Updated: August 13, 2026
Comfort food just might be the most powerful force in the universe.
When the gray months hit Columbus, the only thing that’s going to make you happy is an inordinate amount of carbohydrates.
This isn’t just Grandma’s superstition here, that stuffing really does give you happiness. There’s science to suggest that all those carbo-goodies affect the pleasure centers of the brain, making you happier in an otherwise drab world.
Let’s face it, winter in Ohio would be joyless without comfort food, so here are 8 comfort food joints around town that’ll keep that smile pasted on your face.
Starliner Diner
Creole macaroni is the one to order here, off a Cuban-inspired menu that leans American and Southwestern too. This Hilliard diner has been going since 1995, and the huevos rancheros hold up just as well. The decor is cheerfully kitschy and the breakfast keeps winning local best-of votes.
Where: 4121 Main St., Hilliard
Cap City Fine Diner & Bar
The diner meatloaf is the order at this Grandview standby, piled with buttermilk-chive mashed potatoes and chili onion rings. It’s a Cameron Mitchell restaurant, so the room runs more polished than the usual diner, but the menu stays squarely in gravy-and-mashed-potatoes territory. Save room for the chocolate cake, which has a following of its own around town.
Where: 1299 Olentangy River Rd., Columbus
Schmidt’s Sausage Haus
This German Village sausage house has been feeding Columbus for generations, and the Bahama Mama it serves got voted the city’s official food in a Columbus Dispatch readers’ poll. Get it on a roll, or sit down with a full sausage platter when the weather turns cold. The cream puffs have been on the menu since the 1960s and they’re worth planning around.
Where: 240 E. Kossuth St., Columbus
Tommy’s Diner
Tommy’s Diner is a Columbus legend and anyone who’s eaten there knows exactly why. Family owned and operated, this charming eatery has been pumping out dishes chocked full of love and carbs for decades.
Where: 914 W Broad St, Columbus
Katalina’s
Two words my friends: Pancake Balls. That’s right, they’ve figured out how to whip up all that syrupy breakfast goodness into an easy to eat ball of yum. If that doesn’t rev any engines they also have tacos and some pretty meaty sammies. Seriously, try to frown, I dare you.
Where:Â 1105 Pennsylvania Ave, Columbus
Biscuit Belly
Biscuit Belly brought its Louisville biscuit shop to a West Fifth Avenue corner in June, and the whole menu is built on scratch-made buttermilk biscuits. The Mama’s Boy stacks fried chicken with roasted jalapeño pimento cheese and spicy pickles, and the biscuits and gravy is the move on a cold morning. The kitchen closes mid-afternoon, so plan it as breakfast or lunch.
Where: 1417 W. Fifth Ave., Columbus
The Old Mohawk
This former speakeasy rides that fine line between comfort and fine dining. Sure, everything you order is going to be cooked to the nines and taste about the same, but the atmosphere and ambiance makes you feel right at home and ready to eat.
Where:Â 819 Mohawk St, Columbus
Jack and Benny’s
Beneath the veneer of a simple lunch and breakfast joint is the glutinous genius that is Jack and Benny’s. Try the Gut Buster if you need proof but be prepared to get wheeled out, no one walks after that.
Where:Â 2563 N High St, Columbus
