Fyr Named in USA Today’s Top Restaurants List; Tucci’s Debuts Patio Renovation

Fyr, the live-fire eatery on the ground floor of the Hilton Tower Downtown, was named one of USA Today’s 2024 Restaurants of the Year. Led by Argentinian chef Sebastian La Rocca, Fyr was one of 47 restaurants honored in the list, and the only one in Ohio. In 2023, Columbus Monthly named Fyr one of its Best New Restaurants. (USA Today is owned by the same parent company as Columbus Monthly.)

Tucci’s, the longtime Italian outpost in Historic Dublin, debuts a massive new patio renovation this Thursday, Feb. 22. The patio space has been converted into a four-season dining room, complete with skylights, a fountain and 10-foot-high windows. And starting next week Monday, Feb. 26, Tucci’s will also bring back its lunch service, offered on weekdays starting at 11 a.m.

Budd Dairy Food Hall announced that Zaki Mediterranean Grill is the latest tenant in its Hatch incubator space. They’ll start slinging falafel, gyros, shawarma and more on Tuesday, Feb. 20.

Columbus Food Rescue and Local Matters announced that the two organizations have merged under the Local Matters name. Columbus Food Rescue fights food waste by rescuing excess food from grocery stories, caterers and restaurants, then directly distributing it to agencies serving the food insecure, including food pantries, shelters, supportive housing sites and drop-in centers.

Souper Heroes, the fundraising soup potluck, will return for the first time since the pandemic this Saturday, Feb. 24 during the Worthington Farmers Market from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Participants sign up to bring a soup of their choice, then guests can sample the variety of soups while donating to a charitable partner, in this case the Worthington Resource Pantry. This is the first of three engagements for Souper Heroes; the other two are on March 16 and April 20. The Worthington Farmers Market is currently located indoors at The Shops at Worthington Place (7227 N. High St.).