The pop-up that outgrew North Market now runs its own shop in Clintonville, and the smash burger is as good as it’s ever been.
Preston’s specializes in smash burgers, chicken sandwiches, and fries you’ll be dreaming about. Chef Matthew Heaggans started it as a pop-up, and it’s been on the short list for the best burger in Columbus ever since.
When North Market announced Preston’s as a vendor in fall 2020, the market’s then-executive director Rick Harrison Wolfe called them “bound for burger greatness.” He wasn’t wrong. After two years of lunch crowds, Preston’s outgrew the stall and left the market at the end of 2022 for its own brick-and-mortar at 2973 N. High St. in Clintonville, next door to Combustion Brewery. The move got them everything a market stall couldn’t: dinner hours, their own dining room, and a liquor license.
My original take still holds up. I went for the classic burger and an order of fries, and everything about it was perfection. The burger was flavorful and the fries have long since claimed the top spot on my personal “best fries in Columbus” list. The burger got a little messy while I was eating, but I certainly didn’t hold that against it.
In late 2025, Preston’s expanded again, this time with a stall inside The Little Grand Market, the food hall just south of Grandview Heights. If you’re on that side of the river, you no longer have to drive to Clintonville for a Preston’s burger.
Preston’s: A Burger Joint (Clintonville)
Where: 2973 N. High St., Columbus, OH 43202
Hours: Tuesday–Thursday 11 a.m.–8:30 p.m., Friday–Saturday 11 a.m.–9:30 p.m., Sunday 4–7:30 p.m. Closed Monday.
Phone: (614) 400-1675
Preston’s at The Little Grand Market
Where: 710 Grandview Xing Way, Columbus, OH 43215
Hours: Monday–Wednesday 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Thursday–Saturday 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.–8 p.m.
Phone: (614) 301-6649
Menus and more at prestonsburgers.com.
