House of Creole Columbus — Restaurant in Columbus

First, thank you house of Creole for opening up! We needed a good black owned restaurant in Columbus, Ohio and on high Street! Let’s talk about the restaurant it’s beautiful, the ambience is great, the servers are wonderful. Everybody is friendly. The managers will come and reach your table with a Smile. Roger is wonderful, Toni is wonderful, the barmaid is wonderful, the food runners are wonderful. The table buses are wonderful. I just wanted to address everyone that I’ve had a personal run in with. I’ve been to your establishment twice! last night. I came in with a friend of mine and he ordered the catfish and grits and added shrimp. He loved it. I ordered the Bayou pasta and a piece of catfish on the side the corn muffin is always delicious now when it came to the pasta I have to say this there was flavor there, but the chicken was very bland. This is a creole restaurant, Creole meeting, soulful, flavorful, colorful so in your food there has to be “SOUL” when people come to a Creole restaurant, they already know that if they have health issues to stay away from certain things and maybe your catering to that, but you can’t have Creole in the same definition there was a table behind us and the whole table complained that their food had no seasoning ( That is a big party and you don’t want seven bad reviews ) I know that some people will complain just to complain, but someone at that table had the same exact dish that I did so at least I knew one of the complaints was valid. I want y’all to stay in business for years and years to come. I don’t want to read reviews about your restaurant Stating that the food is subpar, or it’s a hit or miss as I even heard some of my coworkers say NO, we want to hear this food is consistent and it’s served right every time! if I can give a pointer I’m just a customer but hey, we’re the one that’s keeping the company running right ? you definitely cannot go wrong with garlic powder and onion powder. I don’t know what kind of seasoning you have in your kitchen, but a lot of them don’t have to be salt based but there’s some salt that needs to be incorporated in your food. For instance, the fried green tomatoes I can tell that the tomato was luscious before it was cut, but the batter had absolutely no flavor and the only thing that saved it was the sauce on the side .add a little bit of flavor to that batter dip them, babies in there and fry them up and serve them ! add some heat give your customers an option, especially with the pasta, get you some red hot pepper and make peoples orders as hot as they want or as mild as they want!! I want to see y’all stay in business for a very long time👏🏾🙏🏾❤️ Again, again, this ain’t one of those “saltless” restaurants in the area this restaurant is THE HOUSE OF CREOLE!! Soulful, flavorful, wonderful!!👏🏾🌹❤️ I love you guys!! Stay around for a...

This is the first time I’ve felt uncertain about how to rate a restaurant. The food is tasty, the staff generally helpful, and the interior is lovely. However, the execution is inconsistent—some dishes were poorly prepared, and not all waitstaff were equally attentive. Let's dive into the details: I'm not sure how people say this restaurant fits into the $30–50 range unless they order just a starter (under $20), one drink ($17), and leave. Most main dishes are around $40 each. Starting with the positives: If you’ve seen my other reviews, you know I’m a seafood lover. The Mussels, Rockefeller and Charbroiled Oysters were excellent. Cocktails like the Voodoo and High St. Passion were enjoyable and worth trying. The Cajun Fried Rice, Lamb Chops, and Ribeye were flavorful.

Now for the disappointments: I ordered my steak medium, which should be “springy with a hint of pink” by definition. What I got was medium well (see photos). The loaded seafood pasta was overcooked and bland. I doubt I’ll order it again. Our waitress was inattentive—she didn’t listen well, didn’t clarify orders, and forgot requests. For example, we asked for water to start, with one without ice. It wasn’t served without reminder until halfway through dinner—and all came with ice. To be fair, other staff were more competent. Despite pretending to be a upper end restaurant, there was no wine list (even though they had plenty of bottles), the menu listed draft beer that wasn’t available, and although dessert was offered, there was no coffee or tea. With the bar seats full, getting drinks at the table was somewhat slow—maybe due to our waitress, or just bad coordination. We were a family of three, yet an automatic 18% “small party of 3” tip was added to our bill. Then they suggested additional tips of 18%, 20%, or 22%. That felt excessive and out of control. In addition: help me understand why tax is included in the 18% tip calculation My phone (T-Mobile) didn’t get signal inside, and I didn’t see any offer of Wi-Fi. Music was overly loud. I asked the manager to turn it down, which he did—only for it to get louder again 10 minutes later. It felt more like a dance club than a dinner setting.

Bottom line: I don't understand how the restaurant is positioning itself. If it targets a younger crowd, $100 per person is steep. If it aims for upscale dining, the atmosphere shouldn't be so loud you can't hear your companions or the staff.

Based on my experience, this restaurant sees itself on par with The Pearl or Lyndey’s—but it’s not quite there. Would I return? Probably, but next time I’ll send back overcooked food and ask upfront about tipping policy. A 4.6 rating feels overly generous; a 3.9 might...

We dined on a Friday evening during the restaurant’s soft opening week. Unfortunately, it was clear from the start that the team wasn’t quite prepared for a busy weekend service.

Our server, whose name we didn’t catch, was soft-spoken and difficult to hear over the loud music. She was managing six tables—including a large party of 16—which clearly overwhelmed her. She appeared unfamiliar with the menu and was unable to offer recommendations, often stating she hadn’t tried certain items or didn’t eat them herself.

We started with two appetizers: the fried green tomatoes and deviled eggs. The tomatoes were well-seasoned and crispy—definitely a highlight. The deviled eggs, while tasty, were disappointing in portion: just two eggs cut in half for $13, which felt overpriced. Despite the cost, we did enjoy both starters.

It took 45 minutes after receiving our appetizers before the waitress returned to take our entrée orders. For mains, I ordered the blackened salmon salad, and my husband had the catfish plate. Both were excellent, delivering on that bold Southern flavor we were hoping for. The portion sizes were generous and worth the price.

We also tried two sides—the honey butter cornbread and the sweet potatoes. The cornbread was rich and satisfying, but the sweet potatoes were too sweet, bordering on dessert-like.

The restaurant’s ambiance was stylish and welcoming, with mirrored walls and exposed brick adding character. However, the music was excessively loud, making conversation difficult even with the person directly across the table.

Overall, our experience lasted over two hours, primarily due to delayed service. While we understand the challenges of a soft opening, the service felt disjointed and inattentive. Two managers, Mark and Roger, did stop by our table. Roger acknowledged the loud music, and Mark helped track down our delayed drinks, which was appreciated. However, no one followed up with us at the end of the meal.

Lastly, we were surprised to see an automatic 18% gratuity added, especially given the level of service we received. While we’re extending grace for the soft launch, we hope the restaurant takes this feedback to heart and improves its service flow and staff readiness in the...