Great Downtown Lunch Spots

~by Anne Leonard-Palmer & Sarah Curran,
Columbus Bar Association

Tired of the same old lunch? Columbus Bar staff members weigh in on their favorite lunch spots in the downtown area.

Alex Lagusch: Tommy's Diner on West Broad is great for lunch. Be surprised as to who you will see. Great milkshakes and liver and onions... yes, I have eclectic tastes.

Tommy’s Diner
914 W. Broad St.
Columbus, OH 43222

Alysha Clous: Banana Bean in German Village on Whittier. A taste of the Caribbean, Cuba, and Jamaica. Try the pork sandwich and a side of sweet potato fries-you won't regret it!

Banana Bean
410 E. Whittier
Columbus, OH 43206

Bruce Campbell: The lunch room in the basement of
the Statehouse is good (and they have a bunch of free newspapers for the taking). Salad bar is great and the
lobster bisque is amazing.

Capitol Café
Corner of Broad and High
Columbus, OH 43215

Holly Canterucci: Little Palace on 4th is good. In addition to the Greek specialties, they also have what I would describe as 'diner' food - liver and onions, homemade meatloaf, etc.
Good price, big portions.

Little Palace
240 S. 4th St.
Columbus, OH 43215

Jill Snitcher McQuain: There is a good place on 4th Street by the YWCA. It’s called Serenity Café and profits from the cafe support the Columbus-based Serenity Street Foundation, helping adult men recovering from drug and alcohol addictions. Good food. Good cause.

Serenity Café
79 S. 4th St.
Columbus, OH 43215

Kathy Wiesman: Grant Hospital has a place called the Soluna Café. The food is really good and you can sit inside or outside. They now offer a fresh sushi bar.

Soluna Café
300 E. Town St.
Columbus, OH 43215

Marcia Davis: Jack's Diner has the best burgers and homemade shakes downtown. Cash only. You would want to go before the normal noon rush. They also serve breakfast.

Jack’s Diner
52 E. Lynn Street
Columbus, 43215

Paula Coulter: I personally love El Arepazo… awesome Cuban food and lots of vegetarian options.

El Arepazo
47 N. Pearl St
Columbus, OH 43215

Sarah Curran: I love the Four Cheese Bianco Pizza at San Francisco Oven. They also have good salads. The big outdoor seating area is great on a nice summer day!

San Francisco Oven
65 E. State St.
Columbus, OH 43215

She’lia Bolding-Wright: If you don’t know about Lola's, try it, it’s great! Run by Kevin and Lori Ames, formerly of the Press Grill, Frezno’s, and Dagwoodz, the sandwiches, pizzas, wraps, and salads are great, inexpensive, and popular. You might have to wait for a table but it’s worth it!

Café Lola
12 E. Broad St.
Columbus, OH 43215

Hungry yet? If none of these options tempt your tastebuds, check out the following links to search for other restaurants.

Downtown Columbus--Restaurants

Experience Columbus-Dining

Google Maps

(Type in an address or intersection and the word “restaurants” to see restaurants in the area. For example, "175 S. Third St., Columbus, OH 43215 restaurants" or "Broad St. & High St., Columbus, OH 43215 restaurants")