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.
№ 01
Nazareth | Restaurant & Catering
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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 soup, gyro, chicken bowl
№ 02
King Of Almandi | Yemeni Restaurant
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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 orderfalafel, hummus, garlic toum
№ 03
Yemeni Restaurant
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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 chicken, lamb, hummus with nan
№ 04
Pink Pistachio Cafe
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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 Frappé, Strawberry Matcha, Avocado Toast
№ 05
HIGH EATS
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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 rice, Smash burger, Gyro
№ 06
Halal Bites
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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 ordershawarma, chicken over rice, lamb kebab
№ 07
Casa Di Pizza
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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 pizza, Sicilian, Turkey sub
№ 08
Luna Pizza Kitchen - Bethel Road Columbus
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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 orderpizza, focaccia, calzone
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 →
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.
