Leaves turn; fall breezes blow in cool temperatures. It’s time to pull out the ladle, crackers and eat some Zoup! Find out what the new restaurant, Zoup!, will be serving up to keep you warm and cozy through the chilly months headed our way. 

Zoup! will open Thursday, November 10 in the Huntington Center and will offer more than 100 kinds of soup. Twelve varieties will rotate on the menu daily including at least one low-fat, vegetarian, dairy-free and spicy.  

“We visited a Zoup! in Cleveland and were instantly impressed,” said franchise owner Denis Barboza. “Our son is a picky eater and he loved the food, too. It was some of the best soup we’d ever had.” 

Each order is served with a big hunk of freshly baked bread, and just in case soup is not your style, Zoup! also makes some great salads and sandwiches. Is your stomach rumbling yet? 

Keep an eye out because we’ll offer a Blue Plate Special in Right Now Downtown to let you know when they open their doors in just a few weeks. Don’t forget, you’ll find them in the Huntington Center, 41 S. High Street, Monday through Friday 10:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.

 Word is Chicken Pot Pie and Lobster Bisque are the crowd faves so keep that in mind when you head over.

There’s a new girl in town who promises to give you the jolt you need to get through the recent rainy days, a long morning meeting, or even a late afternoon stroll through the park. Find out what Java Jan has in store for you. 

Lots of cultures feast on some kind of combo of bread dough and sauce, maybe even a little bit of cheese. It’s average, common, perhaps even elemental, but there is nothing ordinary about the new kid in town. Daniel Lunsford opened Element Pizza at 250 North 3rd Street. Take a look at what he’s cookin’ and then make your way over to sample it for yourself. You are in for a treat of monumental proportions. 

Of course the new Cup O’ Joe/MoJoe Lounge  at the corner of Town and High Street has great coffee­­ – the perfect jolt to get you through the longest of meetings or a pick-me-up before you put on your dancin’ shoes. 

Not only do they serve up a tasty Cup O’ Joe,  they dish up everything from rockin’ food to frou-frou cocktails. How about meeting up after work for Happy Hour, Tuesday through Friday, 4-8 p.m.? This Thursday may be the perfect time since the Reaganomics will be jammin’ in the Commons across the street during Downtown Live.

Make it a date and check out this video of how Cup O’ Joe/MoJoe Lounge transformed the corner of the old Lazarus building. You won’t believe your eyes.

To learn more, check out our vendor spotlight video.

Hump day is a day away, which means it’s almost time for Lunch for the Lawn at Columbus Commons. On Wednesdays this summer you may have a hard time choosing from all the vendors at the Food Cart, Food Court, but what about the rest of the week?

Well, Lori and Kevin Ames have been filling hungry bellies of office workers in one of their three restaurants on Capitol Square for quite a while, and now they’ve got what you’re craving at the Commons – all week long. Check out this video to see their new digs take shape.

It’s amazing what a little sunshine can do to the attitude. It’s time to crawl out of the dark cave, rub winter away and find some fun.

We’ve even had a few rain-free days sprinkled here and there to make us believe that we can sit out on a patio and soak in some fresh air. Happy Hour seems like a good a place to start, and you’ll be able to fill your dance card downtown pretty quickly.

OK, we won’t pretend to have an all-encompassing list, but a few places around downtown gave us the scoop of what’s on tap and what’s coming out of the kitchen for the after-work crowd. You might even want to knock off a little early to take full advantage.

Start by sampling a handcrafted pint from The Elevator Brewery and Draught Haus Monday – Friday for just 2.50 from 3-7 p.m., but if a frosty one isn’t your cup of tea, sip on 2.50 well cocktails and house wines and don’t forget to saddle up to the bar for 5.00 appetizers.

The Flat Iron is sporting a newly remodeled patio with 5.00 martinis and 2.00 well drinks and domestic beers from 4-7 p.m.

Special drink pricing and buy-one-get-one-free appetizers give you a lot of leeway at Latitude 41, Monday – Thursday, 5-6:30 p.m. It’s a perfect place to cool off on the shady patio in the toasty summer temps.

When you head out to our little oasis of Gay Street, check out Plantain Café for their 2.00 tacos from 3-6 p.m. And while you’re strolling around, make sure to hit Tip Top Kitchen and Cocktails, Due Amici and J. Gumbo’s as you kick back and enjoy some time with friends after work. 

Lexi’s on Third has a happy hour menu that includes drinks and eats that will keep you coming back for more. You might just find a new home on their spacious patio. Go ahead… Eat, Drink and Be Social.

And don’t forget to stop in and say hi to the other new kid on the block at Quarthouse. Fill your gut with 25 cent jumbo wings and wash them down with a cool one. You’ll find 2.00 domestics, 3.00 imports and 3.00 well drinks. Or try out Quarthouse’s sister location; Ringside Cafe will mix it up a bit with the same drink specials.

That’s a lot of places to hit. Probably makes you hot and tired just thinking about it. You might even need to cool off with a drink. So, here are a few more places you might want to check out…

Barrio
Darby’s Outdoor Café
Dirty Frank’s Hot Dog Palace
Fleur
The Jury Room
Little Palace

The folks at Lexi’s on Third have been busy transforming their space into a restaurant to give downtowners just the fuel they need to keep the workflow going.  You’ll find them open for business this week, and you’ll want to check them out for breakfast, lunch and happy hour!  Just head to the Chase Bank Building at the corner of Broad and Third.  And if the rain ever stops, you can savor your meal or happy hour on their beautiful, spacious patio.

The breakfast menu features breakfast sandwiches, omelettes and more – yummy and fast.  While lunch items include hot and cold sandwiches, burgers, gyros and tasty signature salads.  When the workday ends, head over for happy hour where you can enjoy draft or bottled suds or a glass of vino to help you unwind.

But before you go grab some tasty grub, check out the video that shows just how much elbow grease they used to get the space ready to roll.

It could be worse; we could live along the Ohio River where they are getting even more rain.  All the green stuff on the other side of the window pane loves it; so as you watch the grass grow, we’ve thought of a few more things you can do to make life less soggy.

10.  Clean out a desk drawer and spiff things up a bit.  Graham’s Office Supply has just what you need.  Besides, new Post-Its will help distract you while you’re waiting for that gargantuan file that your boss just emailed you to download.

9.  Pick up a few growlers of beer from The Elevator and invite a few friends over to start construction of a mini-ark.  Mmm, Dopplebock.

8.  Head on over to the Ohio Theatre to see Mary Poppins.  The umbrella that Mary uses on stage is big enough to keep your entire office dry.

7.  Dream about warm sunny days when you Kick It Up at Columbus Commons for Downtown Kickball.  Have you sent your registration yet?

6.  Hire a trainer at your favorite gym.  It may not lift your attitude, but you’ll be too exhausted to really care.

5.  Hit every downtown restaurant for happy hour specials.  Cocktails abound downtown; start creating your list here.

4.  Stroll down Gay Street and take a whiff of all the spring flowers.  Heck, Gay Street is also a good place to begin your Happy Hour Hop.

3.  Stop at our very own award-winning Columbus Metropolitan Library for a great read.

2.  Take your inner child to the Center for Creativity at the Columbus Museum of Art and recharge your artistic self.

And the number one thing that will help get you through this rainy season…  Lunch on us and here’s your chance.  Post a comment about how you like to spend your time downtown and you’ll be entered to win lunch from a variety of downtown restaurants, worth more than 30 bucks.  Yum.