Here are 13 Columbus area restaurants and bars that opened in March
Several new anticipated restaurants have recently opened in Columbus, bringing a range of flavors and cuisines to the city.
Among the latest additions are Fork in Nigeria, which serves traditional Nigerian dishes, Slammie's on High, a spinoff of Slammers, and South End Cafe, a social enterprise eatery. Meanwhile, The Rail has opened a new location in Grandview Heights, offering locally sourced burgers, while Chick'nCone, a fried chicken chain from Pennsylvania, has opened its first Columbus location.
The spring is set to have more anticipated openings, with Bojangles' first Ohio location set to open in April and Cameron Mitchell Restaurants opening Italian concept Valentina's in Dublin's Bridge Park on May 30. But for now, here are 13 restaurants, cafes and bars that opened in the Columbus area in March:
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Fork in Nigeria
Nigerian restaurant Fork in Nigeria opened at East Market in its rotating space, most recently vacated by Buck City Sammies, at the very top of the month. The restaurant serves traditional Nigerian dishes, including fufu, vegan jollof, stewed chicken, goat, oxtail, plantains, okra and meat pies.
The restaurant also has locations in Reynoldsburg, Detriot and Eastpointe, Michigan.
East Market is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Slammie's on High
Slammers spinoff Slammie's on High opened at 1607 N. High St. on campus on March 3, bringing forth a similar but pared-down menu featuring the bar's much-raved-about pizza and the same inclusive, safe space as its predecessor. Slammie's will have seasonal menus, with a range of spirits for the drink menu.
Hours are Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to midnight, Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. and Saturday, noon to 2:30 a.m.
South End Cafe
South End Café, the first social enterprise eatery from Community Development for All People, opened on March 6 at 1951 Parsons Ave.
The café is designed to provide well-paying jobs to people having a hard time finding employment, including returning citizens, the organization said in a release. Positions and training are offered to people without prior experience.
Hours are Monday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Agni
The latest offering from chef Avishar Barua opened earlier this month. Agni, a live-fire restaurant named for the Hindu god of fire, opened at 716 S. High St. in the Brewery District, in the former home of Ambrose & Eve.
The fine-dining restaurant features an evolving 5-course tasting menu inspired by Barua and his team's cultural backgrounds, with vegetarian and gluten-free options, wine, draft beer and cocktails. Its bar is available for walk-in seating, with a limited number of reservations available.
Hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
The Rail
The Rail opened its newest location in Grandview Heights on March 8 at 1064 Dublin Road, as part of the Grandview Crossing development, bringing its menu of locally sourced burgers, brews, spirits and more. The restaurant has additional locations in Akron, Dublin and Strongsville.
Hours are Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
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Chick'nCone
Chick'nCone, a Pennsylvania-based fried chicken chain famous for serving their chicken in waffle cones with various sauces, has opened its first location in the Columbus area at 422 Polaris Parkway in Westerville. The menu also includes chicken sandwiches, crispy chicken tenders, and "Chick'nBowls" with fries, mac and cheese and chicken tenders. The chain also has locations in Hamilton and Blue Ash, in the Cincinnati area.
Hours are currently Thursday and Friday, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, noon to 8 p.m.
C.M. Chicken
C.M. Chicken, a national chain famous for Korean-style fried chicken, has opened its third Columbus area restaurant at 5947 S. Sunbury Road in Westerville. The menu offers various sauces for their fried chicken, including garlic spicy, red hot pepper, soy spring onion and mania lemon spring, and baked Tikkudak chicken in different sauces. The restaurant, with other Columbus area locations in Upper Arlington and Pickerington, also serves noodle options and other sides.
Hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday, noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 8 p.m.
Bobcat Sports Bar
Bobcat Sports Bar hosted its grand opening on March 15, at 1099 W. First Ave. The neighborhood restaurant and bar is named after the Grandview Heights High School and Ohio University Bobcats. The bar replaces Cleaver, the previous restaurant associated with Butcher & Grocer. The bar offers a range of bar food, including nachos, fried pickles, fish and chips and smash burgers, as well as arcade games and TVs.
Hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 3 p.m. to midnight, Friday, 3 p.m. to 2:30 a.m., Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. to midnight.
OX-B's
OX-B's opened its latest Columbus area location on March 16 at 2521 W. Schrock Road in Westerville. The chicken wing concept, with locations in Reynoldsburg, Lancaster, Newark, and inside Brew Dog in the Short North, offers a menu that includes smoked, classic, boneless, and tofu wings, as well as salads, wraps, sauces, and sides such as waffle fries, baked beans, white cheddar and yellow mac, coleslaw and many other options.
Hours are Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
CRMD
CRMD opened a new Columbus area location on March 17 in Lewis Center, at 5915 Evans Farm Drive. It's the second Columbus area location and third overall for the ice cream shop, which got started in the Short North in 2019.
CRMD serves unique ice cream flavors, such as Fruity Pebbles, cereal and milk, buckeye and more, and its new location also features a hidden speakeasy called DRNK which serves up handcrafted cocktails.
Hours are Monday through Thursday, 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 4 p.m. to midnight and Sunday, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
bb.q Chicken
Korean fried chicken chain bb.q Chicken opened this month at 17 E. Lane St. in the University District. This is the first Ohio location for the South Korean-based chain, which plans to have 250 units open across the U.S. by the end of 2023. The menu features wings, boneless wings, and whole chicken, with a variety of sauces, including honey garlic, galbi, cheesling, hot mala and more. Plus, there are other dishes available, like tteokbokki, kimchi fried rice, pickled radishes and beer.
Hours are Monday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Vic Village Tavern
Vic Village Tavern hosted its grand opening on March 23 at 251 W. 5th Ave. in Victorian Village, replacing the Shrunken Head, which closed last year. The bar now features brews, TVs, an appearance from Tortilla Street Food on Tuesdays, and live music, karaoke and trivia in the works.
Hours are Monday through Saturday, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Martiny's BBQ
Family-owned barbecue restaurant Martiny's BBQ opened on March 23 at 5808 Columbus Pike in Lewis Center, its first brick-and-mortar in the former The Porch space. The restaurant menu features pulled pork, brisket, chicken, ribs, plus vegetarian options like cauliflower burnt ends and soon, jackfruit, smoked baked potato bowls, and coleslaw, mac and cheese, pinto beans and German potato salad for sides.
Hours are currently Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Hai Poké closed its Short North location this month
Hai Poké has closed its Short North location located at 647 N. High St., shortly after the opening of its new location in North Market Bridge Park. The Hawaiian street food favorite originated in 2015 as a pop-up at Oddfellows Liquor Bar.
tmoorman@dispatch.com
@taijuannichole
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: The new places to eat and drink in Columbus
