Brassica in the Short North — Restaurant in Columbus

A longtime favorite… now consistently disappointing.

I’ve been coming here for years—loyal, consistent, and always happy to recommend it to friends. But over the last month, something has changed. I’ve visited three times, and each time the food quality has fallen short in ways that are hard to ignore.

Let me be clear: the staff is friendly. This isn’t about them. It’s about cold chicken. Cold brisket. Lukewarm bowls. It’s about flavors that feel dull, disconnected—like they’ve been prepped too early and left to cool. And that’s not just an impression—it’s happened three times in a row.

But the most frustrating part? The fries. Every time I order them, I’m told after my bowl is built and I’ve already paid, “We’ll drop those now—it’ll be a few minutes.” Why not ask at the start if I want fries? That way, they’re timed with the meal—not as a post-payment afterthought. It feels backward and poorly thought through. It’s gotten to the point where I avoid ordering fries altogether—not because I don’t want them, but because the delay ruins the flow of the experience.

I’m not leaving this review out of malice. I’m writing it because I’ve been a supporter of this location for a long time. But loyalty isn’t blind—it’s earned. And right now, this location is slipping.

Fix the food temperature. Rethink the fry process. Get back to the standard that made people like me come here in the first place.

Until then, I’ll be...

Food is good, fresh and a great option if vegan/vegetarian. However, the staff likes to discriminate and show favoritism. Treating customers that they think have never been to Brassica or young looking customers different. If you look new, or are black or young looking they will try to limit how many toppings they give you and act like they don’t want to make your order how you want it. Me and my husband have experienced it at the Short North Location a lot. Be mindful and speak up when building your order. They like to be really stingy at this location. I’m a vegetarian, as well as a weekly customer, and I usually request extra veggies. The girl who did my bowl today seemed young and new and did not want to give me more than 4 pieces of cucumber on a bowl that’s $13+ dollars. They also skipped my order of falafel and gave my entire order away and served 10 other people (white older people) with ease, while I was ignored and forgotten about. My husband once tried to get the protein order on the side instead of on the sandwich and the staff member literally acted like they did not understand what that meant. Very disappointing in the lack of awareness and even distribution of customer service at this location. These restaurants throw away pounds of food each night and act stingy to its paying customers with regular meal portions...

I've tried this place more than a handful of times. A lot of locals will tell you this place is amazing. Lol. It's mid at best. First off, the best thing about Brassica is the atmosphere. It has a modern cozy feel. There's also an outdoor seating in the back. The food is tasty but it's not remarkably special if you've tried other authentic Mediterranean food, which focus on quality ingredients. I've seen certain ingredients Brassica uses and they're not high quality. I think this also explains why the prices are fairly priced at the moment. The portions are also really small when ordering a salad consistently for what you pay for. Lastly, I've dined in and out and the service is probably the worst thing I've experienced consistently. When I've been a walk in, the line seems to be slow even when they don't appear to be very busy. The staff looks like they're shocked when they get a few walk in orders, which creates a chaotic vibe. Staff also seems to work slower. Additionally, for online orders, you can bet you'll wait for your order nearly every single time for 10-15 minutes extra from initial pickup time. They'll often forget beverages and hand you a cup so you can pour it yourself which is amazing when you're already waiting on a late order. I would give this place realistically a 2 but a 3 in food is me...