Updated: July 8, 2026
A big dinner out is about so much more than the food.
The room matters. The light, the ceilings, the view out the window, the way a place makes you sit up a little straighter. Sometimes that’s as much of the night as what’s on the plate. And Columbus has some genuinely stunning rooms to eat in.
Some are rooftops with the whole skyline in front of you. Some are hundred-year-old buildings full of detail nobody bothers to build anymore. A few are just flat-out gorgeous and happen to serve some of the best food in the city. These are the most beautiful restaurants in Columbus, the ones I’d send you to for a date, an anniversary, or any night you want dinner to feel like an occasion.
RH Rooftop Restaurant
Part restaurant, part greenhouse, part design catalog come to life. The rooftop at RH Columbus is the most photographed dining room in the city, and it earns it.
What makes it beautiful? RH built a glass-and-steel atrium on the third floor of its 55,000-square-foot Easton gallery and filled it with trickling fountains, full-grown trees, and chandeliers the size of small cars. You eat under the glass roof, surrounded by all of it. Go at dusk when the lights come up. Click here for more info.
How much will it cost you? Mains run from about $16 to $46, so figure roughly $35 a head with a drink.
Location: 4120 Worth Ave, Columbus, OH 43219
Good to know: Easton · $$ · Perfect for lunch and jaw-dropping photos
Lindey’s
Lindey’s is an iconic Columbus restaurant. It opened in German Village in 1981, and for more than four decades it’s been the address for special-occasion dinners in the capital city.
What makes it beautiful? The building that Lindey’s calls home was built over 100 years ago at the turn of the 20th century. The restaurant’s historical ambiance offers a level of glamour and old-world elegance that you simply can’t find anywhere else in Columbus. Click here for more info
How much will it cost you? On average, you can expect to spend $20 or more per person.
Location: 169 E Beck St, Columbus, OH 43206.
Good to know: German Village · $$$ · Perfect for a special-occasion dinner
German Village is full of beautiful restaurants, and you can see more here.
ROOH
Regional Indian flavors meet modern technique. ROOH means soul or spirit, and it brings some of India’s to the table in the Short North.
What makes it beautiful? ROOH is a colorful dream. From the perfectly appointed seating areas to the jaw-dropping, handpainted mural that greets you when you walk in the door, to the amazing meals themselves this place is incredible. Please click here for more info.
How much will it cost you? Diners can expect to spend between $15-40.
Location: 685 N. High Street, Columbus, OH 43215
Good to know: Short North · $$$ · Perfect for date night
Check out our visit to ROOH here.
Astra Rooftop
Eight floors up on top of the AC Hotel, Astra opened in 2025 and instantly became one of the best-looking rooms in the Short North.
What makes it beautiful? It’s a boho-chic rooftop with a glass-walled indoor dining room and an open-air deck that looks out over the North Market and the new Merchant Building. Warm low light, greenery, and a skyline that does most of the work at sunset. Order something off the flame. The tableside tomahawk is an event. Click here for more info.
How much will it cost you? It’s a splurge: flatbreads and small plates in the teens, entrees from about $30, and the Flaming Tomahawk well past that.
Location: 517 Park St, Columbus, OH 43215
Good to know: Short North · $$$ · Perfect for rooftop sunsets and drinks
SoCal Kitchen + Bar
The airy Short North space that opened as Del Mar in 2019 is now SoCal Kitchen + Bar. Same Cameron Mitchell team, same sun-soaked room, still a little slice of Southern California on High Street.
What makes it beautiful? Dining here is like taking a mini-vacation. The room is built around that elegant-yet-easy SoCal feel: warm light, clean lines, a coastal menu to match. Click here for more info.
How much will it cost you? The menu runs from small plates to full entrees; see current pricing here.
Location: 705 N High St, Columbus, OH 43215
Good to know: Short North · $$ · Perfect for brunch and easy date nights
Confusingly, Cameron Mitchell reused the “Del Mar” name for a separate Mediterranean stunner at Easton. We visited that one here.
Goodale Station
“Our menus are driven by the local bounty of Ohio and the Midwest to produce creative New American Cuisine. Working with local farmers and artisans allows for inspiration and creativity in the kitchen. Our goal is to create bold and flavorful dishes that rotate and change throughout the seasons.”
What makes it beautiful? Go for the view, stay for the food. Goodale Station sits twelve floors up on top of the Canopy by Hilton, looking straight out over downtown Columbus. There’s indoor and outdoor seating, plus a private dining room for special events. Click here for more info.
How much will it cost you? Eats at Goodale Station will cost between $15-$30+.
Location: 77 E Nationwide Blvd, Columbus OH 43215
Good to know: Arena District · $$ · Perfect for rooftop drinks and downtown views
Cento
Cameron Mitchell built his 100th restaurant as a love letter to the great little trattorias of Italy, and dropped it in the middle of German Village.
What makes it beautiful? You walk into a garden-like room strung with warm lights, a fountain glowing in the middle of it and a fireplace going in the corner. It’s one of the most genuinely romantic rooms in the city, and the handmade pasta lives up to it. Click here for more info.
How much will it cost you? Plan on about $31-$50 per person.
Location: 595 S 3rd St, Columbus, OH 43206
Good to know: German Village · $$$ · Perfect for a romantic dinner
Del Mar
Cameron Mitchell’s Mediterranean flagship opened at Easton in 2024, and it’s a genuine showstopper: 9,400 square feet of sandy earth tones, mango wood, and terracotta over two floors.
What makes it beautiful? It does the coastal-Mediterranean look without tipping into theme-park: warm materials, soft light, two second-floor terraces, and an entrance that looks out on Easton’s Central Park fountain. Come for the wood-fired seafood and the lamb tagine. Click here for more info.
How much will it cost you? Dinner runs about $35-$70 per person.
Location: 4089 The Strand E, Columbus, OH 43219
Good to know: Easton · $$$ · Perfect for date night and special occasions
Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse
Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse is built to give you an over-the-top, total fine dining experience.
What makes it beautiful? Jeff Ruby’s is decadent, elaborate, elegant, and a little too much in all the right ways. It is the perfect place to go out for a special event or celebration, with extravagance being the common thread throughout the restaurant, from the menu to the decor. For more info, please click here.
How much will it cost you? Your firstborn child. Just kidding. They don’t want your offspring, but it will cost you a pretty penny. On average, you’re looking at $50-$100 per meal.
Location: 89 E. Nationwide Blvd., Columbus, OH 43215.
Good to know: Arena District · $$$$ · Perfect for a celebration
The Refectory
For an unparalleled dining experience, the Dining Room menu changes often to present amazing seasonal dishes. The contemporary American and classic French cuisine is perfect for an important business dinner, a special celebration, or simply to celebrate life and treat yourself to an elegant evening out!
What makes it beautiful? The dining room at The Refectory has a long history. Originally built in 1853 as a Methodist church, the room is, simply put, stunning. The hand-hewn beams along the ceiling help to create unparalleled ambiance. There is no better place in the city to enjoy a candle-lit dinner. Please click here for more info.
How much will it cost you? Prices can vary, but on average, $50-$110 per person, depending on how many courses you’d like to order.
Location: 1092 Bethel Rd, Columbus, OH 43220
Good to know: Northwest Columbus · $$$$ · Perfect for anniversaries and candlelit dinners
