North Market Downtown — Attraction in Columbus

Phenominal place. This was the primary reason I took a short trip to the area with my wife. We were both amazed. I didn't see the hot chicken place(EDIT: after looking at site again, apparently it was upstairs, which we didn't make it to), but it was kind of a blessing cause it was one of the many things I wanted to try and after getting a little bit at a lot of the places we were both stuffed and had plenty left over. The cheesemongers at the cheese shop were very helpful and helped me select some nice ones for a homemade lasagna. I'm not sure if possible, but if not the pasta cooking place next to the pasta making place cannot cook what someone orders from the maker right there, definitely a missed opportunity. Olive and vinegar bar was great, picked up several. Out of the food places my favorite was the lamb shank(I think it was a moroccan place, but on the 2022 map it's where that burger joint is marked) and wife's favorite was her gyro(she thinks it was lamb and chicken). And I like a lot of spice/heat, so when I found my breakfast bagel sandwich lacking I was able to just pick up a bottle of black rabbit hot sauce, which is sooooo good. I hope to get a chance to go back and if we're ever driving through downtown Columbus, I will.

Made it back. Tajine House still exceptional with it's lamb and delicious sides. Got more cheese from Black Radish Creamery, the cheese monger from before was there again and once again super helpful and polite, though I strolled up right at the last minute. Obviouslly made it to flavor and fire for hot sauce. Got some boba and family tried some other food vendors too. Got to try Hot Chicken Takeover after making it to second floor this last visit. Like a standard Nashville hot place, I got the unholy on some tenders, one bite was pretty hot that looked like it had a bit more of the fried spices, other than that it wasn't that hot. Another...

Located in the heart of the city, it's a great place to get all the famous eateries of the city at one place and do some edibles shopping as well. It's a great place for vegetarians as well with spots like Little Eater where you get a huge variety of veg options.

They have a spices section to the right just as you enter. The Algerian store of Firdous has good middle eastern desserts. There is Bubble Tea & Juice Company which I felt a little overrated but had decent tea. There is CaJohns that has amazing salsa - the hottest one can burn your mouth like hell - so be careful while trying, especially Indians. In addition, for vegetarians and vegans, there is Little Eater. We tried two of their salads 1) Organic fennel, gold nugget tangerine, red quinoa, hazelnut, tarragon and honey dressing and 2) Organic red potato, local scallions, chimichurri. Both of them were great. Besides these, there are other options in terms of desserts like donut shops and Vietnamese, Chinese food counters.

There are seating options on the second floor with a few restaurants as well. Alternatively, you can also sit outside the first-floor entrance with some bench style seats placed. I would recommend outside the first-floor entrance since it is more open to fresh air.

There is a good size parking lot outside North Market so parking isn't much of a problem on a normal day. We went on a Sunday afternoon and were able to find the parking comfortably in the parking lot itself. However, on a busy day, it may get full - in the case of which you may need to park on the street which can...

January 2023: I always find it interesting how other cities compare to my hometown. Most major cities have at least one market or place where several vendors collectively sell food and produce. Columbus is no different. The family and I went here after the New Year to see what it was all about.

Pros: Sizeable area with several vendors inside. My estimate is that they have 30. There was a low vacancy space, which suggests that business is good here. Variety of vendors there from ice cream parlor to a wine. From Vietnamese cuisines to Polish sausage, people will find something that they like. Relatively newer facility with an updated layout. Public restrooms on both 1st and 2nd floors. The family wanted to get ice cream at Jeni's. The ice cream parlor has delicious flavors and did not scrutinize our sampling of them.

Cons: Pay to park in their parking lot. There are normally metered parking spaces on the street, but due to construction, the meters had been removed.

Comparison: If I had to compare North Market to the iconic Westside Market in Cleveland, then I would prefer the Westside Market due to it being a larger venue with more meat, deli, and unique fresh produce options. The North Market does have a newer venue and a more customer friendly eat-in style configuration. However the actual building for the Westside Market has more history and more ornate detail to it.

Summary: I like this place a lot and will return. They have a variety of options to...