Cobra — Restaurant in Columbus

Update: Ok guys. Order the chicken sando. We ordered one and immediately had to order a second one. Amazingly crunchy, great bun, great textures, great flavors (vaguely pickly though if you don’t like that. We love it). Arguably one of the best bites I’ve had in a long time.

Still love the drinks. Updated to 5 stars.

Update on 2/11/2024: The Dan Dan Noodles are AMAZING. Peanutty, meaty, great noodle textures, saucy, mouth warming spiciness. Look, if you want to be punched in the face with flavor, get this. 10/10, no notes, please keep this on the menu forever along with the Fly's Head.

Also, thank you for the delicious and fun "fangless" cocktails!

TL;DR: Great drinks and atmosphere, good food, we will be back to try more food and cocktails.

Drinks: Fangless and Hey Chico, five stars each

Food: Shanghai noon burger all American style with egg and bacon: 5 stars Koji Popcorn Chicken: 3 stars. Competently done, comes out hot and fresh, could use a little more salt and flavor (it’s missing something for us). Worth ordering for the person who needs fried chicken nuggies for a night out. Seasoned Fries: 4 stars. Great fries (hot crispy salty), just a bit basic for us (would love to see more spices like togarashi or make them nori fries). Worth ordering for somebody who requires fries/ salty crispy food with their drinks. Fly’s Head: 5 stars. Warm, richly saucy, mildly spicy in a heartwarming way. Comfort food vibes. The perfectly cooked pasta shells perfectly catch the sauce. A must try.

Critique: The staff wasn’t sure if the Ragu sauces had dairy or not. I wish it was more obvious for people with Lactose Intolerance and who love meat.

We will definitely be back to try more drinks, the Dan Dan noodles, and the...

Giving this four stars because I don't want this review to affect the business but....

Man I want to like this place more but the food is so off. I've been 5 times at this point. I usually go because I'm wanting food and a drink to match. The cocktails are great. Worth the price and delicious. The atmosphere is great and trendy and feels like a cool night bar. But man the food is so off... As someone in the food industry and a food developer, something's off. Tonight I had the ragu dish finally and it was so watery and oily that it had zero flavor other than szechuan pepper numbness. I had the burger a couple nights ago just to give it a try and the bun was twice the size of the two patties and lightly stale/dry. I took off the bottom bun and it still wasn't enough to make it great.

As others have mentioned, the Dan Dan noodles are great. The Cabbage Caesar is so freaking good. The fries are good. But out of the things I've tried: the burger, fly's head, ragu, cacio e szechuan, broccolini, vinegar potatoes (where's the vinegar?!), coney dog, the charcuterie pickle plate they used to have, the cup of noodles...have been so mediocre or worse that I really bummed. It's worth noting that they do have gluten free noddles available and the staff is helpful in answering gluten free questions.

I'm only writing the review for the owner/s because they have a great freaking spot and cool concept and I want to support it. But please work on the food that's coming out of the kitchen. It needs a few tweaks and some testing and this spot is an easy 5 stars! So glad this finally opened up in German Village and want to see it be successful...

This place is amazing! I had been dying to try it after seeing it posted on an Instagram account I follow. They have clear signage telling you that you need to order at the bar when you walk in. You also seat yourself, so it's first come first serve. The space isn't very large, so seating is a bit limited. I recommend having an early dinner rather than going during peak dinner hours. We went at 4:30 and had our pick of the tables. When we left around 6 or so it was getting really busy. Another plus, they have ample parking! We got two cocktails to start, both delicious. (Cannot remember which we ordered.) Their cocktail menu is fun and I would love to try more drinks. For apps we got sesame cucumbers, the crab Rangoon dip and the pork belly skewer to share. (We couldn't choose so we went for several!) The dip was a fun take on the dish and the Rangoon chips were so crispy. The pork belly melted in your mouth, very worth trying. The cucumbers were great to nibble in between dishes, very refreshing. Our mains were the Dan Dan noodles and my friend got the Shiitake Agnolotti. Both were amazingly flavorful. I'm not even a fan of mushrooms but the broth on her dish was incredible. I will warn that the Dan Dan noodles are a little spicy, but I enjoyed it. We definitely didn't finish everything, but they did not miss with any of these dishes. On top of that it's a really cool atmosphere. They played great music and it wasn't too loud/dark to enjoy conversation. I was shocked by the pricing as well. We both ate and drank for I think $70 total, so affordable! I will be heading back...