Mouthwatering Cafes in Columbus

South Of Lane

★★★★☆ 4.3 (346) • $$

"Very delayed review but didn't realize I never posted! Came back in June. Very very cute spot. The inside is small but cozy. Maybe 5 tables total? You order at the counter then wait for your food. The menu is very interesting, some nice different options for breakfast mixed in with classics. My only gripe is that we waited nearly an hour for food. It was fairly busy and their kitchen was small. Also not sure if maybe they do delivery as well so that could have been taking up some of the orders. Food was pretty good from what I remember. Everything tasted hot and fresh. I'd come back but probably not on a weekend."

Alchemy Café

★★★★☆ 4.4 (253) • $$

"I can't say enough about alchemy. They set the bar across Cbus for fresh healthy drinks and smoothies. I don't get down often to this location but anytime I'm near I'm headed to Alchemy.It's so good that even my two kiddos ask to get smoothies there and I know it's healthy for them. The servers are friendly and knowledgeable about the menu and products....and they seem genuinely happy! They were a huge help with guiding the choices in our most recent visit."

Chocolate Café

★★★★☆ 4 (278) • $$

"This is the place that you'll definitely need to stop by if you have a sweet tooth. I don't drink coffee or anything related to that, but the snacks are definitely a must-have. I loved their selection of milk chocolates with sea salt on it. Friendly staff and great atmosphere."

Dough Mama

★★★★☆ 4.2 (246) • $$

"Dough Mama is the best! When someone suggests brunch, it immediately comes to mind. They are famous for their pies but their breakfast and lunch menu should not be overlooked. My all-time favorite is the avocado biscuit with the side salad (you can even buy a jar of the amazing umami soy sauce-ish dressing to take home!). I also have enjoyed many a seasonal quiche. Unique to DM is a wall to the left when you walk in that has slips of pre-paid items you can tear off and present at the ordering counter. If you can't afford a meal or need a little pampering, this is a great opportunity to care for the Clintonville community. Cute gifts adorn their entrance area and the vibe is eclectic and homey."

Cornerstone Deli & Café

★★★★☆ 4 (263) • $

"A place that offers deli sandwiches and asian fare.... definitely is not what you would expect when walking in. But what an absolute hidden gem! The menu is reasonably priced and all of the staff were friendly and helpful. It's a very laid back and easy going environment. Walk up to the counter, order and you'll receive your food fairly quickly.Parking -- you'll have to find street parking either on high street or one of the side streets.We went the sandwich route this time around but looking forward to coming back and trying the rice bowls and pad thai!"

Parable Cafe

★★★★☆ 4.4 (199) • $$

"Decided to try the nearest cafe next to my hotel and was not disappointed. Good selection of pastries and drinks. Decent seating. Helpful staff. I got the iced vanilla latte it was really good and well balanced between espresso flavor and their house made vanilla syrup. I also ordered their leek cheese croissant. That one was ok but nothing too special. Overall would come again for sure at least for their coffee!"

Prost Beer & Wine Café

★★★★☆ 4.1 (209) • $$

"Popped in for a drink before dinner. Nice patio. Great service. Nice selection of beers, wines and seltzers. We didn't order any food. The bruschetta flights sounded really good. Maybe we will stop in again to try that. They were doing Christmas in July so they had my husbands favorite Christmas ale on tap. That was cool. They had some fruity sours that I would drink, since I'm not really into beer. Our friend said the old fashioned was alittle watery but it wasn't terrible."

Emmett's Cafe

★★★★★ 4.6 (155) • $$

"Emmett's Cafe is what local restaurants strive to be/do/have. Excellent food; everything had balanced and vibrant flavors, made with quality ingredients. The breakfast burrito was the best I have ever had, genuinely. The banana bread? I have no words. The staff is "bought in"; the service was top notch. You could tell everyone genuinely wanted to be there, and one of the chefs even brought us an extra dish because he thought the banana bread took too long. The vibe is perfect; small but not cramped. Cute but not overdone. Just go to Emmett's, and get there early."

Cafe Elena

★★★★☆ 4.3 (168) • $$

"I cannot believe it took me so long to finally try breakfast here. I am already thinking about going back! It has a very homey, cozy atmosphere and the staff makes you feel welcome. The service is European style - a bit more leisurely and food takes a bit longer. It is so worth it. Food was served piping hot and is like true home cooking at its finest. The vegan skillet was loaded with lots of fresh veggies and was big enough for two meals. The almond buckwheat pancakes were served with a homemade berry compote and delicious coconut cream. The coffee was not my favorite, but it did get me caffeinated for the day.The sweets case was full of goodies and I have my eye on the Russian honey cake for a future visit."

Kolache Republic

★★★★★ 4.5 (147) • $

"We hadn't tried kolaches before, so when I realized we'd be in the area, we decided to give them a try! We placed an online order ahead of time, but between the time we ordered and we got there, they had a sell out on one of the kolaches. They kindly replaced it with another available option and threw in an extra kolache, which was very nice. We ended up with three sweet kolache: sweet cheese, blueberry sweet cheese, and butterscotch pear. They also offer cinnamon rolls on the weekend, so we went with one of the regular and one of the weekend special, which, on the day of our visit, was a Ferrero Rocher Cinnamon Roll featuring a Nutella mix filling and a Nutella cream cheese icing. Everything was quite tasty, with both cinnamon rolls and the sweet cheese kolache being favorites.Kolache Republic is located inside of The Daily Growler, and they have a small parking lot located behind the building. The staff was friendly and efficient. The menu also includes savory kolache options, and they do have a dinner menu available on the weekends. We're looking forward to trying more flavors in the future!"

Habibi Grill

★★★★☆ 4.4 (120) • $$

"November 2024Yummy yummy DELIVERY !5/5TLDR: please try the spot for flavorful food, fair portions, and high-quality ingredients! I am in town for work for a few days, this place was a mile away, but of course I had to use a food delivery service. Ordered The Steak Kebab:I loved the dressings (red onion, pickle, cabbage) that come with the steak kebabs the steak itself was tender and juicy with distinctive grilled taste that you need in life. Rice was perfectly cooked AND SEASONED. Sauce enhanced flavors in the best way. Grape Leaves:Grape leaves were chilled and the perfect texture. Tangy with creamy yet firm rice filling. Both distinctive flavors and super deliciousLoved both. I just wish there was more lettuce."

Giant Eagle Market District

★★★★☆ 3.6 (167) • $$

"Well dang! I usually go to the Ge on Sawmill or the one in Dublin near Perimeter. Lovely stores on their own, but I was advised to go to this one as it was supposedly the best on in Cbus. They weren't lying!!! I felt my inner bougie rising up while perusing the store. The mushroom station caught my eye immediately as I had not seen that in the other GE's. Clean store and really nice and helpful staff (shout out to Heidi at the door and Bonnie at the register). I think it is worth it yo check out this location for your shopping needs."

Alchemy Kitchen

★★★★☆ 4.3 (103) • $$

"How have I sat on this place for so long? I'm seriously kicking myself. I haven't been in years but I found myself craving a good salad one day and decided to try Alchemy again. They were offering delivery, it was within my budget, and they had several good options to choose from. I ordered the green goddess salad and got it vegetarian. To do that, they subbed out the chicken for avocado. Yum! The salad also had green apples, snap peas, delicious pickled onions, goat cheese, an interesting matcha granola, all tossed in a refreshing lemon vinaigrette. I legit ate every single bite. And I'm already itching to order it again. While I used to always come from the smoothies and bowls, I will now be coming for their house favorites and handheld items. Can't wait to try more... especially that salad."

Cafe Paradiso

★★★★☆ 4.3 (90) • $$

"We spent the early afternoon at the local flea market and were ready for a good meal. Cafe Paradiso delivered in every way.Walking in, the atmosphere is charming and welcoming. Staff is extremely attentive and accommodating, as well as friendly. The beautiful smell of garlic hits you immediately and wakes up all of your senses.We had no wait. We were there late afternoon. We were waited on immediately. The server offered many good suggestions. I was craving garlic and ordered the roasted garlic soup combined with the tomato soup (recommended by our server). And it was delicious! The bread was tasty and fresh. We asked for a second round. My "build your own" pasta with spicy Italian sausage and creamy pesto satisfied every one of my food cravings. It was seriously one of the most delicious pasta dishes I've ever had. My husband was very happy with his Fettuccine Alfredo. It's the first time in a LONG time I finished an entire meal on my own.Stuffed full with amazing bread, creamy delicious pasta, and a nice chianti, the server asked if we were interested in dessert. I mean, I'm STUFFED.Of course I'm interested in dessert! The tiramisu is SPOT ON! So delicious and very worth the calories!Overall, we will make the 1.5 hour drive just to eat here and shop to charming downtown. Do not miss Cafe Paradiso when you're in the area. Better yet, make Urbana a destination!"

Heirloom

★★★★☆ 4.2 (61) • $$

"Very impressive on-campus dining from OSU!As a Penn State grad (and employee now), I can never get too close to Ohio State. But that changed today when I was in Columbus and decided to check out top vegetarian restaurants. They Tofu Gyro sounded intriguing to me, so I took the leap and went.Line was appropriately long for lunch, but service was friendly and quick. The Gyro itself was warm and comforting, wonderfully seasoned and prepared, and perfectly filling. Very impressed and pleased."

Ted & Ali's Corner Cafe

★★★★★ 4.6 (37) • $

"Pretty descent food & atmosphere in small town America: Shelby Ohio. I plan to return as I arrived near closing time & they were still gracious to serve me so kudos to this cafe; I purposefully chose eggs & link sausage since that would be quick to make but really wanted to country fried steak n' eggs so may choose that next time"

BayLobsters Cafe & Fish Market

★★★★☆ 4.2 (37) • $$

"Hands down the best seafood in Wooster. Is it Boston or any other coastal town worthy? Well, no. But, for where you are geographically it's really, really good. They treat seafood properly here. The preparation of the fish, from the cuts to the cooking are dead on. The fried foods are crisp while keeping the fish light and flaky without saturating the entire thing in grease and oil. The essence of each dish is the fish. I have yet to try anything on the dinner menu that isn't fantastic. BayLobsters is perfect for seafood lovers any time of the day. Expect prompt, courteous service."

Sahara Shisha

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (50) • $$

"Sahara Shisha has amazing ambiance, plenty of seating, and excellent teas and yogurty milkshakes to go with your hookah. This is a great location to hang out or study with tons of semi outdoor tables and immaculate vibes.The price was about what I expected and the flavor options were good - I'd recommend their blends like Grapes of Wrath for a well-balanced bowl. You may have to work or wait a while to flag down a staff member, but once you do the service is fast - I'd just order at the counter. Open late!"

The Baker's Cafe'

★★★★★ 4.5 (24) • $

"Great new downtown Findlay location! Stopped in for a quick take out lunch and was very impressed with the newly renovated gaslight building. I had the Mediterranean wrap and it was delicious!"

New System Bakery

★★★★☆ 3.9 (30) • $

"I've had the pleasure of enjoying bakery items from New System many times and I have never been disappointed. Great business owned by awesome people. Definitely a must-have when in Chillicothe."

Undergrounds Cafe & Coffee House

★★★★☆ 4.4 (22)

"Getting to Undergrounds Cafe is an adventure. It's located in an office building so it can be hard to find. The aroma helped me find it. It's in the basement. There's coffee and pastries, some of which are vegan. Coffee is good but the pastries are even better. It has a large variety of fresh made things like cakes, cinnamon rolls, and scones. They even have a few that are vegan. If you check in you get a free coffee. This goes good with any pastry. I like to get the vegan cinnamon roll or the raspberry scone, both of which are made without animal products at all. It's about $3 for a pastry. The vegan ones taste like the real thing. It's in an office building. One bad thing is trying to find a bathroom anywhere inside. There's one upstairs."

Vget Cafe

★★★★★ 4.5 (17)

"Came here to try the egg toast! They've got a handful of options on the menu.You order at the kiosk then they prepare your stuff.I got the egg toast with crab stick and the hand punched lemon iced tea.The egg toast was filling and pretty large! I've had egg toast before and this was much more generous for the price! I was impressed! Not really a fan of egg sandwiches with lettuce for some reason but that's beside the point. It was delicious and the egg was soft. I loved the tea as well. It was sweet but it was refreshing.I didn't realize they have coffee drinks on the menu. I'll be coming back to try that!I loved the Shiba Inu theme. Very cute!"

A Proper Garden

★★★☆☆ 2.6 (36) • $$$

"I have driven by this place for years and planned to stop by..I finally did yesterday. A charming, quaint unique nursery and much much more..I was greeted by a pup (adorable) the sales people knowledgeable yet give you space to browse. What an eye the owners have with displays, merchandise and ambience. Love it I will be back... check hours as the cafe is limited with Covid!"

Asmarina

★★★★★ 4.9 (9)

"I love this place and I wish I took more pictures to show off all their great offerings. My family and I have visited several times and enjoy our food each time. It's also super cute and clean inside, which just adds to the appeal. My favorite is the Asmarina sandwich with jalapeños added. The coffee is brewed to order and is delicious. I've also ordered specialty meats from there, which were very affordable and were ready within a couple days.The woman who is usually working, I assume the owner, is super kind and helpful. I never feel rushed when I'm there and you can tell she loves what she does. The only thing that's not amazing is the parking lot is a little tight and can be pretty busy, but it's never stopped me from visiting. We'll continue to go back and I would encourage anyone looking for a pleasant experience and good food to try it out as well."

JoyHouse Coffee

★★★★★ 4.8 (9)

"Fantastic coffee and a great vibe. Will definitely be going back and recommending to friends who are in the area!"

Trotters Pub & Grill

★★★★☆ 3.5 (10)

"Food was very good. Had to ask for dirty table to be washed off. Had to ask three times for silverware after the food was delivered. Absolutely freezing in here and it's 33 outside Don't care to come back"

MD Xpress Cafe

★★★★★ 4.8 (5)

"Really nice flavor and size for price. My order was ready in about 10 minutes and everyone was very friendly. The inside is very clean, next time I might bring my family in to eat dinner."

Creekside Cafe

★★★★★ 5 (4)

"Trapper John's just opened this coffee shop inside their location. They have online ordering, curbside, tons of outdoor seating and limited dine in seating. Staff was super friendly (as usual for this location)."

Crossroads Cafe

★★★★☆ 4 (3) • $

"This is a small family owned café that primarily serves toasted hoagie style sandwiches and burritos made from scratch. They have a variety of items on the menu. There is a small dining area that you can sit in any although it's open to the convenient store. It's not a good place to go for Friday night date night but if you're looking for a quick sandwich with some of your buddies or grab something and take it back to work it's perfect. They make breakfast burritos there that are huge and really really good. The steak burritos and chicken burritos for lunch are killer also."

Gata Mágica Café and Lounge

★★★★☆ 4 (2)

"Nice quiet coffee shop.Staff is great. The Latte is very good.They have some pastries that look good.They have an area with Cafe tables, and another area in the back with comfy couches and coffee tables.I like this place."

German Village Nutrition

★★☆☆☆ 2 (1)

"If you're looking for a healthy smoothie spot, this is not it. service and ambiance were very nice but there are no normal smoothie flavors here. They are all super rich, sugary flavors filled with syrup, which is not what i'm looking for when getting a smoothie. I couldn't even pick one off the menu and I just wanted a simple berry smoothie. The açaí bowl was very disappointing. I paid about $15 for it and it wasn't even filled up halfway in the little container they give you. I lived in NYC for the last few years and spent $15 on açaí bowls all the time that gave you a real serving, way more than this. I was hopeful i'd find my new go to spot, but I won't be returning*to clarify I did get a smoothie for my boyfriend and I did try it. My bowl was also $15 since I added extra toppings."

Fox In the Snow Cafe

★★★★★ 4.5 • $$

"I was in town visiting Columbus and this spot had a lot of reviews. I love having a savory breakfast and I am a sucker for baked goods. They only had one hot breakfast sandwich which was disappointing, I was hoping to have a few hot sandwich options. Parking was easy to find when we got there, it is a small little spot. It seems it's a popular place for students to study or meet up. You order at the register and seating is first come, first serve. The back patio area is comfortable and lots of little birds like to lounge around. Pros: a good selection of baked goods and drinks. Their baked goods are a huge portion. Cons: I wasn't a fan of the cold ham sandwich. It wasn't anything special about it."