Columbus, OH

i'm  here in ohio for a few weeks under some unfortunate circumstances and looking for good recommendations for lunch places. dinner is also an option but probably harder for us to get away. i've searched the forums, but some of the info was a few years old, and you never know these days what has closed.

we're in gahanna, but get out and about in the city. one of my favorites for lunch is the north market, but i've never made it over to german village and would like to try something there. any hints?

Sorry to hear that you have to be in Columbus for some unfortunate circumstances.
 
You can check out my report on German Village Here. Needless to say I was less than impressed. If you are gonna try something, from my report I would recommend the German Village Coffee Shop as I had my best experience there, although it was for breakfast and you are looking for lunch/dinner. It wasn't great but fared much better than Thurman Cafe.
 
One place that I should have, and really wished I had after my experience, was the Schmidt's Sausage Haus. They are supposed to have a really good sausage buffet that I can only give second hand recommendations to as my parents have been there and really liked it. Here is their website.
Likewise I walked in to Katzinger's Deli and found a bunch of things I wanted to try but didn't have the room for. Also only second hand recommendations. Here is their website.
 
Haven't eaten in many other places in Columbus that are Roadfoodie that I could recommend. Best of luck and hope this helps.

bosco lover


i'm  here in ohio for a few weeks under some unfortunate circumstances and looking for good recommendations for lunch places. dinner is also an option but probably harder for us to get away. i've searched the forums, but some of the info was a few years old, and you never know these days what has closed.

we're in gahanna, but get out and about in the city. one of my favorites for lunch is the north market, but i've never made it over to german village and would like to try something there. any hints?

If you're in Gahanna I trust you've been to the Gahanna Grill, and to Cap City Diner.
 
In German Village do visit Schmidt's Sausage Haus, The Thurman and The Mohawk. You might enjoy the original Max & Erma's, too. Stop in for a beer and a brat at Plank's -- the one on South High Street.

Bosco lover,
   One of my favorite restaurants in German Vil. is "G. Michaels" 595 South 3rd St, it's only open for dinner though. Lindey's in German Vil is a great place to grab some lunch.
 Starting Monday July 13th Columbus hosts "Restaurant week" you might want to check that out.
   

Jeni's Fresh Ice Cream has lots of unusual flavors and is outstanding!  Here is the Roadfood review.

http://www.roadfood.com/Restaurant/Review/4182-4112/jenis-fresh-ice-cream

I happened to be in Columbus last fall, and since my mother's maiden name was Schmidt, I felt that a trip to the restaurant was in order. The folks I was visiting also told me that out of all the german spots, this was the one to hit. As noted above, the food, beer, and hospitality were all wonderful. There were several good lunch specials, something for everyone, and the wurst was just as it should have been. Outstanding, not 'cheap', but worth the price. I highly recommend Schmidt's if you're in Columbus.

wow, so many quick replies.
yes, i'm up here with my husband as his sister was just put in hospice care. she's still feeling okay, just so incredibly tired.
i know all about jeni's, it's my favorite part of ohio! i stopped in for some salty caramel the other day.
michael-ive tried the gahanna grill and i really wasn't impressed, i know you love it, but i found it meh. haven't tried cap city diner yet, i'll have to look for that as it has the magical word "diner" in it.

I don't particularly love the Gahanna Grill. But I think the Beanie Burger is a "Must Try" thing. Personally, I don't care much for the Beanie Burger, preferring, instead, the regular cheeseburger with grilled onions. The Cap City Diner isn't really a diner, but it does have upscale takes on "diner" food. If you are a fan of calves liver I highly recommend the Wednesday special of liver and onions.  I also recommend the terrific mussels as an appetizer, although I've been known to get a double order as my entree.
 
By the way, the Cap City Diner is in the Stoneridge Plaza on Hamilton Road.

We ate at both Schmidt's, and Katzingers deli on our trip to Columbus, and I would recommend both VERY highly. We have a trip report posted in the archives with more detail if interested.

we ate at Schmidt's on sunday. very good german food, fun crowded atmosphere. the sauerbraten was really yummy, and the german potato salad was very tangy and sour, just like i like it.
i also went to the Cap City Diner, and i loved it! just my kind of place. the pecan crusted pork chop was definitely the best pork chop ive had in my life. also it's pretty close to my in-laws place, so i might be able to get back there and try something else. thanks for the reccomendations

It's been a few years since my last visit to Columbus, and it's been more than a decade since I lived there, but there are some places I really liked:

The North Market (www.northmarket.com) was (still is?) a wonderful indoor market with different vendors and stores in a quonset building. My taste buds remember the cheese, bread, and fruits stalls fondly, but there were also some good stalls with prepared foods (last I visited, there was a vendor of Indian cuisine there). I'm sure it's still a  great place to visit.

In Gahanna there was (and still is?) a wonderful restaurant called Latin Rooster Rotisserie, specializing in Andean cuisine. It was simply marvellous.

In Upper Arlington there was (and still is?) a cute, decades-old diner called Chef-o-Nette. The food wasn't anything amazing (basic burgers, fries, etc.), but it was a reflection of Columbus from another era. It was also kind of a quaint place, a diner situated right in the heart of a very preppy neighborhood.
 
I also liked La Chatelaine, a french-style bakery/eatery on Lane Avenue, near the OSU campus.  Good specials of the day (vol-au-vent, for example) and pastries.
 
On High St., north of campus, there was a bakery called Mozart's which I really liked. I'd be surprised if it's still there, but I remember it fondly. They sold very nice tarts and cakes, with emphasis on Austrian pastries.

There were many other places I liked, but I'll have to sift through my grey matter to come up with other names and specifics.

Latin Rooster Rotisserie has been gone for years.

bosco lover


we ate at Schmidt's on sunday. very good german food, fun crowded atmosphere. the sauerbraten was really yummy, and the german potato salad was very tangy and sour, just like i like it.
i also went to the Cap City Diner, and i loved it! just my kind of place. the pecan crusted pork chop was definitely the best pork chop ive had in my life. also it's pretty close to my in-laws place, so i might be able to get back there and try something else. thanks for the reccomendations

I'm pleased that you enjoyed both Schmidt's and Cap City Diner.

yep, both were great. as the resident gahanna expert, how's the old bag of nails pub? the advantage is that i can walk to it. or if that's not too good, any other spots in "olde" gahanna?

I've never been in the Old Bag of Nails. I tried once a couple of years ago, but there was a line out the door. The Creekside restaurant at the bridge wasn't bad a few years back, but since it was taken over by someone else I've only been there one time, and didn't much care for it. My daughter tells me that the Italian restaurant in the new Creekside development is pretty good. The place is called Mezzo.
http://www.mezzoitalian.com/
 

If you have any love for hispanic food, Columbus has lately become a hotspot for taco trucks! Try "The 8th taste" on 5th Ave. behind the airport. The Empenadas are to die for. On the west side of town off Sullivant Ave, there are a million of 'em, but one very large one (Los Gauchos) serves El Pastor, or shepherd style tacos that rival anything I have had in Mexico (or Chicago!) 

I've passed by the one you mentioned on 5th, but haven't had the opprtunity to stop. I think that's the one that used to be on the east side of James Road, just south of the bridge. If it is, it's very good indeed.