Columbus Region Welcomes Two More Korean Fried Chicken Restaurants
Restaurant openings, closings and more Central Ohio food and drink news
Erin Edwards
Openings & Announcements
After the Bonchon Chicken chain closed in 2017, the Korean fried chicken craze took a hiatus in Central Ohio. Boy, has that changed. CM Chicken, which in 2021 helped to reignite the trend locally, recently unveiled its third Central Ohio storefront—this one in Westerville. The new restaurant at 5947 S. Sunbury Road joins locations in Northwest Columbus and Pickerington. Read our story about CM Chicken here.
Meanwhile, a new competitor to CM Chicken enters the market Thursday. A franchise location of Bb.q Chicken opens today at 17 E. Lane Ave. Despite its name, which stands for “Best of the Best Quality” Chicken, the new spot specializes in crispy Korean fried chicken. Founded in South Korea, Bb.q Chicken franchises are now in 57 countries worldwide; the Lane Avenue location is the first in Ohio. The ownership group includes Anne and Chul Kim, the owners of the Campus eatery Diaspora, which is just a couple of doors down from Bb.q Chicken.
A new ice cream shop called Treaty Bear is now open at 983 N. High St. in the Short North, serving rolled ice cream, smoothies and more.
Taft's Brewpourium Columbus (440 W. Broad St.) is back to pouring craft beer and slinging pizzas again. The Franklinton brewery was forced to shut down last week after a vehicle crashed into the brewpub’s main entrance, though no one was injured.
Events
The Annual Granville St. Patrick’s Pub Crawl takes place Saturday, March 11, featuring a lineup of 12 Granville bars, live music and more. Participating businesses include Three Tigers Brewing, Seek-No-Further Cidery, Taco Dan’s, the Lot Beer Co. and others. Learn more here.
Just in time for March Madness, Wolf’s Ridge Brewing (215 N. Fourth St.) is hosting a Pop-a-Shot Tourney from noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday, March 18. The tournament takes place at the brewery’s Hickory Room events space and features games like pingpong and foosball in addition to pop-a-shot available. The March Madness tournament will be streamed as well. Entry for this 21+ event is $10, and you can sign up here.