Stone Bar & Kitchen has an easygoing vibe, familiar menu and custom wood details spanning the open space.

Yet, it also has a level of sophistication that goes beyond the standard taverns throughout the city.

Located in a former dry cleaner at 1045 Bethel Road, Stone has Amish-built wooden tables, chairs and expansive bar, with some large booths along the western wall.

Warm with neutral tones and stone accents, the interior is well lit, bordered by windows on two sides and offers a semi-open kitchen with an Italian pizza oven that’s sparkly and textured across the domed top and sides.

The place, which opened just shy of two weeks ago, is owned by Orion Trifoni (Panini Opa, Koble and Kraft House No. 5), Ilias Strovolidis (a partner in Koble) and chef Alex Elofir.

All are chefs and collaborated on the menu.

“We built the concept mainly as being a sports bar but we went down the road and elevated it – and the food,” Elofir said. “It’s not your typical bar food but it’s still affordable.”

Sports aren’t necessarily stressed but not ignored at Stone, which features several large-screen TVs. The restaurant will be open early for FIFA World Cup 2022 soccer games, which started Nov. 20.

Wood-fired pizzas are the centerpiece of the menu. Fired at 500 degrees with a gas assist, the pizzas are hand-built from house-tossed dough and take 3 to 4 minutes to cook.

An early favorite is the “hipster” – homemade tomato sauce, mozzarella, provolone, roma tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, baby spinach, feta and pesto. There are six other signature options and a build-your-own option.

Stone offers an assortment of appetizers, including breaded and deep-fried macaroni with truffle oil, mussels, wings and calamari. Salads, pastas and sandwiches help round out the menu.

The restaurant also offers an assortment of main courses, such as a roasted half Piri-Piri chicken, 12-ounce ribeye, blackened salmon and fish and chips.

Many plates elevate Stone’s status as more than a bar: bruschetta with quail eggs, shrimp tempura, burrata salad and braised lamb shank.

Most prices are $12 to $22.

The restaurant is located in a shopping center at the southwest corner of Kenny and Bethel roads, in a strip well known for ethnic food.

A patio is closed for the season but the owners are building an enclosed patio on the east side of the pub.

The owners took over the space about a year ago but lack of materials and labor delayed the opening several months – a common tale in today’s restaurant world.

The owners, meanwhile, are pleased with the project, which required an entire remodeling effort.

“People, when they do come here, they get a surprise,” Elofir said. “It’s not a typical bar.”

Kitchen hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Fridays and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. For more information, call 614-914-5142.

onrestaurants@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: New Bethel Road pub offers more than bar food