COLUMBUS, Ohio — Yelp released it’s “Best New Restaurants of 2026” list, and it includes a taste of the Buckeye State.
Yelp designs the ranking based on places that have received positive customer feedback, culinary experiences and more. Yelp’s list featured Mezcala in Columbus, Ohio, at No. 8., calling it a “chic, upscale Mexican restaurant.”
“It’s often hard to snag a table at this chic, upscale Mexican restaurant in Columbus’ Italian Village neighborhood,” Yelp wrote in its list. “But even if you can’t get a reservation, you can sit at the elegant bar, sip on craft cocktails, and share orders from the restaurant’s menu of tapas-style Latin American cuisine. That, in fact, is exactly how owner and executive chef Garrett Talmage imagined it, wanting a place ‘for everyone to gather, connect, and enjoy.'”
Yelp specifically highlighted its cocktails with fun names, as well as its vegetarian, seafood, or meat-filled small and medium plate options.
Located in the Italian Village in Columbus, it originally opened in April of 2025. It had to close temporarily in January 2026 after it got damaged by a car. It then reopened in June.
For more details on the Yelp list, click here.
Dining and Cooking