I've been coming here for over 2 years.. I've never had a bad experience here. The staff is ALWAYS friendly and remember what I get and my name lol! The food is next to none!! I've enjoyed myself and the dishes offered every time.. try the cockfight wings, meatballs or shrimp !! My favs ... yummy every time.. as far as I'm concerned there is no match to the service, location and staff as Gallo's brings to the table EVERY TIME.. thank you to all the staff and Tommy Gallo read more

Now, I must be fair and say beforehand that I'm biased because.......I'm from Louisiana. And I don't think ANYONE does our food better than we do, especially not someone from NY/NJ. With that being said, I know what AUTHENTIC Cajun and Creole is supposed to look and taste like. I was raised on it and I make it myself. I was invited here by a good friend of mine who knew I was from La and waited me to experience what Ohio had to offer. We went on a Saturday and waited about 20-30 minutes for a table and then were greeted by a very bubbly and knowledgeable server. From a customer service standpoint, the place is wonderful. We were even greeted by the owner/chef (my friend knew him) and we discussed a few ingredients and techniques. I gave him a few pointers on Louisiana cuisine and they were well received and we had a wonderful conversation. The food (chicken etouffee) wasn't spectacular to me. As a matter of fact, it was just........ehhhhh. The seasonings weren't what we are used to Louisiana and the I don't think the dish captured the essence of what is Cajun and Creole food. Now that's not to say that to the locals who've never been to Louisiana, that it's not good. I'm sure it is. But for somebody who is from Louisiana, it just doesn't cut it. read more

What another great place for the Gallos family. I was really excited to try this new location after sampling some of Tommy's creole creations that he did annually on Fat Tuesday at the Tap Room location. I ordered a cup of the gumbo and it was really a great tasting soup. Not spicy at all, just very flavorful. I got the spaghetti with marinara and meatball. The sauce had a great flavor to it and the meatball was delicious. My girlfriend got the pasta with meat sauce. She thought it was really good. I stole a bite of it and thought it was extremely flavorful. Next time, I'm going to ask if I can get the spaghetti with that sauce. My spaghetti was cooked al dente, so if you don't like firm noodles make sure you request yours cooked well done. Bread isn't automatically served with the meals, but when I asked for some it was brought right out. Its quite a shame they don't automatically serve it, because it was really good (especially when buttered and used for mopping up the tasty sauces). We went on NYE just to get a quick bite and ended up sitting at the bar talking with everyone the entire night. The bartenders Josh and Renee were great, and Tommy came around saying hello to all the regulars and checked on us to make sure everything came out right. I came away quite impressed with the general manager, Matt. I don't know if its because it was NYE, but his awareness to guest needs was just something I hadn't seen with the exception of really high caliber restaurants. Talking to him later on, he mentioned he had spent time at both Lindeys and Hyde Park and that experience really shined. It was just very refreshing to see that type of service at a middle price point type restaurant. He was particularly proud of their wine selection and when I mentioned I like Sauvignon Blanc, he gave me his card and told me to call next time we were coming in and he'd make sure he had a bottle of one of his recommendations. Tommy and Matt have done a great job of putting a nice little restaurant out there that has great food with a great staff that wants to make sure everything about your experience was top notch. read more

This is a wonderful restaurant that has fantastic food and very good service from the bartenders to the wait staff.

Quite possibly one of the better if not best happy hours around food wise. Half off their regular appetizers (nightly appetizer specials not included) and dollar off wines. Not sure what their beer specials are. And HH goes til 7pm even on Fridays. No need to rush and can easily find bar area seating after 6. The fusilli pasta is to die for and enough for a meal. It used to be $10 (what they show on their website) but it's now $12 or rather $6 during HH. Damn rising food prices. Their wings are probably the best deal! Less than $4 for 7 really large wings (1 lb). Bf loved the spicy wings. He said they were actually spicy yet still had great flavor. He liked that nearly all the matter on the bone was meat and not that nasty congealed type stuff. Their house salad is really sad and needs redone. I'm awesome at making salads so feel free to consult me :) service is far above average. Their nightly special menu looked amazing and we will be back for a true dinner. Also like how their kitchen is open and visible in the bar area. Keeps them honest and gives the customer some peace of mind of no shady business/health code atrocities. read more

Gallo's Kitchen is an outstanding neighborhood spot with great favorable food, choices of beer and service in a very comfortable place. My wife started with classic Caeser Salad & had a classic favorite Pasta Russo (cavatelli with house made bolognese sauce) & I had the best shrimp poboy in Columbus with well seasoned tater tots. Yea tater tots that were all crisp and tasty. read more

The food was excellent and the soundtrack in the restaurant was fantastic. Will be back to sample more of the menu.

We tried Gallo's for the first time recently. It was wonderful. Everything was perfect from the service to the food. I agree that it is a hidden gem. We had the crab cakes as an appetizer... I could have licked the bowl to get every bit of sauce, and the Seafood Creole was amazing. Next time we will split an entrée, especially since we had an appetizer, and maybe just add side salads. Chef also made rounds to the tables to touch base with customers, which was a very nice touch. We did make reservations since we hadn't been there before even though there was just two of us. It was a Friday, and got pretty busy quickly, so the reservation turned out to be a good idea. I think its safe to say we'll become regulars! read more

I had noted the Gallos in the parking lot of Bethel Rds. Olentangy Plaza, but since the outside is so ordinary, did not consider that the food might be worth trying....I finally took my husband here to give it a try. Happily, the inside is very charming, belied by an unassuming outside. Was impressed with the wings my husband got and he loved his chicken and waffles. I had a special sandwich, ham and swiss..also yummy. A very good experience and yet different menu than the Gallos on Riverside Drive. Service was friendly and efficient, without being over the top...no hovering, a good sign of an experienced waitperson that is sorely lacking in many restaurants of today. A very good experience, and we can hardly wait to go back. The nicest part is how close it is to home and parking is waaaay easier than venturing into the short north. read more

This place is a great find. Extremely good food and very interesting offering. Great, Authentic Cajun entrees, great seafood and quality pasta dishes. Fried oysters were also very good. If food were the sole basis of rating, they would get 5 stars. Only two things docked them a star: 1. I think the prices are a bit steep. I don't usually squabble over the price if the quality is there, and it is, but pushing $30 and entree is a bit steep for Columbus, even for great quality. 2. The service was indifferent. I can't say bad, but definitely not too engaged or attentive. For that, I hold back a star. Quality is definitely there and is a great meal, if you can splurge and not expect 5 star service. Highly recommend. read more

Project creole complete, thank you to the good people at Gallo's for taking such care with what you do. Best meal in the city, bar none.

Great food & good service. Definitely fills up quick. Good selection of menu items. Oyster po-boy comes on a great bun & is excellent. Wife loves the house pasta dish. Had the muffuletta & loved it. Hamburgers are on point. Awesome & local. read more

Absolutely phenomenal meal. Italy meets Louisiana. I would highly recommend this restaurant.

We stopped here on our way home from a day of shopping and state girls basketball game. What a wonderful way to complete the day! The host was very accommodating and our meals were fantastic! We'll be back. read more

Visiting our son from Memphis, TN. His girlfriend picked out Gallo's based on reviews but had never eaten there. When she said it was Italian Creole I thought "great" (not in a good way- combo sounded horrible). Liked the neighborhood small restaurant feel. Waitress was very helpful. We started with the crab cakes. When delivered thought they looked like they had a lot of filler. But they were really good-a little different from most. Each of us ordered something different for entree and each of us raved about our food. One of the best meals ever!!! Chef Tommy made the rounds to every table to check on the food which demonstrates his desire to provide an excellent meal...which he did. My only complaint is it's not located in Memphis! read more

Can I give this place a ten star rating?! Holy Cr*p!!! Excuse my french, but I travel. A lot. I practically live out of my suite case and my only real highlight (other than my clients ;) ) is that I get to eat pretty much anywhere and everywhere! You name the city, I've probably tried out every "best" restaurant, 5 star yelp place, NY Times best, there. This place is hands down one of the best restaurants I have ever been to. Maybe it was the fact that the owner/chef Tommy personally cooked my meal and made sure I got the true Gallo's flavor (and hey it wasn't just me he did it for, he does it for everyone! Ask anyone there and they will tell you Tommy is THE SH*T! (aka. THE BEST for those of you not in the know lol jk) or maybe it was the gumbo, the meatball, the chicken etouffee, the seafood creole, or the fusili with crawfish, or maybe it was the people at the bar and the regulars who are just so darn nice. No I know what it was...it was EVERYTHING. This place just is all around awesome. Get everything I ate. You will NOT be disappointed. The gumbo was hearty and flavorful; chock full of ham, sausage and yummy goodness (not full of rice like some other places). The fusili is an amazing creamy, heavy pasta with chunks of crawfish in it. The etouffee? AWESOME! the creole? To die for! Just go. And say hi to Tommy, he's awesome. read more

I really enjoyed our first visit to Gallo's Kitchen, I happened to stumble upon this place by accident while at Mr. Tire across the street and decided to get on yelp and check things out. Happily to my surprise they had alot of Cajun/Creole food on the menu which is on of my fav. When entering this place for the fist time I thought it was a very nice layout, bar on the right, dining on the left and kitchen in the far right corner with very large glass windows encasing the kitchen. We started out with an order of the steamed mussels in a tomato wine broth, the mussels were very tender and juicy, the broth left a little bit to be desired, but all in all not bad, next time I will tried the fried oysters instead. For our entrees, I chose the Seafood Etouffee and my wife ordered the Muffaletta sandwhich, both of these were great! The etouffee had a nice dark roux color and full of crawfish and shrimp, the price was a little high for me (around $21) if it was around $18 that would be spot on for pricing. The Muffaletta was very good a perfect sandwich for lunch or and early dinner, it had a generous helping of meat and cheese and can't forget the olive spread. The only thing this place is missing is Boudin and fresh oysters, I am looking forward to trying this place again. read more

This place sucks. They kicked us out and we ran a breathalyzer (we had it in our pockets) and we blew under a .08 don't go here if you plan on drinking more than a half a beer read more

We had our first dining experience at Gallo's last night. We can not wait to go back! The food & service was outstanding. Ordered out of our "comfort zone" & was so pleased with everything we had. read more

Delicious! I get the walleye with crawfish sauce over polenta. The flavor of polenta change frequently, and are always tasted. Full ad drinks that are strong an tastey!! read more

You come here expecting standard bar food, but it is better than that for sure. They care about what the food tastes like and do a nice job with each dish. Generally, this place is more of a bar that serves food than a restaurant that has drinks. That being said it is one of the better place in town to have a drink. It's a nice environment and they have a good clientele. They generally have a good beer selection and pour a solid cocktail. If you are looking to grab a sandwich and get out of the house and have a drink without breaking the bank - try Gallo's. read more

This place is a hit or miss. The bar staff is usually good,but my last visit was horrible. The bartender just stayed in a corner talking to someone he knew,so the manager took my drink and food order! The food is good,but not great also pricey. Although the restaurant can't choose it's patrons,be aware the crowd here is snotty. read more

Amazing food. Polenta appetizer was to die for. We also had seafood étouffée and jambalaya for our entrées. Specialty drinks were also delicious. Atmosphere is very casual, it was a surprise to get such great food. We will be going back. We did not get a chance to try their Italian entrées but maybe next time. read more

Excellent food and service. My friend and I met here last week for dinner and we were going to sit at a table for dinner, but after sitting at the bar for a drink we decided to stay. The bartenders make excellent cocktails and are friendly and fun! The food was fabulous. Who knew? I was shocked at how delicious it was for this hidden gem. We split the creole seafood dish (no rice) and the portion was incredibly generous and delicious. Very impressed. At he end of the night the owner came over and was extremely warm and friendly. He has a gift! I loved that they had so many microbrew choices to choose from. Restaurant ownership is not easy and this place is 5 stars. It's a blast and delicious. We are going back tonight! read more

Amazing service and amazing food. Seafood creole was delicious! They have a gluten free option of pasta which was also good. Not much for vegetarian options. read more

This place is a hidden gem! Chef Gallo is exceptional in his culinary abilities but also in making the experience exceptional. His cuisine, from taste to presentation to variety is comparable to top-scale, high-end restaurants across the country at an affordable price. You just can't go wrong with anything on this menu. We are all very lucky to have kept someone of this high caliber here at home so we can all enjoy the fruits of his passion & labor! read more

Pub style/casual atmosphere with upscale food. The food was interesting - it's has both Cajun and Italian options. The menu is limited but the food is good. My fiancé and I split the special amber jack fish and when it came out it was more than enough for both of us and was super yummy. The fish was fresh and had a unique New Orleans feel sauce. We also had a shrimp salad that was good but nothing special. Our cocktails were a bit pricey and not that great. Definitely worth going but probably wouldn't go a second time. read more

We were told they don't take reservations. WRONG! They do! The food was good, not great. Service was excellent.

Wet to Gallo's kitchen last night with a party of 5. I had looked at the menu ad reviews online. Menu looked interesting ad did not disappoint. We started with the fried oysters and calamari. The calamari was excellent - loved the tamponade, but the oysters were exceptional a definite must have. I sampled the seafood creole, which had sea bass, mussels and scallops in a light and flavorful creole broth. Very good. The BBQ pork chop special was excellent. The walleye was offered 2 ways. The first came in a crawfish sauce that made me think I was back i New Orleans. We all agreed that the best choice of the night was a perfectly composed dish of walleye in a lemon artichoke sauce. The sauce was complex and well balanced. It was served with kale sprouts and perfectly roasted fingerling potato's. It was the the best meal I have eaten in Columbus in a long time! i read more

LOVE!!! LOVE!!! LOVE!!! Gallos Kitchen has the most delicious food and an amazing atmosphere to boot!!! The bar is on point with all their drinks as well! read more

Simply outstanding - this is one of the gems of Columbus. Incredible food, and no pretense whatsoever. The menu staples are excellent but try a special - it won't disappoint. read more

We had another outstanding dinner at Gallo's last night. Jambalaya, and chicken étouffée. Bartender Christian took excellent care of us. Food rivals anything I've had in Louisiana, where I've spent much time. Kudos to Gallo's! read more

We were bummed to find out gallos pit and bbq closed as we planned on using a gift certificate we were given. After a couple phone calls, both the tap room and gallos kitchen said it would be fine to bring our certificate there. We decided to try the kitchen and bar and were thoroughly impressed the whole evening! Staff was so pleasant and waiter in training was one of the best we have had! Additionally we were both so happy with our food choices and will for sure be making another appearance soon. We were checked on multiple times by different waiters and even the cook! Keep it up!! read more

Although the menu selection does not lend itself to vegetarians, Tommy personally created a animal-friendly dish that was most excellent! It was incredibly fresh and tasty yet healthy to boot! The dish should be offered as a regular item on the menu! Thanks, Tommy, for unparalleled customer service and thank you on behalf of animals. read more

Outstanding food and service. We've been here several times and always have a great experience. The owner always comes out and greets everyone in the restaurant, which I think is a nice touch. He seems to genuinely want everyone to have a good experience. Highly recommend. read more

Atmosphere, great food and good people. Seafood creole is exceptional but then again everything is!

awesome jumbalaya was super crowded but with really cool people

We stopped into Gallo's after passing it on Riverside Dr. looking for somewhere to have an early dinner on a Saturday evening. I had dined there many, many times when it had been Ciao's years ago, a great neighborhood family Italian place, so I was hoping it was still in the genre. I found an updated, upscaled place which was lively and noisy and looked liked fun. The hostess was quick to greet us and seat us at a high top in the bar that we requested. It was busy even at 6 p.m. Our server arrived within several minutes and took our drink orders. They arrived in a reasonable amount of time. The Beefeater martini, a little dirty, was perfect. I had a JWR on the rocks. That's when I found out that the restaurant was now "Cajun and Seafood" although there are 3 Italian dishes on the menu. Can't say much about the drink, except there seemed to be an excessive amount of ice. Altogether, service was kind of slow; after ordering and eating an appetizer, our server walked passed us several times before asking if we were ready to order dinner. 1 ding. Our appetizer, a Skrei Cod, apparently only available 6 weeks during the year and flown in that morning, was very uneven in quality. The breading was heavy and deeply browned in the deep frying. There were 3 pieces. One had the firmness you'd expect in a fried cod. One was ok and the third was positivley 'mushy' in texture. They were served with a lemon slaw which lacked the lemon flavor, but the dressing was light and good. I just do not like large leaves of cabbage in my slaw. The herb salsa accompaniment was delicious. I ordered the meatball sub as my entree. It took a while to arrive. It was disappointing in many respects: under-sauced and the meatballs were flavorless and dry. If you want to taste meatball heaven, go to Marcella's. Now that's a meatball. The accompanying fresh cut fries were very good and the mainstay of my meal. My dining partner had the daily shrimp and grits special and declared it delicious. I take points off for price gouging on drinks: my Johnny Walker Red was $9 when you can purchase a bottle for $22 in Giant Eagle and it was way over-f illed with ice. After we mentioned that the cod was unevenly cooked (and did not ask for a replacement or any other freebie), our server avoided our table. Altogether, I would not recomment Gallo's. read more

lets start by stating the obvious,this is nothing more than a look at me im eating at gallos,arent I special.the bread was clearly sitting out all day,and put in the oven to soften it up before serving.very very dry,but they give you a pound of butter to soften it up a bit.the fresh fish was completely destroyed by some over spiced and garlic heavy sauce.very cheap cavateli pasta,is used instead of taking the time to make authentic pasta.let alone homemade.the pasta sauce is a grainy texture of overcooked meats that have the texture of cat vomit.obviously not strained or cooked correctly.the steak was ok.the cut of meat was great,but the cooking method was very sub standard,no crisp as a real steak should have from cooking on the open flame grill.so this is not a steak house.but they tried.,it was soggy like a microwave steak.try some smoke,or something,tenderness was great ,but flavor was non existent.lets talk about how to cook vegetables like,asparagus,cooking oil,and half a gallon of olive oil is not required.it was very greasy,and just so slimey,and tasteless.at these prices I guess flavor is not included.next up is the clams,small and very fishy,but yet again smothered is some kind of rust colored sauce that had every dry spice in it.no fresh spices,but dry,cheap stuff you can buy at Kroger.rosemary and basil is supposed to be fresh.not out of a spice island gallon jug.the real funny part is that they have a window into the kitchen there,and you can watch the kitchen staff,i did,and I learned that this place is just a family run restaurant with no high volume,and qualified chefs,actually cooking.parsley is a garnish not a part of the meal,might want to pull that back a little.im shocked there was not parsley in my jameson.next is the mushy meatball sub,clearly to large to cook at time of order,so its premade,and put in a oven for not enough time to even brown up/.heres a hint make them smaller and you can cook them in a convection oven,which you clearly do not have.meat and oregano was the taste.provalone was rubber.i am a professional highly skilled professional restaurant chef and a man wth a vision of great food.i could go on and on about this establishment,but,it does not deserve the press it gets,might I suggest a good Italian pizza,and save your money?there is no theme or put in place standard,and the price of sub par food is crazy pricy.long john silvers has better fish,and better prices.but if you crave atn.this is the place for you,take a selfie and show all your friends you have more money than taste.at the gallos tap room its $4.25 for a 12 oz.draft beer that costs 16 cents to pour.so family friendly or family that is like all families with money,just plain greedy.?you be the judge.im not a fan.or will be.i completely think that you cannot judge a restaurant until you visit it during the weekday when they have enough time to cook the food compared to the weekend.both times they failed to deliver.the staff of women that work there as servers are very polite and professional,so that was the shining part of this review.women that work off tipswere the best part of the gallos experience.p.s. quit changing the menu nightly,people like routines,they don't want to go out and your not making this tonight.so pick something else.thats the problem with family run restaurants.they are run by a person unwilling to lead,or change.its called money hungry.change with the times or get left behind.oh,a medium cheeseburger means medium,not rare on one side and well on the other.and yes the hamburger was flavorless.cheap meat,i guess.pickles were perfume like,but the over sized dry bun was terrible,i always put Italian together with fresh bread,but not here.,in the end gallos is just a place where the upper Arlington crowd can get together and get their blood alcohol way over the legal limit.becaue the 5 hours my friends and I spent there was just sightseeing.we saw one man poured 12 shots of whiskey.overserve much?they did not even offer him a cab or a ride.he got in his Mercedes and left.we saw it we were outback smoking. read more