Steak, seafood or meatless? Chinese, Indian, French or American? Comfortable pub food or white-tablecloth fancy? On any given night, your choices of restaurants across central Ohio seem endless.
The options above, though, describe just a tiny subset of the local food scene. They’re places on Columbus Monthly’s list of Best New Restaurants for 2025.
The list and stories about each are posted now at columbusmonthly.com. They’re also in the February issue of the magazine, which, like The Dispatch, is part of the USA TODAY Network.
Here are links to all of Columbus Monthly’s stories. And if you’d like a chance to sample the food of each place on this year’s list on one night in one place, get tickets for Columbus Monthly’s Best New Restaurants annual event March 25. Early bird tickets are available now.
Gene’s
Gene’s, a Historic Dublin restaurant from the owners of Coast Wine House, offers a seasonal, vegetable-forward menu. Highlight: Eggplant tonkatsu.
Butcher & Rose
Butcher & Rose is one of two places that Cameron Mitchell Restaurants opened in its hometown last year. The restaurant in Downtown’s Preston Centre is steak- and chop-focused. Highlight: King crab brulee.
Taj on Fifth
Taj on Fifth, opened by Ajay Kumar in Fifth by Northwest, serves upgraded versions of Indian classic dishes. Highlight: Its cocktail menu also features an Indian twist.
Chouette
Chef Jacques Sorci, the culinary director for the company that opened Chouette at Gay and High streets Downtown, told Columbus Monthly: “It’s not French-like. It is French.” Highlight: Moules-frites (mussels and fries).
Calero’s Bar & Grill
Calero’s Bar & Grill serves traditional Salvadoran food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Highlight: Pupusas are pillowy rounds of griddled masa filled with different ingredients.
Flour Modern Pasta Bar
Flour Modern Pasta Bar offers diners a choice of breads, salads and entrees for a $28 flat price. Chef and founder Yash Kishinchand calls pasta a canvas for creative dishes. Highlight: Butter chicken alla vodka.
Best of the best: Bears Bagels and Flour Modern Pasta Bar rank as best new restaurants in the nation
Kung Fu Noodle
Kung Fu Noodle opened in Dayton in 2019 and came to the Bethel Road area on the Northwest Side of Columbus last summer. Noodles are handmade and hand-stretched and star in most of its dishes. Highlight: Dandan noodles.
Del Mar
Del Mar is the other restaurant opened by Cameron Mitchell in 2024. The Easton Town Center restaurant is seafood-focused and Mediterranean in flavors and atmosphere. Highlight: Open-fire roasted shellfish platter.
Littleton’s Market Café
Littleton’s Market Café offers foods prepared with ingredients for sale throughout Littleton’s Market, which surrounds it. They’re both in the Tremont Center in Upper Arlington. Highlight: The steak frites feature a daily selection from the market’s butcher.
Shawnee Station Taproom & Kitchen
Toledo-based Maumee Bay Brewing Co. opened Shawnee Station Taproom & Kitchen in Dublin. Its menu is a step above your average brew-pub fare. Highlight: Taproom smashburger.
rvitale@dispatch.com
Instagram: @dispatchdining
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Monthly names best new restaurants in Columbus for 2025
