Friday Food Bites: 94th Aero Squadron closed, new Cup O’ Joe, Delaney joins Groveport

Image courtesy of 94th Aero Columbus on Facebook

There’s always a lot going on in the world of Columbus restaurants! Here is the latest:

• The 94th Aero Squadron announced this week on Facebook that it will close on June 18 after more than 43 years of operation. The restaurant said their lease is ongoing on the space and they have decided to move on. The restaurant had been closed for the past few weeks and is reopening today, January 27.
• Lola’s Kitchen & Bar at 201 S. High St. Downtown has announced it will be closing after Sunday, Jan. 29 to restock and reopen Feb. 28 as a new concept, called Downtown Tavern.
• Delaney’s Diner teased the opening of a third location in Groveport. This joins their stores in Westerville and Reynoldsburg.
• Chef BJ Lieberman of Chapman’s Eat Market and Ginger Rabbit Jazz Lounge is a semi-finalist for the 2023 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Great Lakes! He is Columbus’s only nod, though Ohio is represented in other categories like Best Restaurateur, Outstanding Restaurant (for Mita’s in Cincinnati), Best New Restaurant, Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker, and Best Chef, including Becky Clark of Little Fish Brewing in Athens. Read the full list of semi-finalists here.
• Columbus Underground has announced that Cup O’ Joe will be opening a new location at 366 E. Broad St. downtown on Monday, January 30, on the ground floor of The Vera building. This joins the Clintonville location, which is undergoing renovations. CU also shared that Stauf’s has moved its West Side roasting operations to Franklinton.
• After closing four years ago, Kona Grill in Easton has reopened at the same location, 4087 New Bond St.
• Chile Verde announced the closure of its longtime store at 4852 Sawmill Rd. and will focus on expanding its location at 1522 Gemini Pl. near Polaris. The last day for Sawmill is Saturday, January 28. The Polaris site is currently closed for renovations but will reopen on Monday, January 30.
• Also on Monday, January 30, Getaway Brewing in Dublin is hosting A Night to Remember, a launch party for a trio of new soft drinks.
• Cincinnati-based Mac Shack of Keystone will open a location in Columbus at 1574 N. High St., in the former Panera in the Gateway University District.
• Multiple outlets reported that Westside Slice app opened last week at 958 Demorest Rd., the former Bella’s Pizza in the Hilltop.
• Sideswipe Brewing is celebrating its ninth anniversary this Saturday, January 28 from 1-10 p.m. with special ’90s-themed beer releases, pinball machines, FoxFire tacos, and more.

This week I am also writing:

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