Splurge in Columbus

Veritas

• ★ 4.8
• New American
• $$$$
• Downtown

Order Whatever the kitchen is leading the tasting menu with this week.

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.

The Refectory

• ★ 4.7
• Contemporary French
• $$$$
• Upper Arlington

Order The bistro three-course at the bar with a glass from the deep Burgundy list.

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.

Joya's Cafe

• ★ 4.6
• New American
• $$$$

Joya's Cafe on High Street in Old Worthington is Avishar Barua's Bengali American Columbus room, a 2024 James Beard Best Chef Great Lakes semifinalist.

Schmidt's Sausage Haus

• ★ 4.6
• German
• $$$$

Schmidt's Sausage Haus on Kossuth Street is Columbus's German Village hall, run by the Schmidt family since their 1886 German Village meatpacker.

Lindey's

• ★ 4.5
• New American
• $$$$

Lindey's on East Beck Street in German Village has been the brick-paved district's anchor American fine-dining room since 1981, with a covered patio.

Speck Italian Eatery

• ★ 4.4
• Italian
• $$$$

Speck Italian Eatery on North High Street in downtown Short North is the city's modern Italian counter pulling fresh pastas and house-cured speck salumi.

Service Bar

• ★ 4.4
• New American
• $$$$

Service Bar on Courtland Avenue is the chef-driven new American counter inside Middle West Spirits, with cocktail pairings from the distillery line.

Comune

• ★ 4.4
• Vegetarian
• $$$$

Comune on Parsons Avenue in Schumacher Place is the plant-forward fine-dining counter serving in-season vegetable plates and shareable small dishes.

Wolf's Ridge Brewing Dining Room

• ★ 4.4
• New American
• $$$$
• Downtown

The Wolf's Ridge Brewing dining room on North Fourth Street runs a chef-driven new American menu alongside the brewery's taproom for a beer-pairing dinner.

Cameron's American Bistro

• ★ 4.4
• New American
• $$$$

Cameron's American Bistro on Dublin Granville Road in Columbus's Worthington has been Cameron Mitchell's flagship since 1993 with a wine list.

The Pearl

• ★ 4.3
• Seafood
• $$$$

The Pearl on North High Street is the Cameron Mitchell oyster bar and gastropub anchoring the Short North restaurant strip, with a deep raw bar.

Old Mohawk

• ★ 4.3
• New American
• $$$$

The Old Mohawk on Mohawk Street in Schumacher Place has run as a German Village fine-dining tavern since 1933, with turtle soup and a tavern burger.

Forno Kitchen + Bar

• ★ 4.2
• Mediterranean
• $$$$

Forno Kitchen + Bar on North High Street is the Short North's wood-oven Mediterranean fine-dining room with a long bar and weekend brunch service.

Tucci's

• ★ 4.2
• Italian
• $$$$

Tucci's on North High Street in Historic Dublin has run as the suburb's Italian seafood fine-dining room since 1992, with a fine-wine cellar.

Hofbrauhaus Columbus

• ★ 4.2
• German
• $$$$

Hofbrauhaus Columbus on Goodale Boulevard is the city's Bavarian beer hall in Grandview Yard, serving schnitzel platter and house-brewed lagers.