Columbus seafood covers a wide range, from white-tablecloth ahi tuna downtown to weekend crab boils in strip-mall storefronts and a sushi counter inside a Northland marketplace. This list sorts the metro's seafood tables by what they actually do well, not by price tier alone.
№ 01
The Pearl
$$
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Jalapeño corn spoon bread and confit wings carry the brunch menu, backed by devils on horseback and a beet salad built on apple, egg, and candied cashews. The room handles Mother's Day crowds and group brunches without losing the kitchen's footing. It reads as a special-occasion brunch spot as much as a dinner one, and the wings are the dish people mention first.
What to orderJalapeño Corn Spoon Bread, Confit Wings, Beet Salad
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Sushi and nigiri come out of a counter inside the Japan Marketplace, a setting that gives the room a genuine market feel rather than a standalone dining hall. Service runs warm even for families with young kids, and the fish quality holds up against the rest of the metro's Japanese lane. A strong pick for anyone treating sushi quality as the deciding factor.
What to ordersushi, nigiri, maki
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The crab boil comes loaded with shrimp and oysters and gets called out as the best of its kind locally, with service that stays informative rather than rushed on busy nights. The room works for groups splitting a big spread. Customer-service complaints show up in the record too, so first-timers should go in expecting the boil to be the draw, not the front-of-house polish.
What to orderCrab Boil, shrimp, oysters
№ 04
SoCal Kitchen + Bar
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Grilled salmon and ribeye share a menu built for dinner clubs and happy hour crowds, with a cocktail program that gets singled out alongside the food. Service runs attentive without hovering, and groups get seated quickly even on busy nights. As a Cameron Mitchell concept, it delivers the polish that name implies, aimed squarely at celebrations rather than quick dinners.
What to ordergrilled salmon, ribeye steak, roasted chicken
№ 05
Lee's Seafood Boil
$$
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Crawfish and jumbo clams headline a boil menu that draws repeat weekend crowds, with a homemade extra-hot juice option that regulars order by name. The room fills up fast on Sundays, a sign the format has found its audience. Service holds steady through the rush, and the casual room, though due for an update, keeps its regulars coming back for the boil itself.
What to ordercrawfish, jumbo clams, shrimp
№ 06
Indian Oven
$$
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Garlic naan draws some of the strongest praise in the metro's Indian lane, paired with a tikka platter and chilli chicken that round out the menu. The lunch special gets called out specifically as a value pick, and the room stays clean and comfortable for families. A dependable stop for anyone ranking Columbus naan, not just curry.
What to ordergarlic naan, chilli chicken, tikka platter
№ 07
M&M Chicken & Fish
$
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Fried fish and catfish dinners come out well seasoned and properly coated, with wings and fries that hold up as a reliable side order. The counter-service format keeps things quick and casual, fitting its strip-mall setting. Pricing has drawn complaints when online listings run higher than in-store menus, worth checking before ordering ahead. The fish itself is the reason to return.
What to orderfried fish dinner, catfish dinner, chicken wings
№ 08
Poke Bros.
$$
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The poke bowl comes built for a fast, healthy lunch, with edamame and seaweed salad rounding out a counter-service menu that stays under $14 and often covers two meals. The Polaris location sits near the movie theater entrance, an easy stop while running other errands. Freshness gets flagged consistently as the kitchen's strong suit, making it a dependable quick-bite option over a sit-down seafood dinner.
What to orderpoke bowl, edamame, seaweed salad
Frequently asked
What is the best seafood restaurant near me in Columbus?
It depends on the neighborhood and what kind of seafood experience is wanted. Downtown and the ring suburbs lean toward upscale rooms like Eddie Merlot's and SoCal Kitchen + Bar, while Columbus proper has casual boil spots like Kai's Crab Boil and Lee's Seafood Boil. Each entry here is ranked by its Insider Score, which reflects the actual review record, not payment. No restaurant on this list paid for its placement.
Which restaurant has the best seafood boil in Columbus?
Kai's Crab Boil and Lee's Seafood Boil-Columbus both specialize in the format, with crawfish, jumbo clams, shrimp, and oysters as the draw. Lee's gets consistent praise for its homemade spice level and steady weekend service, while Kai's boil itself draws strong marks even where customer-service complaints appear in the record. Insider Scores for both reflect the full review history, not a single visit.
Is Akai Hana in Columbus or a suburb?
Akai Hana operates inside the Japan Marketplace in Columbus proper, not in a separate suburb. It is one of the metro's dependable sushi counters, distinct from the sit-down Japanese rooms elsewhere in the Bethel Road and Sawmill corridor.
How are restaurants ranked on this list?
Every restaurant carries an Insider Score built from its full review record, covering food quality, service consistency, and value over time. The score displayed next to each name reflects that record, not a paid placement. No restaurant pays to appear on Top of Columbus, and the ranking updates as new reviews come in.
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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.
