Wine bar$$brewery-districtTue-Thu 16:30-23:00; Fri-Sat 16:30-01:00; closed Sun-Mon
Law Bird on South High Street is the intimate cocktail and natural wine bar from Luke and Annie Williams Pierce, with snacks and small plates.
Why locals love it: Tucked on South High Street between the Brewery District and German Village, the wife-and-husband natural wine and cocktail bar.
Tip: Walk-in friendly Tuesday through Thursday; the Cosmic Bird bottle shop next door sells the same bottles for retail.
Vietnamese$$upper-arlingtonMon-Sat 11:00-21:00; Sun 11:00-20:00
Pho Asian Noodle House on West Lane Avenue in Columbus runs the city's reference Vietnamese counter for pho and banh mi at the OSU adjacent stretch.
Why locals love it: On West Lane Avenue near OSU, the college-adjacent counter pours the city's reference pho at a student-friendly price.
Tip: Avoid the OSU evening rush; lunch and early dinner move faster.
Italian$$italian-villageMon-Fri 07:00-15:00; Sat-Sun 08:00-15:00
Fox in the Snow Italian Village on North Fourth Street is the second Columbus Fox shop, with the egg sandwich and a quieter morning room than original.
Why locals love it: On North Fourth Street north of the brewery row, the second Fox cafe is quieter than German Village in the morning.
Tip: Weekday mornings are easier than the German Village original.
Japanese$$upper-arlingtonMon-Sat 10:00-19:00; closed Sun
Belle's Bread Japanese Bakery at Columbus's Kenny Centre is the Japanese-French bakery and cafe, with milk bread, melon pan and strawberry cream cake.
Why locals love it: Inside Kenny Centre's Japan Marketplace, the Japanese-French bakery counter pulls milk bread and strawberry cake.
Tip: Closed Sunday; morning pickups are the freshest.
Burgers$$german-villageMon-Thu 11:00-22:00; Fri-Sat 11:00-23:00; Sun 11:00-21:00
The Old Mohawk on Mohawk Street has been a German Village tavern since 1933 with turtle soup and tavern burgers, off the South Third Street tourist trail.
Why locals love it: Off the German Village tourist path on Mohawk Street, the Schumacher Place tavern has the turtle soup and a cash-friendly bar since 1933.
Tip: Order the cup of turtle soup and the tavern burger at the back-room bar.
Vegetarian$$german-villageMon-Thu 17:00-21:00; Fri-Sat 17:00-22:00; closed Sun
Comune on Parsons Avenue in Columbus's Schumacher Place runs a plant-forward dining room with a weekly seasonal menu off the German Village rotation.
Why locals love it: On Parsons Avenue in Schumacher Place rather than Short North, the plant-forward room pulls a weekly menu off the farm haul.
Tip: Reserve on OpenTable; follow the Instagram for the day's pickup.