Olde Pickerington Village is getting a new rooftop hangout. Local Cantina, the Columbus-based Tex-Mex chain, will open its Pickerington outpost on Friday, March 27, with doors set to open for Happy Hour and dinner at 3 p.m. The two-story restaurant at the edge of downtown features a large street-level patio plus a rooftop patio, and the company says it will take part in Pickerington’s new Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area. The opening adds a late-night patio option to the downtown core and brings another national-style but locally run spot to a neighborhood in the middle of a multi-year revitalization.
Opening date, hours and what to expect
The new Pickerington Local Cantina will open at 4 E. Columbus St., according to the company’s event listing. Local Cantina notes that Happy Hour and dinner service start at 3 p.m. on Friday, March 27, with lunch service scheduled to begin April 3 and weekend brunch set to launch April 4. The two-story space is slated to offer dine-in service, online ordering, third-party delivery and room for larger gatherings.
Pickerington’s DORA and downtown context
Pickerington’s Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area allows participating businesses to sell alcohol in specially marked cups that customers can carry through Olde Pickerington Village from noon to 10 p.m., according to the city’s DORA page. CityScene and local officials have said the DORA, which went into effect in September 2025, is part of a broader push to revive downtown and encourage more people to walk, linger and spend time in the district. Local Cantina is one of the first sizable restaurant additions tied to that effort.
Where Local Cantina fits now
Local Cantina operates under Orange Umbrella Restaurants, which launched the concept in 2012 and now runs several central Ohio locations plus an outpost in Greenway Station, Florida, per the company’s locations listing at Local Cantina. Columbus Business First reported last year that the chain was in a return-to-growth phase. At the same time, the brand has trimmed its footprint: Columbus Business First reported the Short North closure in mid-2024, WCMH/NBC4 covered a Gahanna shutdown in November 2024, and the Dayton Daily News documented a Dayton-area exit. WCMH also reported the company’s announcement that the Clintonville location would close at the end of 2025.
What locals said and the building’s past
CityScene reported that the Pickerington restaurant is opening in a renovated former county substation, a building that now anchors a growing cluster of downtown spots. The outlet also quoted Local Cantina staff who said the brand wants to plug into Pickerington’s event calendar and neighborhood culture. “Our goal is to be part of all the major events Pickerington holds downtown,” a Local Cantina co-founder told CityScene. The new restaurant gives Olde Pickerington Village another evening destination as the neighborhood’s 2026 event season gets underway.
Regional coverage has tracked the Pickerington opening as part of Local Cantina’s shifting footprint in central Ohio. For the company’s full schedule and additional local reporting, see the opening announcement at NBC4 WCMH-TV and the chain’s event page.
