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The Guide · Falafel

Best Falafel in Columbus (2026)

Eight restaurants across Columbus. Compare neighborhoods, price tiers and what to order, then read the full reviews.

Amina Warsame
By Amina Warsame Staff Writer · Top of Columbus · Updated October 2026 · How the score is built
Best Falafel in Columbus (2026)
THE COLUMBUS DINING GUIDES 8 restaurants
Compare all 8 restaurantsNeighborhood · price · score · first order
In the same order as the guide. Scores are out of 10; dollar symbols show the listed price tier.
RestaurantNeighborhoodPriceScoreWhat to order
01 Nazareth | Restaurant & CateringColumbus$Lemon chicken soup
02 King Of Almandi | Yemeni RestaurantColumbusFalafel
03 Yemeni RestaurantColumbus$$Roasted chicken
04 Pink Pistachio CafeColumbusCotton Candy Frappé
05 HIGH EATSColumbusChicken over rice
06 Halal BitesColumbusShawarma
07 Casa Di PizzaColumbus$Tikka Masala pizza
08 Luna Pizza Kitchen - Bethel Road ColumbusColumbusPizza

8 restaurants · In guide order

1 Nazareth | Restaurant & Catering Yelp

Nazareth | Restaurant & Catering

Middle Eastern · Columbus · $

Nazareth's falafel rides alongside a lemon chicken soup that keeps people coming back monthly, plus a large gyro and chicken bowl built for leftovers. The Columbus room stays busy on weekends and runs as a low-cost, family-style stop rather than a specialist counter. Order the soup with warm pita first, then decide if the falafel plate or the gyro wins the second visit.

What to orderLemon chicken soupGyroChicken bowl Call Directions Scored from the full review record 5239 N Hamilton Rd, Columbus, OH 43230 · (614) 899-1177
2 King Of Almandi | Yemeni Restaurant Yelp

King Of Almandi | Yemeni Restaurant

Middle Eastern · Columbus

This Columbus counter sits inside a former Popeyes on Broad Street, sign and all, and turns out falafel with hummus and garlic toum at prices that make six pieces and a large hummus an easy takeout order. Complimentary lemon and lentil sides round out the meal. It is Yemeni cooking first, and the falafel is the budget entry point worth ordering alongside it.

What to orderFalafelHummusGarlic toum Call Directions Scored from the full review record 3820 W Broad St, Columbus, OH 43228 · (614) 826-4108
3 Yemeni Restaurant Yelp

Yemeni Restaurant

Middle Eastern · Columbus · $$

In a quiet strip mall off Cleveland Avenue, next to an ethnic grocery store, this Columbus room pairs hummus with nan straight from the oven and backs it with roasted chicken and lamb by the tray. Groups order the four- or six-person trays and still leave with extra food. The hot tea gets repeat mentions as strongly as the hummus does.

What to orderRoasted chickenLambHummus with nan Call Directions Scored from the full review record 5426 Cleveland Ave, Columbus, OH 43231 · (614) 426-4000
4 Pink Pistachio Cafe Yelp

Pink Pistachio Cafe

Juice Bars & Smoothies · Columbus

Pink Pistachio Cafe leans brunch and drink menu, with the Cotton Candy Frappe and Strawberry Matcha drawing as much attention as the Mediterranean omelette and avocado toast. It is a Columbus stop built for a midday break rather than a falafel destination, but it belongs on a list that covers Middle Eastern flavor beyond the standard tray.

What to orderCotton Candy FrappéStrawberry MatchaAvocado Toast Call Directions Scored from the full review record 1072 Dublin Rd, Columbus, OH 43215 · (614) 372-5300
5 HIGH EATS Yelp

HIGH EATS

Salad · Columbus

High Eats runs a halal menu heavy on chicken over rice, smash burgers, and an overstuffed gyro that some diners find almost too generous. Bacon cheese fries and chicken tenders come in equally large portions. The Columbus counter reads as a quick lunch stop for people who want volume as much as flavor, with service that gets called out as consistently friendly.

What to orderChicken over riceSmash burgerGyro Call Directions Scored from the full review record 2346 N High St, Columbus, OH 43202 · (917) 667-4766
6 Halal Bites Yelp

Halal Bites

Halal · Columbus

Halal Bites keeps a short, focused menu of shawarma, chicken over rice, and lamb kebab, dressed in the two-sauce style familiar from New York halal carts. The seasoning gets specific praise, and the counter-service format in Columbus makes it a fast weeknight option. It is a straightforward halal stop, not a Middle Eastern tasting menu, and it does that job well.

What to orderShawarmaChicken over riceLamb kebab Call Directions Scored from the full review record 1479 Worthington St, Columbus, OH 43201 · (614) 732-0012
7 Casa Di Pizza Yelp

Casa Di Pizza

Pizza · Columbus · $

Casa Di Pizza's headline is a Tikka Masala pizza loaded with toppings on a well-built crust, an unusual entry in a city devoted to party-cut tradition. Turkey and chicken parm subs and a toasted Sicilian slice round out the order. This Columbus shop runs on online ordering, and pickup times can run behind, so building in slack helps.

What to orderTikka Masala pizzaSicilianTurkey sub Call Directions Scored from the full review record 2986 Mc Kinley Ave, Columbus, OH 43204 · (614) 586-1342
8 Luna Pizza Kitchen - Bethel Road Columbus Yelp

Luna Pizza Kitchen - Bethel Road Columbus

Pizza · Columbus

Luna Pizza Kitchen sits in a Bethel Road shopping center in Columbus and covers a menu bigger than pizza alone, with focaccia and calzone alongside the pies. It works as a non-chain delivery option for the northwest side, though online ordering has run behind on stated pickup times. Worth the plaza parking lot for a straightforward pizza night.

What to orderPizzaFocacciaCalzone Call Directions Scored from the full review record 2052 Crown Plaza Dr, Unit 7, Columbus, OH 43235 · (614) 525-0004
What to know before choosing a restaurant

The top picks: Nazareth | Restaurant & Catering, King Of Almandi | Yemeni Restaurant, and Yemeni Restaurant, with all 8 rooms ranked below.

Falafel in Columbus rarely gets a room of its own. It shares menus with shawarma counters, Yemeni trays, and gyro shops scattered from Cleveland Avenue to Bethel Road, and the crispy chickpea fritter is often the value marker for the whole plate. This list runs from strip-mall staples to a Columbus-style pizza shop that happens to fry a solid one on the side.

Frequently asked

What is the best falafel near me in Columbus?
It depends on which side of the city is closest. Cleveland Avenue and Broad Street hold strong Yemeni and Middle Eastern options, while Bethel Road covers the northwest side with pizza-forward stops that also serve Middle Eastern plates. Every restaurant on this list is ranked by its Insider Score, and none paid for placement.
Is falafel from a Yemeni restaurant different from other Middle Eastern kitchens?
Yes. Yemeni cooking has its own identity built around roasted chicken, lamb, hummus with nan, and often a distinctive hot tea, and falafel is usually a smaller part of a larger tray-based menu rather than the headline dish.
Are these falafel spots sit-down restaurants or counters?
Most run as casual counters or fast-casual rooms built for takeout and quick lunches, not formal dining. A few, like the Yemeni tray-service spots, work well for group orders and larger family meals.
How are these restaurants ranked?
Each entry carries an Insider Score based on the public review record for that restaurant. No restaurant pays to appear on this list or to rank higher on it.
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The data first, then the verdict

We start with the review record, not a press release. Every room here is a real kitchen with a strong rating across a meaningful number of reviews, ranked on our 10-point Insider Score. We weight consistency over time and the rooms locals return to, not the ones tourists pass through once. The list updates as the data does. How we work →

About the writer
Amina Warsame
Staff Writer · Top of Columbus

Amina Warsame is a Staff Writer at Top of Columbus. Born in Mogadishu and raised in Northland, she grew up between her mother's kitchen and the grocery-cafes of the Somali malls. She writes the guides, sweeps the whole Outerbelt, and covers the Somali and East African tables as the beat she knows best.

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