Hole-In-The-Wall
Kids today with their chicken MacNuggets, their Pizza Huts, their Bloomin’ Onions, their Burger Chefs, and so on — they don’t understand and appreciate the quaint, quirky, and sometimes unsanitary mom & pop, hole-in-the-wall joints. We’re all used to the flavours of the big chain establishments, the ordering procedures and the colourful corporate mascots, but the locally owned, small-towne restaurants have much to offer and deserve the wide-spread recognition that this site can provide.
So I’m just curious if any of you have any lesser-known restaurants, pizza places, hang outs, etc. that we should know about, even if they’re not exactly around here. Even smaller, regional chains might be worth mentioning for those of us who aren’t familiar.
I suggest Nancy’s Home Cooking in Clintonville (3133 North High). I used to live up the road from there and would frequently go on Thursdays for chicken & noodles (over mashed potatoes). They just serve one thing a day, and their noodles are very good, so I’d definitely recommend you check it out on that particular day of the week…
Have to include Tom’s Ice Cream Bowl in Zanesville—532 McIntire Ave. Their ice cream is the best. They have homemade chili and vegetable soup; a unique ham sandwich and one side of the little, old fashioned soda shoppe restaurant has warm, roasted nuts–cashews, almonds, etc. plus homemade chocolates to die for.
That reminds me:
Weldon’s Ice Cream
Gypsy Joe’s
Thurman’s pub, on Thurman Ave. south of columbus (just off of High St. ?) has the best burgers, but bring an appetite. They’re huge!
Barley’s Smokehouse… if you’re into having a pint of ale with your food.
Good call on the Ice Cream Bowl.
Bag O’Nails (worthington & gahanna) — terrific English style fish and chips
Gahanna Grill — great/big slaw burgers
Adriaticos pizza — campus
Sonic — nelsonville
If you’re ever in Lebanon, OH, give the Village Ice Cream Parlor a try.
I love the Starliner Diner in Hilliard.
http://starlinerdiner.com/
Great huevos rancheros
Sumeno’s on hard/sawmill – blue cheese chicken
B– formerly know as Pizzano’s, Bill what’s it called again? on sawmill by Rendevous…
Bag o’nails in the gahanna/bexley area burned down over the weekend. Shame — very nice place.
pisanello’s pizza in alliance
dougs classic diner in alliance
el chicos on tussing road
Clay Haus — in Somerset
Jacktown Pub — Jacksontown — great burgers/hot dogs/pizza
The Westerville Grill (in Westerville) – Great little diner with great milkshakes
Pasquale’s (In Westerville) – Fun little mom and pop Italian place
5th Street Deli (In Marysville) – They make the best egg salad sandwiches
Benny’s (In Marysville) – Great pizza, don’t go on a Friday unless you’re in HS
Tough to beat a really good egg salad sandwich — thanx!
Good job Lisa…I was going to put that but didn’t want to hear Marys-where
If you ever happen to end up in Urbana, OH, check out Mumford’s Deli. Not only do they have some of the best potato chips (for which they are regionally famous), but I have become not slightly addicted to their Philadelphia sub.
Not a philly steak, as I had assumed. It’s corned beef, cole slaw, and a red-orange dressing that I believe is of some divine origin. Couldn’t have made a better mistake placing my order.
Thanks Seth. My parents recently moved to Urbana. Now I have a different place to visit to besides Wal Mart.
Rita’s Italian Ice over on Henderson is pretty good stuff. & if you can keep yourself away from the custard options, it’s really not nearly as bad of a summertime treat as hitting the DQ or Graeter’s or whatever your poison.
Just found an awesome spot! A must try….The Eagle’s Villa Pizza. Wow! Can’t say enough about this place. Pizza has “Pizza Cottage” beat, I have to say. They serve much more than pizza and prices are excellent. On the corner of High St. and Main in New Albany. Exit off Rt. 161 onto Rt. 62 south into New Albany – 2 N. High St. Worth the trip from almost anywhere.
I’ve eaten there many times; it is very good. And anyone who ever played New Albany back in the day knows that place b/c they had to ride the bus past there. It is (or was) their high school’s hangout (not unlike the Pizza Cottage for MHS kids) and the kids would loiter about & taunt the kids on the bus. It was like some sort of gauntlet. Others who are familiar, am I wrong?
Bangkok City – Buckeye Lake
Although 1200 miles I still make it to this Thai resturant at least once every 1-2 years.
I just have to say I am totally in love with Jeni’s Icecream (and the whole North Market in general). Salty Carmel is my favorite!
Harvey — what dishes do you recommend getting?
Another great Urbana eatery: Catfish Jones (on Monument Square)
Highlights:
– Blackened Catfish
– Nate Burger (frisco melt)
– Sweet potato fries
– Garlic mashed potatoes
– Cole slaw
– Drinks are served in 24oz mason jars, w/free refills
– Sweet tea
– Jazz
Poppy’s Pizza & Grill, Estes Park, CO
Try the Sausage & Sauerkraut Pizza, with sundried tomato pesto. Also, the Green Chile Fries. Mmmmm.
Probably about time again to drive 24 hours just to get some pizza.
Urbana eatery #3: Crabill’s Hamburgers
Crabill’s, est. 1927, actually made a “Top 10 in the US” burger list, and I can see why. They’re slider-style mini cheeseburgers at 65c a pop. “The Works” is their own amazing brown mustard, sweet relish, onions and (since 1990) ketchup. Don’t get the ketchup, it ruins the whole experience.
On the wall of fame, two gentlemen are pictured: one for consuming 33 Crabill’s burgers in 45 minutes, the other for downing 26 of the 95c “doubles”.
Expect my picture to appear on the wall at some point in the future. These things are unbelievable.
A couple of weekends ago I went to Chillicothe and we stopped at a place called Sumburger. You can either do the drive in thing where they come to your car or you have phones at your table. It was such a cute little place. I guess they are known for their sauce..so I got made fun of for being a ketchup only person…but all in all it was a really cool place and the drive isn’t really that far
http://www.sumburger.com/
I’ve been there a few times but it’s been ages. I do remember it being pretty good.
I felt a pang of shock tonight when I found out Nancy’s Home Cooking closed this week. I’m really disappointed I didn’t get up there one last time for their chicken noodles. They’re saying that it’s possible it’ll be temporary, but it sounds pretty grim.
If you never made it to Nancy’s, you missed something really special.
Looks like Nancy’s is shooting to re-open on November 1.
http://www.clarksdiningroom.com/
Nancy’s didn’t make the target date I listed above, but they’re re-opening tomorrow. No dinner hours to start, but the article says that could change eventually.
One of my Austin co-worker cohorts sent me this. I’m not sure which makes me happier, the name of this one joint or the concept. But since it’s a hole-in-the-wall I wish I could visit, I’ll stick it in this thread instead of the names thread:
Donut Taco Palace II
I am a little disappointed that someone else is living the dream though. Perhaps someday I will embark upon some sort of ice cream burrito buggy venture. But let me ask this: if my cart was pulled by a burro would any sort of cute factor be canceled out by the potential for a Beefarino type incident?
So I looked at that beeferino page and it has a lot of made up coined terms by a lot of stupid people trying to be witty and clever. Like this one
“Two rights don’t make a wrong, but three lefts do”
I’m fairly certain they meant “two wrongs don’t make a right, but three lefts do”.