2024 It’s been another adventurous year in Columbus dining. We’ve lost some much-loved eateries, but we’ve seen a number of new bright spots, from fine dining to international flavors to home cooking.
It’s hard to narrow down all the open spots, and of course we haven’t been able to get to all of them yet, but here are 10 of our favorite new restaurants opening in 2024!
Flour Modern Pasta Bar comes to us from the same folks behind Rooh in the Short North. Just like Rooh, Flour offers creative interpretations of old favorites, all paired with great cocktails. I love that they use a pre-fixed menu of breads, appetizers, and desserts. It’s a great deal and a fun way to get through your walk through pasta dishes that harken back to everything from butter chicken to elotes to French onion soup.
Read more: Flour Modern Pasta Bar presents Polaris’ internationally inspired pastas and cocktails
This year, Annie Dixon’s beloved farmers market stalls went from pop-ups to their own storefront in Clintonville, taking over the original Pattycake Bakery space and turning it into a haven for Annie’s signature goth/rock ‘n’ roll creations. Now a giant skeleton stares over the front door as you walk in to buy her decadent brownies, bagel bombs filled with fun ingredients, cookies, Pub Grub and the rest of her delectable range.
Read more: Bite This by Annie brings bagel bombs, brownies and pub grub to Clintonville
One of our first Columbus Indian food loves was the bygone Taj Mahal on North High Street. Owner Ajay Kumar and his family have always been so warm and welcoming in their restaurant located in a renovated home in the university district. So this year we were especially excited to see Ajay team up with more people to bring back a modern version, Taj on Fifth. Located in a new building at Grandview/5xNW, Taj has a full bar and serves traditional and modern Indian cuisine. We loved our meals there, with a special shout out to the rich and smoky dal makhani.
Read more: Taj on Fifth brings Indian food to Fifth By Northwest
This year, the team behind the wonderful Coast Wine House in historic Dublin has doubled down, adding a full-service restaurant just a few doors down from the wine shop. Equal parts quiet and cozy, Gene’s offers a dynamic wine selection, unique cocktails and a focused food menu with bites like eggplant tonkatsu, fried wild mushroom chicken or halibut on squid ink risotto. It’s an elegant yet very casual experience and ranks highly in our recommendations for date nights or quiet drinks with friends.
Read more: Gene’s serves cocktails, wines and dinner in a cozy historic Dublin home
This year the folks at Makeready, the hospitality brand behind The Junto Hotel, have opened not one but two restaurants on Gay and High streets in the centre. One of those two is Chouette, a long-awaited French bistro on the northeast corner. It features a complete remodel of the original Brioso Cafe (Brioso moved the cat corner in 2020), with a beautiful bar, an intimate mezzanine and a large patio. The restaurant, whose name literally means “owl” but colloquially can mean “cool”, manages to pull off classic French cuisine that still feels modern and inventive.
Read more: Chouette brings delectable French cuisine downtown
Powell’s Nocterra Brewing, which quickly became a community favorite when it opened in 2019, has expanded with a full-service restaurant and taproom in the perfect location: next to the Scioto Audubon Metro. Nocterra styles itself around outdoor adventure, so a new location next to a park, walking trails, bike lanes and waterways seems very fitting. To complement their wide range of beers, Nocterra’s chef has created a menu that includes brewery staples like burgers and fried chicken sandwiches, while also venturing into seafood, Mediterranean creations like lentil hummus and labneh, asada tacos, and more . Bonus: Nocterra Audubon opens early with a full service coffee bar from Jennings Java!
Read more: Nocterra Brewing Opens New Audubon Restaurant and Taproom
Food halls have been trending in recent years, with Columbus growing to a total of seven, and one of the most memorable is Little Grand Market in Grandview. Located in the middle of the Grandview Crossing complex, it features vaulted glass ceilings, a full bar, an attached cafe, familiar faces like Los Agavez, Lan Viet and Pablo’s Havana Cafe, plus newcomers or new concepts covering everything from Italian sandwiches to Korean street food , giant soul food cookies.
Read more: Little Grand Market offers local food, full bar and coffee in Grandview
As the city grows, we’re seeing more and more chains make their way into Columbus, from fast food to steakhouses, but just because they’re chains doesn’t mean they’re bad! Case in point: Mecha Noodle Bar in the Short North. The Connecticut-based establishment has transformed the former White Castle into a gorgeous, high-ceilinged, wood-accented noodle bar with a dynamic menu that includes pho, ramen, dumplings, bao buns, sushi, iced coffee and a full bar.
Read more: Mecha Noodle Bar Brings Ramen, Pho and Other Delights to the Short North
Along with Chouette, Makeready also brought an established Charleston brand to downtown Columbus: Hank’s Low Country Seafood & Raw Bar. Hank built the northwest corner of Gay and High into a beautiful lounge with two bars, raw bar, dining room and event space. Hank’s features the pleasures of the sea, from their signature seafood tower to its crawfish chowder, fried calamari to scallops, shrimp and grits to all things southern. In addition to being a wonderful new spot for lunch, dinner and drinks downtown, Hank’s is helping to transform the neighborhood as it’s poised for big changes in the coming years.
Read more: Hank’s Low Country Seafood & Raw Bar is coming to downtown Columbus
Listen, our favorite new restaurants don’t have to be all chef-driven fine dining; they can also be dives at home, sticking to your ribs! Owner Jenny Diles used her time working at TeeJaye’s and Beechwold Diner to create her own location in Clintonville this year. It quickly became inundated with regulars who loved their friendly service and comfort foods like country steaks, beef hash, buttery pancakes and even eggs benedicts. At a time when we are losing a number of established restaurants, I am very happy to see a new restaurant join the community.
Read more: Columbus, meet your newest diner: Jenny’s Diner in Clintonville
Like every year, 2024. brought us dozens of new restaurants, and you better believe we didn’t come close to trying them all. And while I’ve highlighted 10 standouts, there are many more worth exploring like these!
Want to keep up with more? Follow me on Instagram at @breakfastwithnick, browse the news archives, read my guide to Columbus, find travel inspiration or…
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