Best Restaurants for Creative Cuisine in Short North - Arena District

We came here for wife’s birthday on Sunday evening. It was not busy at that time, but we were well taken care of with complementary glasses of sparkling wine and macarons enough for two. All dishes were very good while you see a nice downtown view. It’s a hidden gem. Highly recommend!

This is where my boyfriend and I chose to eat as our first meal in Columbus, Ohio! It did not disappoint. We had an 8:45 reservation, but went early and sat at the bar to have a drink and a couple of appetizers. We ordered the steak tartare and the oyster mushrooms. The steak tartare was fresh, cold, and had your classic tartare flavor. Texture was great as the meat wasn’t over minced. The mushrooms were “calamari” style and came with a couple of dipping sauces. The truffle aioli and the tomato fondue. I do wish we had more bigger bites of the oyster mushroom. We were fishing for them on the plate. Once at a table (we asked to be moved in order to accommodate the addition of friends also flying in — which the staff kindly and graciously accommodated us) we ordered the lampchops with the vegetable fried rice. I do believe this was by far the best bite of our evening. Definitely a must try. For our entree, we ordered the agnolotti and the sea bass. The agnolotti was flavorful with a generous amount of lobster! The seabass was cooked well and the light broth it came with was delicious. We ordered broccolini as a side dish which also didn’t disappoint We’re excited to come back to try more menu items!

Solid place to get food and beer, cocktails, wine, etc. We all enjoyed our food quite a bit. The eggplant, avocado/pineapple dip, and kale salad were good. My guests reported good burgers and fries. And my other guests enjoyed their salmon salad. The charcuterie board was disappointing, especially for the price. It was very underwhelming, and presentation was fair at best. All the beers we tried were actually pretty good. None of us ordered a cocktail. Ambiance is nice. Didn't love that we were forced (all of us under 5 ft 3 - to sit on a high top with our feet dangling) - had made a reso and when I inquired about the table at check-in was told it would be over an hour for a regular table. I wish I would have known and requested this up front. Overall, however, I do recommend Forbidden Root - and would return again.