Columbus Monthly’s Best New Restaurants 2023: Station in Granville
Station’s scratch menu draws on local ingredients and centers around sandwiches and bowls, with a collection of sides, salads and baked goods.
Chris Crader is a well-known entity in the Central Ohio restaurant world, having grown his Harvest Pizzeria brand in fits and starts to five locations. Lately Crader, who moved to Granville several years ago, has been putting his imprint on the village, with a partnership in the charming Seek-No-Further Cidery and this café in an old train station. (After this story was published, Crader opened a Harvest Pizzeria in Granville, not far from Station.)
The aptly named eatery fills the one-room former depot snugly, with a cozy dining room, glass bakery case and small coffee counter. The built-from-scratch menu draws on local ingredients and centers around sandwiches and bowls, with a collection of sides, salads, pastries and breads. The expert coffee program uses Brioso Coffee beans for a full menu of espresso, cortados, lattes, drip coffee and cold brew. Sandwiches are served on Granville Bread Co. creations and feature highlights like the Bodega, which layers soft, folded egg with caramelized onions, “Station sauce” and local Bandit Red cheddar from Black Radish Creamery.
It’s fitting that a building once intended for those coming and going should again serve as such a delightful and welcoming waypoint. But now, instead of steam engines churning through to take you elsewhere, the food invites you to stop and stay.
Station
425 S. Main St., Granville, 740-920-4275, stationgranville.com
Side Dishes
About Those Baked Goods: A café with coffee and pastries is nothing new, but Station stands out for its unique selection, often touching on international traditions. Granville Bread Co., run by head baker Kate Djupe, supplies much of Station’s menu, which ranges from classic croissants, muffins and coffee cakes to delicate cardamom knots, conchas, pumpkin bars and other seasonal treats.
All Aboard: Quality of the food aside, Station is also a destination for history and railroading buffs. The remodel has preserved the structure beautifully, and while the railroad tracks are long gone, their right of way was converted into the T.J. Evans Trail, a paved path connecting Granville to Johnstown and Newark.
Fresh Air: While space may be at a premium inside Station, the café also includes a spacious patio with more seating, small fire chimneys and views of the adjacent bike path. The brick-lined expanse more than doubles the capacity for Station, all while offering a perfectly pleasant alfresco option for sipping coffee or eating breakfast sandwiches.
This story is from the 2023 Best New Restaurants package in the March 2023 issue of Columbus Monthly.