Nida's Thai on High

Nida's Thai on High is probably one of my favorite restaurants in Columbus. As far as authentic Thai food goes, it's not the best you can do in this city--from my field research, I'd say that honor goes to Bangkok hands down, if you're brave enough to venture that far east--but Nida's is still an awesome place. It's both popular and in the Short North, which means you can expect a crowd, but despite that, we've still managed to eat there without reservations on more than one occasion.

What I love most about Nida's is the atmosphere. It's nice and a little quirky, crammed into a small space with a lot of personality. It reminds me a bit of a few restaurants I've been to in New York City, which might account for why I like it so much. The pad thai is great; the curry is good, and spicer than you might expect; but the sriracha rice is my very favorite.

Now, the one downside to Nida's--and for a drinking blog, this is a pretty big downside--is that the cocktails leave a lot to be desired. Beer-wise, they have a few of your typical Asian imports, if you're into that kind of thing (I have yet to find an Asian beer that impresses me), but they have what appears to be a gorgeous, interesting cocktail list...until you actually order one of the cocktails. I should have known I was in trouble when we went there for my birthday last June and the waitress couldn't give me a coherent cocktail recommendation when I asked for one. Both Boyfriend and I were thoroughly unimpressed: they're a bit on the pricey side, and not nearly as good as I would expect from a restaurant like Nida's. So, my advice on Nida's? Stick to the Asian imports; as unimpressive as they are, they still aren't as disappointing as the cocktails.