Luck Bros' Coffee House is a hidden gem in Grandview Heights! It's a little off the beaten path, away from Grandview Avenue where several great restaurants and shops reside, Luck Bros' can be found in a little shopping area along 1st Avenue, across from Pierce Field.
Mozart's Bakery and Piano Cafe is an Austrian inspired treat in Clintonville. There's something for everyone on the menu! Breakfast include waffles, breakfast sandwiches, omelets and quiche. Other menu items include soup, salad, sandwiches, wiener schnitzel, strudels, spatzle and beef stroganoff. Afternoon tea is served daily from 2 to 4pm and includes three courses of scones, canapes, pastries and tea. In the bakery you'll find a ton of specialty tortes, including the wheat-free Wolfgang, Esterhazy and Ginnsbruck Tortes. The bakery also makes breakfast pastries, European tea cookies, biscotti and adorable petit fours and marzipan peaches.
Buca di Beppo is an eclectic Italian restaurant that focuses on family-style served meals. Serving extra large portions makes this a great option for large groups, which is what we had the evening of Kenneth's Oath and Hooding Ceremony for the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. The larger portions makes ordering a little different (especially taking into account all of our dietary restrictions and preferences in our family), but everyone was happy with what they ordered.
This past weekend I was able to grab lunch at Cafe Istanbul in Bexley with some of my fellow Columbus bloggers! A few of the lovely ladies I met in February at the Explorer's Club brunch, others were new faces. This blogging get together was organized by Lauren of A Few of My Favorite Things. We had a very long table in the cafe, which was decorated with golden vases, pink flowers and pink and gold placemats - very pretty!
I think a lot of gluten-free diners miss pasta. I'm not saying I miss it as much as I miss regular pizza, but it's up there. Pasta is such a comforting, filling food that seems to find its way into a lot of special events. My Grandma's macaroni and cheese is a staple at Hill family gatherings. I also remember how excited I used to be when my high school cross country team would have pasta nights two days before a race, or when we'd stop at Fazoli's on our way home from a race. One of my favorite meals my mom would make when I was a kid was spaghetti. When I was a vegetarian in high school and college she switched from using a meat based sauce to a vegetable sauce so I could enjoy the pasta too. Now she makes my own batch of macaroni and cheese or lasagna with gluten-free noodles for family gatherings. Pasta is wonderful and it was definitely one of the top foods I missed when going gluten-free. I'm really glad that there are restaurants offering gluten-free pasta!
Prior to eating at Bravo! for the first time a few weeks ago, I'd only had gluten-free pasta at two restaurants: Rusty Bucket and Olive Garden. Both have great gluten-free options and their pasta is pretty tasty. A fellow gluten-free friend of mine, Sarai McCulley, suggested I eat at Bravo! for their gluten-free pasta, which she prefers over Olive Garden. I couldn't wait to try it out!
Harvest Pizzeria is my new favorite place for gluten-free pizza! I can't believe I didn't try eating here sooner! I went to Harvest with my parents last month for dinner. We arrived at the perfect moment to be seated without having to wait. The dining area is small but very open. Large windows on two sides of the room let in a ton of natural light.
C'est Si Bon Cafe in Bexley serves sweet and savory crepes, all of which can be made gluten-free with buckwheat flour. My mom and I visited a few weeks ago before heading to the Columbus Museum of Art's Wine and Canvas: Toulouse-Lautrec Edition. The cafe is tucked in between the Drexel Movie Theater and Star Jewelers of Bexley on Main Street. It's a small cafe, but we went before dinner and it wasn't crowded.
Spagio is a restaurant in Grandview Heights which serves European and Pacific Rim Cuisine. I've been wanting to try it out ever since I found out that they have a gluten-free menu. Two weeks ago I had my chance - it was the restaurant my friend, Brittany, chose for her bachelorette party!
Kingmakers Board Game Parlour is a great venue for date night or an evening out with friends. By paying a $5 Library Fee, visitors have access to over 250 different board games, instruction and tips from Kingmakers staff - Board Game Sommeliers. To apply to be a part-time sommelier you must be able to confidently teach at least 30 board games!.
Mission Coffee is a small coffee shop in the Short North. Located in a former garage (the windows in the big garage door let in a lot of natural light!), the coffee shop has a cool yet cozy and welcoming atmosphere. Mission opened its doors in 2011 by coffee enthusiasts Jonathan Starr and Jared Williamson.
Pistacia Vera has some delicious treats! I stopped by last week to pick up some Valentine's desserts for Kenneth. Pistacia Vera has macarons, chocolate truffles, tarts, dacquoise (a type of cake), tortes, cookies, breads, pâtes de fruits, caramels, nougat and house-made preserves. Many of their desserts are gluten-free or nut-free, a few of them are both! They also serve tea and Cafe Brioso coffee and have a brunch menu from 7am to 2pm daily.
Last weekend I had the pleasure of meeting about twenty-five other Columbus bloggers for brunch at Explorer's Club in German Village. This first Columbus Bloggers Brunch was organized by Amanda of Girl About Columbus and Courtney of NeighborFood. It was wonderful to meet so many other bloggers - and to not be the only person photographing everything!
Moe's Southwest Grill in Upper Arlington has delicious tacos, burritos, chips and salsa, plus options for vegetarian and gluten-free diners! Kenneth and I visited the Upper Arlington location a few weeks ago. Before we got to the restaurant, I was able to check out their Allergen Chart and Vegetarian, Gluten-Free and Low-Cal Options online. The gluten-free options at Moe's are rice bowls, which are basically burritos without the flour tortilla!
Aab India is a great Indian restaurant in Grandview Heights with a ton of gluten-free and vegetarian options! I went to Aab India with my parents, my sister and her boyfriend, Cam, and Kenneth about a month ago.
This is an ode to the best gluten-free crust I have ever eaten. Ever. Donatos has stolen my heart (er, stomach?) with their gluten-free pizzas. The crust is thin, but stable, with the right amount of crunchy and chewy with an almost buttery taste. It's wonderful!
Opening it's doors on August 30th of last year, 16-Bit Bar + Arcade is a new bar in downtown Columbus that offers great drinks and free arcade games. I checked it out with friends last month and had a great time! 16-Bit is located on 4th street, right next to Dirty Frank's Hot Dog Palace. Since 16-Bit does not serve food, we grabbed dinner at Dirty Frank's before checking out 16-Bit (you can also take your hot dog and fries over to 16-Bit!).
Before I went gluten-free, Panera Bread was one of my favorite restaurants. They serve two of my favorite things: bread and coffee! How awesome is a restaurant that gives you bread as a side item when you order a sandwich? Amazingly awesome! I enjoyed every sandwich, soup and coffee drink I had from Panera, and was pretty disappointed that I wouldn't be able to eat there anymore once I discovered my wheat intolerance.
Dirty Frank's Hot Dog Palace is my new favorite fast food joint in Columbus! I can't believe I've not been here before - Dirty Frank's is the best!
I went with some friends a few weeks ago to check out 16-Bit Bar, which is next door to Dirty Frank's. 16-Bit doesn't serve food so we grabbed dinner at Dirty Frank's first. Gluten-free and vegan/vegetarian friendly options abound, you can order a beef or vegan (soy-free) dog on a poppy seed bun, a gluten-free bun or in a Romaine lettuce wrap.
When I was a kid, Bob Evans was one of my favorite restaurants (my sister and I had a hard time with the name though and usually called it "Bev Obbins"). Breakfast foods like scrambled eggs, omelets, biscuits, pancakes, waffles and bacon are some of my favorite foods and they're all delicious at Bob's! We used to eat there a lot growing up, and since Bob's serves breakfast foods all day, I'm positive that I have never had anything off of their lunch or dinner menu (breakfast food for dinner is my second favorite meal, after pizza, of course!).
Starliner Diner is a hidden gem in Hilliard! The restaurant is tucked away in a small strip of buildings on top of a hill along Cemetery Road. If you venture inside you'll find an eclectically decorated restaurant with a Latin-American inspired menu. The interior walls of the restaurant are brightly painted in red, yellow, blue and green. One wall is covered with a large mural with a food/celestial theme, another wall is adorned with a collection of clocks. These fun decorations give the restaurant a casual and inviting atmosphere!
