Best of Columbus 2025: Reader Picks for Best Food and Drink

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Readers chose their favorite places to eat and drink in Columbus Monthly’s annual Best of Columbus poll. See who won.

Welcome to Best of Columbus, the city’s original reader-voted contest crowning our favorite people and places. In this year’s package, you’ll find the stories behind some of the local businesses readers selected as winners in our online poll. Columbus Monthly readers picked over 100 of their favorite places to eat and drink, shop and spend their time. Here are reader’s choices for the best in Food and Drink.

Best African Restaurant

1 Hoyo’s Kitchen

2 Lalibela Restaurant

3 Addis Restaurant

3 Afra Grill

Best Bar Food

1 High Bank Distillery

2 Old Bag of Nails

3 Club 185

Best Barbecue

1 Ray Ray’s Hog Pit

2 City Barbeque

3 Legacy Smokehouse

Best Beer Selection

1 Seventh Son Brewing

2 101 Craft Kitchen

3 Studio 35 Cinema & Drafthouse/Grandview Theater & Drafthouse

3 The Daily Growler

Best Breakfast

1 Katalina’s

2 Joya’s Café

3 DK Diner

Best Brunch

1 Northstar Café

2 Lindey’s

3^* Fox in the Snow Café

3 Kitchen Social

Best Burger

1 The Thurman Café

2 Northstar Café

3 Preston’s: A Burger Joint

Best Butcher Shop

1 Littleton’s Market

2 Carfagna’s Market

3 The Hungarian Butcher

Best Chinese Restaurant

1 Ty Ginger Asian Bistro

2 Molly Woo’s Asian Bistro

3 Ding Ho Restaurant

Best Classic Bakery

1 Resch’s Bakery

2 Fox in the Snow Café

3 The Original Goodie Shop

Best Classic Pizza

1 Tommy’s Pizza

2 Adriatico’s

3 Massey’s

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Best Cocktails

1 Novella

2 Echo Spirits Distilling

3 High Bank Distillery

Best Coffee Shop

1 Stauf’s Coffee Roasters

2 Fox in the Snow Café

3 Crimson Cup Coffee

Best Deli

1 Katzinger’s Delicatessen

2 The Brown Bag Delicatessen

3 Uptown Deli & Brew

Best Desserts

1 Pistacia Vera

2 Mozart’s

3 Belle’s Bread

3 The Cheesecake Girl

Best Diner

1 Starliner Diner

2 Tommy’s Diner

3 DK Diner

Best Doughnut

1 Buckeye Donuts

2 Resch’s Bakery

3 DK Diner

Best Fast-Casual

1 Brassica

2 Bibibop

3 Lavash Café

Best Food Truck

1 Ray Ray’s Hog Pit

2 Cousins Maine Lobster

3 A.J.’s Tacos

3 Cilantro Latin Bistro

Best Fried Chicken

1 Hot Chicken Takeover

2 CM Chicken

3 The Crispy Coop

3 Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar

Best Gourmet Pizza

1 Harvest Pizzeria

2 Dewey’s Pizza

3 Sexton’s Pizza

Best Happy Hour

1 Kitchen Social

2 The Pearl

3 Forno Kitchen & Bar

Best Himalayan/Nepalese Restaurant

1 Momo Ghar

2 Everest Cuisine

3 Namaste Indo Nepali Cuisine

3 Yeti Express

Best Hot Dogs

1 Dirty Frank’s Hot Dog Palace

2 Tony’s Coneys

3 Ritzy’s

Best Ice Cream

1 Graeter’s Ice Cream

2 Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams

3 Johnson’s Real Ice Cream

Best Indian/Pakistani Restaurant

1 Aab India

2 Rooh

3 Amul India

Best Italian Restaurant

1 Novella Osteria

2 La Tavola

3 Marcella’s

Best Kids Menu

1 Cap City Fine Diner

2 Rusty Bucket Restaurant &Tavern

3 Bob Evans

Best Korean Restaurant

1 KPot Korean BBQ & Hot Pot

2 Gogi Korean BBQ

3 Min-Ga Korean Restaurant

Best Latin American Restaurant

1 Arepazo

2 Si Señor Peruvian Sandwiches

3 Cilantro Latin Fusion

Best Local Distillery

1 High Bank Distillery

2 Watershed Distillery

3 Echo Spirits Distilling

Best Mediterranean/Middle Eastern Restaurant

1 Lavash Café

2 Café Istanbul

3 Mazah Mediterranean Eatery

Best Mexican Restaurant

1 El Vaquero

2 Los Guachos

3 Cuco’s Taqueria

Best Modern Bakery

1 Fox in the Snow Café

1 Littleton’s Market Bakery

3 Pistacia Vera

Best Patio

1 Lindey’s

2 Barcelona

3 Understory/The Commons

Best Plant-Based Dining

1 Comune

2 Portia’s Café

3 4th & State

3 Seitan’s Realm

Best Ramen

1 Fukuryu Ramen

2 Meshikou Ramen

3 Slurping Turtle

Best Romantic Restaurant

1 The Refectory

2 Lindey’s

3 Basi Italia

Best Rooftop Patio

1 VASO Dublin

2 Lincoln Social Rooftop

3 RH Rooftop Restaurant

Best Sandwiches

1 Newfangled Kitchen

2 Katzinger’s Delicatessen

3 Wario’s Beef and Pork

Best Seafood

1 Mitchell’s Ocean Club

2 Littleton’s Market

3 Hank’s Low Country Seafood & Raw Bar

Best Southern/Soul Food Restaurant

1 Gallo’s Kitchen & Bar

2 Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar

3 Yats Grandview

Best Sports Bar

1 Roosters

2 Gallo’s Tap Room

3 Yogi’s Bar & Grill

Best Steakhouse

1 Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse

2 The Top Steak House

3 Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse

Best Sushi

1 Akai Hana

2 Mr. Sushi

3 Domo

Best Tacos

1 Condado Tacos

2 Los Guachos

3 Dos Hermanos

Best Taproom

1 Jackie O’s On Fourth

1 Wolf’s Ridge Brewing

3 Columbus Brewing Co. Beer Hall

3 Seventh Son Brewing

Best Thai Restaurant

1 Siam Orchid

2 Basil

3 Lemongrass Fusion Bistro

Best Vietnamese Restaurant

1 6-1-Pho

2 Lan Viet Market

3 Huong Vietnamese Restaurant

Best Wine Bar

1 Firefly Winery

2 The Wine Bistro

3 Napa Kitchen & Bar

Best Wings

1 Roosters

2 Gallo’s Tap Room

3 Shakers Public House

This story appears in the July 2025 issue of Columbus Monthly as part of the Best of Columbus package.  Subscribe to Columbus Monthly here.