10 Best Ethnic Food Options in Columbus, Ohio

Columbus is consistently underestimated as a food city, and its international dining scene is where that underestimation is most obvious.

A large Somali community, a nationally recognized Nepalese dumpling vendor, award-winning North Indian wood-fired cooking, and a Latin American grill drawing from three distinct culinary traditions all exist within the same city.

The ten restaurants below are selected for authenticity, distinctiveness, and the quality of experience they deliver when visited with intention.

10 global restaurants in Columbus worth seeking out

Each entry below is verified active as of 2026 with addresses and what to order.

1. Momo Ghar at the North Market

• Where: North Market, 59 Spruce St, Columbus OH 43215

• Cuisine: Nepalese and Tibetan

• Priority: Must-visit, the most nationally recognized Columbus dining experience

Momo Ghar was founded by Phuntso Lama at the North Market in 2017 and earned national recognition when Guy Fieri featured it on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.

It was the only Ohio restaurant named to Yelp’s top 100 places to eat in the United States.

The signature dish is the Johl Momo; Tibetan steamed dumplings filled with chicken and finished in a spicy fenugreek tomato sauce.

• What to order: Johl Momo and the Choila Set, a Tibetan chicken salad with rice, potatoes, and black-eyed peas

2. Aab India Restaurant

• Where: 1470 Grandview Ave, Columbus OH 43212

• Cuisine: North Indian, wood-fired

• Priority: Must-visit for Indian cuisine in Columbus

Founded by the Singh family in 2013, Aab India is the most consistently praised Indian restaurant in Central Ohio.

The kitchen draws from traditional Punjabi cooking using a wood-fired tandoor oven and spice techniques rooted in founder Avtar Singh’s home village in Punjab’s Kapurthala district.

The lunch buffet is one of the best-value ways to experience the full range of the menu.

• What to order: Tandoori preparations from the wood-fired oven and the saag chicken

3. Hoyo’s Kitchen at the North Market

• Where: North Market, 59 Spruce St, Columbus OH 43215

• Cuisine: Somali

• Priority: Must-visit, one of the few Somali restaurants in the Midwest

Columbus has one of the largest Somali communities in the United States, and Hoyo’s Kitchen is the most celebrated address for Somali cuisine in the city.

The bariis iskukaris, a fragrant Somali-style rice dish, is the signature preparation. The goat curry and the sambusas round out a menu that is unlike anything else in the Columbus dining landscape.

• What to order: Bariis iskukaris, goat curry, and sambusas

4. Los Guachos Taqueria

• Where: 5221 Godown Rd, Columbus OH 43235

• Cuisine: Mexican, al pastor specialist

• Priority: Worth seeking out for the most authentic taco experience in Columbus

Los Guachos is the address Columbus locals direct visitors to when they want Mexican food that has not been adapted for mainstream American tastes.

The al pastor tacos are the reason most people make the trip: marinated pork cooked on a vertical spit, served on a small corn tortilla with onion, cilantro, and pineapple.

• What to order: Al pastor tacos and the agua fresca

5. Lavash Cafe

• Where: 2985 N High St, Columbus OH 43202

• Cuisine: Mediterranean and Middle Eastern

• Priority: Worth visiting for the most distinctive Middle Eastern menu in Columbus

Lavash Cafe has been part of the Clintonville community since 2008, founded by Nasir and Jamal Latif as a gateway to their Palestinian and Mediterranean culinary heritage.

The lamb kebabs and shawarma are the anchor preparations, and the house-made hummus with fresh pita are consistently cited by regulars as the standard everything else is measured against.

• What to order: Lamb kebabs, shawarma platter, and the house-made hummus with pita

6. Tensuke Market and Sushi Cafe

• Where: 1167 Old Henderson Rd, Columbus OH 43220

• Cuisine: Japanese

• Priority: Worth visiting for the most authentic Japanese food experience in Columbus

Tensuke operates as both the largest Japanese grocery store in Ohio and a sushi cafe, which means the fish sourcing reflects market standards rather than restaurant shortcuts.

The sushi is prepared with the same quality ingredients available in the market, and the range moves from accessible rolls to more technical preparations.

• What to order: The daily sushi selection based on what the market has received that morning

7. El Arepazo Latin Grill

• Where: 515 S High St, Columbus OH 43215

• Cuisine: Latin American, Venezuelan and Colombian focus

• Priority: Worth visiting for the most distinctive Latin American menu in Columbus

Founded by Carlos and Carolina Gutierrez, originally from Venezuela and Colombia, El Arepazo has been a staple of Columbus’s Latin American food scene for over fifteen years.

The arepas are the signature preparation: cornmeal patties filled with a rotating selection of proteins and accompaniments.

• What to order: Arepas with chicken or beef, ceviche, and the empanadas

8. North Market

• Where: 59 Spruce St, Columbus OH 43215

• Cuisine: Multi-vendor international market

• Priority: Worth dedicating a full morning to on any Columbus visit

The North Market has been operating in downtown Columbus since 1876 and houses nearly 40 vendors spanning Nepalese, Somali, Polish, Indian, Japanese, and Vietnamese food alongside local produce and specialty groceries.

A major 32-story development is underway next door, with a new hotel opening in 2027 as the market approaches its 150th anniversary. Saturday mornings are when the full vendor roster is operating.

9. Hubert’s Polish Kitchen at the North Market

• Where: North Market, 59 Spruce St, Columbus OH 43215

• Cuisine: Polish

• Priority: Worth seeking out for the most distinctive Eastern European cooking in Columbus

Columbus has a long-established Polish community and Hubert’s Polish Kitchen is the most consistent address for traditional Polish preparations in the city.

The pierogies and the bigos, a slow-cooked hunter’s stew of sauerkraut, meat, and mushrooms, are the two preparations that draw the most repeat visitors.

• What to order: Pierogies and bigos

10. The Pearl

• Where: 641 N High St, Columbus OH 43215

• Cuisine: Seafood and American

• Priority: Worth visiting for the most refined seafood experience in Columbus

The Pearl is a Cameron Mitchell restaurant and the most polished dining room on this list.

The oyster selection, the lobster roll, and the pan-seared scallops with cauliflower puree represent the kitchen at its most technically accomplished.

The Short North location and elevated service make it the natural choice when the occasion calls for something more formal.

• What to order: Oysters, lobster roll, and the pan-seared scallops

Bring Columbus’s global flavors home

For visitors and locals who want the full range of Columbus’s international culinary traditions delivered to a single table in one evening, a private chef removes every logistical barrier.

A chef builds a custom menu drawing from the global cuisines that define Columbus’s food identity, sources every ingredient fresh, and executes the full evening in the home kitchen with complete cleanup before leaving.

What that delivers:

• A fully custom menu drawing from Columbus’s most celebrated global culinary traditions

• Fresh ingredient sourcing including market finds and locally available international ingredients

• Dietary accommodations including vegetarian, gluten-free, and allergy-specific preparation from the start

• Complete cleanup before the chef leaves

Wrap Up

The international dining scene in Columbus is distributed across the city in ways that reward visitors who research before they arrive and locals who venture beyond the familiar.

The ten addresses above are the starting point. The depth each one offers rewards every return visit.

Frequently Asked Questions