23 Columbus area restaurant openings and 6 closings to wrap the month of July
The summer is shaping up to be a busy time in the Columbus restaurant scene, with awaited openings like Cameron Mitchell's Valentina's, The Junto concepts like The Brass Eye and Little West Tavern and a new place to find the Columbus institution of Buckeye Donuts.
There are 23 openings and reopenings on this list, and that probably doesn't cover all of the openings since last month's list. There were also six closings of note, but some, like Barrel & Boar and Sideswipe Brewing Co., aren't gone for good.
Here's what's new and what has returned to the Columbus restaurant scene as of July:
Several restaurants and shops opened late June
Salad chain Chop5, which got its start in Polaris at 2044 Polaris Parkway, opened a new location at 1305 W. Lane Ave. in Upper Arlington late last month. The restaurant offers salads along with Mediterranean and Mexican rice bowls and includes gluten-free and vegan options.
Creekside Cafe, at 7141 London-Groveport Road in Grove City, opened at Trapper John's Canoe Livery. The cafe offers locally roasted coffee, lattes, tea and more, as well as baked goods.
Campus staple Buckeye Donuts has opened at North Market Downtown, 59 Bruce St., bringing its iconic donuts, coffee and more to the market.
Italian dessert eatery I Scream Gelato opened at Polaris Fashion Place, between Charley's Philly Cheesesteaks and Sbarro in the mall's food hall. The shop offers nearly 70 gelato flavors, including seasonal and vegan flavors, made in-house daily.
Cup O Joe reopened at 2990 N. High St. in Clintonville following renovations. And Cleveland-based Lenny’s Chicken Fingers made its long-awaited debut at 3260 W. Broad St. in the Hilltop.
The Junto Hotel, at 77 Belle St. in Franklinton, opened its rooftop bar, the Brass Eye, in late June. The bar, named after a term for drunkenness in Benjamin Franklin's 1737 Drinker's Dictionary, offers views of the Columbus skyline and crafted cocktails, wines, beers, and creative pairings with small plates and shareable items.
Columbus restaurants: 8 openings and 6 closings in June
Maudine's
Like the Brass Eye, Maudine's opened recently at The Junto in Franklinton, on July 3. The neighborhood coffee shop — named and decorated in honor of Ohio State University's 1926 Homecoming Queen, a cow called Maudine — features playful black, white and pink decor. The menu features a selection of coffee beverages, including a custom blend by local roaster One Line Coffee, baked goods and grab-and-go items like its signature "Cow-Cow" cookie.
Maudine's is open daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Luna Pizza Kitchen
Luna Pizza Kitchen opened at the top of July at 2052 Crown Plaza Drive, Unit 7, on the Northwest Side. The family-owned pizzeria, which also has a location at 5380 Tuttle Crossing Blvd. in Dublin, offers specialty pizzas like the "Luna gyro" pizza; the "chicken tikka" pizza; the "Hawaiian moon" pizza with ham, pineapple, shaved almonds and cinnamon; plus salads, wings, strombolis, burgers, subs and more. The restaurant also offers pizzas with certified halal meat.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
The Hungarian Butcher
The Hungarian Butcher reopened in early July at 2177 W Dublin Granville Rd in Worthington. The boutique butcher shop closed temporarily in late May due to fire damage.
Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday,
House of Biryanis & Kebabs
House of Biryanis & Kebabs — a fine-dining Mughlai, south-Indian restaurant with several locations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey — opened on July 6 at 1047 Polaris Parkway. The halal restaurant has a massive menu serving a variety of Indian dishes, including biryanis, pulavs, kebabs, Indo-Chinese dishes, curries and many other traditional Indian dishes. The menu's vegetarian options are nearly as vast as the non-vegetarian, in addition to offering traditional Indian drinks, desserts and more.
Hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday for lunch and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. for dinner.
Kennedy's Kakes
Kennedy's Kakes opened on July 6 at 310 S. High St. Downtown, the first brick-and-mortar cake boutique from Adrian Jones, which first started in 2009. The bakery specializes in cakes in a variety of flavors like "strawberry crunch" and "peanut butter lover," plus custom order cakes and cupcakes.
The bakery's hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Sparano's Pizza
Sparano's Pizza moved from its longtime home at 3590 Trabue Road to a new location on the Hilltop, at 3947 W. Broad St. near Hollywood Casino, earlier this month. The Columbus-style pizzeria also serves specialty pizzas, wings, pasta, subs, salads and more.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 8:30 p.m. Sunday.
Marlow's Cheesesteaks
Philadelphia-style cheesesteak eatery Marlow's Cheesesteaks is the newest vendor at Budd Diary Food Hall, taking over the rotating Hatch spot on July 11.
Marlow's has become a popular spot for cheesesteaks since starting as a food truck in 2021 and opening as a brick-and-mortar at 93 N. High St. in Gahanna in 2022. The restaurant is known for its authentic cheesesteaks and other variations on the sandwich, including salmon or veggie, plus fries and more.
Budd Dairy Food Hall's stall hours are 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.
Koffee Paradise
A new coffee shop called Koffee Paradise opened at 6308 E Main St. in Reynoldsburg a few weeks ago. The shop, which does not appear to have a website or social media, offers hot, iced and frozen drinks. From drip coffee, espressos, lattes, tea and more.
Hours are Monday through 5 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, and Saturday and 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.
Parable After Dark
Parable, at 149 S. High St., is now part cocktail and natural wine bar, going by the name Parable After Dark on weekend evenings, to start. The bar launched on July 14 and offers a variety of cocktails and wine by bottle or glass.
Hours are 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
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Little West Tavern
Little West Tavern opened on July 14 at The Junto in Franklinton. The tavern serves a modest menu featuring wood-fired fare, such as burgers, salmon, wagyu, chicken and tomahawk steak. Sides include charred broccolini, garlic-loaded fries, cast iron elote and more. The drink menu includes reds, whites, rosé, beer from local brewers, and several signature cocktails with zero-proof options.
Little West Tavern's hours are 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday.
Valentina's
Valentina's opened on July 18 at 4595 Bridge Park Ave., at Bridge Park in Dublin. The restaurant features traditional recipes, including pasta dishes, pizza and wood-fired steaks. Menu highlights include the house-made mozzarella bar, rigatoni bolognese, Noble Cut Distillery "cellos," stonefruit sangria and chocolate EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) cake.
The restaurant is open 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.
Masa Mexican Grill
The newest vendor at East Market, 212 Kelton Ave., Masa Mexican Grill held its grand opening on July 19. The restaurant serves a variety of Mexican dishes, including tacos, burritos, quesa birrias, quesadillas, birria and nachos, which can be made with shredded chicken tinga, carne asada, carne adobada, chorizo, carnitas, barbacoa or roasted black beans and corn. Sides include guacamole, Mexican rice and black beans.
East Market hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
Sally's Halal Grill
East African restaurant Sally's Halal Grill reopened on July 21 at 2649 Northland Plaza Drive on the Northeast Side. The restaurant, which first opened its doors last August, serves modern Somali cuisine.
Hours are 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Sunday.
Tajine House
Tajine House opened in late July at North Market Bridge Park. The restaurant, from the owners of North Market Downtown's Park Street Poultry and Game, also has a location at the Downtown market. The fast-casual eatery serves Moroccan cuisine, such as panini, couscous, bastilla (or pastilla), sambousa, Moroccan pastries and mint tea.
The restaurant is open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, and 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
Crumbl Cookies
Crumbl Cookies opened a new Columbus location at 1759 Olentangy River Road, Unit 18-B, near Lennox. The locally owned and operated location of the popular dessert shop joins nine others in the Columbus area. This is the third Columbus location for owners Spencer Hanks and Tyson Barrett. Crumbl Cookies was founded in 2017 and has 800 locations in all 50 states.
Hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to midnight. Friday and Saturday.
Closings: 6 restaurants and breweries that said goodbye
Zaftig Brew Pub announced an immediate closure in late June, and with it Java Central, at 119 E. Fifth Ave. in Italian Village. The pub cited a reduction in customers as the cause. Zaftig's brewery and taproom at 7020 Huntley Road in Worthington and Java Central's cafe at 20 S. State St. Suite B in Westerville remain open.
Short North bar Julep also closed in late June at 1014 N. High St., after the bar agreed to vacate the building by June 30. A lawsuit, filed by Julep's landlord in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas in February, claims the bar failed to pay rent and fees, incurred damages to the bar, breached its contract, and unlawfully and forcibly detained possession of the bar.
The bar has faced significant controversy over the years, most recently a lawsuit from the family of Gregory Coleman Jr., who died outside the bar in September after being punched by an employee and losing its liquor license in December.
Barrel & Boar announced late this month that it would close the doors to its location in Westerville at 8 N. State St. The barbecue restaurant said the location has been sold, which will allow the owners to focus on locations in Gahanna, Lancaster and North Market Downtown.
Figlio Wood-Fired Pizza's last day of operation at 3712 Riverside Drive in Upper Arlington is July 29. The restaurant noted it is making room for the forthcoming redevelopment of the Golden Bear Center, along with Colin's Coffee and Basil, which are set to close in August. Figlio's locations in Grandiew, at 1369 Grandview Ave., and Kettering, in the Dayton area, remain open.
Sideswipe Brewing Co., 2415 Scioto Harper Drive, announced last month its final day of operation would be July 30. Owner Craig O'Herron sold the brewery, adding he was ready to move on to something new.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: The Columbus restaurants, cafes, bars and more that opened this July
