Yogi's Bar and Grill is expected to begin welcoming customers Oct. 15 at 5571 N. Hamilton Road, marking the sports bar chain's fifth Columbus-area location and its first foray into the Gahanna and New Albany trade area. The new restaurant takes over the building long occupied by Turtle Creek Tavern, a neighborhood sports bar and live music spot that shuttered after 13 years in business.
The move caps years of effort by Columbus Tavern Group, the hospitality company behind Yogi's, to break into the northeast Columbus suburbs. Co-owner Greg Tishkoff said in January that the company had been trying to expand into the New Albany and Gahanna trade area for several years, and had previously come close to closing deals on other local properties before landing the Hamilton Road site, according to WhatNow. Yogi's said in a Facebook post that it would begin welcoming customers Oct. 15, per NBC4 WCMH-TV.
Turtle Creek Tavern, a neighborhood sports bar and live music spot that had been in business for 13 years, closed at the Hamilton Road address.
A Growing Footprint Across Central Ohio
Columbus Tavern Group owns The Filling Station Bar & Grill near Powell, and launched the Yogi's brand in 2009 in Shannon Heights, according to the company's own history and NBC4's reporting. Yogi's later expanded with locations in Dublin in 2012 and Upper Arlington in 2019, and most recently opened its fourth location in the Fifth by Northwest neighborhood in March 2025, according to NBC4, at 955 W. 5th Avenue, where WhatNow had previously reported the brand's Grandview site.
Beyond Yogi's, Columbus Tavern Group also owns Novak's Tavern and Patio in downtown Columbus, per NBC4. The company brought on former Condado Tacos executive Johnny Zela as chief operating officer in August 2024. A ZipRecruiter listing for the role described building operating systems and supporting growth as responsibilities. Corporate leadership disclosed plans in January to launch updated menus across all Yogi's locations while targeting one to two additional Yogi's openings in the Columbus metro area by 2027, the WhatNow report states.
What's on the Menu, and When the Doors Open
Like its sister locations, the new Hamilton Road restaurant will serve American food and pub fare, including pizza, tacos, wings, chili, salads, burgers and sandwiches, according to NBC4. Appetizers will include cheese curds, elote dip and fried pickles, and the bar will offer beers, seltzers, wine and cocktails alongside televisions for watching sports.
The northeast Columbus Yogi's will operate Sunday through Wednesday from 11 a.m. to midnight, Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m., per the station's report.
Betting Kiosks and a Booming Corridor
The Ohio Lottery listed 5571 N. Hamilton Road as a Type C Sports Gaming Host location.
Nearby, a 368-unit luxury apartment community called Windsor Place at Chestnut Hills broke ground at 5097 N. Hamilton Road in June 2025, with developer The Daimler Group projecting first resident move-ins during the fourth quarter of this year, Hoodline previously reported.
