Creole Kitchen at its new location…read more
In Columbus for a court hearing in pending litigation in May 2026, I had had the opportunity to have dinner at the new location of Creole Kitchen. For years, Chef Henry Butcher operated the restaurant at a location on Mt. Vernon Avenue, not far from Columbus State Community College and the Columbus Urban League. I first met Chef probably about 20 years ago, when I was in search of authentic Cajun and Creole cooking (my wife's parents were from Louisiana, and she's a true Cajun).
In that somewhat economically distressed neighborhood, Chef and his crew were the most caring and diligent team in the Mt. Vernon Avenue area, feeding the flock with French toast, breakfast sandwiches, gator and shrimp po'boys, gumbo, jambalaya, étouffée, and all manner of carry-out southern breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.
Shuttered for longer than anyone expected about two years ago, the Mt. Vernon Avenue restaurant returned to a new and improved life at a location adjacent to the Lincoln Theater, a landmark preserved by the visionary Mayor Michael Coleman. The theater's owners sought out Chef, urging him to make the upgrade over to East Long Street (the theater is at 769 E Long St, Columbus 43203, and the new Creole Kitchen is at 795 E. Long Street, less than a block away).
The new location was custom-built for the restaurant. It is sparkling clean, spacious, has great wall art, and a helpful and well-trained staff. I was staying at the Westin Great Southern (about a $10 Lyft/Uber from the restaurant) and I dropped in before dinner got underway. Chef was there - working with the kitchen crew along with family members who make up the front line. After I ordered double gin and tonic, Chef sat down with me, and we talked about the change in locations.
And then we talked about the food: this is comfort food, Southern comfort food at its best, and at its most authentic. Start with a roux - you can't go wrong if you start with a roux. I ordered my favorite entrée - crawfish étouffée ($18), with a serving ample enough that I had the second half of it for lunch the following day.
Chef's new location has ample well-spaced and comfortable seating (I'm guessing there were 15 to 25 tables and a bar), excellent air conditioning, jazz at a volume that allows for easy conversation, and a server staff who know the menu well. The staff includes Chef's daughters Antoinette and Tonya, and honors the memory of Chef's son, Henry Junior, who was a beloved member of the hardest working crew in Columbus when the Mt. Vernon Ave. venue was operating.
Chef's breakfast menu is like nothing available anywhere else in Columbus: real beignets (light, fluffy pillows of fried dough dusted with powder sugar, $5), an unforgettable Creole omelet (andouille sausage, Tasso ham, tomatoes, onions bell peppers folded into three eggs with melted cheese, served with grits, home fries, and toast, $15). There's a vegetarian version as well - with spinach, mushrooms, bell peppers, broccoli, and cheese ($15). Breakfast is served until 3:00 pm, and when you order many of the items you will be encouraged to customize the flavor with your choice of spice level (1 to 5), from a gentle warmth to a fiery kick.
In the past, I've had Creole Kitchen prepare catered dishes of fried catfish, chicken and sausage gumbo (a rich, soulful blend of two stocks, thickened with a dark red-brown roux and loaded with authentic Creole flavor, $8 cup, $17 bowl), shrimp or oyster po'boys (served on French bread with house-made Creole chips, $18 to $21), and seafood fettuccine Alfredo (creamy Alfredo sauce tossed with fettuccine noodles with shrimp, scallops, and crab, at your choice of spice level from 1 to 5, $18) that we served at a crawfish boil my wife and I host in Worthington each year. Happily, these and more entrées remain part of Chef's menu, complimenting an ever-changing daily menu of dishes that make returning to the venue a special treat.
A note about GPS and the internet: it might take some time for the internet to catch up with real life. Google Maps will get you to the right location but be aware that if you look up Creole Kitchen Columbus Ohio on its search engine you might be shown posts from the 1052 Mt. Vernon Avenue location, all of which are now out of date. Note also that the restaurant closes from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. to allow the crew to prepare for dinner (just like the good ones do in New Orleans!).
For me, the next time I'm in Columbus, I will make it a point to sit down for breakfast at this truly authentic Cajun establishment. Thank you, Chef Butcher (and Antoinette and Tonya)!
