The University District and Old North stretch of High Street runs on volume and speed: tavern-style pizza, halal counters, shawarma windows, and a sub shop within walking distance of the stadium. None of it is precious, and none of it needs to be; this corridor feeds campus every day of the week, and the good rooms have figured out how to do that without cutting corners.
№ 01
Hounddog's Pizza
$$
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Tavern style pizza is the draw, cut thin and built for a table full of people who showed up without calling ahead. The room seats fast even at busy hours, and the pepperoni and cheese pies stay consistent night to night. Service gets uneven when the floor is short-staffed, but the kitchen's output does not waver. A dependable stop for a casual pizza night near campus.
What to ordertavern style pizza, pepperoni pizza, cheese pizza
№ 02
Adriatico's New York Style Pizza
$$
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The Sicilian slice is the one worth ordering first, thick-crusted and holding its own against the thinner hand-tossed New York pies on the same menu. The room near the Ohio State campus is small, so lunch can run slower than the counter-service format suggests. Phone orders for delivery move efficiently. A straightforward New York style option in a neighborhood built on Columbus-style crusts.
What to orderSicilian, hand tossed pizza, New York style pizza
№ 03
HIGH EATS
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The chicken over rice comes in portions large enough to split, and the smash burger has built a following of its own alongside more expected halal standards. The gyro arrives overfilled by design, and bacon cheese fries round out a menu aimed at quick, generous lunches. Service is warm and the counter turns orders fast. A group-friendly stop that overdelivers on quantity without skimping on seasoning.
What to orderChicken over rice, Smash burger, Gyro
№ 04
Halal Bites
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Shawarma wrapped with two sauces is the house move, messy by design and seasoned with a heavier hand than the counter-service format might suggest. Chicken over rice and lamb kebab round out a short, focused menu built for speed. The owner's presence at the counter gives the room a personal feel that outlasts the plain storefront setting. A reliable halal counter for a weeknight dinner near campus.
What to ordershawarma, chicken over rice, lamb kebab
№ 05
Shawerma Bite
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Chicken and steak shawarma anchor the menu, wrapped tight and built for a fast counter-service lunch. Corn on the side has its own following, though both it and the steak option can sell out before the day is done. The Mediterranean lane is thin around campus, and this storefront covers it with more consistency than its size would suggest. Quick, savory, and reliably good.
What to orderchicken shawarma, steak shawarma, corn
№ 06
Varsity Club Restaurant & Bar
$$
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The sub is the thing to order, built for a room that fills up before kickoff and empties out just as fast after. Columbus beer on tap and a location steps from the stadium make this the last stop for a group headed to a game or a concert. Service holds up under pressure even on the busiest event nights. A sports bar that does the pre-game gathering well.
What to ordersub, sandwich, Columbus beer
№ 07
Red Chili Asian Kitchen
$
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Ramen is the reason regulars keep a standing order here, rich enough to have become a genuine campus staple for cold-weather lunches. Pad thai and spring rolls round out a short, inexpensive menu built for quick turnaround. The counter can go quiet during slow stretches, so online ordering is the more dependable route. A low-cost, high-comfort option for a warm meal near Old North Columbus.
What to orderramen, pad thai, spring rolls
Frequently asked
What are the best casual restaurants near me in the University District?
Hounddog's Pizza, Adriatico's, and the halal and shawarma counters along High Street cover most casual cravings within walking distance of Ohio State. Each entry here is ranked by its Insider Score, which is built from the review record alone; no restaurant pays for placement or a better spot on this list.
Is there good pizza in the University District?
Yes, though it splits into two lanes: Hounddog's serves tavern-style pizza built for groups, while Adriatico's covers Sicilian and New York style slices. Both are casual, inexpensive, and built for quick service rather than a sit-down occasion.
Where can I get halal food near campus?
Halal Bites and HIGH EATS both run halal counters in the University District, with shawarma, chicken over rice, and lamb kebab as the core menu. Shawerma Bite covers similar ground from a Mediterranean angle a few blocks over.
What's a good spot before an Ohio State game?
Varsity Club Restaurant & Bar sits closest to the stadium and is built for pre-game traffic, with subs and Columbus beer on tap. It gets busy fast on game days, so arriving early is the better plan.
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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.
