server at Finjani Cafe gave us the tip that there was someone nearby serving Algerian pizza. She directed us to Daylight Donuts, which still serves American doughnuts but has branched out into Algerian-style pizza, along with some Algerian breads and pastries.
The next tip we received was that Algerian tacos and sandwiches could be found at Wings and More on Summit Street. Really? A little research into the viral fast food trend of Algerian tacos piqued our curiosity, leading us to this modest takeout restaurant located next to Rumba Cafe.
First of all, Algerian tacos—or French tacos, as they are more commonly known—are nothing like Mexican tacos. The name remains "tacos" even in the singular, but they are much more similar to a flattened burrito than a traditional taco.
Hugely popular across the Francophone world, they combine French street food influences with Middle Eastern halal flavors. French tacos consist of a flour tortilla filled with a protein (chicken was the recommended option at Wings and More, but beef and merguez are also available), shredded cheese, french fries, a cheesy white sauce and a piquant mayonnaise-based condiment known as Algérienne sauce (or Algerian sauce).
French tacos are believed to have been invented in France by North African immigrants. As is often the case, pinpointing the exact origin is difficult. If you’re interested in a deeper dive into the phenomenon of French tacos, The New Yorker has this fascinating deep dive on the subject.
Back at Wings and More, which has been Algerian-owned for 18 months, we also sampled the Algerian sandwich—a baguette filled with merguez (or your choice of protein), french fries and Algerian sauce. It’s a version of another popular French street food, the merguez frites. Our group particularly enjoyed the baguette, but if you’re looking for a generous, portable snack—perhaps after a night of drinking or while experiencing the munchies—then French tacos might be just what you need.
Wings and More also offers Algerian-style pizza, generously topped with mozzarella and featuring options like tuna and ground beef. As the restaurant is halal, no pork toppings are available. It’s not going to be the best pizza you ever had, but it’s certainly not bad.
Unsurprisingly, Wings and More also serves wings and a variety of other fast food items.
As far as Algerian desserts go, Wings and More has a limited selection. However, if you’re looking to explore the world of Algerian pastries more fully, we recommend Gourmand Croquant Bakery in Columbus Square, which has a much broader selection. Columbus also has several Algerian home-based bakeries, such as Algerian Delights and Algerian Kitchen. The Napoleon, or mille-feuille ("thousand leaf" pastry), is particularly popular in Algeria, but there are many other traditional Maghreb and French pastries to discover.
Pop Up News
Dr. Wich Launches “High on Brunch” This Sunday
By Erin Edwards
Over the weekend we got a preview of “High on Brunch” by Dr. Wich, the new pop up from chef Lara Yazvac Pipia at Antiques on High. Starting Feb. 23, Dr. Wich will be serving its creative brunch fare from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Sunday from the food truck parked outside Antiques’ back door.
Over the years, Lara has been leaving her imprint on menus all over Columbus as a chef and consultant. She was the founding executive chef at Freedom a La Cart and also a chef consultant when Freedom’s Downtown cafe opened in 2021. She also developed the menu for Emmet’s Cafe, and some readers may recall her wonderful front porch pop-ups, dubbed SoHud Squirrels.
The High on Brunch menu features several sandwiches on house focaccia, two rice porridges (one savory and one sweet), a grazing board, brunch salad and house doughnuts (get there early if you aim to snag one). There are kid-friendly menu options, too.
Groups looking for lots of interesting things to nibble on should check out the The Brunch Board, featuring things like tinned fish, chorizo, labneh, pickled veg, crostini, jam and other elements.
Breakfast sandwich lovers may want to go with the El Quixote, with Spanish chorizo, smoky tomato jam, baked egg, Manchego and more.
My personal favorite from the preview was the Clean Comfort Bowl, a savory rice porridge with coconut-milk-kissed rice and notes of turmeric and ginger. It’s topped with a soft egg, magic peanuts, cilantro and chili crisp. Lara describes it as a “warm hug,” and I agree.
For something truly decadent and unique, don’t miss The Pâtty, a savory-sweet doughnut with pâté-butter filling and a tart cherry glaze. It’s like something The Refectory would serve but approachable and fun in fried dough form. Not into pâté? Go with the seasonal doughnut, which is currently passionfruit.
Lara’s dream has long been to open a community-focused brunch spot, and High on Brunch is a step in that direction. “I want to see people, I want to talk to people, I want to love on people,” Lara says. She hopes it can grow into a community event that fosters mutual aid activities like seed swaps, books swaps, charitable donation drives and more.
I tried them all, they are so delicious 😋 thank you for sharing
Merguez frites!! What a find.