The Pearl is a seafood restaurant in Short North, Columbus.
The Pearl on North High Street is the Cameron Mitchell oyster bar and gastropub anchoring the Columbus Short North restaurant strip with a raw bar.
Signature dishes: Oysters on the half shell, Steak frites
Must order: Half-dozen oysters from the daily list and the steak frites.
Tip: The bar takes walk-ins; oyster happy hour weekdays from 16:00.
Address: 641 N High St, Columbus, OH 43215
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.
Schmidt's Sausage Haus on Kossuth Street in German Village is the canonical Columbus German hall, with the Bahama Mama sausage and the fist-sized Cream Puff.
Signature: Bahama Mama, Cream Puff
Order: The Autobahn buffet with the Bahama Mama, followed by a cream puff.
Tip: No reservations; mid-afternoon is the shorter line.
Katzinger's Delicatessen on South Third Street in German Village has run as Columbus's Jewish delicatessen since 1984, with the Reuben and matzoh ball soup.
Signature: Reuben sandwich, Matzoh ball soup
Order: The Reuben on rye with a cup of matzoh ball soup.
Tip: Counter ordering; the cured-meat case at the front sells whole salami and rye loaves to go.
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.
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.
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.
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.
