These Columbus-area restaurants opened and closed in September

Over the course of September, at least a dozen new restaurants opened in the Columbus area — a slight slowdown from August, which also had far fewer closings.

This month we said goodbye to the speakeasy bar Light of the Seven Matchsticks and fish restaurant Ashtyn's Seafood House, while Max & Erma's closed one of two remaining Columbus-area locations and TeeJaye's also said so-long to Reynoldsburg.

Last month:These Columbus restaurants opened or closed in August

For the good news: If you have a taste for Morrocan, daiquiris, popcorn and chicken wings, or need a new place to watch Ohio State football, we've got you covered.

Check out what's new in Columbus eats this month:

Wings Etc. Pub & Grill

Wings Etc. Pub & Grill opened at 775 Yard St. in Grandview Yard in early September. The Midwest chicken wing chain, which is largely located in Indiana but has several locations in Michigan and another Columbus-area location in Pataskala, offers 18 sauces and rubs and also serves seafood, burgers, sandwiches, ribs, salads, wraps and more.

Hours are Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to midnight; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Missing Jimmy's

Jimmy Hoffa-inspired bar Missing Jimmy's had a soft opening at 55 S. High St. in Dublin on Sept. 3, just in time for game day. The neighborhood bar recently began offering pizza, in addition to eats provided by the Hilliard Italian restaurant The Meatball Mafia.

Hours are Monday, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Thursday and Friday, 5 p.m. to midnight; Saturday, 11 a.m. to midnight; and Sunday, noon to 11 p.m.

The Horseshoe Country Bar & More

From the owners of campus watering hole The Little Bar, 2195 N. High St., is a new University District sports bar less than 200 feet south. The Horseshoe Country Bar & More, at 2159 N. High St., opened the first weekend of September and features live music, line dancing nights, specials and more.

Hours are Wednesday through Friday, 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Al's Delicious Popcorn

Columbus staple Al's Delicious Popcorn opened in early September at 1211 Hill Rd. in Pickerington. The family-owned and operated store was started by Albert Voelkel in 1985 and opened under new ownership in 2018. The store has since expanded to four locations, while still serving its 65+ gourmet flavors of popcorn.

Store hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Joya's

From chef Avishar Barua, Joya's officially opened on Sept. 7 at 657 High St. in Old Worthington. The Bengali American cafe, named after Barua's mom, serves a varied and frequently rotating menu, currently featuring breakfast and chicken sandwiches, fried rice, a twist on the gordita, and more.

Hours are Wednesdays through Sundays, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Barrio Tacos

Barrio Tacos opened its first campus location and second Columbus-area location on Sept. 13 at 1860 N. High St., next to Roots Natural Kitchen at University Square, to much fanfare. The Cleveland-based eatery, which has locations at Fifth By Northwest and across Ohio, as well as in Michigan, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, is known for its customizable tacos and wide selection of tequila and whiskey.

Hours are Monday through Thursday, 3 p.m. to midnight; Friday, 3 p.m. to 2 a.m.; Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m.; and Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to midnight.

Half Baked

A new Short North brewery, Half Baked, opened on Sept. 15 at 765 N. High St. in its first public space since launching during the pandemic. The offbeat brewery — which aims to provide a platform to fund nonprofits and independent art, and preserve local culture — also has a member-only space in Merion Village.

Half Baked's brews are also available at Hey Hey Bar & Grill, Club 185, Eight and Sand Tavern & Refuge, Ledo's Tavern, Old North Arcade, Hoof Hearted Brewing, The Ohio Taproom and more.

Hours are Monday through Friday, 4:20 p.m. to 2 a.m.; Saturday, noon to 2 a.m.; and Sunday, noon to midnight.

German brews and food:Here are 5 places to try in Greater Columbus

Toraya Moroccan Cuisine

Toraya Moroccan Cuisine opened its doors earlier this month at 72 E. Lynn St. Downtown. The restaurant serves authentic Moroccan dishes such as couscous, tagine, harcha, as well as desserts and breakfast items, which include crepes, chebakia and askif.

Hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

NOLA Daq Shack

From the owner of Creole 2 Geaux, daiquiri bar NOLA Daq Shack opened its Trolley District stall in mid-September. Just like the stall next door, the Daq Shack brings a taste of New Orleans to The East Market, providing Southern-style milkshakes, snowballs and daiquiris, made alcoholic in partnership with The Railhouse bar just down the aisle.

Hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

CM Chicken

National Korean fried chicken chain CM Chicken opened at 1510 Cross Creek Blvd. in Pickerington earlier this month and is the second Choong Man Chicken location in the Columbus area. The restaurant serves snow onion fried chicken, and tikkudak style, which is fried and then baked on a charcoal grill, with sides like fries, calamari and coleslaw in addition to beer and soju. Franchisee Dae Kim also plans to open a third location at 5947 S. Sunbury Road in Westerville later this year.

Hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 10 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 8 p.m.

Just Chicken

When East Market, 212 Kelton Ave. on the Near East Side, opened in April, Just Chicken was one of the vendors still set to open, and that day has come. The concept from one of the co-founders of The Pit BBQ Grille will host its grand opening on Oct. 1. A second location at Bubbly Hall, 6031 Central College Road in New Albany, is also set to open as soon as next month. Hours have not yet been announced.

Closings

Bake Me Happy closed its location at 106 E. Moler St. in Merion Village early this month to prepare for its new location in Schumacher Place, at 500 E Whittier St. The gluten-free bakery's North Market Bridge Park location remains open but is now closed on Mondays with limited sweets available.

Owner of Curry Up says restaurant plans to rebound

CoreLife Eatery, at 6195 Sawmill Rd. in Dublin, closed its doors after less than two years in business. The health-conscious restaurant chain has also closed a location in Polaris. Its Northwest Side location in the Lennox Town Center remains open.

Ashtyn's Seafood House announced on social media late last month that it is permanently closing its restaurant at 1047 Polaris Parkway due to inflation and a challenging labor market, as well as to focus more on its wholesale business and seafood farm, OceanArc Technologies, formerly known as The Ocean’s Friend, in Pataskala.

The Little Kitchen announced at the top of the month it would close its stall at North Market Bridge Park at the end of September. However, the plant-based eatery told customers to stay tuned for "what's next to come."

Max & Erma's has closed its Reynoldsburg location, leaving the Columbus-founded gourmet hamburger restaurant chain with just one Columbus-area location in Lancaster. The chain has closed several central Ohio locations in recent years.

The Market Italian Village, at 1022 Summit St., closed its doors on Sept. 17. In a Facebook post, the restaurant did not share a reason for closing or say what's next for the spot.

Amid news of Natalie's Coal-Fired Pizza and Live Music in Worthington preparing to close, the music venue and restaurant announced Light of the Seven Matchsticks, its basement speakeasy bar, would close on Sept. 18, though although that may be temporary. Natalie's in Worthington does not have a closing date yet.

The Porch, a Venezuelan eatery at 5808 Columbus Pike in Lewis Center, will close its doors soon. The restaurant announced that it would close during the month of September, and has since appeared to announce delivery-only service starting in October.

Tee Jaye's in Reynoldsburg called it quits the final week of September after 33 years at its 2435 Brice Rd. location. The restaurant said on its now-deleted Facebook page that it never recovered from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and that employees at the restaurant would be moved to its other locations, in Clintonville, Whitehall, Merion Village, the Hilltop, Newark and Grove City.

Know of a restaurant opening or closing? Contact reporter Taijuan Moorman at tmoorman@dispatch.com.

tmoorman@dispatch.com

@TaijuanNichole