American Tavern$$german-villageMon-Thu 11:00-22:00; Fri-Sat 11:00-23:00; Sun 11:00-21:00
The Old Mohawk on Mohawk Street in Columbus's German Village has been a tavern since 1933 with turtle soup, the tavern burger and a cash-friendly back bar.
Signature: Turtle soup, Tavern burger
Order: A cup of turtle soup followed by the tavern burger and a cold draft.
Tip: Weekend lunches are the easiest seating; dinner gets a wait.
American Diner$$grandview-heightsMon-Fri 11:00-15:45 lunch; Tue-Thu 16:00-21:00 dinner; Fri-Sat 16:00-22:00; Sun 11:00-14:45 brunch + 16:00-21:00
Cap City Fine Diner on Olentangy River Road in Grandview is the Cameron Mitchell upscale-diner counter with the meatloaf and the Cap City burger.
Signature: Meatloaf, Cap City burger
Order: The classic meatloaf with mashed potatoes and a Cap City Old Fashioned.
Tip: Reservations on OpenTable for dinner; happy hour at the bar weekdays 16:00-18:00.
Mediterranean$$short-northDaily 11:00-21:30
Brassica on North High Street in Columbus's Short North is the Mediterranean fast-casual counter with hearth-baked pita and house-made falafel.
Signature: Hearth-baked pita, Falafel
Order: A bowl with falafel, roasted carrots, hummus and marinated eggplant.
Tip: The to-go counter side door beats the dining room queue at lunch.
Levantine$$clintonvilleMon-Thu 11:00-21:00; Fri-Sat 11:00-22:00; Sun 11:00-21:00
Aladdin's Eatery on North High Street in Clintonville is the city's Lebanese Mediterranean counter, with a long mezze list and a deep vegetarian menu.
Signature: Mezze plate, Pita rollups
Order: Hummus and baba ghanoush mezze with warm pita.
Tip: Vegan and gluten-free options clearly tagged.
Pizza$$franklintonMon-Thu 11:00-22:00; Fri 11:00-23:00; Sat-Sun 11:00-22:00
Yellow Brick Pizza on West Rich Street in Columbus's Franklinton is the city's craft pizza counter for thin-crust New York slices and whole pies.
Signature: New York slice, Whole margherita pie
Order: The margherita whole pie and a pepperoni slice for the road.
Tip: Counter service; whole pies take a 20 minute wait.
Wine bar$$german-villageTue-Thu 16:00-22:00; Fri-Sat 16:00-23:00; Sun 11:00-21:00; closed Mon
The Sycamore on East Sycamore Street has been a German Village gathering room for over a century, now a wine-and-bites bar under 2021 ownership.
Signature: Bar pizza, Cheese plates
Order: A bar pizza from the small plates list with a glass off the natural list.
Tip: Walk-up bar seats; weekend brunch fills a small dining room.