Restaurants in Hilliard

The Max & Erma's menu opens with appetizers that run the gamut from finger-friendly chicken tenders ($7.99) to a gooey plate of guacamole and sour-cream-topped nachos ($8.99). Completely fresh gourmet burgers ($9.29 for 10 oz., $8.29 for 6 oz.), sided with seasoned fries, let more carnally inclined 'vores flex their finger muscles around the Ragin' Cajun with a special blend of spices and pepper jack cheese, or indulge in tropical tastes with the pineapple-and-fruit-salsa-stacked Caribbean burger. Those hankering for a less meat-based meal can opt for salads such as the Third Street ($9.29) with chicken, seasoned almonds, blue cheese, bacon, tomatoes, and red onions. Vegetarians will appreciate the black-bean veggie burger ($8.49), served with baby greens salad. Characters in Hitchcock films, meanwhile, can conceal the blood stains on their shirt before the police officer sees them with a little help from the house specialty, fall-off-the-bone barbecue ribs ($14.99/half). For dessert, spoon indulgent mouthfuls of triple chocolate cake with eight layers ($4.99), made-from-scratch banana cream pie featuring a wafer crust ($5.49), or Max & Erma's signature fresh-baked cookies ($5.99/half dozen).

Commence your Cajun- and Creole-laced meal with an appetizer of cornmeal-fried jumbo shrimp with rémoulade ($7.95), cornmeal-fried oysters ($9), or the roulade of house-smoked salmon crème fraîche ($7.95). Low Country barbecue fanatics find solace in Flatiron's made-from-scratch sauciness, such as the North Carolina–style mustard sauce on the pulled-pork sandwich served with coleslaw ($8.75) and the bourbon-barbecue slathering the slab of St. Louis pork ribs (with hand-cut fries and coleslaw, $14.75). For a genuine New Orleans experience up north, try the fried-oyster po' boy dressed with lettuce, tomato, and rémoulade on a baguette ($10, also available with shrimp or catfish). Devotees of pub food can grab a hefty half-pound cheeseburger with pepper jack, lettuce, tomato, onion, and ancho mayonnaise ($8.50); the Flatiron gumbo with chicken, shrimp, and house-made andouille sausage ($5.95); or the house-made chorizo and black-bean chili ($5.50). Put a cap on your appetite with a finishing slice of homemade sweet-potato pie ($5) or a custard bread pudding with bourbon anglaise and shaved chocolate ($5).

Unlike a pirate-ship kitchen, The Shrunken Head lets its visitors munch on a variety of veggie-friendly, locally sourced, and organic items that aren’t served with a side of gunpowder. Breakfast is served on weekdays until 11 a.m. and until 3 p.m. on weekends. Start the day off with an organic cappuccino ($3.25, $3.75) and The Big Lebowski's platter of two buttermilk pancakes topped with eggs ($5.50), which provides much more energy than you'd get sucking on a D-cell battery. The lunch and dinner menu features local farm meats, organic milk, local bread, and space spices that are delivered daily via teleportation. Try a fiery volcano burger with jalapeños and Montezuma chipotle-barbecue sauce ($8.75), a French-brie bagel sandwich ($6.50), or a hummus plate with olive oil and pitas ($6.25). Patrons can also soak in The Shrunken Head's tiki-bar vibe and kick back on a scenic outdoor deck that doesn’t encroach on the borders of any local jungle tribes.

W.G. Grinders puts hearty oven-baked sandwiches, hot pizzas, and crispy salads into on-the-go hands, mouths, and bellies. For the lightest level of W.G. Hunger, sink your fork into a signature salad ($5.99), including the meaty original Italian, chock-full chef, tangy buffalo chicken, and aptly located Southwest chicken salad. If flat topography eases your fear of toppling off a mound of greens, choose the single-topping 12-inch personal pizza ($7.99), which spreads sauce and sprinkles cheese over a thin crust and includes your choice of bacon, ham, sausage, green peppers, pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, or banana peppers. For some Italian flair wrapped in Italian dough, grab a stromboli ($5.99). Your meal also includes a side—choose from chips ($1), side salad ($2), or deli salad ($2–$2.50)—and a 22 oz. fountain drink ($1.49).

For 10 years, Wholly Joe's has provided the Columbus metro area with made-to-order Chicago-style eats and treats, saving residents a trip to the eerie, ghost-laden terrain of northeastern Illinois. Joe's uses authentic Chicago-sourced ingredients (including Italian sausage, Italian beef, sport peppers, and Turano Bakery breads) to capture the Windy City's savory, meat-packed cuisine. While Joe's does offer traditional Italian and grill fare—burgers, chicken and fish sandwiches, and pastas—its commitment to the mythic triumvirate of deep-dish pizza, Chicago-style hot dogs, and Italian beef is what keeps visitors' salivary glands replacing their th's with d's. The hand-shaped deep-dish pizza ($14.99 for 12", $16.99 for 14") is made from scratch (Chicago's most abundant commodity after political corruption) and can be topped with Second City staples such as Italian sausage, bacon, and hot peppers. Encased-meat enthusiasts can sample an original all-beef hot dog ($2.75) or Polish sausage ($3.35) with mustard, relish, chopped onions, sliced red tomatoes, cucumber, kosher pickle, and sport peppers—all stuffed into a steamed poppy-seed bun like so many cans of beans in a hobo's bindle. The Italian-beef sandwich ($5.39) features a pile of succulent, thinly sliced roast beef on French bread, soaked in the natural juices of its own delicious iniquity, and can be partnered with a side of crinkle-cut fries (regular, $1.89) or a Chicago-style tamale ($1.99).

Dishes as vibrant and diverse as the UN’s annual Mardi Gras celebration deck the tabletops at Kogen’s, the seventh Asian-influenced eatery borne from the Mark Pi restaurant group. Drawing inspiration from Japanese street food, Chinese dry-food markets, and upscale American cuisine, the chefs craft an artful and varied menu that embodies both traditional favorites and experimental creations. Here, helpings of pad thai and hunan chicken share real estate with kung pao lo mein and sashimi platters. The signature sushi rolls dabble in a range of flavors, for example, the Margarita roll combines spicy tuna with avocado, lime, and wasabi mayo, and the Fire Dragon roll sets tongues ablaze with tempura shrimp, spicy tuna, spicy mayo, and sriracha sauce.