Metsi's

Had the coolest time at Metsi’s tonight! I loved the atmosphere and the ability to sit at the chef’s table was a one of a kind experience! We started with the sourdough focaccia and the calamari. The focaccia was amazing and I loved the flavors of the calamari. For our entrees we had smoked mushroom risotto and the herbed snapper. The smokiness of the risotto was delicious and it was a huge serving! However, the herbed snapper was by far the star of the night! It was incredible, it’s definitely a must order item. My husband’s favorite dessert is tiramisu, so he ordered it for dessert. He felt it tasted bland and didn’t finish it. But overall, we had an amazing time! Our waiter was amazing, service was wonderful, and we will definitely come back on our next trip to Columbus!

Metsis has a really charming vibe. Upstairs, the space is chic and airy, with large open windows that let in a refreshing breeze. Downstairs is where the energy picks up, offering a lively atmosphere. I’d definitely return for appetizers and drinks, as those were quite good. However, the main dishes didn’t quite live up to my expectations. The pork shoulder was definitely the standout and worth trying. Some other items were a bit overcooked and on the salty side, though the Caesar salad, calamari, and pork shoulder were enjoyable. The pastas were fine, but I wasn’t blown away. That said, the staff was lovely and personable, making the overall experience much more pleasant. It’s a great spot for drinks and starters, but the main course could use a bit of refinement!

The service here is fantastic. The waitstaff is knowledgeable and personable. They were on top of refills and made sure we were well taken care of. You can tell they care about their job. The food itself is uninspiring and often, a note off. My husband ordered some marinated peppers, he said that those were the best thing that he had ordered. He did say that they could have used a bit more charring, but that could be a personal preference. My favorite thing was the Strawberry and Shaved Fennel Salad, it was flavorful and had a nice balance of textures. We also ordered the sourdough focaccia, very good, but nothing special. I had the lobster ravioli as my main dish, it had potential, but the incorporated lemon flavor in the filling significantly overpowered the delicate lobster meat. My husband took our waiter’s suggestion and ordered the marinated flank steak, medium-rare, but it came out well-done. He said the cut wasn’t great, a bit grizzly and that the salsa verde was what saved the steak. But again, subpar flavor combinations. We both ordered the only non-alcoholic beverage on the menu, basil lemonade. It tasted like barely diluted acidic bottled lemon juice. They threw in one basil leaf, no muddling or anything to incorporate the basil flavor. The atmosphere is fine. Nice large windows. It could use an accent wall or a mural to make the space feel more memorable and inviting. My husband and I have frequented the owner’s other restaurants, Chapman’s and Ginger Rabbit, and really enjoyed our experiences at both. Metsi’s, unfortunately, is a miss.

Had an absolutely phenomenal experience at Metsi’s. The staff was very accommodating, brought us Prosecco and a free appetizer when our table ran 5 minutes behind. They were also very helpful with recommendations and wine pairings. The chefs counter offered a unique dining experience that is difficult to find in Columbus. I have recommended Metsi’s to everyone since my experience. New favorite restaurant in Columbus

We wanted to try this new place. A fun restaurant with two completely different looking levels including the top street level that has the bar area and what appears to be more casual seating, then there is downstairs which is definitely more of the vibe, fancier with the kitchen and cooks out in the open. The staff is very friendly and prompt. The drinks were ok at best, they looked fine, but to me the taste just wasn’t that great, disappointing. We had several appetizers the mushroom dish was good, the shrimp dish was blah, it was fully cooked, just not full of any flavor, the fennel and strawberry salad was interesting and good. We each ordered a side of bread with dinner for $3 each, very disappointing, it looked good but really had not taste. None of us eat more than one piece, just wasn’t worth it. The main courses were the veal parmigiana which was the best part of the meal, highly breaded, but it was tasty. The Lobster Ravioli was what I was really looking forward to trying, it was ok at best, honestly a little fishy tasting, I didn’t even finish it. We also got a basic pasta dish with was good. Like the concept and the staff, they need some work on the food and drinks though.

I attended the Metsi’s preview at Chapman’s and the food was delicious and I am anticipating the opening of this restaurant very much. The menu was fixed but we did a couple add ons and we were blown away by the flavors and balanced meal that was provided. The focaccia bread was light and perfectly salty, we got the marinated peppers which DELISH and a great texture, the Caesar salad had a deliciously creamy dressing, the pastas were both well balanced and the grits were from Anson Mills and incredible. Despite all those wonderful dishes we thought the tiramisu stole the show. There are many places in Columbus you can get a tiramisu (Speck, Pelino’s Pasta, etc) but Metsi’s is the best- it’s not overly sweet (like pelino’s) or overly coffee tasting (like Speck), and isn’t dry or too wet. A great way to finish the meal and I hope to enjoy many meals here in the future.

Went for a double date night. Was super excited to try as they had been hyped up quite a bit! The vibe of the restaurant is very nice, new Italian vibes. The smell of wood fire fills the room when you enter. The menu is diverse with lots of great takes on Italian classics. Paying $9 for bread, I would have hoped that it was more than 4 small pieces. They were also not willing to remove the meat from one of the entree (the chef prefers to serve everything as is?), which was not a huge problem, as there were other vegetarian/vegan options, but ultimately, I would have expected that they were able to make a dietary accommodation on request. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable experience. We ended up getting the sourdough focaccia (SMALL portion) and artichokes to start. The meat eaters got the steak and osso bucco while I got the pea pasta (vegan), which was very good.

An impressive experience - Metsi's offers a diner unlike other options in the Short North. There is a great variety of food options and everything I tried was great. The mushroom risotto was phenomenal, the green pea pasta was a nice addition, and the angel hair spaghetti should not be overlooked as a side. The space is interesting, but most importantly the setup/design is unique. Pleasantly surprised that the prices were below what I had been told to expect.

Wow perfect expertise here! So excited to try this place and it delivered. Their downstairs dining room is continuous with the kitchen, so you get to enjoy the smell of all the food being prepared as well as watching all the chef cook. Strongly recommend sitting downstairs if you can. Their old-fashioned is one of the best ones I've had in a long time. Our food was exquisite, let me say. Their menu is divided into a pasta section and a woodfired section. I had the red snapper which was off of the wood fired menu, and my girlfriend had the pasta Bolognese. Both were perfect. Our server Nigel was very knowledgeable and friendly. Overall amazing experience, I cannot wait to come back here. The hype is real for Metsi's!

Mediocre for what it is. The staff is great but the food left us wanting more.. more flavor... more something... just more. We went the third week they were open and sat in the bar area. It was fairly busy for a rainy Sunday night with tables turning over while we dined. Started out with the focaccia and grilled olives. The bread was honestly the best thing with the ricotta and oil. The olives were in an oil that was overpowering and took away from their flavor. We then received the salad which was covered in the bread crumbs but the dressing hardly came through despite being drenched. Then the mains of skirt steak (not currently on the menu?!) and the bolognese. The meat was well cooked and the potatoes and tomatoes included were okay. The bolognese was not tomato based and lacked flavor aside from "meat". The pasta was good, though it was a 2:1 ratio of the sauce to pasta so there tons of sauce with no pasta to be found. Dessert was overall the best part because they was flavor. The almond cake and lemon/blueberry struck great balance & the panna cotta was refreshing. However, way over priced for what it was.

Unfortunately, our experience at Metsi's restaurant was underwhelming. The food arrived cold, the flavors were mediocre (radiatore pasta and skirt steak), and the portion sizes were quite small. To make matters worse, our server forgot my wine order--even after I reminded him twice. He didn't ask us how we wanted our steak cooked either and it came out cold and tough which is weird for a restaurant with an expansive wood fire grill... What really soured the evening, though, was the hostess. There were three of us present, with one friend running late who planned to join us just for a drink. Despite it being a Thursday night with plenty of open tables, the hostess refused to seat us unless all 3 guests were present. I politely explained several times that we would be ordering food and our third guest was only joining for a drink. Instead of being understanding, she made us change the reservation from three to two people--only to seat us at a table meant for four. The rigid attitude and lack of courtesy, especially on a slow night, were baffling and unnecessary. It's one thing to enforce a policy during a busy dinner rush, but this just felt inflexible for no good reason.

Started off horrible, turned out to be great, ended disappointing. Came in at 5:00 on a Wednesday night for my 5:15 reservation with my daughter. I was running early, so I wanted to be seated and try the calamari and have a cocktail while she was driving in from work. Hostess told me I couldn't be seated until my whole party was there. I'm like "It's a table for 2....you're going to let it sit unoccupied and make me wait when you could be making money off it. Told her I was hungry and thirsty, and if the rule is to not seat the party until everyone is there, I wish to change my reservation to a party of one." She reluctantly seated me. Smiling is not her strength. From there, things got much better until I got the check. Nigel was my server. Very personable, friendly and fast. Ordered my calamari and Manhattan, both were outstanding. Daughter, who wouldn't touch seafood with a 10' pole, arrived after it had been cleared from the table. She asked for the Caesar salad, which was very well prepared and delicious. She also asked for the focaccia bread with whipped ricotta and the pasta in Bolognese sauce. I had the Radiotori and a couple of Cabernets. All the food was off the charts good. As Guy Fieri would say, this is Flavor Town! Yum yum yum yum yum! Even the Cab in a Chianti joint was delicious. Fast forward to the check and disappointment sets in. They include a 3% fee on the check for 'Employee Wellness'. Same crap they pull at their other joint, Ginger Rabbit. I'm all for Employee Wellness, but that's a cost of doing business. It should be above the GP line on an income statement, not an optional cost. They position it as being righteously employee centric, but the cost should be borne by the employer, not the customer. Especially when a dinner for two outside of happy hour costs $170. I tried to reason with the Rabbit, but it went in one ear and out the other. I don't expect this place the change either, especially since they just announce the closing of Chapmans. The deserts looked delicious, but being disgusted with management at this point, we walked the block to Jenni's for some really good ice cream.

Now that I have time, I'm going to leave a proper review of Meti's. Metsi's is a new Italian restaurant from chef and restauranteur BJ Lieberman - known in Columbus for Ginger Rabbit and Chapman's Eat Market, and previously Hiraeth which occupied the same location that Metsi's does now. We've been around a bit and while we have yet to make it to Ginger Rabbit (shameful I know) we have eaten at Chapman's a number of times and had visited Hiraeth on opening weekend as we did Metsi's at the time of this review. So I think we've had some time to get acquainted with Mr. Lieberman and his style of food, and as a couple lucky enough to venture to a lot of great restaurants, we have a frame of reference for comparison. Now, the first thing I want to say is that I am by no means an expert, or even an amateur when it comes to good Italian food. I don't have a grandma's home cooking to compare cacio e pepe recipes, and often times when thinking "where should we grab dinner" the first thing that comes to mind isn't a Olive Garden, but I do appreciate classic cuisine, great attempts at nailing down the essence of a dish, and authenticity as far as it one can convincingly pull the wool over my eyes. Caveat aside here, I want to comment on three specific areas of Metsi's and leave it to you to make the venture yourself - which I would highly recommend. The first area to discuss is the food. It's pretty great. We ordered the sourdough focaccia and wood-fired artichoke for appetizers. Both were supremely tasty, though the sourdough focaccia I think hits the mark better than the artichoke. I am not sure if I have much experience with artichoke, but my impression was - this is great, but the story our waitress told us, which was a good one, left me wanting something more artichoke flavored? Maybe I was expecting to take a bit and close my eyes and imagine myself in an artichoke field in sunny Italy? If so, I don't think the dish hit that mark, but I see potential. A bit of pleasant pepper heat, though. We skipped salad and went straight to the cacio e pepe and eggplant parmesan for our pasta and entree. For me, the cacio e pepe was fantastic. It, and I mean this in a good way, tasted a bit like the heavily fresh peppered boxed macaroni and cheese I make at home, which is one of my most guilty pleasures. I can imagine Italian grandmas and grandkids eating this. A+ The eggplant parmesan was great as well. Nicely crusted, fantastic tomato sauce, and the angel hair pasta was cooked perfectly. We really enjoyed this dish. For desert we enjoyed the almond and blueberry cake and the strawberry panna cotta. Well, my wife enjoyed the panna cotta. I don't care for strawberries. But the texture and flavor were top notch. The cake was slightly dryer than I had hoped but maybe that's more authentic? Someone can enlighten me. The second main area I want to talk about, and this is partially for Mr. Lieberman if he is a masochist and read Yelp reviews, is the physical space of the restaurant. To me, the top floor of the restaurant just kind of doesn't exist. I don't know what it is about the different styles, but I had the same concern with Hiraeth. When you book at the chef's counter, and you should, you're in London or New York or Argentina or something. Mr. Lieberman is right there running the kitchen, the ambiance is oozing with sophistication. The wood fired stove, "heard chef!", the glassware, all of it top notch and what I would expect out of a good Michelin restaurant. I think that the food tastes much better downstairs. I wouldn't consider eating the same food upstairs. That's kind of a problem, I think, long term. Especially given that the location of the restaurant is a little weird anyway. Perhaps the upstairs could be remodeled to be a bottle shop for Italian wine? What's the vision here? The last area I want to comment on is the drink menu. I just think that all of the wines, red, white, pink, or sparkling should be Italian. I'm a bit surprised there wasn't a wine list, actually. Though there were plenty of bottles to choose from. Given the ambiance of the chef's counter it just seems like that should be true. I'm not sure. Maybe my expectations are just wrong here. For the aperitif's that are offered, I can't off the top of my head recall the term used, but in the menu there are a number of cordials, like compari. Since I don't know what those are, it would have been nice to have a short description. Maybe even a pairing/recommendation. I do like the wine by the glass menu layout - it's just "white" or "red", or 3 different types of sparkling wines. That takes away from decision fatigue when trying to decide on an aperitif. Overall - I'm really excited to see where this goes, and look forward to swinging by again. There were some delicious looking dishes coming out of the kitchen that we must try (looking at you branzino), and those are best enjoyed at the chef's counter. Cheers!

They have two floors, so when they took us around the corner and down the stairs I was so surprised to see a whole restaurant downstairs! It was so beautiful and they have a whole row where you can look into the kitchen. The wine was absolutely delicious and they helped us make a selection. The food was impeccable too, see for yourself in the photos. We loved every bite.

Service was amazing. Happy Hour 4-6 even on the weekends in the bar area. Nice selection of food and drinks. Something for everyone. Food was good but not great. Portion sizes were good from what we had enough to share for most items. Dessert was by far the best course of the meal. I'll definitely give it another try but it won't be a go to for me like chapman eats was.

We were able to get in off the wait list and have loved Chapmans so we were excited to try it out. Our first round of drinks were delicious- Manhattan, Aperol spritz and Sicilian which we got at the bar. We were seated downstairs and initially the service was quick with appetizers coming out almost too quickly but then there was a huge break till the entree came with no explanation from our server. The second Manhattan was watered down and sent back. They forgot my cosmo but then brought it and didn't charge so that was nice. The pasta was delicious but the fish dish was undercooked and cold. They did take it off the bill and brought a new plate which did taste better but not as good as the other dishes. The ambience is gorgeous but the music and sound are way too loud for conversation.

We had a reservation for 5 on a Wednesday at 7:30 PM. They sat us right on time, but that was about the only thing that went smoothly. It took almost 30 minutes to get our order in, and we had to flag for service more than once. Our table was assigned 2 servers but finished plates and glasses piled up pretty quickly without being cleared, which made the experience feel a little disorganized. That said, the menu did have some fun options -- we tried the Mushroom Arancini, Grilled Olives, Metsi's Grilled Caesar, Radiatori Alla Roma, Green Pea Pesto, Smoked Mushroom Risotto, and Involtini. The olives and Caesar salad were the favorites at the table; the Involtini wasn't for me. I'd come back for happy hour when prices feel a little more reasonable. The Sourdough Focaccia with whipped ricotta, Beef Carpaccio, and Signature Tiramisu are on my list to try next time!

Honestly super bummed after LOVING Hiraeth. I'm Italian but not the snobby about pasta kind. Calamari was fried into clumps rather than individually coated pieces. Very basic. Olives were fine. Cacio e Pepe was a little underwhelming in taste and could use a different pasta shape. Hunting and pecking after the spirals with a fork was less than desirable. Lobster ravioli was the star - delicious and good portion. Side of angel hair was overcooked, sticking together, and bland. Drinks were good. Decent NA menu. Execution needs work (I realize it's opening weekend, but the upstairs was dead at 630 on Saturday) and rethinking pasta shapes and flavors being more robust would be helpful.

The reviews on Yelp don't do Metsi's any justice. You would think diners would let the establishment get its footing before leaving a negative review. Well anyway, we went last night, and it was fantastic. We were seated quickly and dined at the bar for happy hour. We ordered the Notte and Bianca cocktails, both were fantastic! Kaitlin was our bartender and she made our experience a 10/10. Friendly, knowledgeable, and seemed to care deeply about her customers. The appetizers we ordered came out almost too fast and we snacked on those until the dinner menu was available at 5pm. We ordered the focaccia with whipped ricotta and calamari. I recommend getting the marinated olives as well! The couple next to us shared their olives with us and we shared our charred peppers. Such a friendly atmosphere! Ok now on to the entrees....We got the bolognese and osso buco. Both were absolutely fantastic! And I'm a snob when it comes to bolognese. I get every time I see it on a menu and this was right up there with the very best. The pappardelle was extra thin and wide and the most perfect texture. The meat sauce was like an umami bomb with lots of cheese and a great ratio of sauce to noodle. We didn't have much room left for desert, but our waitress, Kaitlin, very kindly gifted us the Chocolate Budino. Let's just say, we made room!! So yummy! Overall, we had such an amazing experience. Service was top notch, the atmosphere was upscale, but not intimidating, and the food will keep me coming back. Don't skip this place!

We had the most amazing time at Metsi's last night. We tried so many things on the menu and every item was divine, especially the radiatori, which was to die for! Cocktails were great, wine list was stellar. Dessert was unbelievable. Service was fantastic! All around a killer spot where I hope to eat again and again!

We tried Metsi's on a Friday night. The space is gorgeous. The downstairs is very intimate and dark. The top is airy and bright. We sat at the chefs counter which was a really cool seat. There's a lot going on in the kitchen so it was fun to see all the action. Our server was friendly, but the way the seats are set up, it's kinda awkward for where they stand. We ordered the beef carpaccio and calamari to start. The beef carpaccio was not what I expected. Honestly, when they dropped it off, I thought it wasn't ours. It's unlike any other restaurants, but honestly we didn't really enjoy it. It was missing a nice flatbread cracker or bread. The meat was slightly brown and almost looked cooked? When we asked a food runner what the stuff on top was, she couldn't really tell us. She said maybe olives, tomatoes, and eggplant. Either way it was a miss. The calamari on the other hand was great. Not too heavy or greasy. I had the radditori. It was yummy! Very flavorful and cheesy. My boyfriend had the lobster ravioli and loved it. He said it was very creamy and had a nice kick. There's an option to get a little slice of focaccia for $3 with your pasta. We each did that and enjoyed it. We didn't order the focaccia as an app because it was a little pricy for the amount of bread we saw going out. If we came back - I would definitely skip to carpaccio and maybe do the caesar salad instead. It looked delicious! Overall great experience and I would go back!

Very cute restaurant! Great ambiance and service. Delicious pasta and the almond cake was amazing! Will probably be back. There is a parking garage next to the restaurant but was charging $30 because of an event that was going on and it was difficult to find street parking nearby

Honestly, TikTok overhyped this place. The aesthetic is cute and the space is bigger inside than it looks, but the food just didn't live up to the hype. The bread was tasty but the bottom was so hard we had to leave most of it. I ordered the Cacio e Pepe and was disappointed!! the noodles just weren't it. They should consider using a different pasta, and the whole dish sat in a pool of watery butter with not enough cheese on top. Definitely not what I was hoping for. We tried two desserts The tiramisu was a no for me! the ladyfingers were way too soggy from the rum syrup. The chocolate budino was completely overpowered by orange zest and was tiny for the price. If you're thinking of going, I'd honestly skip it. Head down the street to Marcella's instead way better quality food and a much more satisfying experience overall.

Grilled caesar salad and Veal parmesan were excellent. Negroni was fabulous. Service was excellent. Go!

The calamari appetizer wads fabulous. I had both the eggplant parm and the snapper and thought both were great. I will be back soon.

Amazing restaurant! This was one of the best meals we have had in Columbus. The food, the ambiance, and the service is top notch! We can't wait to return. Get the artichokes... you will be craving them like us.

The ambiance of Metsi's was very nice. A smaller restaurant, good music, and decorated very nicely. The foot and drinks came out in good time. Staff was friendly and accommodating. Would recommend!

Was really looking forward to dining here, there were some good parts and some meh parts of our dinner. Staring with drinks, good selection and variety of drinks. Got a Sicilian 75, which was just okay I only drank about half. Appetizers we got the focaccia with ricotta. The bread wasn't very flavorful and bits of it were not warm so that was disappointing but the ricotta was delicious! The calamari was solid. Dinner was the bolognese, which was very rich and flavorful. I also ordered the pesto pasta, which was vegan (didn't realize that before ordering). The pesto pasta was not my favorite, but if you prefer vegan dishes then maybe it wouldn't have been so bad. Dessert was tiramisu which was a little soggier than I'm used to. Our server was attentive. Ambience inside is fine, but wish downstairs was more dimly lit. Overall, I prefer Speck or Cento for better tasting Italian food.