Columbus has seen a proliferation of food halls in recent years (you can read about all of them in my guide to Columbus food halls), and in April Columbus Food Adventures launches a new way to experience them, in their Columbus Food Hall Tour.
I got to ride along on a prototype version of the tour last month. While the exact dishes and details may shift a bit, here’s a look at some of the fun you can expect!
Stop #1: Budd Dairy Food Hall
Our first stop was Budd Dairy in Italian Village. The dairy opened a couple years ago after being nicely restored by Cameron Mitchell Restaurants.
We were met by general manager Jeremy Hughes, who walked us through the building and shared its history.
We got to sip on their signature lemon shake-up to start.
And then tried two samples! The first was a pair of lumpia from Boni Filipino Street Food, a companion to the excellent Bonifacio in Grandview.
Our second taste, and one of my favorites of the night, was the steak tacos from Tacos Rudos.
The benefit of these tours is getting to meet some of the owners and learn the backstory of all these small businesses. It makes you appreciate them more and eager to return!
Stop #2: East Market
It’s been a couple months since I’ve been to the East Market, so I was excited that we visited on the tour.
Again, we strolled the market and learned about its history – both as an historic trolley barn and as a modern food hall.
A couple of us snagged drinks at the Railhouse bar before heading upstairs to enjoy samples. We got a mini smorgasbord from the new Fran’s Meat + Three.
We learned how to properly unwrap onigiri from Koso.
And finished off with mini cheesecakes from the Bearded Baker.
It’s always fun to wander the East Market and appreciate the renovations on the space. The building was in pretty rough shape before it was remodeled.
Stop #3: Little Grand Market
Our final stop brought us back to the initial meeting point of the tour, the Little Grand Market in Grandview. It’s the newest of the food halls on the tour, and a great place to finish.
We tasted some excellent focaccia sandwiches from Frascati Market.
And not to be outdone were the Cuban sandwiches from Pablo’s Havana Cafe.
I think the Food Hall Tour is a great addition to the already-stellar Columbus Food Adventures roster! Even if you’ve been to the markets before, you’ll find plenty to learn and new dishes to try.
If you want to see a video of the tour, take a look at my reel on Instagram!
The tours will run Thursday evenings starting at 6 p.m. They officially start on April 10, 2025.
Learn more about the tour and book seats here: columbusfoodadventures.com/tour/columbus-food-hall-tour
