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Hero For Christ

Kitoba's Columbus: Restaurants and Movies




updated 6/20/08

Contents

  1. Ethnic on a Budget
    1. Chinese
    2. Other Asian
    3. Greek
    4. Other
  2. Tuesday Night Specials
  3. Tea
  4. Vegetarian
  5. Fine Dining
  6. Nightlife

Great Ethnic Meals on a Budget

Chinese Food:

With a heavy heart, I'm forced to report that the Siu Mai is the only surviving remnant of a Columbus Dim Sum menu that once rivaled the best of San Francisco.

Nevertheless, highly awarded Hong Kong chef Frank Louie and his equally accomplished wife Helena continue to cook Columbus' best Chinese food at Sun Tong Luck, a gourmet's delight cleverly disguised as a typical hole-in-the-wall. The menu, prices and decor here are similar to every cheap Chinese joint in town, but the food is heavenly. Produced entirely without MSG and saturated fats, the STL menu is the best value for money in the city. 

Sun Tong Luck Asian Cuisine (Carriage Place)
(614) 442-3375
2500 Bethel Rd
Columbus, OH 43220
Those of you who remember the old Joy's Village on campus may do so with a queasy feeling in your stomach. But under the new owners, JV has transformed into an all-hours vendor of tasty and surprisingly authentic Asian specialties. Make sure you check out their large Dim Sum menu, complete with many unusual offerings. 

Joy's Village (Campus, under Buckeye Books)
(614)297-7723   
2060 N High St 
Columbus, OH 43201
If you want the authentic big-city Dim Sum experience with the carts, try Fortune Chinese, in the Ackerman Plaza: 
Fortune Chinese Restaurant
(614) 263-1991
2869 Olentangy River Rd
Columbus, Ohio 43202
I still miss their old chef, but the Fifth Avenue Peking Dynasty remains one of the best places to find ultra-authentic Chinese food in Columbus on a budget. Make sure you ask for the "Chinese" menu if you want to get away from standard Americanized fare. 
Peking Dynasty
1773 W 5th Ave
Columbus, OH 43212
(614) 488-8128

Top

Other Asian Food

Get an authentic Indonsian multi-course meal at Taste of Bali 
Taste of Bali (Carriage Place)
(614) 459-7230
2548 Bethel Rd
Columbus, OH 43220
For the best Thai food in the city at a great price, try Bankok on Refugee Road, just east of Route 33 (College Avenue). 
Bangkok Grocery & Restaurant Carryout Orders (South)
(614) 231-8787
3277 Refugee Rd
Columbus, OH 43232
Given the overabundance of mediocre Japanese and mock-Japanese restaurants in Columbus, I can't skip mentioning Restaurant Japan, the only truly authentic and high-quality Japanese restaurant I know of in the city. However, it definitely does NOT fit the category of "budget restaurant" --more like a "break the budget" restaurant. For a poor student like me, it's a once-a-year indulgence --but I definitely dream about it for the other eleven months! 
Restaurant Japan / Seafood Japan (North/West) 
(614) 451-6002
1167 Old Henderson Rd 
Columbus, OH 43220
For cheaply priced Vietnamese treats, check out the North Market's Lac Viet. The "Goi-cuon" summer roll is particularly good. Be aware, however, that the stand closes when North Market does. 
Lac Viet (North Market)
(614) 221-0777
59 Spruce Street
Columbus, OH 43215

Top

Greek Food:

There used to be one great Greek restaurant in Columbus. Then, these three partners split up and each started their own version. The Happy Greek on Campus and the Short North, The Mad Greek on East Broad and My Big Fat Greek Cusina up North all feature the same fantastic appetizer menu. Try the spanakopita (greek spinach pie) the chicken lemon soup, the calamari (fried squid --delicious!) and the kopanisti (spicy feta dip). I guarentee you won't miss the entrée. 
Happy Greek (Short North)
(614) 463-1111
660 N High St
Columbus, OH 43215

Mad Greek (East)
(614) 338-0000
4210 E Broad St
Columbus, OH 43213

My Big Fat Greek Cusina (North)
US 33 at Fishinger Road

Top

Other Ethnic Food:

Darbo Restaurant on Cleveland serves a variety of delicious Somali and Italian entrées at the low price of $7 for a more-than-generous plateful. Each entrée comes with a choice of rice, pasta or chapati, and a bottomless cup of a delicious pineapple beverage is free with each meal. 
Darbo Restaurant (North)
3764 Cleveland Ave
Columbus, OH 43224
(614) 475-8004

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Tuesday Night Specials

First-Run Movies are $5.00 per person at the Drexel Gateway, Drexel Grandview and Drexel East, as well as at the Arena Grand. Second-Run Movies are $1.50 per person at Carriage Place Cinemark.

The Old Bag of Nails Pub (various locations) offers their justly famous Fish & Chips dinner at two for the price of one and a half on Tuesdays.

Top

Tea

Zen Cha:

Columbus's most unique locale, a combination gallery and teahouse serving over a hundred different specialty teas from all around the world. 
ZenCha Tea Salon (Short North)
982 North High Street,
Columbus Ohio 43201
Phone 614.421.2140
Fax 614.421.2141
Momo2 TeaZone: The new expanded Momo features a full range of Bubble Teas, a snacks menu, a live DJ, a bowling alley, karaoke rooms and a "Hello Kitty" emporium. What more could you ask for? 
Momo KTV and Teazone (North)
2895 Olentangy River Rd.
Columbus, OH 43202
Map to location
Phone: (614) 784-0888

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Vegetarian

Benevolence

For the hippie in you: Vegan organic food served in a communal atmosphere, with profits supporting a local farm/nature preserve. 
Benevolence (Short North)
(614) 221-9330
41 W Swan St
Columbus, OH 43215

Dragonfly Neo-V

For a more upscale experience, check out the organic cuisine at this nationally acclaimed vegan restaurant: 
Dragonfly (Victorian Village)
247 King Ave
Columbus, Ohio 43201
(614) 294-8287

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Fine Dining

The Refectory has long been acknowledged as Columbus' premiere fine-dining experience for those with deep pockets. Few people, however, know about their prix fixe Bistro Menu, which is a real steal at $21 per person.

Even the Refectory Bistro still ranks as a rare special-event destination for anyone on a budget, but it places true elegance within the realm of possibility for those willing to place their choice of entree in the capable hands of the chef. 
Refectory Restaurant & Bistro
1092 Bethel Rd
Columbus, OH 43220
(614) 451-9774

Basi Italia

The cramped seating and impeccable menu make Basi Italia the closest thing Columbus has to a New York City dining experience. Like the Refectory, Basi also features a prix fixe menu for food affectionados with smaller budgets (although here the price differential is not as large). 
basi italia
811 Highland St
Columbus OH 43215
(614) 294-7383

Top

Nightlife

Columbus hits the big time with BoMA: The Bar of Modern Art. This is the place to go to impress your out-of-town friends, even if home for them is New York or LA. Located in a lovingly reconstructed antique church, BoMA is equal parts top-drawer art gallery and trendy modern club. 
BoMA: The Bar of Modern Art
583 E Broad St
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 233-3000
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