Of all the things one doesn’t expect when sitting down for a $150 meal, a broth made from vegetable scraps is probably close to the top of the list. Top quality ingredients, masterfully prepared and artfully presented, yes. A course actually called “Scraps,” no.
It’s just the first pleasant surprise of a night at Isla, the newest chef’s-tasting restaurant in Columbus that works to dispel the notion that fine dining equals snooty dishes and snootier service that’s probably too good for you.
It might not be quite as comfortable as Merion Village neighbors such as the Thurman Café or Buckeye Donuts, but chef Andrew Smith, wife and co-owner Devoney Mills, and chef and business partner Dan Kraus call Isla “a dinner party in a restaurant.”
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Smith and Mills get the vibe. For 6½ years, they hosted dinner parties in their Westgate home, a series that became known as the Roys Avenue Supper Club. The dinners didn’t start as a segue back into restaurants for Smith, a former chef at Rockmill Tavern, Philco and The Rossi. But they became just that.
“I wanted to start cooking again,” he says. “There was an itch, and we wanted to do something creative together.”
Isla, which opened in July, was two years in the making. Its two long communal tables accommodate just two seatings per night (one at each 14-seat table) at 6 and 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays—with the late seating on Thursdays reserved for the $200 per person chef’s counter experience. (The restaurant’s social media also announces occasional pop-up breakfast and lunch offerings on weekends.)
Don’t get nervous at the thought of sharing eight courses with complete strangers. You’ve got a lot to talk about in the meal you’ll share; Mills said recent guests included two couples who met at the restaurant and came back together.
Scraps, the broth that starts every meal, isn’t the only way Smith and Kraus honor a commitment to reducing food waste. A recent take on chicken satay was seasoned in part with rosemary stems that had been dehydrated and ground into a powder. A tender cut of Denver steak was accompanied by the roasted inner core and leaves of Tuscan kale.
Smith and Mills, another industry veteran, have enjoyed being back in a restaurant, especially the first they’ve created, controlled and owned for themselves. And there’s a much-embraced difference between welcoming people into a homey restaurant and welcoming them into your home, Mills says.
“This is so much easier to clean up than our house.”
About Isla
116 E. Moler St., Merion Village
Isla614.com
Open Thursday-Saturday for dinner
Price range: $150-$200
Recommended: Indulge in the chef’s counter meal for additional courses and a view of the kitchen.
This story appeared in the February 2026 issue of Columbus Monthly as part of the Best New Restaurants of 2026 feature package. See the complete list of our top restaurants here. Subscribe to Columbus Monthly here.
This article originally appeared on Columbus Monthly: Try a Communal Chef’s Tasting Menu at 2026 Best New Restaurant Isla
Reporting by Bob Vitale, Columbus Monthly / Columbus Monthly
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