An old Columbus favorite, Nancy's Home Cooking, will come back through Starliner Diner
Nancy's Home Cooking, a legendary Columbus restaurant whose chicken and noodles warmed bellies and souls for more than 50 years, is making a comeback.
Starliner Diner, the Hilliard restaurant known for its big breakfasts and Cuban roast chicken, announced this afternoon on its Facebook page that it will merge with the restaurant whose name left the local food scene in 2020.
"Meatloaf and Ropa (Vieja)? Wow, how lucky are we?" one commenter gushed about the merger and two other menu favorites from the two restaurants.
Starliner owners didn't share details of their plans, such as whether it involves a major overhaul, a name change or, more simply, a merger of menus.
"Starliner Diner is committed to keeping the food that Hilliard has come to love over the 30 years," they wrote in their post. "We want everyone to know at Starliner Diner and Nancy's Home Cooking, we will always have a dedication to personal excellence and concern for others.
Starliner, now at 4121 Main St. in Hilliard, opened in 1995 and has been voted as central Ohio's best diner by readers of Columbus Monthly, Columbus Alive and 614 magazine. Its breakfast, lunch and dinner menus range from traditional American diner food to Cuban and Latin fare to a fusion of the two.
Nancy’s menu was definitely more on the American diner side of the equation with its chicken and noodles, meatloaf and covering-your-plate omelets.
The restaurant opened in Clintonville in 1968 and was run for most of its existence by its second owner, Cindy King, who planned to close in 2008 after becoming ill. It was reopened by her niece, Sheila Hahn, in 2010, and run by Hahn's husband, Rick, after Hahn died in 2012.
Rick Hahn planned to moved Nancy's from Clintonville to Downtown in 2020, but plans were delayed because of COVID business shutdowns and Downtown riots. He closed his restaurant in October of that year.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Starliner Diner Columbus will merge with Starliner Diner in Hilliard
