Central Ohio restaurant openings and closings so far this year

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A revolving sushi bar and a cowboy-themed smokehouse home to a mechanical bull are among the new central Ohio restaurants that have opened this year, while a Cameron Mitchell eatery and a historic Dublin tavern closed.

Restaurant closings this year

1487 Brewery

• The brewery at 620 Industrial Parkway in Plain City permanently closed on Feb. 4 after its former chief operating officer pleaded guilty to stealing more than $200,000 from the company. Owner Ben King, who opened the location in 2020 after Kickstarting the business in 2015, said “due to unforeseen circumstances, our timing was awful.”

Fat Girl Bakery

• The bakery at 6457 N. Hamilton Road, between New Albany and Westerville, closed on March 30, Fat Girl Bakery’s owner announced on social media. The closure comes after the bakeshop relocated its Lewis Center storefront in May 2023.

El Segundo

• The Cameron Mitchell restaurant at 698 N. High St. in the Short North announced on social media it would close on March 3. The restaurant offered dishes inspired by Mexican street food, using fresh and local ingredients.

Grand Tavern

• The Grandview Heights bar at 1111 W. 1st. Ave. shut down after just a few months of operating, citing bad business dealings with the landlord and nightmarish renovation costs.

Mackenzie River

• The grill and pub at 1515 Polaris Parkway closed several weeks ago after eight years in business. The restaurant launched in 2016 after Montana-based Glacier Restaurant Group purchased all Max and Erma’s locations and transformed several into Mackenzie River eateries.

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Matt the Miller’s

• The tavern’s Polaris Fashion Place location at 1436 Gemini Place welcomed patrons for the last time on Valentine’s Day after owner CLB Restaurants opted not to renew the tavern’s lease. Now, the concept is down to one central Ohio location at 6725 Avery-Muirfield Dr. in Dublin.

Mr. T’s Pizza

• The family-owned pizza shop at 207 W. Johnstown Road closed on Feb. 3. According to a statement on the pizzeria’s Facebook page, the pizza shop closed to allow owner Jeffrey Armstrong and family members to retire.

Oscar’s

• The restaurant and bar at 84 N. High St. in Dublin’s historic neighborhood permanently shuttered on Jan. 27, according to the eatery’s auction listing, which described the closure as “sudden.” Lasting several hours, the auction was held the following Monday to sell “everything by piece til done,” the listing states.

Red Rabbit Ramen

• Red Rabbit Ramen announced social media that it would be closing up shop, with its last week of operations taking place during the week of March 4. The owners said that they are closing the ramen cart due to a change in their family situation.

Weenie Wonder

• The fast casual eatery serving hot dogs and milkshakes permanently closed its Dublin and Easton locations on Feb. 6. The first restaurant opened at Bridge Park in 2022 and a second location followed at Easton in 2023. Both locations were adjacent to Pins Mechanical Co.

Restaurant openings this year

Bob’s Backyard Barbeque

• The Lancaster-based barbecue restaurant has opened a second location at 80 W. Church St. on Feb. 8. The Pickerington restaurant marks Bob’s Backyard Barbeque’s second eatery, with the first opening in 2017 at 157 W. Main St. in Lancaster.

DiBella’s Subs

• The chain began welcoming guests to its new location at 7105 N. High St. at Worthington Gateway on March 6. The new location marks DiBella’s third Columbus-area location with other eateries on Olentangy River Road and in Dublin near the Mall at Tuttle Crossing, with another restaurant in New Albany on the way.

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Dirty Frank’s

• The hot dog joint is now welcoming guests at its new carryout and delivery-only location at 6665 Huntley Road in Worthington. The new restaurant’s menu features classic hot dog combinations and a selection of “Top Dogs” like the Puff the Magic Popper dog with jalapenos, cheddar cream cheese and bacon bits.

Dough Boyz Pizza

• The Galloway-based pizzeria opened at 207 W. Johnstown Road in February, taking over the building that previously housed Mr. T’s Pizza.

Korean BBQ 궁

• The authentic Korean barbeque restaurant is now open for lunch and dinner daily at North Market Bridge Park, on the east aisle in the stall between Hoyo’s Kitchen and On Paper.

Kura Revolving Sushi Bar 

• The sushi bar serving dishes on a moving conveyor belt, with more than 500 locations across Japan, Taiwan and the United States, opened its first Ohio location at 8833 Lyra Dr. in Polaris.

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Lion Cub’s Cookies

• The cookie shop marked its new location at 7105 N. High St. in Worthington with a grand opening party on March 8. The new shop marks the brand’s second after the first opened in 2021 at 1261 Grandview Ave. in Grandview Heights.

Maple Street Biscuit Co.

• Maple Street Biscuit Co. at 9711 Sawmill Parkway in Powell is now welcoming guests after opening on Feb. 26. The new eatery marks the brand’s third central Ohio location after the first opened near Polaris Fashion Place at 1310 Polaris Pkwy. in January last year and the second in Worthington at 7105 N. High St. last summer.

Marlow Cheesesteaks

• Budd Dairy Food Hall at 1086 N. 4th St. has added Marlow’s as a new, permanent partner. The sandwich shop is based out of Gahanna, serving traditional Philadelphia cheesesteaks and other favorites.

Mochi Ring

• The bakery known for Korean corn dogs battered in Cheetos and vibrant doughnuts made with Japanese mochi opened in March at 1144 Kenny Centre Mall in Tensuke Market.

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Pastimes Pub and Grill

• The bar opened its newest location in March at 775 Yard St. in Grandview Yard. The sports pub offers a variety of bar food including wings, appetizers, pizza, salads and more. Customers can also pick from a wide selection of beer on draft, bottles, cocktails and more.

PBR Cowboy Bar and Smokehouse

• The country-themed bar featuring a mechanical bull at 3950 Gramercy St. in Easton opened in February. The restaurant marks the concept’s first Ohio location and its 16th in the United States, with a majority of locations residing in the South.

PJ Hot Pot Korean BBQ and Bar

• The restaurant is now welcoming guests at 6100 Sawmill Road in Dublin, taking over a 10,000-square-foot unit previously home to a martial arts facility. The all-you-can-eat Asian grill is home to a “hot pot” dining experience that features ingredients delivered to each table by robots.

Ray Ray’s Hog Pit

• The fleet of barbeque eateries featured on the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” has renovated and again moved one of its central Ohio trucks to a new location. One of the brand’s walk-up food trucks is now parked outside The Bottle Shop at 237 King Ave. in Victorian Village.

Victor’s Taco Shop

• The fast-growing taco chain based in Delaware has opened its first taco shop in Columbus at 2110 Morse Road.

Wario’s Beef and Pork

• The sandwich shop opened a location at 4219 N. High St. in January. The chef-driven, East Coast-inspired sandwich shop was founded by chef Stephan Madias.

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