There are some Columbus restaurants people never really stop talking about. Sweet Carrot is one of them.
Even though the beloved comfort food spot closed its restaurant nearly five years ago to focus exclusively on catering, fans have never stopped hoping for another chance to order the mac and cheese, smoked meats, and those ridiculously good griddled corn cakes.
Well, that chance is here, but it won’t last for long.
Through Sunday, August 9, Sweet Carrot is serving food once again as part of the new Ohio State Fair Food Hall, a first-of-its-kind indoor dining space inside the Ohio Showcase Building. So if you’ve been putting off your State Fair trip, this might be the excuse you needed.
You can build a meal around Sweet Carrot’s famous mac and cheese or its griddled corn cakes, then top it with smoked brisket, pulled pork, Ohio chicken meatballs, or BBQ-glazed smokehouse tofu. There are also mini sliders, loaded Cbus Nachos piled high with candied jalapeños, housemade cheese sauce, and corn salsa, plus a handful of desserts, including the restaurant’s carrot-oatmeal cookies and sugar cookies topped with lemon cream cheese frosting.
In other words, come hungry.
The pop-up is one of six vendors inside the Food Hall, an air-conditioned space that’s making its debut at this year’s Ohio State Fair. Considering how hot fair days can get, grabbing lunch somewhere with A/C might be reason enough to stop in.
Of course, for a lot of people, the biggest draw isn’t the air conditioning. It’s the nostalgia.
Sweet Carrot earned a loyal following during its years in Dublin, becoming one of those restaurants people recommended whenever someone wanted comforting, locally made food. When the restaurant closed its doors in 2021, many assumed that was the last they’d taste it outside of a catered event.
The company says it’s focused on catering and isn’t announcing a permanent restaurant comeback, so this State Fair appearance should be treated exactly what it is: a limited-time reunion.
The Ohio State Fair wraps up Sunday, August 9, which means you’ve only got a few days left to get your Sweet Carrot fix before it disappears again. For ore info, head over to https://www.ohiostatefair.com/
