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The Guide · Hidden Gem

Hidden Gem Restaurants in Westerville Locals Love (2026)

Twelve 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
Hidden Gem Restaurants in Westerville Locals Love (2026)
THE COLUMBUS DINING GUIDES 12 restaurants
Compare all 12 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 Delaney's DinerWesterville$$Eggs benedict
02 Thai GrilleWesterville$$Tofu curry
03 Bru Burger Bar WestervilleWesterville$$Snack burger
04 Koble GrillWesterville$$Gyro
05 Pasquale's Pizza & Pasta HouseWesterville$$Pizza with pepperoni
06 Westerville GrillWesterville$Meatloaf
07 Giammarco's Italian RestaurantWesterville$$House Favorite Pizza
08 Cardone's Restaurant & BarWesterville$$Lasagna
09 Lucky House Chinese RestaurantWesterville$$Singapore Noodle
10 Great Asian RestaurantWesterville$$Pad thai
11 The Original Pancake HouseWesterville$$Crepes
12 Cardinal PizzaWestervillePepperoni pizza

12 restaurants · In guide order

1 Delaney's Diner Yelp

Delaney's Diner

Breakfast & Brunch · Westerville · $$

Eggs benedict and pancakes anchor the weekend menu at this Westerville breakfast counter, though the room's execution swings depending on the morning. Hash browns are the safer order when the kitchen is slammed. It draws a steady local crowd for the format, not the polish, and works best for a casual sit-down rather than a special occasion.

What to orderEggs benedictPancakesHash browns Call Directions Scored from the full review record 5916 Westerville Rd, Westerville, OH 43081 · (614) 776-5788
2 Thai Grille Yelp

Thai Grille

Thai · Westerville · $$

The tofu curry is the order regulars keep coming back for, and the green curry and pad thai hold up across repeat visits. The Westerville dining room stays clean and the staff greets returning customers by name. The one real tradeoff is pacing: food can take a while to reach the table, so this is a linger spot, not a quick lunch.

What to orderTofu curryPad thaiGreen curry Call Directions Scored from the full review record 15 E College Ave, Westerville, OH 43081 · (614) 865-4515
3 Bru Burger Bar Westerville Yelp

Bru Burger Bar Westerville

Burgers · Westerville · $$

The snack burger and the Baes burger are the two names to know on the menu at this Westerville burger bar. Lunch service tends to move fast when the room is quiet, though bar seating has drawn complaints about slow bartender attention. Best treated as a sit-down burger stop rather than a rushed weekday grab.

What to orderSnack burgerBaes burgerClassic burger Call Directions Scored from the full review record 691 North Cleveland Ave, Westerville, OH 43081 · (614) 918-8680
4 Koble Grill Yelp

Koble Grill

Italian · Westerville · $$

Koble Grill runs a fast-casual Greek counter in Westerville built around a gyro loaded onto a sandwich big enough to split. Fries come out alongside a menu deep enough to order more than one thing per visit. Service moves quickly and stays friendly, making this the pick for a lunch that needs to be in and out.

What to orderGyroSandwichesFries Call Directions Scored from the full review record 7 N State St, Westerville, OH 43081 · (614) 882-6366
5 Pasquale's Pizza & Pasta House Yelp

Pasquale's Pizza & Pasta House

Pizza · Westerville · $$

Pepperoni pizza arrives hot and heavily topped at this Westerville neighborhood spot, with a sauce that skips the sweetness some party-cut competitors lean on. Lasagna and garlic bread round out a family-style menu, and the room runs as an actual neighborhood joint, family-staffed, familiar to regulars, consistent from visit to visit.

What to orderPizza with pepperoniLasagnaGarlic bread Call Directions Scored from the full review record 558 W Schrock Rd, Westerville, OH 43081 · (614) 882-6200
6 Westerville Grill Yelp

Westerville Grill

American · Westerville · $

Meatloaf and pie carry this Westerville diner's reputation, served in a room decorated with race cars and old photographs that read like a genuine time capsule rather than a theme. Both dine-in and takeout are reliable, and the staff earns repeat mentions for friendliness. A straightforward diner meal, nothing more, nothing less.

What to orderMeatloafBurgersPie Call Directions Scored from the full review record 59 S State St, Westerville, OH 43081 · (614) 794-7200
7 Giammarco's Italian Restaurant Yelp

Giammarco's Italian Restaurant

Pizza · Westerville · $$

Giammarco's builds its name on Sicilian classics, and the House Favorite Pizza, loaded with pepperoni, mushrooms and crumbled sausage, is the standing order. Stromboli and wings hold up well as takeout, with the crust and sauce cited as the strong points. This is a Westerville pizza-and-pasta house built for casual lunches and pickup dinners, not sit-down ceremony.

What to orderHouse Favorite PizzaStromboliWings Call Directions Scored from the full review record 6030 Chandler Ct, Westerville, OH 43082 · (614) 895-8890
8 Cardone's Restaurant & Bar Yelp

Cardone's Restaurant & Bar

Italian · Westerville · $$

Osso buco and risotto lead an Italian menu at this Westerville room built for celebrations, with the chef also running the kitchen as owner. Lasagna is a reliable fallback, and the wine list gets particular praise. Service speed can vary visit to visit, but the plates consistently arrive at the right temperature.

What to orderLasagnaRisottoOsso buco Call Directions Scored from the full review record 377 W Main St, Westerville, OH 43081 · (614) 392-2267
9 Lucky House Chinese Restaurant Yelp

Lucky House Chinese Restaurant

Chinese · Westerville · $$

Singapore noodle is the dish worth seeking at this Westerville Chinese restaurant, backed by spring rolls and mapo tofu on a menu built for groups. Portions run generous and the dining room is large and well kept. Staff consistency across visits makes it a dependable choice for a family dinner rather than a special discovery.

What to orderSingapore NoodleSpring rollMapo tofu Call Directions Scored from the full review record 56 E Schrock Rd, Westerville, OH 43081 · (614) 898-9860
10 Great Asian Restaurant Yelp

Great Asian Restaurant

Asian Fusion · Westerville · $$

General Tso's chicken and pad thai sit side by side on a menu that mixes American-Chinese and Thai cooking without apology. The Westerville spot moves fast enough for a weekday lunch run and stays affordable across the board. Staff get credit for friendliness and the room for staying clean through a steady lunch rush.

What to orderPad thaiGeneral Tso's chickenSpring rolls Call Directions Scored from the full review record 1176 County Line Rd, Westerville, OH 43081 · (614) 818-3939
11 The Original Pancake House Yelp

The Original Pancake House

Breakfast & Brunch · Westerville · $$

Crepes are the standout at this Westerville breakfast room, alongside pancakes and eggs benedict on a menu with both sweet and savory depth. Parking is easy and the space stays clean through weekend rushes. Service gets consistent praise for attentiveness, making this a solid pick for a family or friend group brunch.

What to orderCrepesPancakesEggs benedict Call Directions Scored from the full review record 715 Worthington Rd, Westerville, OH 43082 · (614) 948-6200
12 Cardinal Pizza Yelp

Cardinal Pizza

Pizza · Westerville

Cardinal Pizza serves both New York and Columbus style pies, with the pepperoni and banana pepper combination and the house salad as the regular order. Beer selection rounds out the casual pizza-night appeal. Phone orders have run behind stated pickup times, so building in extra buffer before arrival is the practical move.

What to orderPepperoni pizzaColumbus style pizzaHouse salad Call Directions Scored from the full review record 10 E Main St, Westerville, OH 43081 · (614) 423-8717
What to know before choosing a restaurant

The top picks: Delaney's Diner, Thai Grille, and Bru Burger Bar Westerville, with all 12 rooms ranked below.

Westerville does not need a hidden-gem story: its Uptown blocks and strip plazas along State Street just quietly do the work, from diner counters to a Sicilian kitchen that has been cutting stromboli for years. This list is the everyday roster, the places Westerville actually eats on a Tuesday and a Saturday both.

Frequently asked

What is the best hidden gem restaurant near me in Westerville?
It depends on what is close by. Uptown and the State Street corridor cover breakfast, Thai, Italian and pizza within a few minutes of each other, so the closest strong option on this list is usually the right call rather than driving across town.
How were these Westerville restaurants chosen?
Each restaurant carries an Insider Score built from the public review record: volume and consistency of feedback over time. No restaurant paid to be listed and placement is not for sale.
Are these restaurants actually in Westerville, not Columbus?
Yes. Every restaurant on this list operates in Westerville, a separate municipality from the city of Columbus, even though it sits just north along the Route 3 and 161 corridor.
Which of these Westerville spots is best for a family dinner?
Pasquale's Pizza & Pasta House, Westerville Grill and Lucky House Chinese Restaurant all run as family-friendly rooms with generous portions and staff used to serving groups and kids.
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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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