Eating in Columbus is like going through a microcosm of the U.S., a mid-sizing land of milk, honey, and Buckeyes. The town is home to immigrant traditions and wealthy culinary historical past, from the wonderful dining legend keeping courtroom among the cobblestone streets and crimson brick structures in German Village, to the food items truck parked on hustling, bustling Large Road meting out birria tacos, to the concealed gem tucked away inside of a strip shopping mall serving Ghanaian classics to neighborhood aunties and uncles.
A lot of of these companies just take gain of the city’s amazing, historic architecture, but loads extra eating places have withstood the check of time in a lot less auspicious households. Choose a appear by way of the home windows of a when rusty hundred-year-aged gas station to see crowds Instagramming pancake balls powdered with sugar and served with an assortment of sweet sauces. Or request out the compact brick making off the freeway, a write-up-Prohibition relic which is grow to be a go-to dive for regulars, newbies, and any individual having off function in want of revival. Then test beneath the neon sign all around the corner for a bedrock of Buckeye tradition where alumni and new young children on the block satisfy in excess of new, previous-faculty doughnuts.
If Columbus is a microcosm of the country, it has also knowledgeable the difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic that impacted all American foods communities. Lots of of the city’s most noteworthy eating places, standby watering holes, and beloved companies have closed their doors. The spots that populate this checklist are not the only deserving types, but you can see the trails of difficult operate and perseverance that allowed them to adapt to the new realities of pandemic dining.
You will sample a bit of history and a good deal of world flavors as you eat your way around the city’s necessary dining places, but each and every food is quintessentially Columbus. So occur acquire a seat, grab a menu (or load it up from a QR code), and gear up for a feast. And as usually, idea generously, mask up when requested, and indulge.
Angela Lee is a author, photographer, and nurse, but most of all a storyteller weaving unbelievable stories and usually browsing for her following culinary journey. Her do the job has been highlighted in Edible Columbus and 614 Magazine.
Take note: Dining places on this map are shown geographically.