While I love eating in Columbus restaurants, dining out can be hard to do with a family. I’m always thrilled to find places with great food and an atmosphere that is welcoming for kids where you can drop in at a moment’s notice and stay as long (or short) as your schedule allows. After all, when hunger strikes, you don’t always have time to make a reservation.
That’s why I was happy to discover Aardvark Wine and Beer—an unassuming Linworth shop that’s also home to a Ray Ray’s Hog Pit food truck parked permanently out front. More than just a store, Aardvark boasts a backroom “Dive Baar” with ample seating and an outdoor patio inviting visitors to sit and sample selections. A kids’ area with a chalkboard and board games provides entertainment for all ages. And thanks to Ray Ray’s, you can even get a meal in while you shop. Add weekly wine tastings (that benefit local nonprofits once a month) and weeknight happy hours, and you’ve got a place that quite literally serves the neighborhood.
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Owner Donnie Austin says this was a goal when he opened Aardvark in 2022 with his wife, Megan Cavanaugh. “We wanted Aardvark to be community-centric,” Austin says in an email. “Not just a place to shop, but where people could get together and we could do our part to give back.”
James Anderson, founder of Ray Ray’s, says he appreciates the shop that’s home to his newest food truck, calling it “a very exciting location with lots of potential.” He adds, “Aardvark has a good following for their wines and wine knowledge, and with their newly opened wine and beer bar in the back of their shop, the future is bright for the partnership.”
Whether it’s beer, wine, barbecue or board games that draw you in, these two Best of Columbus winners are worth a visit.
Here is the full list of Best of Columbus winners for 2025.
This story appears in the July 2025 issue of Columbus Monthly as part of the Best of Columbus package. Subscribe to Columbus Monthly here.
This article originally appeared on Columbus Monthly: Best of Columbus 2025: Ray Ray’s Hog Pit and Aardvark Wine and Beer Are Reader Favorites
Reporting by Linda Lee Baird, Columbus Monthly / Columbus Monthly
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