Japanese Oriental Restaurant in the University District is closing

Patrick Cooley, The Columbus Dispatch
·2 min read
Japanese Oriental restaurant on North High Street in Old North Columbus has announced it will close, likely by the end of 2021.
Japanese Oriental restaurant on North High Street in Old North Columbus has announced it will close, likely by the end of 2021.

The Japanese Oriental Restaurant on North High Street in the University District is closing after serving Japanese and Korean cuisine for more than 40 years.

Owner Kim Aun declined to comment, but in a Facebook post, she said the company that owns the property at 2283 N. High St. wants to convert the three-story brick building to apartments and use the space that currently houses the restaurant as a “common area.”

A winding black staircase in the front of the building leads to the restaurant's front door, which is covered with notices asking customers to put on masks before entering. A table of carryout orders greets customers as they step into the restaurant.

A white sign with the words "sushi bar" hangs from an awning at the front of the building. Those words long have announced the restaurant’s presence to anyone traveling along High Street.

Japanese Oriental stands in the same neighborhood as other campus institutions such as Cazuela's Mexican Cantina and the Kerouac Cafe.

“There’s been a lot of back and forth with the property managers,” the Facebook post said. But the two sides were unable to come to an agreement.

“We don’t have the exact date yet, but we will most likely be closed by the end of the year,” the Facebook post said.

In 2016, the Japanese Oriental building was acquired, with all the other parcels on the block, to make way for the View on Pavey Square apartment complex, which wraps around the back of the restaurant. The property was subsequently sold to limited liability company with a Georgia address. A representative of the company could not immediately be reached for comment.

Japanese Oriental Restaurant is located a few blocks north of Ohio State University and a few blocks south of Clintonville, and is popular with students, alumni and people who live in the neighborhood. The eatery became an Old North Columbus institution through the years with its affordable and authentic menu, which features sake, sushi and a range of Korean selections.

The bulgogi entree with banchan, sushi roll, poke appetizer, veggie dolsot bibimbap and a beer at Japanese Oriental Restaurant on North High Street.
The bulgogi entree with banchan, sushi roll, poke appetizer, veggie dolsot bibimbap and a beer at Japanese Oriental Restaurant on North High Street.

Dishes such as sushi, tempura, teriyaki chicken, bulgogi, bibimbap and calamari are others staples of the Asian diner.

“We are in the midst of finding something new,” The Facebook post said. “It may not be a restaurant, but hopefully we can still find a way to continue to feed you guys.”

The family that owns Japanese Oriental also runs the Bonsai restaurant in Upper Arlington's Kingsdale Shopping Center.

Longtime customers took to Facebook to lament the loss of the treasured University District eatery.

"I've been eating here since my first days at OSU," wrote Lisa Stewart, who lives in Columbus. "I'm so saddened by this. You're an institution."

pcooley@dispatch.com

@PatrickACooley

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Japanese Oriental Restaurant no North High Street is closing