Cheap Eats in Columbus

Pistacia Vera ★ 4.7

german-village · 541 S 3rd St, Columbus, OH 43215

Pistacia Vera on South Third Street is the Columbus German Village French patisserie since 2004, with macarons, kouign-amann and laminated pastries.

Fox in the Snow German Village ★ 4.7

german-village · 210 Thurman Ave, Columbus, OH 43206

Fox in the Snow on Thurman Avenue in Columbus is the reference bakery cafe for the giant cinnamon roll and the buttermilk biscuit sandwich since 2018.

Fox in the Snow Cafe German Village ★ 4.7

210 Thurman Ave, Columbus, OH 43206

Fox in the Snow Cafe on Thurman Avenue in Columbus's German Village is the city's reference morning room, with the wood-warmed cinnamon roll and espresso.

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams North Market ★ 4.7

downtown · 59 Spruce St, Columbus, OH 43215

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at North Market downtown is the original 2002 Jeni Britton Bauer counter where the national ice cream brand began.

Fox in the Snow Cinnamon Roll ★ 4.7

german-village · 210 Thurman Ave, Columbus, OH 43206

Fox in the Snow's signature cinnamon roll plus a drip coffee at the Thurman Avenue counter runs under $11, the Columbus morning cheap classic.

Fox in the Snow Italian Village ★ 4.6

italian-village · 1031 N 4th St, Columbus, OH 43201

Fox in the Snow Italian Village on North Fourth Street is the second Columbus Fox shop, with laminated pastries and the buttermilk egg sandwich daily.

Fox in the Snow Cafe Italian Village ★ 4.6

1031 N 4th St, Columbus, OH 43201

Fox in the Snow Italian Village on North Fourth Street is the second Fox shop, with the egg sandwich and the rotating Stumptown filter coffee.

Joya's Cafe ★ 4.6

657 High St, Worthington, OH 43085

Joya's Cafe on High Street in Old Worthington Columbus is Chef Avishar Barua's Bengali American daytime room with chai and coffee, named for his mother.

Jeni's Splendid Scoop ★ 4.6

downtown · 59 Spruce St, Columbus, OH 43215

A single Jeni's scoop at the Columbus North Market original counter runs under $7, the city's icon for cheap dessert at the founded-here brand.

Pistacia Vera Short North ★ 4.5

short-north · 1131 N High St, Columbus, OH 43201

Pistacia Vera's Short North outpost on North High Street in Columbus is the second French patisserie counter for macarons and the kouign-amann daily.

Fox in the Snow Clintonville ★ 4.5

clintonville · 4203 N High St, Columbus, OH 43214

Fox in the Snow Clintonville on North High Street is Columbus's third Fox shop, with the cinnamon roll and a breakfast sandwich counter for the area.

Fox in the Snow Clintonville ★ 4.5

4203 N High St, Columbus, OH 43214

Fox in the Snow Clintonville on North High Street is the Beechwold-stretch outpost of the Columbus cafe trio, with the cardamom oat-milk latte.

Stauf's Coffee Roasters Grandview ★ 4.5

1277 Grandview Ave, Columbus, OH 43212

Stauf's Coffee Roasters on Grandview Avenue has been Columbus's anchor specialty coffee bar since 1988, with the on-site kitchen serving breakfast daily.

Pistacia Vera Cafe German Village ★ 4.5

541 S 3rd St, Columbus, OH 43215

Pistacia Vera on South Third Street in Columbus's German Village is the French patisserie cafe, with macarons, kouign-amann and a small espresso bar.

Hoyo's Kitchen North Market ★ 4.5

downtown · 59 Spruce St, Columbus, OH 43215

Hoyo's Kitchen inside North Market in Columbus downtown serves Somali sambusas, chicken suqaar and rice bowls, run by the Hassan family since 2014.

Schmidt's Bahama Mama Counter ★ 4.5

german-village · 240 E Kossuth St, Columbus, OH 43206

Schmidt's Bahama Mama counter at the Kossuth Street Columbus German Village hall serves the family's signature smoked sausage on a hoagie roll.

Pistacia Vera Macaron Counter ★ 4.5

german-village · 541 S 3rd St, Columbus, OH 43215

Pistacia Vera's South Third Street counter pulls fresh macarons, kouign-amann and laminated pastries to go, the German Village morning grab.

Graeter's Ice Cream Easton ★ 4.4

downtown · 142 Easton Town Center, Columbus, OH 43219

Graeter's at Easton Town Center is the Columbus-edge French-pot ice cream counter, churned in two-gallon copper kettles in Cincinnati since 1870.

Tip: Easton fills up on weekend evenings; the Bethel Road and Hilliard locations move faster.

Pattycake Bakery ★ 4.4

clintonville · 3870 N High St, Columbus, OH 43214

Pattycake Bakery on North High Street in Columbus's Clintonville has been the city's anchor vegan bakery since 2003, certified organic and 100% plant.

Belle's Bread Japanese Bakery ★ 4.4

upper-arlington · 1168 Kenny Centre Mall, Columbus, OH 43220

Belle's Bread at Kenny Centre's Japan Marketplace is the Japanese-French bakery and cafe, with milk bread, melon pan and strawberry cream cake.

Schmidt's Fudge Haus ★ 4.4

german-village · 220 E Kossuth St, Columbus, OH 43206

Schmidt's Fudge Haus next to Schmidt's Sausage Haus on Kossuth Street has been the German Village fudge counter and cream puff bakery since 1979.

Stauf's Coffee German Village ★ 4.4

627 S 3rd St, Columbus, OH 43206

Stauf's Coffee on South Third Street in Columbus's German Village is the brick-paved district counter for an espresso and toast morning daily routine.

One Line Coffee Short North ★ 4.4

745 N High St, Columbus, OH 43215

One Line Coffee on North High Street in the Short North runs a showcase roaster store with a sample roaster for the city's specialty coffee scene.

Belle's Bread Japanese Bakery and Cafe ★ 4.4

1168 Kenny Centre Mall, Columbus, OH 43220

Belle's Bread at Columbus's Kenny Centre Japan Marketplace is the French-Japanese bakery cafe with milk bread, matcha drinks and a pastry counter daily.

Hoyo's Kitchen North Market Bridge Park ★ 4.4

dublin · 6750 Longshore St, Dublin, OH 43017

Hoyo's Kitchen at North Market Bridge Park in Columbus's Dublin suburb is the outpost Somali sambusa, suqaar and rice bowl carryout counter.

Graeter's Ice Cream Easton ★ 4.4

downtown · 142 Easton Town Center, Columbus, OH 43219

Graeter's Ice Cream Easton in Columbus serves the Cincinnati-founded French-pot ice cream churned in copper kettles, with the black raspberry chip.

Schmidt's Bratwurst Platter ★ 4.4

german-village · 240 E Kossuth St, Columbus, OH 43206

Schmidt's bratwurst platter at the Kossuth Street German Village hall serves a single brat with kraut, German potato salad and a roll under $15.

Hoyo's Kitchen Sambusa Platter ★ 4.4

downtown · 59 Spruce St, Columbus, OH 43215

Hoyo's Kitchen at Columbus's North Market sells beef, chicken and veggie sambusas with rice under $12, a cheap meal at the downtown food hall.

Kittie's Cakes German Village ★ 4.3

german-village · 495 S 3rd St, Columbus, OH 43215

Kittie's Cakes on South Third Street in Columbus's German Village is the small-batch bakery for buttercream cupcakes and seasonal cakes since 2009.

Northstar Cafe Short North ★ 4.3

951 N High St, Columbus, OH 43201

Northstar Cafe on North High Street in Columbus pairs full breakfast and lunch with fresh-pressed juice and a long espresso menu for the Short North.

The Roosevelt Coffeehouse ★ 4.3

300 E Long St, Columbus, OH 43215

The Roosevelt Coffeehouse on East Long Street in the Discovery District runs a social-enterprise model, profits to clean water and anti-trafficking work.

Crimson Cup Coffee House Clintonville ★ 4.3

4541 N High St, Columbus, OH 43214

Crimson Cup on North High Street in Clintonville has been the neighborhood's flagship roaster cafe since 2007, with a drive-thru and a sit-down room.

Brioso Coffee ★ 4.3

53 N High St, Columbus, OH 43215

Brioso Coffee on North High Street downtown has been roasting specialty beans in Columbus since 2001, with a downtown bar attached to the roastery.

Northstar Cafe Beechwold ★ 4.3

4241 N High St, Columbus, OH 43214

Northstar Cafe Beechwold on North High Street is the original Columbus Northstar location since 2004, with the Yoga bowl and a long espresso bar daily.

Stauf's Coffee Victorian Village ★ 4.3

1334 Neil Ave, Columbus, OH 43201

Stauf's Coffee on Neil Avenue in Columbus's Victorian Village is the Dennison Place neighborhood cafe, weekday-focused for the OSU adjacent stretch.

Kittie's Cakes German Village ★ 4.3

495 S 3rd St, Columbus, OH 43215

Kittie's Cakes on South Third Street in German Village is the bakery-cafe counter for buttercream cupcakes and a drip coffee in the morning.

Brassica Falafel Counter ★ 4.3

short-north · 680 N High St, Columbus, OH 43215

Brassica on North High Street in Columbus serves house-made falafel pulled to order, stuffed in hearth-baked pita with roasted vegetables and tahini.

Tensuke Express ★ 4.3

upper-arlington · 1167 Old Henderson Rd, Columbus, OH 43220

Tensuke Express at Kenny Centre's Japan Marketplace runs the carryout bento, onigiri and ramen counter inside Ohio's largest Japanese grocer.

Katzinger's Pickle Barrel ★ 4.3

german-village · 475 S 3rd St, Columbus, OH 43215

Katzinger's pickle barrel at the South Third Street German Village deli pulls house half-sour pickles by the each, a Columbus to-go tradition.

Brassica Falafel Pita ★ 4.3

short-north · 680 N High St, Columbus, OH 43215

Brassica's falafel pita with two sides on North High Street runs under $14 in Columbus, the Short North's cheapest sit-down Mediterranean lunch.