Happy Friday! Here’s the latest Columbus restaurant news:
After a long hiatus, Milo’s Deli returned to Franklinton in a new home this week, taking over the former Strongwater Food & Spirits space at 401 W. Town St. It’s been over a decade since Milo’s closed its West Broad Street storefront and shifted to catering instead. Milo’s is owned in part by the Pappas family, who are the folks behind Tommy’s Diner.
Yesterday the Dispatch broke the news that chef and restaurateur Josh Dalton is opening an as-yet-unnamed Mediterranean restaurant in the former Milestone 229 space at 229 S. Civic Center Dr. next to Bicentennial Park. Dalton is the chef and owner of Veritas and Speck downtown. The new eatery is set to open sometime next spring.
Related to that, Dalton also announced this week that his two Delaware restaurants, Rosebuds and 1808 American Bistro, will close after service on Saturday, Oct. 11.
North Market Downtown will get a new pop-up vendor starting on Friday, Oct. 17. Chef Justin Wotring’s Caroline’s sandwich shop, which did a limited run at Bear’s Bagels this summer, will take over the former COLO Burger Bar space at the northeast corner of the market. (The burger bar recently moved across the aisle to consolidate with COLO Oyster Bar.) Caroline’s will operate Thursdays through Sundays for the foreseeable future. Wotring will also take over the North Market Butchery next door.
One Line Coffee has completed renovations on its Short North shop, which will re-open on Friday, Oct. 3!
This week 3 Brothers Diner in Grove City revealed more information about their upcoming second location, sharing that it will be located in Powell. A little internet sleuthing seems to say that they’re moving into the former Monte Carlo Italian Kitchen space at 345 W. Olentangy St.
A new tsukemen and ramen shop called Mizu No Kaori has soft opened at 495 S. Fourth St. in German Village. It’s currently open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
A new juice shop called Vara Juice opens Friday, Oct. 3 at 2019 Polaris Pkwy. from 4-10 p.m. They’re offering free smoothies to guests that day.
Columbus Brewing Company announced that its west side taproom, which closed up in 2023, will reopen on Nov. 6 for a two-month holiday run called Tracksuit Taproom. Named for the brewery’s signature holiday spice ale, the taproom pop-up will run Thursdays to Sundays through Jan. 4. Get a look at the taproom, located at 2555 Harrison Rd., before in closed.
UA Pizza has opened at 3794 Fairlington Dr. in Upper Arlington, taking over the former Panzera’s Pizza storefront.
Hank’s Texas BBQ has opened its second location at 5200 US-42 in Delaware.
Last week Legend Hills Orchard in Utica suffered a devastating fire that gutted their market, cider press, storage, and other areas. As a result, the orchard market is closed for the rest of the season.
Some fun culinary events!
The Seattle-based Eastern European bakery Piroshky Piroshky will be on tour to Columbus. Guests can pre-order pastries to pick up at Combustion Clintonville on Oct. 22, 4-6 p.m.
Saucebox: A Midwest Affair with Wine and Food is coming up on Sunday, Oct. 12! It features a robust selection of Columbus chefs, wine tastings, panels, and much more. It’s taking place downtown at Gay and High as part of the UnderCurrent program. Get your tickets here!
Taste of Bexley is coming up on Monday, Oct. 13 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Yours truly will be serving as a judge! Get tickets here.
On Tuesday, Oct. 14 I’m speaking as part of the McConnell Arts Center’s Lifelong Learning Institute series. I’ll be sharing about my 18 (!!) years of food writing and the things I’ve learned along the way. You can register for it here!
The second-annual gala for Service Relief is coming up on Friday, Oct. 17. It’ll be a great night celebrating and supporting the hospitality industry! (Full disclosure: I’m on the board for Service!)
You can also me on Instagram at @breakfastwithnick, check out the news archives, read my guide to Columbus, or search for travel inspiration.
Dining and Cooking