Columbus and Suburb Restaurants

Today there are multiple micro-breweries in town

Best bets in fine dining around town

The following is a list of can't-go-wrong, quality dining establishments in the Columbus area arranged by their best known menu items.

Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse charbroiled steaks, chops and seafood. Very generous portions. 565 N. High Street
Mitchell's Steakhouse steaks, chops and lobster, extensive wine list.
45 N. Third St. (614) 416-2582
Spagio steaks, wood-fired pizzas, seafood, and chicken. Don't forget the desserts. 1295 Grandview Ave, in Grandview (614) 486-1114

The Refectory features contemporary French cuissine including fresh seafood, poultry, beef, lamb with an extensive wine list. 1092 Bethel Road (614) 451-9774

Bexley Monk Restaurant & Bar offers sandwiches, stone oven pizzas and pasta with a variety of meat and seafood. 2232 E. Main (614) 239-6665
Columbus Brewing Company includes mostly American mainstays. Check the salmon and wood-fired pizzas. Reservations accepted. Closed Sunday. Has 7 microbrews on tap. 525 Short St. (614) 464-BREW
Lemongrass offers predominately American fare with Asian seasonings in a very chic space. 641 N. High St., Ste 103 & 104 (614) 224-1414.
The Old Bag of Nails Pub fish and chips London style with over-sized sandwiches 663 High St., Worthington (614) 436-5552

Basi Italia cozy. Pizza, pasta, and mediterranean entrees
811 Highland St. (614) 294-7383
Barcelona unique fare includes pan-seared scallops and grilled Canadian salmon. Mediteranean fare. Don't forget to save room for dessert. 263 E. Whittier St. Reservations accepted. (614) 443-3699
LaTavola is an honest authentic Northern Italian eatery with a well appointed dining room with views of the Scioto River. Specializes in homemade pasta and wood-fired pizzas. They began as a small neighborhood restaurant trying to serve the most authentic Italian food in Central Ohio.
6125 Riverside Drive (road on the east side of the Scioto River (about 1/4 of a mile south of Dublin-Granville Road (Route 161).
Martini Italian Bistro contemporary Italian cuisine with generous portions, wood-fired pizzas, and veal scaloppini. Reservations accepted. 1319 Polaris Parkway (614) 844-6500

El Vaquero has several restaurants in Columbus. Most townies will agree that El Vaquero's is one of the best Mexican restaurants in Columbus. While there are a lot of Mexican restaurants about town, El Vaquero's is bigger than most, and it has better speaking servers. Also, its cooler to hang out here for happy hour than most other Mexican restaurants.
3230 Olentangy River Road (south of North Broadway on the east side of the street)

Buckeye Hall of Fame Cafe everything Ohio State Buckeyes with steaks, pastas, salads and sandwiches. This is a full-service family spot: Highlights include a walk-of-fame museum, arcade, sports bar and lots of billiards tables. The color scheme is pure OSU and the exterior is designed to look like the Shoe. The fare at The Buckeye Hall of Fame and Cafe is routinely good: hearty steaks and other American dishes.
1421 Olentangy River Road (614) 291-2233
Rusty Bucket Corner Tavern get there early on game days -- it gets crowded for NFL games. They're all broadcasted in this sports' themed bar and eatery.
1635 W. Lane Ave (in the Lane Avenue Shopping Center west of N. Star Road)

Whitaker House looks like a big dollhouse, it's exactly what you would expect a teahouse to be. Whitaker House is a renovated, century-old Victorian farmhouse. Serving home-made fresh scones, tea bread, tomato-bisque soup and chicken salad. Also have a dinner menu featuring prime-rib, meatloaf and mashed potatoes. 147 W. Olentangy St., Powell, Ohio

94th Aero Squadron located on the north side of Port Columbus International Airport. The restaurant offers a dramatic view of the arriving and departing air traffic. The old country French Farmhouse is full of military memorabilia and aviation relics depicting the times of the World War I and World War II era.