New American in Central Ohio covers a wide field: brunch counters in the Short North, wine-country dinner houses on the ring roads, and family rooms built for a Tuesday night. This list measures each on what it actually does well, from a pancake plate to a dry-aged steak.
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Ricotta pancakes anchor the brunch menu here, three to a plate with Ohio maple syrup and bananas, alongside scrambled eggs built around a choice of smoked gouda or chevre. The Short North room reads clean and bright, built for a Saturday crowd without a wait that punishes patience. Hot apple cider rounds out a menu that treats basics seriously rather than dressing them up.
What to orderCloud Nine Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Hot Apple Cider
№ 02
The Pearl
$$
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Jalapeno corn spoon bread with whipped butter and local honey sets the tone: a Southern instinct filtered through a Columbus brunch room. Confit wings and a beet salad built on apple, egg, and candied cashews round out a menu built for groups and holidays alike. The kitchen leans into contrast, sweet against smoke, sharp against rich, and mostly lands it.
What to orderJalapeño Corn Spoon Bread, Confit Wings, Beet Salad
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The burger anchors a menu built for a crowd, with seasonal vegetable sides and a cocktail-forward appetizer list that reward an early dinner or a long happy hour. Service here runs warm without slowing down, the kind of room that remembers a birthday without making a production of it. Prices sit a notch above the format, which is the fair complaint against an otherwise dependable kitchen.
What to orderburger, seasonal vegetable side, cocktail appetizer
№ 04
101 Craft Kitchen
Dublin $$
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A medallion steak and a linguini shrimp bowl carry the dinner menu in this Dublin room, and the kitchen's gluten-free range is unusually deep for the category. The pretzels draw praise but split opinion on seasoning; sensitive palates should ask before ordering. What holds the room together is consistency, plate after plate landing where the menu says it will.
What to ordermedallion steak, linguini shrimp bowl, pretzels
№ 05
TownHall
$$
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Protein pancakes headline a Short North brunch menu built around dietary range, backed by a green envy flatbread and a bone broth that regulars single out as the kitchen's strongest work. Service runs attentive without crowding the table. The format suits a casual lunch or a weekend recovery meal more than an occasion dinner, and it does not pretend otherwise.
What to orderprotein pancakes, green envy flatbread, bone broth
№ 06
Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant
$$
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Grilled salmon, filet mignon, and pan seared scallops anchor a dinner menu built to pair against an in-house wine list, with a tasting bar up front that runs first come, first served. The room reads polished on arrival, tasting displays and a retail wall before the hostess stand. Execution can slip under weekend volume, so reservations are the safer bet for a special occasion.
What to ordergrilled salmon, filet mignon, pan-seared scallops
№ 07
REBoL
Dublin $$
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Salads with a Mediterranean lean, grilled chicken, and roasted vegetables move fast through a counter-service format built around a self-order kiosk. The Dublin room favors an open, healthy-minded layout over anything fussy, and the food backs up the concept rather than just wearing the label. It works best as a quick weekday lunch, not a lingering meal.
What to ordersalad with Mediterranean influence, grilled chicken, roasted vegetables
№ 08
Local Roots
Powell $$
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Grilled chicken and seasonal vegetables share the menu with a house burger in this Powell room, which has built its name on repeat business rather than novelty. Service is organized enough to handle a reserved table for ten without friction, and the ownership's daily presence shows in a kitchen that holds its standard visit after visit. Consistency, not invention, is the draw.
What to ordergrilled chicken, seasonal vegetables, house burger
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Hudson 29 Kitchen and Drink sits in Upper Arlington as part of a small local New American roster, built for a dinner crowd that wants a reliable middle ground between a bar menu and an occasion meal. The format favors shareable plates and a full bar over a tasting-menu ambition, suited to a group that wants options without a debate.
What to ordercheese butter rolls, white cranberry mimosa, seasonal specials
№ 10
SoCal Kitchen + Bar
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Grilled salmon, ribeye, and roasted chicken carry a menu built for dinner clubs and celebration parties, with cocktails that draw as much attention as the entrees. Service reads attentive without hovering, and the room handles groups without losing the occasion feel. As a Cameron Mitchell concept, it runs with the polish that group is known for delivering across its restaurants.
What to ordergrilled salmon, ribeye steak, roasted chicken
№ 11
True Food Kitchen
$$
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Edamame dumplings open a menu built around gluten-free range and produce-driven cooking, with wood-fired pizza and a house red wine that anchor happy hour through six. Patio seating gives the Columbus room an easy porch feel for a weekday dinner. Parties that arrive staggered are seated anyway, which keeps the format friendly for groups that cannot all show up on time.
What to orderedamame dumplings, pizza, house red wine
№ 12
Polaris Grill
$$
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Grilled steak and grilled salmon lead a menu built for family dinners looking for an upscale feel without real formality, and the house bread is a regular order despite mixed word on the butter. Opinions split hardest on the room's energy, some finding it a dependable alternative to bigger group-dining names, others finding the volume and flavor both fall short of the price.
What to ordergrilled steak, grilled salmon, house bread
Frequently asked
What counts as New American food in Columbus?
It is a broad category here: brunch rooms with pancakes and scrambled eggs, wine-country dinner houses with steak and salmon, counter-service salad concepts, and family-friendly grills that borrow from several traditions at once rather than committing to one cuisine.
Where can I find good New American restaurants near me in Central Ohio?
This list spans the city of Columbus along with Dublin and Powell, so the nearest strong option depends on which side of the metro someone is on. Each entry states its actual municipality rather than folding everything into Columbus.
Are Bexley, Dublin, Upper Arlington, and Powell part of Columbus?
No. They are their own municipalities that ring the city. This guide names each restaurant's actual city rather than treating the ring cities as Columbus neighborhoods.
How are these restaurants ranked?
Each restaurant carries an Insider Score based on its public review record and signature dishes, not on payment or promotion. No restaurant pays to be listed or ranked higher on this guide.
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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 →
Ruth Ackermann
Staff Writer · Top of Columbus
Ruth Ackermann is the Food Editor at Top of Columbus. Raised in Merion Village in a family from the old German south side, she worked pastry and the line in two Short North kitchens before moving to the notebook. She covers the institutions, the chef-driven rooms, and every dining room where the occasion matters.
