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ramen, roasters
Menu items from Satori Ramen Bar Tim Johnson | Columbus Monthly
Ramen
No offense to Top Ramen, but we’ve come to expect more from this noodle soup. Luckily, we have Meshikou, a destination for serious ramen connoisseurs that specializes in authentic, chicken broth-based ramen. Columbus Monthly Tastemaker Jeff Tsao has taken a new step in the evolution of his popular ramen bar, Fukuryu Ramen. Now with locations in Upper Arlington and Dublin, Tsao has launched a production kitchen to assist with expansion. For rich ramen teeming with mushrooms, pickled mustard greens, pork belly and ginger, look to Megan Ada’s Ampersand Asian Supper Club, which offers the added bonus of a classy setting. Last but not least is the excellent Satori Ramen Bar, one of the North Market’s newest vendors. Owners Seigo Nishimura and his wife, Casey Cooper-Fenske, aren’t stopping there. The pair will soon debut a sushi concept, Kintsugi Sushi Bar, in the new North Market Bridge Park.
Joelle and Hans Hochstedler of Florin Coffee Tim Johnson | Columbus Monthly
Roasters
There’s no shortage of great coffee in Central Ohio, which USA Today called a “a buzzing coffee scene” in 2018. Stauf’s Coffee Roasters is the grandfather of Columbus java joints and continues to grow its coffeehouse footprint. One Line Coffee and Brioso Coffee turn out some of the best beans in the city, and both have shiny new shops. Crimson Cup, which boasts an innovation lab, once again took home a prestigious Good Food Award this year for its Ethiopian Kossa Kebena coffee. Other roasters worth trying out include Upper Cup Coffee Co. in Olde Towne East, Luck Bros. Coffee House in Grandview and Downtown’s Roosevelt Coffee Roasters. Meanwhile, small-batch roaster Florin Coffee recently opened its own shop in North Linden. Finally, don’t overlook some of the smaller guys, whose beans you can purchase online: Thunderkiss Coffee, Backroom Coffee Roasters and Ramble Coffee.