Persephone
Southern Italian restaurant · Columbia City ·
Amaro bar and Italian mercantile with fried snacks
Amaro bar and Italian mercantile with fried snacks
"This aperitivo bar and bottle shop is owned by La Medusa next-door. And while it seems logical to grab a drink with your date here while waiting for your dinner table, be sure to stick around for amari and snacks. There's fried food like crispy fish meatballs, saffron arancini, or the incredible chickpea panelle sandwich with mayo and lemon on a toasted sesame roll. And if you’re not into the bitter herbal stuff, don't let Campari scare you away—you can always order a glass of prosecco." - aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley
"It's crucial to order multiple small plates at this quiet Columbia City amaro bar, which is effortless when everything on the food menu is under $17. One substantial $8 saffron arancino, $12 panelle sandwich, and $16 lemon spaghetti later, and you can still experiment with some top-shelf amari on the rocks. And servers will mostly leave you alone among the cascading string lights, salmon-colored paint, and shelves of incredibly niche Italian products." - aimee rizzo
"This Columbia City aperitivo bar and bottle shop is owned by next-door Italian restaurant La Medusa, and while it seems logical to grab a quick drink with your date here while waiting for a table, we encourage you to stick around. Persephone’s space is effortlessly cozy, decorated with string lights, a lot of happy green plants, and wacky labels from shelves of natural wine bottles. Grab a seat and get acquainted with a bitter red spritz from the huge chalkboard selection of amari. Or if you’re not into the bitter herbal stuff, go with a glass of prosecco." - aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley
"While it seems logical to use this amari bar to wait out your table at next-door sister restaurant La Medusa, we encourage you to make Persephone your Plan A to begin with. Grab a seat among string lights and get acquainted with a bitter red spritz you’ll choose from the huge chalkboard selection of amari, as well as an all-star lineup of fried snacks—like crispy fish meatballs, saffron arancini, or a lemon-squeezed panelle sandwich. Then, all that's left to do is cradle your bitter herbal concoction alongside a bowl of spaghetti." - aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley
"If you had the genius idea to go to La Medusa in Columbia City for a date, so did everyone else. Skip that noise entirely in favor of Persephone, which is way more special anyway. There’s an abundance of amari, fried snacks like gorgonzola arancini, and pasta, all of which make for a substantial meal even though this is really just an aperitivo bar. And indoor string lights give the whole place a backyard garden feel." - aimee rizzo
