The longtime Short North taproom Bodega has a new owner: Hector Muñoz and his family, who run Cilantro Latin Fusion, finalized their purchase of the bar at 1044 N. High St. on September 5. The bar will keep pouring beer as usual while the new owners prepare a rebrand that merges Bodega with their Latin restaurant concept.
According to Columbus Underground, Muñoz and his family opened Cilantro Latin Fusion in 2023 at 4852 Sawmill Rd., and they're also behind the recently opened Valencia Latin Bakery at Polaris. Bodega's new concept will still offer a selection of draft beer, and Muñoz has said the essence of Bodega will stay the same even as the space is reworked.
How the Deal Came Together
The path to ownership started with a pop-up, not a sale pitch. Bodega's previous owner, Brian Swanson, approached Muñoz earlier this year about Cilantro hosting a pop-up concept inside Bodega, which kicked off in May, the outlet reports. That arrangement evidently worked well enough that Swanson then offered to sell the business outright to Muñoz.
Muñoz said the Short North had long been on his radar. “We have been looking for a Short North location for a while, and this came from God,” he said, according to Columbus Underground. The location also gives him a chance to test out a small plates and bar concept, and he's said he plans to potentially expand further if things go well.
What's Changing Behind the Bar
Per 614NOW, the team behind Cilantro has purchased the operating rights to the bar, and Muñoz intends to keep the basic concept the same: a taproom with food, transitioning gradually rather than flipping overnight. The outlet notes the new menu will include old Bodega favorites alongside South American specialties from Cilantro, and that the word “Bodega” will likely remain in the new concept's name even though final details haven't been locked down.
Instagram @columbusbodega: “🍺 CRAFT BEER 🍽️ KITCHEN POP UP @cilantrobodega 📍 1044 N High St 🔑 @aptb_shortnorth”
Columbus Underground's report adds that the food menu itself will resemble Cilantro's offerings but on a smaller scale, leaning into tapas and shareable plates rather than full entrees. The remodel is expected to bring a new bar top, chairs, tables, fresh paint and a new logo, with work slated to begin within the next week or two and take roughly four to six weeks total. Because the work will happen during off hours, business at Bodega is not expected to be affected, and the bar is operating as usual for the foreseeable future.
A Short North Fixture With a Layered Past
Bodega's ownership history carries some conflicting accounts. Columbus Underground reports it was founded in 2005 by Sangeeta Lakhani and Collin Castore, who later sold the business to Swanson in 2015, while 614NOW describes the bar as having opened in 2006. Other outlets differ on the timing of Swanson's purchase as well: Cityscene Columbus reports he bought Bodega in January 2014, while BeerAdvocate quotes Swanson saying he took ownership that January, in 2015.
Swanson's other ventures help explain why he was ready to hand off Bodega. He's also behind Bristol Republic, which relocated from the Short North to Dublin's Bridge Park, and Cityscene Columbus notes he opened Balboa in Grandview Heights in May 2016 before introducing Hadley's Bar + Kitchen downtown two months later. With that broader portfolio, the sale of Bodega to a family focused on growing its own Latin food brand marks a fresh chapter for the North High Street address regulars have known for two decades.
