Ohio diners are saying goodbye to several familiar restaurants this month.
The closures add to a difficult stretch for the state’s dining scene, which has already included a beloved Ohio brunch spot closing after nearly two decades.
One’s a downtown Columbus Italian restaurant and one’s the last Columbus location of an Ohio taco chain. Together these losses show how broad the pressure on restaurants has become.
Due Amici in Columbus
Due Amici in downtown Columbus closed this month after more than 22 years.
The Italian restaurant, located at 67 E. Gay Street, had served contemporary Italian food since opening on New Year’s Eve in 2004. It was founded by Jeff Mathes, with co-owners Don Ziliak and Jeff Glavan taking over fully earlier this year. Its last day was June 8, 2026, though previously scheduled events were expected to continue through the month.
The closure happened abruptly. According to Columbus Underground, the owners of nearby Tip Top had been negotiating to buy Due Amici but decided against it. After the deal collapsed, Ziliak and Glavan made the decision to close.
In an announcement statement, Glavan thanked the community for more than two decades of support and cited “changing circumstances in Downtown” as a reason for the closure. “The relationships we’ve built and the memories we’ve shared will always be the greatest part of Due Amici’s legacy,” he said. “We are deeply thankful to everyone who has walked through our doors over the past 22 years.”
For downtown Columbus diners, Due Amici was a familiar special-occasion restaurant. It worked for business dinners, celebrations, date nights and evenings when people wanted something polished in the center of the city. The Gay Street area has been hit by other recent closures as well, including Mitchell’s Steakhouse, while road construction has put added pressure on nearby restaurants.
Barrio Tacos in Columbus
Barrio Tacos is closing its last remaining Columbus storefront this month.
The High Street location at 1870 N. High St., in the 15+High development near Ohio State’s campus, was set to close on Sunday, June 14, 2026, ending the chain’s presence in the Columbus market. While Barrio began in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood in 2012 and grew into a multi-state operation known for “tacos, tequila and whiskey,” this specific Columbus location only opened in September 2022 — a roughly four-year run, not the full chain history.
The chain did not publicly explain the closure. Its Grandview location at 1416 W. 5th Ave. closed in 2025, making this the second Columbus shutdown in less than a year.
Barrio still operates multiple restaurants in Northeast Ohio, along with locations in Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida and Texas. (A separate, unaffiliated brand called Barrio Burrito Bar continues to operate three Columbus-area restaurants.)
For Columbus fans, the loss is not just about one restaurant. It is about watching a recognizable Ohio-born brand retreat from the city entirely.
Ohio keeps losing familiar restaurants
These two closures show different parts of the restaurant industry under pressure.
Due Amici was a downtown Italian staple with a 22-year run that ended after a failed sale and what the owners called changing downtown conditions. Barrio Tacos was a recognizable Ohio-born brand pulling back from Columbus after years of trying to make the market work.
The reasons differ, but the effect is similar.
Ohio diners are losing places that filled different roles: the special-occasion restaurant and the casual neighborhood taco spot. Each one leaves behind regulars who will remember what used to be there.
Links on this page may be affiliate links, for which the site earns a small commission, but the price for you is the same
Leave a Comment