13 Oct App Hop: South High St. Edition
Follow Tommy Feisel through an evening of good eats and drinks—the perfect date night for the flavor seekers of Columbus.
Story and Photography By Tommy Feisel
I don’t think I ever saw my Grandmother NOT feed someone. Even in her later years before she passed, she cooked, baked and extended hospitality to her family, neighbors, church, and pretty much everyone she came into contact with.
I grew up helping make her delicate perogies filled with a mix of farmers cheese and egg yolks. I still remember the first time she taught me how to make the kielbasa that our large family ate every Christmas and Easter. Pork Shoulder, marjoram, garlic, salt and pepper. Simple ingredients ground through a KitchenAid attachment directly into hog casings, leaving the mixture slightly coarse with random pockets of air that the fat would melt into. Biting into one of those pieces was an explosion of not just flavor, but a reminder of the love that went into the preparation of the meal.
That’s what food can do. It can bring back memories, it can be exciting, flashy and new, or it can be completely simple and yet so fulfilling. People sitting around a table, sharing food and drink, talking and finding joy in each other’s company is what I remember most about my Abuela.
I’m not a professional chef, and I really don’t like the word “foodie”, which has turned into slang for someone who’s pretentious about the food they consume. I’m a curious person by nature, so I dive into things that interest me, which can vary quite a bit, but in terms of food it means that I have a healthy collection of instructional books, hundreds of hours listening and watching tutorials on how to prep and serve anything from sushi and ramen, 3 day cold fermented pizza dough, to pretty much anything that I want to try. The world is my oyster, and I like trying it all. So don’t call me a foodie, and don’t call me a chef.
Call me an explorer.
Which pretty much leads right into what this article is all about.
Exploration.
When my wife and I were dating (and even now after 19 years of being married), our favorite night out is what we call an App-Hop. Instead of going to just one restaurant for a full meal, we “hop” to 3 – 4 spots, seeking out dishes and cocktails that are unique to the restaurant or bar we’re at. Sometimes that means a few different small plates, sometimes sharing one entree. Throughout the evening we’re trying new flavors and environments, talking to new people (patrons and staff)…experiences that turned this born and raised Michigander into a big fan of the culinary world that Columbus has to offer.
Let me guide you through our latest App-Hop on South High Street, and you’ll see what I mean.
To start off, there are a few “rules” for doing an App-Hop successfully that we’ve picked up over the years.
- 1. Pick a neighborhood. This kind of date night isn’t about spending time driving around from one spot to the next. Find places that are walking distance so you only park once, and walk from one to the other. While you’re walking, visually explore the area you’re in. You’ll be surprised how much you can see when you take the time to notice. Makes for good conversation while you’re dining.
- 2. Pick a weekday evening. We’ve found that Tuesday – Thursdays are the best evenings for this kind of thing. Slower nights for the restaurant means you might get to know your server / bartender a bit. Maybe the Chef or Owner will have time to chat. You could find out what drives them, where their joy comes from serving their community. If you go on a busy night like a Friday or Saturday, I’m gonna tell ya right now, that kind of interaction probably won’t happen the way it does during the week.
3. Let the staff know what you’re there for, and treat them well. When your server comes to the table, it’s perfectly fine to let them know that you’re getting a couple shared plates and cocktails and then moving on. That lets them know how to treat your table. They’ll appreciate the heads up – trust me.
Our latest Hop was to South High Street. Is it German Village, the Brewery District? I don’t really care. All I know is that this stretch of High Street has (and has had) some of the best and beloved places to eat and drink. This time around, we visited in this order: Cobra, Lawbird, and Local Cantina.
Cobra | 684 S High St, Columbus | cobrabarcolumbus.com
First time for us here. It recently got some pretty good press naming it the Best U.S. Restaurant Bar at the 2026 Spirited Awards. Lists like that can sometimes be silly. Honestly I don’t know anything about the Spirited Awards, but I do know what I like and what I don’t…and I really really like Cobra after this visit. An Asian inspired spot where you order food and drink at the counter, get your drinks and a table number sign for when your food is ready to be delivered.
Because we’re Hoppin’ we chose to try all three of the Yakitori (high heat Japanese skewers) on the menu. Three different dishes, perfectly portioned for two to share. Chicken Thigh Medallions, Short Rib Negimaki, and Pork Belly topped with Kimchi Pineapple. On the cocktail side, we tried the Yuzu Lemon Shakeup, and the Yolpait Highball – recommended by Christine after we talked about the food order.
We eat with our eyes first, smell second, then finally with our mouths.
All of the dishes were plated beautifully. I could smell the difference high heat works on proteins the second the food hit the table. All the best things about grilling in your own backyard. The chicken thighs were tender, marinated well, and topped with a spicy mayo. Pretty much what I and you can expect from this kind of dish. Not life altering, but solid and tasty. Moving on to the Pork Belly…YUM.
The kimchi pineapple really helps bring some acidity to the plate, cutting through the fatty belly. I wish the green Zhoung sauce underneath had some more flavor to it, but I might be nitpicking. Then there’s the Short Rib Negimaki…sliced beef wrapping a whole garlic clove coated in chili oil and scallion? Yes please, all day every day. My only critique would be that the Short Rib was a little too salty for my taste, BUT (and this is a big one) only if ordered on its own. BECAUSE, when you’re sipping on cocktails as refreshing and as the ones suggested, it just works.
The Yuzu Lemon Shakeup (Reyka Vodka, Yuzu, Oolong Tea, Averna Amaro, Lemon) is light, but still hits right where you want it to be. It’s smooth, lemon on the nose, tea on the finish. The Yoplait Highball (Patron 100, Yogurt Soju, Strawberry Vermouth, Apritif, Lemon) is nice and crisp. You get tequila on the front end, but balances out with sweet, bitter and velvety mouthfeel. Not what I expected, and that’s a good thing. I love being surprised by concoctions like this.
Up next…
Lawbird | 740 S High St, Columbus | lawbirdbar.com
Hands down one of my favorite places to get a cocktail in Columbus. Annie, Luke and the team have been creating creative libations at their S. High St. digs since 2019 surviving and adapting through the pandemic, earning praise from all over including a Semi Finalist James Beard Award nod in 2025. Despite all of the accolades, it’s very much a neighborhood joint. Huge westward facing windows that fill the space with light. Evenings here just feel better. The friendly unpretentious service, attention to the craft, flavors, and approachable food makes for a perfect stop on an App-Hop. Their current menu, I’m told, will run through the fall and it’s one you should experience.
Lawbird’s menu is as creative as it is extensive. Clocking in at 16 unique cocktails with spirits, syrups, and ingredients I didn’t know existed. That can be a little overwhelming, but remember when I told you to do a Hop on a slower evening of the week? Start talking to your Server or Bartender about the food and drinks and watch the wealth of knowledge flow. If that’s not your speed, just close your eyes and point to something on the menu. Personally, I don’t think there’s any way you can go wrong.
For food, we ordered the Olives, Whipped Feta, and Wagyu Hot Dog. We went for the Mama & Papa’s Summer Vacation, Weekend At Birdie’s, and Casino John’s Big Winner to wash it down. The Olives (Castevetrano) were perfect – not briny, topped with flaky salt and accompanied with lemon peel. I’m a sucker for good olives and this hit the spot. I appreciated that the Feta wasn’t whipped into submission, it kept some of the curd structure. The poblanos added some warmth which balanced out the honey. Fantastic. We had ours with the chips, but I think next time I would go with the bread option. Then there was the Wagyu Hot Dog, because I mean…Wagyu? Good. A Hot Dog? Good. Put ‘em together. GOOD! This iteration was a beefy flavored dog, topped with plantains, poblano crema, yellow sriracha and mayo. It has a really nice spice kick with lingering cilantro after each bite. I highly recommend it.
I don’t know about you, but I like boozy cocktails. Lawbird doesn’t pull punches when it comes to that, the flavors in each cocktail we tried were bold. Not knock you on your ass bold, but just the right amount to make you feel alive. The Momma and Papa’s Summer Vacation, garnished with a sugar dusted sprig of mint, has the smell of a Lemon Nilla Wafer, and the taste of a bitter and sweet ruby grapefruit. It lingers on the palate. Weekend At Birdie’s will be your friend if you enjoy a good Mezcal. That earthy and smokey flavor was very prominent at first, but after swirling it around a couple times I got one layered sip after another that was a delight. Casino John’s Big Winner was my wife’s favorite. The best way I can describe it is like a lemony root beer chocolate drink that feels like something out of Willy Wonka. Might not be for everyone, but it was for us!
To round out the night, we walked across the street to Local Cantina.
Local Cantina – Brewery District | 743 S High St, Columbus | localcantina.com
Kind of a pretty big switch going from Cobra and Lawbird to Local Cantina.
I get it, I really do. But, like I said at the beginning, I’m an explorer and I know what I like! What I like at Cantina are the two desserts on their menu.
The Deep Fried Cookie and the Churro Donuts. These are the kind of end of the night sweets you’d get at the State Fair every summer. Lucky for us, they’re available year round at Cantina. The cookie is battered, warm and gooey with ice cream on top. The Churro Donuts, dusted in cinnamon and sugar are served on top of a pool of caramel agave syrup.
Sipping on a single pour of Espolòn Tequila Añejo was a nice addition to the sweets, and a great way to end the night.
So there it is, a successful App-Hop through S. High St. on a beautiful late August evening! Next time you’re feeling adventurous, try some new spots, taste new dishes, meet new people and go your own way. Most importantly, enjoy the company you’re with. That shared experience of sitting around a table with someone eating, drinking, talking, laughing – is pure gold. It’s what my Grandmother wants for all of us.
Till next time, Cheers!
Tommy
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