Columbus has never been short on hot new openings, but some of the city's best meals come from the places that have been quietly (or not so quietly) doing it right for decades. This year and next bring a remarkable run of milestone anniversaries, from a 70-year-old Cantonese institution on the Hilltop to a French restaurant still serving dinner inside a 19th-century church. Whether you're planning a celebratory dinner or just want an excuse to revisit an old favorite, here's your guide to the Columbus restaurants hitting big numbers in 2026 and 2027.
North Market: 150 Years
Topping every list this year is North Market, which turns 150 in 2026. For a century and a half, it's been the place where Columbus neighbors run into each other, where new cuisines get their first foothold in the city, and where local producers build a following one stall at a time. The celebration comes with a forward-looking bonus: a new market tower is on track to open in spring 2027, adding a fresh chapter right on the heels of the anniversary. Here's to the next 150 years. (It's also where our Short North tour meets, so we get to start there several times a week.)
Visit them at northmarket.org
Ding Ho: 70 Years
Columbus's oldest Chinese restaurant opened in 1956 in a converted filling station on the west side, and it's still family-run today. Ding Ho helped introduce generations of Columbus diners to Cantonese cooking, and regulars will tell you the egg rolls, wor sue gai, and wonton soup haven't lost a step.
Visit them at dingho.net
The Refectory: 50 Years
Housed in a restored 19th-century church on the northwest side, The Refectory has been Columbus's go-to for elevated French cuisine since 1976. Owner Kamal Boulos started as a part-time line cook here the same year it opened and has since built it into the only Columbus restaurant with a AAA Four Diamond streak spanning more than two decades. It's a half-century marked by stained glass, an award-winning wine cellar, and quiet, old-school elegance.
Visit them at refectory.com
Akai Hana: 40 Years
One of Columbus's original sushi spots, Akai Hana opened as Restaurant Japan back in 1986 and has grown into a beloved destination for Japanese food. Four decades later, it's expanded into the Japan Marketplace, a complex housing seven distinct Japanese businesses, including: a ramen shop, a bakery, a gift store, a cultural center, and Ohio's largest Japanese market.
Visit them at akaihana.japanmarketplace.com
Barcelona: 30 Years
Tucked into a century-old building in German Village that once housed the German tavern Deibel's, Barcelona opened in 1996 and introduced tapas and Spanish small plates to the neighborhood. Three decades later, its lush, lantern-strung patio is still one of the most requested tables in the city. It's also where our German Village tour finishes, over paella and sangria.
Visit them at barcelonacolumbus.com
Ocean Prime: 20 Years
What started as Mitchell's Ocean Club at Easton in 2006 grew into Cameron Mitchell Restaurants' nationally acclaimed Ocean Prime brand, now with more than 20 locations across the country. Twenty years later, the Columbus original is still the flagship for prime steaks, seafood, and live piano in the Blu Lounge.
Visit them at ocean-prime.com
Creole Kitchen: 20 Years
Chef Henry Butcher, a veteran of Columbus kitchens including Tony's Ristorante and the Delaware Hotel, opened his own place in 2006 to bring authentic Louisiana Creole cooking to the near east side. Two decades of jambalaya, etouffee, and beignets later, it's now settled into a new home in the King-Lincoln Bronzeville neighborhood.
Visit them at creolekitchen.biz
Caffe DaVinci: 20 Years
Also dating to 2006, Caffe DaVinci is the third generation of a Tri-Village restaurant family. Owner Tina Elsea's parents ran DaVinci's Restaurant and later Monte Carlo before she opened this cozy Upper Arlington spot herself.
Visit them at caffedavinciua.com
Harvest Pizzeria: 15 Years
Chris Crader and Bethany Lovell opened the first Harvest in German Village in 2011 with a mission of sourcing everything locally from small farms and businesses. Fifteen years and several Columbus-area locations later (Clintonville, Dublin, Bexley, Brewery District, Granville and counting), that farm-to-table promise hasn't changed.
Visit them at harvestpizzeria.com
Sidebar: 15 Years
This Dayton import landed downtown at 122 E. Main St. in 2011, bringing pre-Prohibition-style cocktails and a Mediterranean-meets-South-American tapas menu to a historic four-story building. It's changed hands a few times since, but the speakeasy spirit remains.
Visit them at sidebarcolumbus.com
One to Look Forward To: Schmidt's Sausage Haus Hits 60 in 2027
Schmidt's family sausage-making dates back to the 1880s, but the German Village restaurant itself, the one with the giant cream puffs and the Autobahn Buffet, opened its doors in 1967. It's a stop on our German Village tour. Mark your calendar, and start clearing room for cream puffs.
Visit them at schmidthaus.com
Have a favorite Columbus restaurant hitting a milestone we missed? Let us know. We'd love to add it to the list.