Café del Mondo

Sorry to found them close. I hope they recover from the fire.
Sorry to found them close. I hope they recover from the fire.
Sorry to found them close. I hope they recover from the fire.

The breakfast Panini is to die for. The staff has been the same for years and they’re amazing. By far my favorite breakfast place in Columbus. The food is delicious and reasonably priced.

Great spot! I always look for small mom n pop places like this for lunch. The building does not look fancy in an industrial area. But friendly and cozy spot for lunch draws working class and business class alike. I got the capreze half size sandwich and salad, both were impressive, fresh and tasty! I could not revisit to finish it off with some of the best almond chocolate cookies with some of the best espresso! Great food, great prices with great service!
Will have to come back and try their pizzas and other choices!

Way, way overrated. The supposed Caprese salad was without fresh mozzarella and basil. Pieces of thin sliced, folded cheese on pink, unripe tomato slices over chopped iceberg lettuce. Oh, and a few red onions. I think not!

I have been come to this place over 5 years and still good as when I first come.

I have eaten here several times. Each time I come in the food and atmosphere are better. I was impressed at first and continue to be more amazed with each visit. This is a small company. They make their food with love, taking time to get the details right. If you haven’t been here yet, go. The hours are a little whack, but if you can squeeze it into your schedule it’s worth it.

This review is a result of living in the neighborhood and ordering from the café multiple times over the past five years. The only reason I give the rating of two stars is because the food is pretty good when they get the order correct. The service is horrible. Approximately 80% of the time when ordering take out something with my order was incorrect. Not only did the workers usually seem bothered in making it right, some of the employees were just downright rude (specifically one middle-​aged lady is consistently rude). On my most recent experience I called to place an order and the online menu was incorrect. They explained they no longer serve brunch after I had placed my order. When I asked to speak to the owner I was told by the manager that he was not there but usually came in around three, and he would have him call. My goal wasn’t to complain it was simply so that I could share some feedback to improve the restaurant since I live in the neighborhood and order from there frequently. Of course the owner did not call me back. With limited options in the area it was would be nice to have a café with good food and good service. Unfortunately this is not that place. I’m sad to say that I will not be ordering from this café again.

Menu is not correctly posted online. We live nearby and the service has went downhill. The orders are always incorrect. The manager didn’t care to listen to my feedback and the owner never returned my call. I have no idea how this place is still in business.

Cute little spot for lunch with a few nice vegetarian options and yummy earl grey iced tea. Staff is very friendly.

Best Italian I’ve had in Columbus. Reminds me of the food I had while in Italy. Everything tastes fresh. The ingredients are kept simple and authentic. Awesome spot for lunch!

Many hip places will pop up. They will come and b replaced by newer hip places. But tradition will stay forever. And this place will remain in my opinion one of the best places in Cbus.
The ambience, the food. Excellent.

A hidden gem in the Italian Village
If it were not for the wonderful world of Unilocal,it is unlikely that I would have fallen upon this quaint café.
The building is hidden close to the 670 freeway overpass on 4^th Street. The location lives up to the name with Italian offerings and décor.
The casual atmosphere consists of ordering from a counter and seating yourself. The dining area is relatively small, but seemed fairly available the day I visited.
I first noticed the reasonable pricing. I ordered a half of a Caprese panini. The menu had a variety of Italian dishes and simple lunch items like soup and sandwiches. The simple lunch offerings meant quick, efficient service.
The waitress/​cook was excellent delivering food and drink to our table. My half panini was a very generous portion; however, the oil soaked through the bread very quickly making it messy.
I would love to try some of their other offerings in the future. The off-​the-​beaten-​path location may not always come to mind, but I’d give it another chance. 3 stars!

It’s really easy to drive past this place. Watch for the Italian flag colors of the awning out front. There’s a good amount of parking, considering that the inside is so small.
Now the food, I thought it was good and other people say the panini are massive, but I decided to get the chicken stromboli instead. That was a bad decision :($ 12 for a tiny slice and salad. It was good but I’m disappointed with the portion after all the reviews said to expect huge slices. I also got a cappuccino, which had art in it, but didn’t taste like anything special to me. My friend still raves about the spaghetti and Panini from here, so if I ever go back I’m going to have to try that instead.

Their caprese panini no longer comes with basil leaves as listed on their menu. Instead it is «in the dressing». Spent my lunch break waiting 15 minutes originally for this panini while being the only order and customer they had. Then has to spend the rest of my break walking back to return the sandwich. Very disappointed in the service and misleading menu. Their roasted chicken is also just deli chicken. Again, a misleading menu. I would not waste my time going here. Chances are you’ll end up disappointed and hungry.

Great Panini and coffee. Small place but they have a great seating. Price is extremely reasonable. ½ Panini is $ 4. If you add salad is additional $ 1
Great place for lunch or breakfast
Definitely will
Be back to try other items
They have daily special on the board

Found their high rating on Unilocal while I was in Columbus on a business trip. The location is quite out of thr way if you are walking, very convenient right off of highway if you are driving. The staff was incredibly friendly and accomodated a high maintenance order (sorry!). The lunch crowd was prety busy but stil plenty of tables to choose from.
Overall the food was pretty good, not amazing, but probably pretty top notch for Columbus. I would recommend!

I’ll go where passion lives, and it’s here! The staff was very friendly and you could tell they really enjoyed talking about what they do and serving divine Italian goodies :) They crafted a sandwich for me that wasn’t on the menu (prosciutto, roasted red pepper panini with fresh mozzarella) which I very much enjoyed. The prices are reasonable, the atmosphere is chill, and I will definitely be back

Was in town for a conference and searched for a nearby place for lunch; so glad I did. The staff was super friendly, service was fast, and the dish I ordered was delicious. I almost drove past as the restaurant sits back a little bit and there isn’t a large sign. However that is the only thing I would say could be improved. If I’m ever back in Columbus I will definitely visit again.

What a strange location… strange that this place has been around for a while now, but I suppose people in Columbus know about hidden gems like Café Del Mondo. The neighborhood on 4^th Street is starting to build around CdM, in fact, my new apartment overlooks it, otherwise I probably would never have noticed.
We got half paninis for lunch. Little Italy, and a meatball. Pretty tasty, and the service was very very friendly and very helpful. I’m guessing we’ll be back pretty often, since it’s about a 100 foot walk.

This was such an adorable place. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, this building crunched in the elbow between 670 and 4^th St, but on the inside it’s just so sweet. Concrete floors and colorful plaster walls look just like a European café ought to. Flags of both Italy and the Columbus Crew, however, highlight that while the kitchen may smell like Italy, you’re still blocks away from the Wonder Bread factory.
I’m smitten, as well, with the eclectic mix of tables and chairs, including the odd ones that look like mid-​century office chairs with the wheels pulled off. The side rooms would be perfect during busy periods for giving your party a more self-​contained space. The weather today was sunny and gorgeous, and the porch tables filled up quickly at the early end of the lunch hour.
It was empty when I came in around 10:30, so empty that I was standing at the counter, contemplating the menu all by my lonesome for several minutes before the most enthusiastic morning person (well, late morning person) came to help me at the register and rattle off — in one breath — every last ingredient of the salad I was thinking of ordering. It was the artichoke salad, and there were a lot of ingredients. (And for those who may be wondering, it is vegan.)
I sat with my tea and, soon, my artichoke salad. I wasn’t the only one in the café for long. There was a slow trickle of takeout orders for the next hour, until around 11:30 the beginning of what I imagine was a lunchtime slam started. There was a line at the counter that hadn’t been there a moment before.
The artichoke salad was scrumptious and came with a hunk of Italian bread. I was able to sit and read for a good hour or more and just soak in the café’s kitchen scents. There is a feel to the place that is rare, but I think it’s similar to the vibe of the entire North Market. Every dish I watched travel past my seat near the door to the outdoor tables looked perfectly presented, as well. So glad I came here. Looking forward to going back.