Columbus Restaurants That Closed (October 2026)

Updated: October 3, 2026

We spend a lot of time telling you where to eat in Columbus, but the other half of the story is the places that don’t make it. Every month brings a new round of goodbyes, some of them decades in the making, and we think local spots deserve a proper sendoff when the lights go out for good.

This is the companion to our monthly roundup of new Columbus restaurants: one page for the arrivals, one for the departures. We update it every month, keep the year’s earlier closures below, and re-check each one so you always know what actually happened to your old regular. Recent losses include Pie of the Tiger in the Short North, the Savvy Sliders by campus, Indian Oven after 26 years on East Main Street, and both Nocterra Brewing taprooms.

Jump to: Closing soon · September · August · July · June · May · April · March · February · January

Announced closings still to come

Three more goodbyes are already on the calendar. Hoster Brewing pours its last at 653 N. James Rd. after October 31st, with its Oktoberfest on October 9th and 10th still on before the taps close. Outerbelt Brewing, the seven-year-old taproom at 3560 Dolson Ct. in Carroll, closes on October 5th. And Mozart’s Bakery and Piano Cafe in Clintonville wraps up 31 years on December 24th as owners Anand and Doris Saha retire.

Closed in September 2026

Savvy Sliders, University District

Savvy Sliders closed its campus store at 2106 N. High St. on September 27th, a little under four years after it opened in November 2022. General manager Isiah Zinthallah told The Lantern the company gave no reason. She pointed at the bigger picture on High Street instead, where buildings are coming down and bars are closing as costs climb. The chain’s other Columbus store at 1450 W. Broad St. stays open.

Starbucks, Short North and Easton

Starbucks closed two Columbus stores after service on September 26th: the Short North shop at 1014 N. High St. and the standalone store at 4015 Easton Station. Both were on the list of roughly 250 North American stores the chain cut in one sweep. The High Street store had been open less than 18 months, since April 2025, in the space Julep left behind, while the Easton store dated to the center’s 1999 opening. Starbucks says its other Columbus-area stores keep running.

Pie of the Tiger

Pie of the Tiger served its last pies over the weekend of September 12th and 13th from its counter in the back of Short North Tavern at 674 N. High St. The Detroit-style spinoff of Yellow Brick Pizza started as a March Madness pop-up in 2021 and became a permanent installation, known for thick square crusts with the sauce on top. The goodbye post read “That’s a wrap for now Columbus. We’re outta dough,” and when customers asked about a new home, the answer was no immediate plans, but they’re looking. The tavern isn’t going dark: Sunday Gravy, a Roman-style pizza and Italian sandwich counter from chef Jamie George, is moving into the space.

PJ’s Sandwiches

PJ’s Sandwiches, the late-night fat-sandwich shop at 15 E. Frambes Ave. that fed Ohio State students into the small hours for more than two decades, has closed without a word from its owners. By late September it was listed as closed on the ordering apps, the phone was out of service, and the door stayed shut during posted hours. The building’s future is already spoken for: a seven-story apartment project proposed for Woodruff and High has been expanded to take in the PJ’s building, which would come down.

Yoshi Yum, Powell

Yoshi Yum, the quick-service sushi and hibachi spot at 3889 Powell Rd. in Powell, has closed. Yoshi now lists just two stores, one on North High Street by campus and one in Indianapolis. Signs in the window announce what’s next: Benny’s Pizza Pub & Patio, the Marysville institution that started life as a 1940s root beer stand, is putting a carryout shop in the space. No opening date yet.

Gresso’s

Gresso’s, the Brewery District bar at 961 S. High St. known for years as the city’s Steelers bar, has gone quiet. The Columbus Dispatch reported on September 23rd that it had closed several weeks earlier with no announcement, and that former owner Eric Gresak was discussing ways to get it open again. Its own pages still show nothing newer than a 2024 post about reopening under new management, so for now it counts as closed, at least for the time being.

Rally’s, East Broad Street

The Rally’s at 3260 E. Broad St. has closed, the chain’s second central Ohio exit in a matter of weeks after the Grove City store in August. No last day was announced; the address dropped off the Rally’s store finder, and a permit for a new ground sign was withdrawn on September 3rd. City records point to what comes next: a preliminary plan review filed under the name Dutch Bros describes a drive-thru coffee redevelopment on the lot, though no building permit has been issued and Dutch Bros hasn’t announced the site. Eight Rally’s remain in Franklin County.

O’Charley’s, Reynoldsburg and Canal Winchester

O’Charley’s shut down its company-owned restaurants across the country after service on September 9th, and both central Ohio locations went with them: 2272 Baltimore-Reynoldsburg Rd. in Reynoldsburg and 6224 Gender Rd. in Canal Winchester. There was no corporate announcement; the chain’s website and social accounts simply went dark. Majority owner Cannae Holdings had already told investors that same-store sales fell 13 percent in the second quarter.

Indian Oven

Indian Oven served its last meal at 427 E. Main St. on September 1st and closed out what the restaurant counts as 26 years in Columbus. It started on High Street in Old North Columbus and moved to East Main in 2001. This is a move, not a shutdown: the owners told NBC4 they’re hunting for a space around Delaware, Lewis Center or Polaris, closer to home, and hoping to reopen by the end of October.

Also in September: RIDEhome, the bike shop and coffee bar at 650 High St. in Old Worthington, announced it has closed after 16 years. And Blackbird Burrito Company inside Woodland’s Backyard at 668 Grandview Ave. is gone as a concept: the Blackbird Kitchen team is reopening the space as Roswell’s, a UFO-themed burger spot, on October 13th.

Closed in August 2026

Yats Cajun Creole

Yats served its last bowl of gumbo on Grandview Avenue on August 20th, twelve years after opening in the summer of 2014. The counter-service Cajun spot was known for its rotating pots of étouffée and Drunken Chicken stew, and the goodbye post thanked every customer who “made us part of your lives.” The brand isn’t leaving Columbus entirely: the Yats food truck keeps rolling, and the Indianapolis-based chain still operates its Indiana locations.

Rally’s Grove City

The Rally’s drive-thru at 1939 Stringtown Road in Grove City has permanently closed. The chain never announced it; the location quietly vanished from the Rally’s website, and by late August the sign was being dismantled and the drive-thru menu boards were gone. This is one store closing, not a chain leaving town: the Rally’s on Parsons Avenue and Georgesville Road remain open and are now the closest locations for the southwest side.

Nocterra Brewing Co.

Nocterra Brewing shut both of its taprooms over the last weekend of August with no warning to customers or staff: the Scioto Audubon location at 516 Maier Pl. closed after Saturday, August 29th, and the original Powell brewery at 41 Depot St. followed on Sunday the 30th. A sign on the Audubon door called it a temporary pause to restructure, and a message attributed to the owners said they had run out of runway. The Powell landlord had “For Lease” signs up by Monday morning, and Columbus Business First reported the Audubon taproom won’t reopen. Nocterra opened in Powell in 2019 and added Audubon in 2024.

Mezze Mediterranean Cuisine

Mezze closed its restaurant at 5326 N. Hamilton Rd. on August 31st after about 15 years. It opened in 2011 as Mezze Middle’Terranean, and Stephen Warwick, who bought it in 2013 and ran it for about 12 years, told NBC4 he sold it because of health problems; the final owner didn’t respond. The turnaround was fast: Cedar Mediterranean Grill opened in the same space on September 8th with the same build-your-own bowls and pita wraps.

Closed in July 2026

OX-B’s Short North

OX-B’s closed its Short North location on July 26th. The fried chicken shop lived inside the old BrewDog space, which had already gone dark, so the building loses its second tenant in a row. This one is a location closing rather than a chain folding: seven OX-B’s remained around central Ohio, and an eighth has since opened at 7370 Sawmill Rd. near Dublin.

Maple Street Biscuit Company

The Worthington Maple Street Biscuits appears to have closed in late July, taking the chain’s last central Ohio location with it. The signage is down and a for-lease sign is up. Maple Street came to town with a Polaris store in early 2023, then added Worthington and Powell. There’s a corporate wrinkle behind it: Biscuit Belly, which opened its own first Columbus location in Grandview in June, announced it’s buying Maple Street.

Magic Mountain Fun Center East

Magic Mountain Fun Center East closed July 5th after 45 years on Scarborough Boulevard. Not a restaurant in the strict sense, but a generation of East Side birthday parties ran on its mini golf, go-karts, and snack counter, so it belongs on the goodbye list.

Park Service Coffee

Park Service Coffee poured its last cup on July 5th. The small Short North shop shared its space with Woodhouse Vegan, which wound down the same month, so the whole corner went quiet.

Update, October 3, 2026: Park Service reopened in late September inside Metsi’s at 36 E. Lincoln St., pouring Wednesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. with Metsi’s pastries alongside the espresso.

Woodhouse Vegan

Woodhouse Vegan closed its Short North cafe at 19 W. Russell St. in early July, about a decade after sisters Cara and Nicole Woodhouse started the business as a pop-up inside Oddfellows Liquor Bar. The lease had run out in March, and the owners stayed open through festival season before winding down after the Fourth of July weekend. They call it a transition rather than an ending, and their website now lists the Russell Street shop as permanently closed.

Fountains Take 2

Chef Lemont Fountain announced on July 27th that Fountains Take 2, the seafood and soul food restaurant at 30 S. Young St., was closing after three years and selling off its kitchen equipment. The business started as a food truck and catering operation, grew into a 4,000-square-foot dining room, and along the way fed daily meals to local schools and ran cooking classes for kids and adults. Fountain is now cooking a bar-food menu called Chef Up out of Classics Victories and looking for a partner to keep the catering side going.

Golden Donuts & Diner

Golden Donuts & Diner, the retro donut-and-diner counter on Lockbourne Road, closed quietly on the South Side. There was no farewell post, just a boarded-up building and a for-rent sign where the coffee-and-crullers regulars used to line up.

Trek Brewing

Trek Brewing in Newark called last pour on July 12th after eight years. Beyond the beer, it ran a giving program that raised tens of thousands of dollars for local nonprofits, so its regulars are losing a genuine community anchor when the taps go dry.

Closed in June 2026

Due Amici

After 22 years on Gay Street, Due Amici served its last plate of pasta on June 8th. The contemporary Italian spot opened on New Year’s Eve in 2004 and became a downtown reliable for date nights and pre-show dinners. Owners Don Ziliak and Jeff Glavan had been in talks to sell to the team behind Tip Top, but when that deal fell through they decided to close, pointing to changing circumstances downtown and the road construction squeezing nearby restaurants.

Lemongrass Fusion Bistro

Lemongrass, the Short North’s original Asian fusion restaurant, closed on June 28th after 28 years at 641 N. High St. Pete Vitt opened it in 1998 with a menu that mixed sushi rolls, tacos, noodles, and stir-fries long before fusion was a marketing word. His son Jesse ran it at the end, and he was blunt about why: it’s a rough time to be a small family restaurant competing with corporate money and the delivery apps that keep people eating at home.

BD’s Mongolian Grill

BD’s Mongolian Grill on Sawmill Road closed in mid-June after 27 years of build-your-own, all-you-can-eat stir-fry. It was the kind of place you hit with a big group and circled the ingredient bar three times, and the Dublin spot had been a Central Ohio fixture since the late 1990s.

Winan’s Chocolates + Coffees

The Short North outpost of Winan’s Chocolates + Coffees shut down abruptly on June 6th. The 611 N. High St. shop was a dependable stop for buckeyes, truffles, and a coffee while walking the galleries. Winan’s still runs other locations around Ohio.

Coffee Connections

Old Hilliard’s Coffee Connections poured its last cup on June 27th, and not by choice. After nearly 10 years, floor damage in the century-old building forced the shop out. The owners say pop-ups and a new location are in the works, so this one may not be a permanent goodbye.

Update, October 3, 2026: Coffee Connections found that new home a few blocks away, in the basement of Cornerstone Christian Fellowship at 4066 Main St. in Hilliard, and pours Wednesday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to noon.

Firehouse Pizza

Firehouse Pizza served its last pie at 4 South Main Street in Thornville on June 6th. The building sold and the new owners have other plans for it, so this was a lease ending rather than a business failing.

Closed in May 2026

Mitchell’s Steakhouse

The original Mitchell’s Steakhouse poured its last martini downtown on May 25th after nearly three decades at 45 N. Third St. This was the Mitchell’s, the steakhouse Cameron Mitchell opened in the late 1990s before the brand was sold off, first to Ruth’s Chris and later to Landry’s, which runs it today. The Polaris location is still open, and the company is moving downtown staff to sister spots like Columbus Fish Market and Mastro’s. Still, losing the flagship on the same downtown stretch that just lost Due Amici stings.

Fives Up High

An Ohio State campus staple has closed. Fives Up High on North High Street served its last crowd after Senior Crawl on May 5th. It isn’t the end of the line for the ownership, though: Scott Ellsworth plans to reopen the long-gone Twos Under High in a basement space beneath Dirty Frank’s at 2036 N. High St.

Closed in April 2026

Dairy Twist

A longtime West Side staple, Dairy Twist has permanently closed following the passing of owner Larry Cordial, a retired Norwich Township firefighter who bought the shop more than a decade ago. The Sullivant Avenue ice cream stand had served the Hilltop for decades and built a loyal following for its wide range of flavors and classic soft serve.

Update, August 1, 2026: Good news for the Hilltop: Dairy Twist has reopened under new ownership, and the soft serve is back on Sullivant Avenue.

Closed in March 2026

Draft Day

After less than a year in business, Draft Day near Grandview Heights has closed. The sports bar on Dublin Road opened in 2025 but struggled to gain momentum amid delays and ongoing challenges. Owner TJ Valentino says he’s already looking ahead to future concepts, so this likely won’t be the last we see from him.

The Little Bar

The Little Bar at 2195 N. High St. poured its last drinks on March 29th after 20 years as a campus fixture, and the building has since been torn down. Owner John Massimiani told The Lantern that “everything good comes to an end.” The site is slated for a nine-story student housing building with 845 beds and a new ground-floor home for University Baptist Church.

Iron Grill Barbecue & Brew

Iron Grill Barbecue & Brew in Clintonville abruptly closed around March 30th, announcing its final day with a handwritten sign on the door that caught regulars by surprise. The 5295 N. High St. spot had been a barbecue address for decades (it was Pig Iron BBQ before Iron Grill took over in 2012), known for pulled pork, brisket, and big breakfasts. A new concept, TK’s Hangout, has since moved into the space.

The Crispy Coop

After 12 years in business, The Crispy Coop in Grandview has closed its doors. The fried chicken favorite thanked customers for years of support in a farewell message, wrapping up more than a decade of serving comfort food and community favorites.

China Bell

After nearly 40 years in Grove City, China Bell has closed. Founder Gary Shyu opened the Stringtown Road restaurant in 1988, and it stayed a family staple for generations even after he passed away in 2021. Its last day was March 31st, and the property is being cleared for redevelopment.

Closed in February 2026

Torchy’s Tacos

Torchy’s Tacos served its last queso in central Ohio on February 3rd, closing both remaining locations, 3726 W. Dublin-Granville Rd. in Dublin and 6042 N. Hamilton Rd. in New Albany, on the same day. The Texas-based chain had already shut its Polaris shop in August 2025, and this exit leaves exactly one Torchy’s in Ohio, down near Cincinnati.

Skillet

Skillet closed its German Village dining room at 410 E. Whittier St. in February after 17 years. The scratch-cooking brunch spot started as a food truck in 2009, went brick-and-mortar the same year, and helped kick off the Columbus brunch boom long before farm-to-table was menu language. The owners called the decision bittersweet, saying an opportunity they couldn’t refuse had presented itself.

Closed in January 2026

Rishi Sushi

Rishi Sushi closed abruptly downtown on January 10th with little notice. Opened in 2014, it built a loyal following for sushi, sake, and katsudon before signing off with a promise of a second act. That promise came true on September 25th, when the same owners opened SAGE in the old Rishi room at 114 N. Third St.

The post Columbus Restaurants That Closed (October 2026) appeared first on Columbus Navigator.