1805 18th St. NW  Washington D.C. 20009 202.845.8935 website When Anju opened its doors in Northwest Washington in the waning months of 2019, the restaurant concept immediately landed buzz, and for good reason. Formed by Chefs Danny Lee and Scott Drewno, whose Fried Rice Collective built the popular Chiko further south in Dupont Circle, this restaurant’s quirky environment and upscaled Korean bar food staples immediately resonated. The cozy environment evokes the upstairs chikin joints that line the bar districts of Seoul — making the most of a little space, just as a l ..read more

1910 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA 22201 703.387.0131 website Click to view slideshow. Bibimix is built mostly for convenience, an Asian Fusion restaurant with a special taste for Korean staples and street food options. Built literally long one of the streets that zips out from Northern Virginia’s Rosslyn business district and into the surrounding neighborhoods, you’re probably going to try this place when you order food for takeout. It’s a very true-to-form way to experience a lot of these foods, faithful to the kinds of experiences you’d have at any good stall on the streets of Seoul. The menu ..read more

1500 Polaris Pkwy #220 Columbus, OH 43240 614.985.9667 website Cameron Mitchell has built a restaurant empire across much of Columbus, and a lot of them build on the classic Americana-style restaurants with an upscale twist: Steak houses, seafood and the like. The odd man out – both in type and location – would be Molly Woo’s. Unlike the flashier concepts in downtown and the Short North, this Chinese-themed restaurant is a bit further from the center of the city as part of Polaris Fashion Place. But Columbus is loaded with authentic Chinese chefs, and in that light, this spot feels like a fla ..read more

59 Spruce St. Columbus, OH 43215 614.226.5286 websiteWhile it was founded in 2012 by Lisa and Vincente Gutierrez, Dos Hermanos is best known as a food truck that makes its rounds all over Central Ohio for parties and special events, but a brick-and-mortar location opened in the North Market as well, this one offering a mixture largely of tacos and meats on the grill. I think of this spot as a downtown favorite whose reputation has spread as its truck has roamed further and further out. not bad at all. Click to view slideshow. The menu here is most importantly about the tacos, they’re customiza ..read more

2628 N. High St. Columbus, OH 43202 614.261.9309 website Probably one of the more highly acclaimed Indian food restaurants in Columbus would be Cinnamon Indian Grill, a quaint little shop along North High Street in Old North Columbus. Consistency and attention to detail is the word for this restaurant and it’s pretty well competitively placed on the edge of both Ohio State University’s student neighborhoods and Clintonville. The restaurant itself is straight to the point, it’s all about the food, and the food does deliver, especially for its prolific takeout fan base. Click to view slideshow ..read more

1265 Morse Rd. Columbus, OH 43229 614.749.2901 Facebook page Almost invisible from the street, Momo Ghar is actually a little stand in the middle of a strip mall along the Morse Road stretch, an area of northern Columbus that is home to many different ethnic groups and a corresponding diverse set of restaurants. Momo Ghar has become one of the most popular with a very simple menu, Momo, or Tibetan hand-rolled dumplings served in a slightly spicy curry-based sauce that has a lot of charm to it. It’s all in the food, and whether you make your way to the hidden little stall or find the location i ..read more

525 S. 4th St. Columbus, OH 43206 614.670.7195 website German Village is hope to some of the best restaurants in the Columbus dining scene, many of which lack some of the hype and publicity of the places in the other parts of town. But that allows them that much more latitude to really experiment and do something great. El Lugar isn’t something you’d expect in this neighborhood, the tiny little tapas bar is so charming and friendly you don’t even know what to do. Everything here, in short, is spectacular. Tapas! It’s always a great mix of little finger foods that add up to a wond ..read more

20033 Detroit Rd. Rocky River, OH 44116 216.767.5633 website Click to view slideshow. Kelsey Elizabeth opened up her bakery in Northeast Ohio in 2012 and later expanded it to a second location, with both having achieved a lot of local popularity and interest. It’s all about cakes, cupcakes and macaroons but there are plenty of other things to try, too. While the shop’s talent lies in variety, you want to try a few different iterations of each dessert, because each is wonderful. A few things that I really liked:  Andes Mint Cupcake: Chocolate cake filled with Andes mint pieces, topped wi ..read more

541 S 3rd St. Columbus, OH 43215 614.220.9070 website Columbus has a pretty active morning culture and there are a ton of coffee shops and bakeries springing up to help people start their days off right. Pistacia Vera is one of the favorites, no doubt. Primarily a bakery in the German Village and with another location in the North Market, the shop is a brunch spot on weekends and a coffee hangout during the day. But for all these different kinds of breakfast plates you can try here, the one unifying theme is the food shouldn’t be overlooked. Click to view slideshow. All of the baked good h ..read more

641 N. High St. Columbus, OH 43215 614.227.0151 website The Short North is a veritable playground for Columbus restaurateur Cameron Mitchell, and he has multiple concepts up and down the street. But his name is iconic here in Columbus, and so is this increasingly cosmopolitan neighborhood of upscale shopping, bars and restaurants. The Pearl is his “polished culinary jewel” of a mid-scale seafood restaurant and oyster bar; while it benefits from many different kinds of people coming into the neighborhood, this has got to be best thought of as a casual place to enjoy some creative and unique sea ..read more