The Most Delicious Fast Food in Columbus

Preston's - A Burger Joint

★★★★☆ 4.1 (208) • $

"First time at Preston's. While I enjoyed it, I didn't love it. They do have a cute patio area and the staff was friendly. I had the mushroom Swiss burger and it was good. Unfortunately there was not a lot of "mushroom Swiss" taste but the burger itself was tasty. My husband had the cheeseburger and fries. Again, good but pretty much like Shake Shack (which I like). The fries were good and I appreciate the option of serval sauces to dip your fries. They offer free water cups and water station. I like this feature. They also have a pretty decent selection of beer."

Wings Over Columbus

★★★★☆ 3.5 (201) • $$

"Wasn't sure what to expect here. Maybe because of that, I was very pleasantly surprised.Ordered a 12-piece tender with honey bbq and "fire" sauce. My friends enjoyed the honey bbq but I like a spicy, tangy Buffalo sauce, and the fire sauce did not disappoint on both fronts.Got a side of hot garlic sauce as well for dipping the waffle fries. It was perfectly spicy but also full of great flavor: the spice didn't overwhelm and take away from the flavor.Chicken is nice, fresh, and juicy white meat- not that weird squishy composite chicken you see at some other wing places. I ordered delivery via a third party app, and everything was prepared and delivered on time.I also requested a lot of different sauces and sides (multiple ranches, bleu cheeses, celery, etc.), and none of the items were missing. That isn't always the case with delivery, so I was pleased to see no mistakes with my order.Also, small detail: the side of celery was clean, no brown/oxidized spots, and tender. Other places give you the nasty, tough outside celery pieces that are all brown from sitting out in the air for too long. It's the little things, man."

Shake Shack Easton Town Center

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (250) • $$

"My first experience in any Shake Shack. The food wasn't bad but the menu doesn't mention that the burgers come with nothing beyond meat and cheese. I clearly also told the distracted but nice employee that it was to go and it was brought out for eating at the restaurant. Now the reason I'm writing the review is because the staff. One in particular stood at the front, not doing much, arms crossed, with the biggest scowl on her face. Even the manager asked if she was ok while he was asking if people had been taken care of. My sister in law who was with even noticed and said "no one looks happy that's working here""

Village Coney

★★★★☆ 4.3 (106) • $

"Bring back the skinny fries!! I ordered the #1 with cheese: two chili cheese coneys with fries and a soda...and of course they add the little Debbie oatmeal pie, cost $10 plus $1tip. The guy taking orders acts like he hates his life and his job, but I think that's his very soon of efficiency and I always give him a buck anyway. Everything was as I remember and enjoyable (I stop by every few months) except I really miss the skinny fries. I did have a bit of a weird texture in my mouth and checked that out... It looks like they burned the hot dog a little bit so the skin was tough."

Big Mamma's Burritos

★★☆☆☆ 2.4 (185) • $

"Tried this place as it was advertised in an email about the best things to do in Ohio. I wasn't super excited. Service was odd as it appeared the lady that took the order also made the order and had just been washing dishes and wasn't clean. Food was ok."

Shake Shack Short North

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (94)

"Walked to Shake Shack after a long day of being out in the Short North. We ordered at a kiosk, and our name was called when our food was ready. We had a large group with us, but the food came out in a timely manner. I got a chicken sandwich and fries, and it was sooo crispy and delicious. There was amble seating inside, so we ate at the restaurant. Looking forward to coming again!"

Kickin Chicken Mobile

★★★★☆ 4.2 (37) • $

"I've driven down Sinclair Rd many times. Today, as I approached Lincoln Ave I saw a sign that said Kickin Chicken, Free Samples. I like chicken and I like samples so in we turned.We were greeted by a nice man who asked if it was our first time. He guaranteed that this chicken would change my life. From behind the counter two pieces of chicken appeated, the samples. I must say, it was tasty.Here's the lowdown, they only serve tenders and fries. In my opinion it's not really a tender. The pieces are larger than popcorn chicken, but not those big, thick tenders that other places serve. I would say each piece was between 2 to 3 inches. Perfectly crispy, and the batter is good. You have a choice of 15 different sauces. I also thought the waffle fries were good. I saw them behind the counter cutting up fresh breast meat. Each sauce looks like a 3 oz cup. Big East's BBQ, and the Sizzles blue cheese were winners for us. The mouth kracken was a little salty for my preference.If they served bite sized fish and shrimp I would probably live there. Tip: Don't rely on the online menu, it's outdated."

Schaffner's Drive In

★★★★☆ 4.3 (33) • $

"Out for a Saturday evening in Baltimore, we stopped in for a sweet treat after dinner. It was our first time there, we all opted for a milkshake, which they gave several varieties to choose from. Our order took a bit longer than expected, but was worth the wait. The milkshake was a good consistency, not overly thick or too thin. I had nice chunks of strawberry in mine. Over a cool little ice cream shop."

Gyro Express

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (54) • $

"This place is hit or miss at times. I get the chicken gyro and fries. The gyro is good. The fries are seasoned with I believe lawrys. Gyro is full of chicken. Veggies/toppings are fresh. My husband normally gets a traditional gyro, I've tasted it. It's ok, I'm just not a big fan of traditional gyros. Where they lack is in their consistency. The food should taste the same way every time. I've received my chicken gyro and it was traditionally made with an addition of some sort of sauce on it that tasted sweet. ??? Who puts random sweet sauce on the chicken for gyros?? The fries. Definitely frozen and from a bag, which is just fine. However sometimes they cook them to death!! Fries can be super hard, cooked so long that they're hollowed out and the color looks different if that makes sense. The service....I have nothing but good thoughts about the staff that works here. They've always been polite, and professional. Do I recommend this place??...yes. They're definitely worth a try. Try the chicken gyro ;)"

Cluck-A-Doodle-Doo

★★★☆☆ 2.9 (58) • $

"So, I was supposed to have brunch with George Takei (of Star Trek fame) today, but instead I spent the morning into afternoon holed up in my hotel room with whatever the Columbus, Ohio version of Montezuma's Revenge is, thanks to what was possibly the most repulsive meal I've ever been served. I was going to give 2-stars because the girl who took my order was well spoken and somewhat helpful, but the events that transpired prevent me being generous with deuce stars. And it's not like I expected some gourmet ish or anything, but I was at least hoping for something that was edible. I was staying at a hotel located roughly a quarter mile from CADD when I saw their menu, which featured like 8 different variations of fries, in the hotel lobby. I wasn't super hungry but I LOVE fries and kind of always have that underlying 'I could eat' feeling, so I went for it and called in an order to be delivered (they're open and deliver until 4am) to my hotel just shy of 1am. After that it was all downhill. I ordered: * Buffalo Fries* Cheese fries w/ jalapenos* Buffalo ShrimpOrder total: $14.85 + $5 cash tip for driver because it was the smallest bill I had. *Was told delivery time for 2 orders of fries and shrimp would be 45 minutes. Actual deliver time was just shy of 2 1/2 hours at 3:30am. Which sucked for a number of reasons, #1 being that at that point I was more exhausted than hungry and would have preferred just falling asleep.*I'd already gotten into my PJs and was sure to ask the girl on the phone if the driver would deliver right to my room or just to the lobby, as my PJs are NSFPublic (not because they're racy but because they're basically being held together by various permanent food stains and I prefer to keep that visual a secret) and I'd planned on not ordering if it meant I was going to have to put on real pants and shoes again to go down to the lobby. The girl on the phone said it depends on the hotel security if the driver can come up or not, and I figured that since my hotel had zero lobby or otherwise security that I'd be good to stay within the confines of my room. That unfortunately didn't end up being the case because the driver didn't want to make the trip up the elevator, so I ended up having suit up and go down for my cold-ass 2.5 hour-old food. *I open the bag of food and the first thing I pull out is the single napkin they packed with my order that's crumpled up, wet, and appears to have already been used by someone else. *The buffalo fries had sogged and congealed together to form one mass glob and it looked like all someone did was put one pump of buffalo sauce right in the middle.*The cheese + jalapeno fries where the container was about 40% coagulated cheese substance. It was pretty close to being inedible. *The buffalo shrimp were downright disgusting. I don't even think there was shrimp in there. If I had to guess, I'd say it was closer to heavily breaded bits of earthworms and there was no buffalo sauce included. There was, however, a small container with a shot of straight drained grease. I stuck my fork in to attempt to stir and do a taste check and sure enough, just thick oil-y grease shot. No buffalo. It smelled so bad that I had to dump it down my hotel bathroom sink, which i know you aren't supposed to do with grease but this was an emergency. Trust. The sh*t was so thick it just pooled over the drain and stayed there. About 4 minutes later I heard a gurgle from the bathroom that ended up being the sound of the grease finally starting to make it's way down the drain. *It was hard to eat more than a few bites of any of it, so I ended up trashing 85% of my $20 meal and then writhing in pain the rest of the night from my stomach's disagreeable reaction to the absolutely abhorrent food.Hands down the foul-est food experience I've ever had... and this is coming from a person who accidentally ate a cat litter particle a few weeks ago thinking it was fallen oatmeal chocolate chip cook bit. Not fit for human consumption would be the simplest way to describe my meal from here."

Wings Over Columbus - Worthington

★★★★☆ 3.5 (36)

"I honestly love Wings Over and always get it at least once when I'm in town. The wing and tender combo never disappoints and I really like the honey mustard they have. The waffle fries are solid too! I feel like they are some of the better wings in the area. Ordering online for pick up was quick and easy. They are a take out operation so don't expect somewhere where you can sit down and eat. Our food was ready on time. Check them out!"

J Lemon Pepper Fish & Chicken

★★★★☆ 3.7 (32)

"My son, who lives about two miles from this location, kept going on and on about how much I would love the fried catfish here. Well, he was right.I'm quite particular about fried catfish, because not everybody knows how to make it right. Lemon Pepper Fish & Chicken DOES. Great texture, perfect temperature, if you eat it right at the restaurant and a delicious seasoning with a great aftertaste.The fries compliment them very well, crispy and piping hot, also with good seasoning.I did try the chicken during my earlier visits, which is very good (wings), but not my favorite. Not that I wouldn't order them again, but if I drive there, I'm going for the catfish.Last night, I decided to try something different, a Philly Cheese Steak, which I have to admit was absolutely amazing! My wife and I got one of each (cheesesteak and catfish to split), so we could have half cheese steak, in the event it wasn't satisfactory. Well, suffice it to say we both wish we had ordered or own full steak sandwiches. Not that we were disappointed because we had the catfish as a backup. My only mistake was not asking what came on it. I'm not a fan of mushrooms and I don't usually get hot peppers.Now I have to decide which one I'm going to order in the future. Knowing me, I can see myself shelling out $16 for two different sandwiches every timed I visit."

Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers

★★★★☆ 3.6 (30)

"I don't normally give chain/fast food places five stars, but this place inspired me. They opened near my daughter's house and we go there often so I knew we would eat her as we like Cane's. About the time they finally opened the covid lockdown was in full swing. Because there is no other RC nearby this place was always packed with a long line at the drive through. Their lot is big and lots of room for many cars, so I can't fault them for the long lines at the drive through.Finally in Sept of 2022 I was in the area and hungry for Cane's and knew the dining room was open. I was immediately impressed with the big clean dining room with out door space, the staff was well organized and friendly. I have been to a few canes and always been happy, but I did leave her impressed. And yes, the food was perfect. PS love crushed ice for my soft drinks."

Wings Over Athens

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (32)

"Honestly I'd say I'd you're in Athens and want something good and quick to take out this would be my first pick. I can't believe I waited this long to try it. I had the 2-tender sandwiches meal and let me tell you if it wasn't absolutely delicious. The tenders are good sized and the sauce was awesome. I got honey bbq and ranch and they had the perfect amount on both. The bread tastes like Cane's Texas toast and the fries taste like Chick-fil-A waffle fries covered in Arby's curly fry spice. I think I made an audible moan when I took my first bite. Phenomenal."

Del Taco

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (38)

"I'll split this into two reviews, as I've gone twice in the last 48 hours. I'll preface it by stating that the key here is to not compare this restaurant to its main competitor, who shall remain nameless (bell sounds in the background).The service: My first visit was the night before last in the very late evening. My wife and I sat in the drive-through, waiting for an extended period of time as we stared at the one car at the window. After upwards of 5 minutes, I called out, "Hello?" to the 2-way speaker, much to the wife's disagreement. She knew that I knew that the attendant knew we were there. I playfully did it as a way to remind the person that they should have at least greeted us with something like, "Welcome to Del Taco. Please take a moment to look over the menu and I'll be with you in a moment." Note: Acknowledge your customer's presence and don't keep them guessing.After another 20 seconds, a voice replied, "I'll be with you in a minute". She didn't sound rude, but it wasn't entirely welcoming either. After a few additional minutes, she apologized and took our order. It seemed that there were only two people working there, probably as a result of the difficulty of finding people to work fast food these days. I guess that's why we had to wait for so long.The food: We ordered two beef tacos and two tamales (being my favorite Mexican dish - I was surprised to find them available at a fast food restaurant) with cheese and chili sauce. I didn't care for the taco at all. The tortilla felt a bit moist and a tad rubbery, the meat's taste, temperature and texture were subpar and it had way too much cheese (like that "nameless" restaurant that stacks way too much cheese on their signature chili). The cheese was finely shredded, but the taste just wasn't there either. The tamale, though I expected little with it not being authentic (tamales take dedicated time to make - over a day) was really disappointing. Again, too much cheese and the meat sauce wasn't very good at all. I'll have to give it another shot and order them without any sauce next time.I concluded that I wouldn't drive that distance again, at least not for those food items.Today's visit: I drove through in the early afternoon and still waited a little longer than I felt necessary, but I was expecting it. When I got to the window, there was only one person in sight. She was a very pleasant young lady named Dionna(?) who had immediately greeted me when I pulled up and said she'd be with me shortly.This time, as per my son's suggestion, I ordered the Grilled Chicken taco. OMG - I thought I was at a different restaurant! The tortilla tasted better, it had less cheese (which tasted the same), but the chicken was amazing! I added mild sauce after the first bite, but felt it was better without it and ate it as presented.I also had a vanilla shake, which was another winner (imho). In fact, I'd put it against the shakes of many fast food joints that specialize in frozen dairy. It was of great density; a bit harder to pull out and rich, but in subtle fashion, which I liken to the shakes and malts of my teen years (the 80s). The only downside was the straw, a bit TOO large in circumference, making it even harder to pull through comfortably. If you've ever taken a pulmonary test, you know the difficulty of passing air through larger holes. Still, that wasn't enough to undo the great taste. I will return to try the hamburger at some point, in addition to a tamale without sauce (they also offer red & green sauce), as long as they're in season (I believe it's a promotional item). I will also enjoy a few more of the chicken tacos, which in my opinion is the real selling point.I give them three stars as an average between "could've been better" and "good", but five stars for Dionna."

Sheetz

★★★★☆ 4 (17)

"Been here a couple of times. Convenient location. I stopped in this visit for coffee after a Doctor's appointment at OSU outpatient care in the same area. This is a nice and clean store with a typical layout. Service was great, it was all me. Automated coffee machine and a self check out. The coffee was good for the type."

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen

★★★☆☆ 2.6 (40)

"Wins over KFC every time. Spicy is the way to go. Biscuits are a little dry. Could improve here."

Amina

★★★★☆ 3.8 (15) • $

"In my neighborhood, there are many local kitchens that have been around for years. Specifically, Amina's Fish has been a staple in the Mount Vernon area.I ordered the catfish dinner (Mac & Cheese and Cabbage/Greens Mix), hush puppies, and fried okra. The food was amazing! I had a pleasure of supporting a local business that has done amazing during COVID-19."

Stacked Burger

★★★★★ 4.8 (6)

"We just tried Stacked Burger, and so glad we did! Such a cool place and the food is both reasonably priced and super tasty. The menu is simple (burgers, dogs, fries and rings) but nothing is ordinary. All the burgers are on the level of top restaurant, very creative and lots of style. The sides are also top notch. We wanted to try a lot, so we ordered the stacked burger and the beer gut dog, one with rings and one with fries. We also ordered the fried Brussels sprouts with bacon and garlic aioli. Gotta say, everything exceeded our expectations... but whatever you do. DON't skip the Brussels. They were off the hook. For sure, give this place a try. Decent prices, outstanding food, friendly people and a great local joint."

Jersey Mike's Subs

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (13)

"Love this place. Always friendly, order online most of the time and sandwich is always done correctly and on time. Delicious fresh ingredients and are hands down the best sub in town.I read where someone complained about they ordered online and it wasn't ready when they arrived in 20 minutes. Thing is that's almost exclusively what I use to order and every time it's 30 minutes so if you arrive in 20 yeah it may not be ready."

Panda Express

★★★☆☆ 2.5 (20)

"Good location. Fast service every time. Food is always pretty fresh tasting. Ambiance isn't to die for but dawg, it's a Panda Express, not PF Changs. I don't come here for a five star dining experience. Drive thru is a nice option too."

Hot Head Burritos

★★★★☆ 4.2 (6)

"Excellent bowls and burritos. The place is clean,the food is great, and the service is outstanding. We will definitely be back soon."

Shake Shack Dublin

★★☆☆☆ 2 (26)

"We stopped into Shake Shack for a quick meal, I had never been there before. You're able to order at little kiosks when you walk in or go to the counter. The customer service was the highlight of our trip here. Someone came around and asked us if we needed help while ordering, and brought us some waters while we waited for our food. She also came back around to check on us while we ate.Honestly, the veggie burger was just okay, but my partner really enjoyed his burger, so I would say it averaged out!"

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen

★★★☆☆ 2.5 (10)

"As always, absolutely delicious. This location is super clean and friendly. The employee took the time while in the drive through to explain the new chicken sandwiches and very polite and accommodating. Also, inside restrooms are clean and the whole place is perfect. Ordered the spicy fried chicken sandwich and Cajun fries. Everything was fresh and delicious. Popeyes has the best fried chicken sandwich, no comparison and this location executed perfectly"

Burger King

★★☆☆☆ 1.6 (19)

"This is the absolute slowest Burger King in all of Ohio. I placed my order at 12:35pm for an impossible whopper and Jalapeño cheese bites. I did not leave the drive through until 1:00pm. I'm certain that a fast food restaurant is not supposed to take 25 minutes for such a small order. On top of that, when i got to the window, they had no idea what i ordered and i had to give them my receipt for them to find it. No surprise, my food was COLD. I wanted to go inside to have them either remake it or give me my money back, but the inside is closed and i feared waiting another half an hour in the drive through line. I won't be back and you should stay far away from it."

Subway

★★☆☆☆ 2.3 (9) • $

"I have gone here quite often for lunch. It seems every time I do go in there the rude, young manager has an attitude. Not friendly and inviting AT ALL. She seems to have a dry, aggressive response to anything you ask. Even when I went in one time, another associate was helping me and she ever found her way in our conversation about a special I inquired about. The associate was l already answering my question and the manager chose to talk over her to add. One day I said "Everytime I come in here your not very nice and your customer service is horrible". She kinda laughed it off and kept ringing me out. I am seriously annoyed when I do go there and I see her.only because I predict her super rudeness is going to make an appearance."

Jersey Mike's Subs

★★★☆☆ 2.8 (6)

"Picked up sandwiches after our doctor's appointments. The store was well kept and clean. We were greeted and all the staff were friendly and professional! Our sandwiches were made quickly and exactly as expected. Very delicious!!"

Jersey Mike's Subs

★★★★☆ 3.7 (3)

"Didn't even know this was here. I needed something fast but hopefully better than fast food, and it was handy. Saw Nanci's review and her sandwich sounded good so I got essentially the same thing.It was good. Very good. Loaded with meat, veggies, toppings, and yet still held together and wasn't messy. Staff were friendly and efficient. In the strip so plenty of parking (not out by City and Taco Bell, behind them, by the cleaners.) Clean inside, small, you are right there when they make it. Decent prices and good quality."

Charleys Cheesesteaks

★★☆☆☆ 2.3 (7)

"Ordered an early sandwich online.Woman behind counter didn't recognize me so I inquired about the online order. She looked at some receipts and told the chef to cook up my sandwich."Why isn't it done, " I asked.She babbled something incoherent and it took another 10 minutes for the sandwich to be made."

Subway

★★☆☆☆ 1.8 (9) • $

"Stay away from this place! The owner is a jerk. I went for a promotional offer for a free 6" sub redeemed thru our T-Mobile accounts. I took my wife's phone in with me to use her coupon for her sub. They made our subs and then wouldn't give me the subs because my wife wasn't with me. There is a time and place to stick to "rules". You don't NOT follow thru on promotional offers on technicalities. I will never return to this Subway."

Steak 'n Shake

★★☆☆☆ 1.7 (6)

"You order by key pad. No contact with employees. I had read several times that the food is cold. Yes it is. Won't be returning here. Five stars for cleanliness."

Subway

★★☆☆☆ 1.8 (4)

"Handy Subway located in the service station! Brittany is such an upbeat and enthusiastic worker, took good care of us all at the lunch rush today! Cooler was stocked with drinks. Brittany prepared a great sandwich and got me checked out quickly. She was the only one working the counter and she kept the line moving. Great employee! Plenty of seating. Tidy space. Nice Subway."