Friday Meals Bites: Speck Italian Eatery opens downtown, Ho-Toy and Dragon Donuts Grandview shut

There’s at all times rather a lot taking place within the Columbus restaurant world! Right here’s the newest:

• Finishing its transfer from Delaware, Speck Italian Eatery opened in its new location at 89 N. Excessive St. downtown this week. The Italian restaurant is taking reservations for dinner solely, however is providing lunch hours as nicely. Speck is owned by Josh Dalton, who’s behind Veritas throughout Homosexual Avenue and Cove, A Seafood Joint (which takes the place of Speck in Delaware).
• Talking of downtown, it’s the top of an period. The Dispatch broke the news this week that Ho-Toy Chinese language restaurant, a staple for greater than 60 years, has closed. Opened first in 1959, it moved to its location at 11 W. State St. (a former Burger King) in 1980.
• Dragon Donuts introduced on social media that it has closed its Grandview location. The unique Grove Metropolis retailer additionally closed quietly over the previous yr, however their Easton location stays open.
• Esco Restaurant & Tapas opened this week at 31 W. Homosexual St., within the former Pub Mahone area. Primarily based out of Atlanta and serving a mixture of Southern cooking and different American classics, the chain is co-owned by rapper 2 Chainz.
• Pastry chef Aaron Clouse shared this week that he’s heading up a brand new pastry program at Parable Espresso downtown.
• Icarus Sandwich Store in Quick North has closed in the meanwhile. Its house owners are focusing as an alternative on serving the sandwiches featured there on the Fox within the Snow areas.
• Delaney’s Diner opens its new Groveport location at 704 Primary St. on Monday, Feb. 6.
• Cameron Mitchell Restaurants introduced final week that it’s including two new eating places: a steakhouse within the new PNC Plaza on East Broad Avenue downtown and an upscale Mediterranean spot within the former Bon Vie area at Easton.
• The house owners of Zoup have closed two of their areas: 41 S. Excessive St. downtown and within the Tuttle mall. Their shops within the Area District, on the Lennox, Easton, and Polaris stay open.
• Lohcally Artisan Chocolates holds its grand opening on Feb. 3-4 at 77 W. Liberty St. in Powell.
• A brand new location of Shake Shack – the fourth whole for Central Ohio – is about to open at 3734 W. Dublin Granville Rd. on Monday, Feb. 6.
• This Saturday, Feb. 4 is Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day! All Jeni’s areas nationwide will probably be open from 9 a.m. to midday serving ice cream, together with their Maple-Soaked Pancakes.
• And final however not least: the annual Scorching Rooster Takeover / Mikey’s Late Night Slice collaboration kicks off this Saturday, Feb. 6 with a celebration at Mikey’s in Olde Towne East (tickets available here). The specialty Scorching Mikey’s Takeover pizza will probably be out there in varied types by way of Feb. 26, together with a Ma’s Mac model (Feb. 20-26) and a vegan providing on the OTE location (Feb. 17-19).

This week I’m additionally writing:

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