Suburb has quickly developed top-notch dining scene
Dublin long has had a sterling reputation as a premium place to live, work and raise a family.
Its restaurant scene now has caught up. The city keeps adding new venues at a furious pace — joining some impressive existing spots — making the area one of the top dining destinations in all of central Ohio.
“Dublin is a pretty large community,” said Chris Crader, who opened his third Harvest Pizzeria in Dublin’s historic downtown a year ago. “I think they’ve got a lot of options and are pretty loyal to the options they have, which is great. They support small businesses such as mine.”
Harvest joins Tucci’s, Brazenhead, Oscar’s of Dublin and Dublin Village Tavern — the latter four which have been staples of Dublin’s historic district.
“It felt very natural for us to be there and feels like we’ve been there longer than a year, for sure,” said Crader, of locally based Grow Restaurants.
It should come as no surprise, given Dublin’s gold-plated demographics and strong employer base, that the community would catch the eye of restaurateurs.
Craig Barnum, whose restaurant group owns Matt the Miller’s Tavern on AveryMuirfield Drive, said restaurateurs were knocking on the door for years but the lack of retail storefronts kept everyone at bay.
“The space just wasn’t there,” he said.
Bridge Park, a new, massive mixed-use development on the east side of the Scioto River, has attracted many restaurateurs, including Ram Restaurant & Brewery, Cap City Fine Diner and Bar, Local Cantina and Fado Irish Pub, and expects to recruit more.
Jeff Tsao has opened his second local Fukuryu Ramen in Bridge Park.
Tsao credits the city for making the development feel like it’s part of Dublin by planning to build a pedestrian bridge spanning the Scioto, connecting Dublin’s historic downtown with Bridge Park.
“There are a lot of things happening that are fantastic for the area,” he said. “And restaurants go wherever people are.”
Across the river at Bridge Park West, residential, retail use and ample parking — the lack of which has been a gripe of patrons for years — are now under construction.
Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, which also owns Cap City, plans to open the Avenue steakhouse in the development next year. Hudson, Ohio, -based 3 Palms Pizza also will join the tenant mix.
The diversity of Dublin’s restaurants also is growing.
Fukuryu Ramen joins ethnic places such as Mr. Sushi, Sushi.Com, Menya Ramen, Kaubuki Korean Restaurant and Sushi Bar, J. Liu Restaurant and Bar, and Pita Int. in the city of 41,000 people.
Also along the Avery-Muirfield Drive corridor, not far from Matt the Miller’s, is Napa Kitchen & Bar, which is long on wine, casual food and feelgood vibes.
“I think in general one of the reasons we liked before we opened there is it seemed to be one part of town where the population was probably underserved in terms of restaurant uses,” said owner Tim Rollins, also a principal of local developer Metropolitan Partners.
“I think what you’re seeing now is a lot of catch-up,” Rollins added. “I think you’re seeing that market fill in.”
Barnum, who still owns Tucci’s in the historic downtown, said there’s room for additional dining venues, particularly those that are family-friendly.
“Obviously, there’s more competition,” he said. “Restaurants continue to do very, very well. We’ve seen little change in business.”
Two for Tupelo
Tupelo Doughnuts has added another food truck in advance of opening a storefront location in Clintonville.
Owner Kimberly Payne said the two trucks are on the prowl around town, offering Tupelo’s brand of custom doughnuts.
The Clintonville
Half Pint Bar & Restaurant has opened in the Arena District, taking more than 4,200 square feet of space at 415 N. Front St.
The restaurant, from the same operators of the Pint Room in Dublin and Half Pint in Marysville, offers an expansive draft and bottled beer selection and many familiar menu items, such as burgers, sandwiches, soups and salads. Half Pint also features Sunday brunch.
The Brass Tap in the Polaris Fashion Place complex has changed hands.
New owner Bharat Chhabria has renovated the space and changed the format to include more of a focus on local craft beer, added new menu items and introduced lunch hours.