Columbus: Fun Chocolate-Making Workshop
Create your own handcrafted chocolate treats from scratch in a fun, hands-on workshop. Learn to melt, mold and decorate delicious confections, then take home skills th...
Columbus eats off three currents: a 19th century German Village immigrant foundation, an Ohio State University college town energy and a daily neighborhood market culture anchored by North Market since 1876. Schmidt's Sausage Haus on Kossuth Street, run by the Schmidt family since 1886, still serves the Bahama Mama sausage and the fist-sized Cream Puff in the heart of German Village. Donatos invented the Columbus-style thin-crust, square-cut, edge-to-edge pepperoni pizza on Thurman Avenue in 1963, and Wendy's opened on East Broad Street in 1969 with Dave Thomas's square fresh-beef patty. Jeni Britton Bauer opened Splendid Ice Creams in 2002 and the original scoop counter at North Market remains the city's daily line. Fine dining runs through Veritas on Gay Street (Josh Dalton tasting menu), The Refectory on Bethel Road in a 19th century church (the contemporary French dining room celebrates 50 years in 2026, with chef Richard Blondin running the kitchen since 1992) and Lindey's in German Village. Hofbrauhaus on Goodale, Wolf's Ridge on Fourth Street, Land-Grant in Franklinton and Seventh Son in Italian Village run the brewery map.
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Map of Columbus
Every restaurant, cafe, market and bar we cover in Columbus, pinned. Click a pin for the page.
Where to eat in Columbus: editor-picked starting points
5 institutional venues to anchor a Columbus food trip
- Veritas - Tasting menu, chef Josh Dalton
- The Refectory - French fine dining, chef Richard Blondin
- Joya's Cafe - New American, chef Avishar Barua
- Schmidt's Sausage Haus - German
- Lindey's - New American
Signature Columbus dishes
- Columbus-style pizza - A thin-crust, square-cut pie with pepperoni laid edge to edge and a crisp bottom
- Schmidt's Bahama Mama sausage - A coarse-ground beef and pork sausage seasoned with paprika, garlic and chili, smoked and served sliced over kraut at Schmidt's Sausage Haus in German Village
- Jeni's Brambleberry Crisp - A grass-grazed ice cream swirled with seasonal blackberry-blueberry jam and crunchy oat streusel
- Schmidt's Cream Puff - A pate a choux shell the size of two fists, split and filled with sweetened whipped cream, dusted with powdered sugar
- Wendy's square fresh-beef patty - A fresh-beef square patty that hangs over the round bun edges, never frozen
Best Columbus neighborhoods for food
- Short North - High Street gallery row between downtown and Ohio State, the densest restaurant and bar corridor in Columbus
- German Village - 233 acre 1840s German immigrant district south of downtown, on the National Register since 1974
- Italian Village - Emerging dining district east of Short North along North Fourth Street
- Brewery District - South of downtown along South Front and South High Streets, the 19th century German brewing zone where Louis Hoster opened the first brewery in 1836 and modern bars and offices now sit in the converted brewery shells
Signature dishes in Columbus
The plates that define eating in Columbus.
Columbus-style pizza
A thin-crust, square-cut pie with pepperoni laid edge to edge and a crisp bottom. The pizza was codified at Donatos on Thurman Avenue in 1963 by Jim Grote and remains the city's defining regional pie.
Where: Donatos Pizza, Yellow Brick Pizza, Mikey's Late Night Slice
Schmidt's Bahama Mama sausage
A coarse-ground beef and pork sausage seasoned with paprika, garlic and chili, smoked and served sliced over kraut at Schmidt's Sausage Haus in German Village. Family signature since 1967.
Where: Schmidt's Sausage Haus, Schmidt's Bahama Mama Counter
Jeni's Brambleberry Crisp
A grass-grazed ice cream swirled with seasonal blackberry-blueberry jam and crunchy oat streusel. Brambleberry Crisp is the Jeni's flavor that defines the Columbus-founded brand nationally.
Where: Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams North Market, Jeni's Splendid Scoop
Schmidt's Cream Puff
A pate a choux shell the size of two fists, split and filled with sweetened whipped cream, dusted with powdered sugar. The Schmidt's Cream Puff is the German Village dessert finish at Sausage Haus and Fudge Haus.
Where: Schmidt's Sausage Haus, Schmidt's Fudge Haus
Wendy's square fresh-beef patty
A fresh-beef square patty that hangs over the round bun edges, never frozen. Dave Thomas's original Wendy's signature, launched at the first East Broad Street location in 1969.
Pistacia Vera kouign-amann
A laminated brioche-style pastry from Brittany, with butter folded into the dough and a caramelized sugar crust. Pistacia Vera's German Village version is Columbus's reference French pastry.
Where: Pistacia Vera, Pistacia Vera Short North, Pistacia Vera Cafe German Village
Graeter's French-pot black raspberry chocolate chip
French-pot ice cream churned two gallons at a time in copper kettles, with hand-folded chocolate chunks and black raspberry. Cincinnati founded, Columbus-served at every Graeter's scoop counter.
Where: Graeter's Ice Cream Easton
Where to eat Graeter's French-pot black raspberry chocolate chip in Columbus →
Hoyo's Kitchen sambusa
A triangular Somali pastry pocket filled with spiced beef, chicken or vegetables, deep-fried golden. Hoyo's Kitchen at North Market serves the Columbus-Somali sambusa to a wide eater base.
Where: Hoyo's Kitchen, Hoyo's Kitchen North Market, Hoyo's Kitchen North Market Bridge Park
The Refectory beef bourguignon
Slowly braised beef in red Burgundy with mushrooms, pearl onions and bacon lardons. The Refectory's contemporary French canon on Bethel Road since 1976, paired from the 700-bottle Burgundy cellar.
Where: The Refectory, The Refectory Wine Cellar
Joya's Bengali breakfast plate
A plate of Bengali eggs over rice, chana masala and a spiced potato curry, served with house chai. Avishar Barua's Bengali American daytime signature at Joya's in Worthington.
Where: Joya's Cafe, Joya's Cafe Worthington, Joya's Cafe Bengali Brunch
Fox in the Snow cinnamon roll
A buttery laminated brioche roll, snail-coiled with cinnamon-sugar filling and finished with a thin cream cheese glaze. Fox in the Snow's Columbus signature since 2014.
Where: Fox in the Snow German Village, Fox in the Snow Italian Village, Fox in the Snow Clintonville
Hoyo's chicken suqaar
Diced chicken thigh simmered with onion, green pepper and Somali spices, served over rice with a side of banana. Hoyo's chicken suqaar at North Market is the city's reference Somali stew.
Where: Hoyo's Kitchen, Hoyo's Kitchen North Market
Restaurants to know in Columbus
A handful of the places we send friends to when they are in Columbus.
Veritas
Veritas on West Gay Street downtown is Chef Josh Dalton's Columbus tasting-menu room, the city's reference fine-dining counter since the 2017 move.
Signature: Tasting menu, Seasonal small plates
The Refectory
The Refectory on Bethel Road, run inside a 19th century church since 1976, is Columbus's contemporary French tasting room with a 700-bottle Burgundy cellar.
Signature: Classic French canon, Burgundian wine list
Lindey's
Lindey's on East Beck Street has been German Village's brick-paved district anchor American room since 1981, with a covered patio in Columbus.
Signature: Roasted half chicken, Pan-seared scallops
Schmidt's Sausage Haus
Schmidt's Sausage Haus on Kossuth Street is Columbus's canonical German Village hall, run by the Schmidt family since their 1886 meatpacker.
Signature: Bahama Mama sausage, Cream Puff
Service Bar
Service Bar on Courtland Avenue is the chef-driven new American counter inside Middle West Spirits, the Columbus distillery cocktail pairing.
Signature: Seasonal small plates, Cocktail pairings
The Pearl
The Pearl on North High Street is the Cameron Mitchell oyster bar and gastropub anchoring the Columbus Short North strip with a deep raw bar.
Signature: Oysters on the half shell, Steak frites
Where to eat by neighborhood
Short North
High Street gallery row between downtown and Ohio State, the densest restaurant and bar corridor in Columbus. Northstar, The Pearl, Brassica, Forno, One Line Coffee and Jeni's scoop counter all sit on or near High.
Best for: Brunch, Cocktails, Pizza, Wine bars
German Village
233 acre 1840s German immigrant district south of downtown, on the National Register since 1974. Schmidt's Sausage Haus, Lindey's on East Beck, Pistacia Vera, Fox in the Snow on Thurman and Stauf's Third Street counter.
Best for: German, Bakeries, Fine dining, Cafes
Italian Village
Emerging dining district east of Short North along North Fourth Street. Fox in the Snow North Fourth, Seventh Son Brewing, Mission Coffee Annex and Hoof Hearted Fifth Avenue anchor the corridor.
Best for: Brewery, Cafes, New American
Brewery District
South of downtown along South Front and South High Streets, the 19th century German brewing zone where Louis Hoster opened the first brewery in 1836 and modern bars and offices now sit in the converted brewery shells.
Best for: German beer halls, Pub food
Franklinton
West Side river district, the city's original 1797 settlement, now an arts and brewery hub. Land-Grant Brewing on West Town Street and Yellow Brick Pizza on West Rich anchor the food scene.
Best for: Brewery, Pizza, Casual
Clintonville
Residential High Street stretch north of Ohio State. Northstar Beechwold, Pattycake Bakery, Fox in the Snow Clintonville and Crimson Cup roastery sit on the High Street corridor.
Best for: Brunch, Cafes, Vegan
When to come hungry in Columbus
Peak food season: May through October for the Worthington and North Market outdoor seasons and patio dining city-wide. Ohio State football Saturdays in September and October draw the Short North and the Brewery District. Columbus Italian Festival the second weekend of October, Greek Festival Labor Day weekend, Asian Festival Memorial Day weekend. Apples and cider mid-September through November.
Local dining hours: Lunch 11:30-14:00. Dinner 17:00-22:00, last seating around 21:00 on weeknights and 22:00 on Friday and Saturday. Brunch 09:00-14:00 across Clintonville, the Short North and German Village. Sunday brunch is the heaviest dining service. North Market opens 09:00 Tuesday through Saturday and 10:00 Sunday and Monday.
Tipping: Tip 18 to 22 percent on the pre-tax total at sit-down restaurants. Counters and bars get $1 to $2 per drink or 18 to 20 percent. Tasting menus at Veritas and the Refectory may include service; check the bill before adding more.
Columbus food, FAQ
What food is Columbus known for?
Columbus's signature dishes include Columbus-style pizza, Schmidt's Bahama Mama sausage, Jeni's Brambleberry Crisp, Schmidt's Cream Puff, Wendy's square fresh-beef patty. See our signature dishes chapter for where to eat each.
What are the best food neighborhoods in Columbus?
TableJourney editors map Columbus by district. Short North, German Village, Italian Village, Brewery District are among the strongest for food, each with its own guide.
Where should I eat fine dining in Columbus?
Editor picks in Columbus include Veritas, The Refectory, Lindey's, plus the full fine dining chapter on TableJourney.
Are there food tours in Columbus?
TableJourney covers 4 editor-picked food tours in Columbus, with what each shows you and how much to budget.
Does Columbus have good vegetarian or vegan food?
TableJourney's Columbus dietary chapter covers vegan, vegetarian, gluten_free, halal, kosher venues, each editor-picked with what to order and how to ask.