Nationally, restaurants entered 2026 facing persistent cost pressure, uneven customer traffic, and tighter household budgets, according to the National Restaurant Association. In Ohio, that pressure is showing up in a growing list of confirmed closures, especially in and around Columbus. Several longtime restaurants have shut their doors since late May, leaving visible gaps in downtown and suburban dining corridors.
A run of confirmed closures has hit central Ohio
One of the most visible closures came in downtown Columbus, where Mitchell’s Steakhouse at 45 N. Third St. shut down in late May 2026. Landry’s, the restaurant’s owner, confirmed the decision in a statement reported by AOL, saying the downtown steakhouse had closed after many years serving the area. The restaurant’s own location page now lists the downtown site as closed, while its Polaris location remains open.
The pace continued in June. Due Amici, an Italian restaurant in Columbus’ Arena District, permanently closed on June 8, 2026 after more than two decades in business, according to the reference reporting provided for this story. In suburban Dublin, BD’s Mongolian Grill at 6242 Sawmill Road closed June 14, 2026 after roughly 27 years, as reported by AOL and later noted by Columbus Underground.
Another Columbus closure followed at the end of the month. Lemongrass Fusion Bistro served its final customers on June 28, 2026, according to the reference material provided for this article. Taken together, that makes at least four confirmed central Ohio restaurant closures tied to Columbus or Dublin between late May and June 28, 2026, involving both downtown full-service restaurants and a long-running suburban casual dining location.
The impact is clearest in Columbus, but the statewide picture is still incomplete
What is confirmed so far is concentrated in central Ohio. The closures named in available reporting are all in Columbus or Dublin: Mitchell’s Steakhouse downtown, Due Amici in the Arena District, Lemongrass Fusion Bistro in Columbus, and BD’s Mongolian Grill on Sawmill Road in Dublin. That concentration matters because downtown Columbus has already been navigating reduced office traffic and changing daily dining patterns…