Rankings

Best Of the 614

Short editorial lists with a Best Overall pick and the other rooms still worth your night.

Food & Drink

7 restaurants Best Overall: Martini Modern Italian

Best Steaks not at a Steakhouse in Columbus, Ohio

Short North Italian room listed for a wood-grilled ribeye, unconfirmed this week because its website was down.

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Mexican plates and margaritas at Chapala Mexican Grill in Powell

10 restaurants Best Overall: Chapala Mexican Grill

Best Mexican Food in Columbus, Ohio

Full-service Mexican on Liberty Street in Powell, with handcrafted margaritas and a Worthington sister room.

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Mitchell's Ocean Club exterior and patio overlooking Easton Town Center

6 restaurants Best Overall: Mitchell's Ocean Club

Best Steak & Seafood Restaurants in Columbus, Ohio

Easton's 2006 original of the Ocean Prime group, with private-label oysters and weekday half-off lounge hours.

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Schmidt's Sausage Haus und Restaurant storefront with 1886 crest in German Village

7 experiences Best Overall: Schmidt's Sausage Haus

Best Unique Dining Experiences in Columbus, Ohio

Since 1886 on East Kossuth: four family sausage recipes on one platter, then a Jumbo Cream Puff.

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10 restaurants Best Overall: Texas Steele BBQ

Best BBQ in Columbus, Ohio

White oak smoked prime brisket by the half pound from a Texas-born truck based on King Avenue.

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Roosters fried Rooster Fingers chicken tenders with dipping sauce and celery

6 restaurants Best Overall: Roosters

Best Chicken Tenders in Columbus, Ohio

Crunchy tenders, mixable sauces, and a grilled path when you want fewer carbs at a German Village price point.

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OX-B's boneless chicken wings on cheese waffle fries

8 restaurants Best Overall: OX-B's

Best Boneless Chicken Wings in Columbus, Ohio

Tender boneless wings, a long flavor list, and fast Southern-style service on Sawmill Road.

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8 restaurants Best Overall: Keystone Pub & Patio

Best Bone-In Chicken Wings in Columbus, Ohio

Breaded bone-in wings that anchor a Polaris pub night with celery, ranch, and a full table tonight tonight.

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8 carpaccios Best Overall: Martini Modern Italian

Best Beef Carpaccio in Columbus, Ohio

Short North Italian room where Beef Carpaccio with Gorgonzola and Parmesan still anchors the antipasti list.

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Eddie Merlot's steak and Wagyu presentation in Columbus

5 A5 Wagyus Best Overall: Eddie Merlot's

Best A5 Wagyu in Columbus, Ohio

Polaris steakhouse with Australian Rangers Valley and Snake River Farms wagyu, though no A5 on the current menu.

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7 pierogiess Best Overall: Gresso's

Best Pierogies in Columbus, Ohio

Brewery District bar where Famous Pierogies with mushrooms, onions, and sour cream still lead the comfort menu.

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101 Craft Kitchen cheeseburger on a brioche bun with hand-cut fries and a pint of pale beer on a wood table

7 burger spots Best Overall: 101 Craft Kitchen

Best Pub Burgers in Columbus, Ohio

Chef-owned Dublin scratch kitchen with a $16 horseradish mayo burger and weekday happy hour.

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Open gold Pistacia Vera box holding a row of yellow, cream, caramel and pink macarons

7 bakerys Best Overall: Pistacia Vera

Best Bakeries in Columbus, Ohio

German Village patisserie with gluten-free macarons, butter croissants and croissant-bun sandwiches seven days a week.

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Glass storefront of Chocolate Cafe with its script sign above the windows and a white delivery van parked out front

5 cafes Best Overall: Chocolate Cafe

Best Hot Chocolate in Columbus, Ohio

A woman-owned dessert cafe on Northwest Boulevard built around chocolate, with a spiked hot chocolate and late hours.

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Two Weiland's Market employees, one wearing a black butcher apron, standing outside the store under its red Weiland's Market Estd 1961 sign

5 stores Best Overall: Weiland's Market

Best Specialty and Local Grocery Stores in Columbus, Ohio

Clintonville grocery that grew from a 1961 meat shop to a 19,000 square foot store under longtime managers.

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Services

Black Dog Groomers storefront on Indianola Avenue in Clintonville

7 salons Best Overall: Black Dog Groomers

Best Dog Groomers in Columbus, Ohio

Ava's one-dog-at-a-time Clintonville shop on Indianola, calm with nervous dogs and a finish that still looks like yours.

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7 dealerships Best Overall: Byers Ford

Best Ford Dealerships in Columbus, Ohio

Delaware Ford store on Columbus Pike with separate sales, service and parts lines and specials itemized by stock number.

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5 lawn companys Best Overall: Nelson Lawn and Landscape

Best Lawn Services in Columbus, Ohio

Columbus lawn and landscape company handling mowing, sod, stone patios and winter snow removal.

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1st Response Pest Management technician beside a branded service van

12 companiess Best Overall: 1st Response Pest Management

Best Pest Control Companies in Columbus, Ohio

Powell pest team with 365 Care Plans since 2006 and a pre-party yard treatment service.

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Three Johnny Velo Bikes mechanics working on bicycles clamped in repair stands inside the shop

7 shops Best Overall: Johnny Velo Bikes

Best Bike Shops in Columbus, Ohio

A Clintonville storefront on North High Street that sells road, kids and electric bikes and runs a separate e-mobility service bench.

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Activities

9 festivals Best Overall: Columbus Italian Festival

Best Festivals and Fairs Around Columbus Ohio

Pasta, procession, and parish tradition on Saint John the Baptist grounds, the Italian Village weekend that still tastes like history.

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Smash Park Westerville outdoor pickleball courts, cornhole and patio at sunset

10 venues Best Overall: Smash Park

Best Entertainment Venues in Columbus, Ohio

Pickleball, duckpin, axe throwing, karaoke and cyber shuffle on one Westerville floor with a full kitchen open until 1 a.m.

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Guests at the bar inside an X-Golf lounge with X GOLF screens

7 simulators Best Overall: X-Golf Powell

Best Indoor Golf Simulators in Columbus, Ohio

Powell simulator bays with an outdoor patio and putting green, posted hourly rates and a $500 annual membership.

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9 theaters Best Overall: Grandview Theater & Drafthouse

Best Movie Theaters in Columbus, Ohio

Two-screen Grandview Heights drafthouse with 40 drafts, a pizza kitchen and $10 pizza Mondays.

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Player holding a Big Bad Music Trivia answer sheet with Mark Dantzer branding

8 trivia nights Best Overall: Big Bad Music Trivia

Best Trivia in Columbus, Ohio

Former WNCI drive-time host Mark Dantzer's free two-hour name-that-tune night with monthly theme weeks.

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7 activitys Best Overall: Columbus Metropolitan Library

Best Winter Activities for Toddlers in Columbus, Ohio

Systemwide free Toddler Storytimes and warm children's areas across 23 branches, with Main Library on Grant Avenue.

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Columbus Zoo and Aquarium outdoor grounds

8 activitys Best Overall: Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

Best Outdoor Activities for Toddlers in Columbus, Ohio

Powell zoo campus with Little Explorers Base Camp, Shores Play Park, and Polar Playground for toddler days.

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Aerial night view of the Fear Columbus midway lit in purple and red with crowds outside the haunt building

7 attractions Best Overall: Fear Columbus

Best Haunted Houses in Columbus, Ohio

Three brand-new indoor haunts for 2026 under one Northland roof, with timed online tickets.

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i9 Sports coach in a red shirt kneeling in a huddle with young baseball players in caps on a grass field

7 programs Best Overall: i9 Sports Columbus

Best Youth Sports Programs in Columbus, Ohio

No tryouts, one day a week, leagues from age 3 in six sports across the north and west suburbs.

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Young hockey player in a navy jersey and helmet pushing a puck across the ice at an OhioHealth Chiller rink

5 rinks Best Overall: OhioHealth Chiller

Best Ice Skating Rinks in Columbus, Ohio

Three suburban Chiller buildings run public ice every week of the year, so Friday Night Meltdown, noon skates and weekend sessions never depend on the forecast.

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Two people crouching beside a young evergreen at Cackler Farms, one reaching in to saw the trunk

4 farms Best Overall: Cackler Farms

Best Christmas Tree Farms in Columbus, Ohio

A Delaware County farm selling choose and cut trees since 1989, with six varieties, its own wreaths and the longest posted season.

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