Cornerstone Deli & Café

I used to live within a half mile of Cornerstone but after a poor first experience there, I never returned. It wasn’t anything about the service, I just wasn’t a fan of the Italian sub I had. I actually love the space itself, since it reminds me of a spot I’d find down in Athens at OU. It definitely has a very chill, coffee shop/​café vibe with older décor and flooring that makes you think it’s been around for quite some time. Since we were up at the Clintonvill Farmer’s Market, I figured we’d give it another shot.
I really wanted to try the bagels, so I got the Jack’s Monterey chicken sandwich on an Everything bagel. The bagel itself was pretty good, maybe not the best I’ve had, but the rest of the sandwich was super bland. I guess it’s my fault for going with a chicken sandwich, but it really wasn’t seasoned well, and the sauce on it didn’t bring the flavor up at all.
Since I know this place has a lot of Asian influences, I figured I’d also try one of their spicy tuna rolls. This was actually must better than I was expecting. I’d actually get this again if I was here. The rolls are pretty wide, and there’s a lot of rice, but they were solid. I really loved the spicy mayo.
My girlfriend had the pizza bagel and really liked that one a lot. I took a couple bites, and it was definitely better than what I had. It reminded me of a giant bagel bite which is essentially what it is.
While I don’t live close anymore, I’d probably find myself back at this deli if I did as this past meal was better than the first. I still think some work could be done on the sandwiches that I’ve tried, but I’d try more of the Asian dishes and maybe some breakfast sandwiches. The place got pretty busy over the course of our meal, so I hope they continue to do well.

This place is just so solidly good. My personal favorite is the thai curry rice bowl with tofu, because it’s so damn delicious and I don’t even have to feel guilty for ordering it. My husband loves the reuben sandwich, and my son loves the french dip. Truly, you cannot go wrong; we’ve tried a lot of sandwiches, sushi, salad. .. and it’s always fresh.
I would also like to salute the people who work there, who are friendly, prompt in service, and just ON IT. Never had a less than great experience. This place rocks.

Cornerstone has a wonderfully unique variety of food, high quality and flavorful.
Clintonville bohemian feel, neighborhood café that I have been frequenting for years.
When I want a fresh delicious bagel, I come here. They bake them in house and offer about a dozen or so varieties.
When I want some good Chinese for cheap I come here.
When I want a great deli sandwich I come here.
If I want some decent sushi on the cheap, I come here.
What makes this place so unique is that it’s a bakery, a deli, a Chinese food, Thai food, sushi, salad bar, coffee shop all in one place.
Quite simply, I love coming here and supporting local business that really care about their clientele and provide excellent products at really agreeable prices.
This is one of the types of business’ I would be proud of one of my children to own and operate.
If you are ever in Clintonville and debating on where to eat, do yourself a favor and come here. I know I definitely will continue to patronize this awesome place.
Highly Recommend.

French dip; Sandwich was outstanding, the meat was sliced thick and there were sauteed peppers and onions mixed in making it phillyesque. The au jus was meh, tasted like cube bouillon w/​black pepper
Breakfast sammie w/​bacon; pretty good, not great. Would have been better if the bread was griddled
Inari/​cucumber roll; delicious but a little loose

Exactly what I wanted. nice comfy coffee house vibe in here with excellent selection of food. Crazy they serve sushi and breakfast sandwiches, but the food was good and prices low. Decent selection for vegetarians.

It’s an odd mix of deli food and sushi, but it works. The food is overall pretty good and priced well. I like bringing family and friends here when we need a break from antiquing and rummaging through Rag o Rama.

Not super happy. Service was less than friendly. I ordered the Asagio beef bagel. Bagel was good. Beef was horrible it was hard, chewy, burnt and all ingredients on sandwich other than bagel were sub par. I literally would have had x better sandwich if made by a 1^st grader in a school kitchen. Very dissapointed

I had been wanting to try this place since we moved up here but never got around to it. Had a hankering for some breakfast sandwiches so I figured I’d give it a shot! I’ll never go back. I’ll give 2 stars because the staff was very friendly but the food was not worth the money. I spent $ 10 on two breakfast sandwiches. On top of that, one of the two bagels had mold on it. Very disappointed. I really had high hopes! Oh well.

I was craving lox and bagels but didn’t know where to go. Found Cornerstone on Unilocal and decided to give them a try. At first, I was kinda surprised that they have everything under the sun. I’ve been there several times now, but always get the lox. One day I actually might try something else on their menu.

I’ve had this local eatery Bookmarked for years. Based on the name («Deli»), I always assumed this place was as soup and sandwich kinda joint. I had that assumption half right. This joint’s owned and operated by Asians. That explains the yummy pics of rice bowls and sushi along side hot and cold meat sandwiches. East meets west :)
The older gentleman behind the counter (owner, perhaps?) was super cool: polite, great sense of humor, happy to answer any questions — fabulous customer service with a smile.
I noticed the day’s sandwich special was a Salmon Melt. Mmm sounded wonderful! I got it with white bread, as I’m not too terribly gun-​ho for the accompanied rye. The sammich was sold salmon. What the heck Gwen? The sammie is served open-​faced. Both pieces of the lightly toasted, soft white slabs where covered from rim to run with the fish spread. The spread was absolutely out of this world. Phenomenal salmon flavor. Light amount of mayo, if that’s even what’s holding the particles together. I mean, sold sammich, folks. Solid.
Oh, almost forgot! They have bubble tea here. What? Teas. What? BUBBLES! Of the list, I chose the Mango with green tea and, of course, extra pearls. Smooth, creamy mango taste. Huge fill of soft tapioca balls. Lovely, just freaking lover-​ly! Mission: Tastebuds Satisfaction commenced. Over and out.

Our family suffered a tragic loss, the funeral to be held in a nearby town, Powell, OH. The management at Cornerstone prepared and delivered two separate days of delightful food trays. The family was grateful for this service in time of need. The order for the service was made from California. Cornerstone Deli performed beautifully. Many thanks deserved.

I love this place. A lot of variety. I love the pad thia the most. Their begals and cream cheese are very tasty as well. My mom loves them for their salad bar. Prices are very reasonable as well. Over all, one of my favorite places to grab something yummy to eat in a hurry. They even have a parking lot which it amazing since they are located on High St.

Cornerstone was a regular fixture in my weekly lunch rotation when I worked off Weber Rd. I recently moved to the area and am excited to have them as a delivery option again. I like the wide variety of options (and the fact that most of them are reasonably healthy), the prices and portions are right — especially if you order the small salad, which is huge — and the food is fresh and tasty. Service can be a bit hit or miss (delivery can be wonky) but it’s definitely not a big enough issue to cancel out all the pluses. I’m going to keep giving them my money for sure.

UPDATED: I will always enjoy the food here. I’ve been eating here for years. Today however, I just got very very upset with the customer service. An employee was working the register and refused to ring up my order as half cash half credit. I know that they can ring up an order as half cash half credit but no, she refused. Instead what she did was belittle me and ask «oh what you don’t have $ 7 on your card?» Then she went and rung up my order on my card without my consent. I was livid but I let it go. Then when making my friends salad she rushed through it and skimped a lot. Everyone else in there is great especially the Chef Willy.
On a positive note their salads are fantastic, their orange chicken is my favorite even if it is a somewhat small portion. It’s normally a great atmosphere in the restaurant. And I will continue to frequent it. The only reason I am giving 3 stars is based on the recent service myself, and friends, have experienced.
UPDATE: prior to this update this review stated that the woman was the owners wife. I was mistaken it was an employee and not her. The owners wife has messaged me and informed me that it was not her and that she has talked with the employee.

An everything eatery with a deep menu and a community vibe. I’ve ordered the hot sandwiches a couple times and I’ve always been happy. I’m also a fan of their bubble tea.

When my significant other and I first visited the place we were expecting a more traditional deli. Sandwiches, bagels, coffee. That sort of thing. Which they do have. We were surprised that they had Asian cuisine as well.
So I gave their orange chicken a try. It was quite frankly, one of the best I’ve ever had. Chicken is cooked nicely. They aren’t too big, the sauce is tangy, they give you a decent amount of rice and it’s only 6 bucks. Not too bad.
Next time we went in I tried their California Sushi Roll. It was excellent. I get mine spicy and its always perfectly spiced. They’re also pretty big rolls. Once I’m done eating, I’m usually at the right amount of full. Not overly stuffed but satisfied.
On our last visit I tried one of their French dip sandwiches. I didn’t think that they could possibly top themselves but they did. That French dip just melts in your mouth. The au jus is just superb.
I’ve never had any bad service here. The staff is always friendly and out comes out pretty quick.
It’s definitely one of my favorite places to eat in Columbus.

I am new to town and was recently at the Whetstone Rec Center. I asked one of the employees to tell me her favorite restaurant in town… and without hesitation, she recommended Cornerstone. My husband and 17 month old daughter went this week for dinner. Like all other Unilocalers, I highly recommend the Pad Thai. It’s delicious. The servings are good and the service is efficient. The restaurant is clean but the atmosphere leaves a lot to be desired. Our family of three ate for under $ 20.

This place is pretty consistently great. I have never eaten IN the place, but I think it is quirky and cool. Lots of people studying while eating or just relaxing. Had a good vibe. I typically use Qikfood to QUICKLY order and pay online… then I swing through and grab it. After my second or third visit I noticed the parking across the street. Nice to have that! Have tried a few of the Asian dishes and really enjoyed them. The Spicy Tuna bowl is my go-​to and the General Tso’s is excellent. Prices are on the cheaper end too in my opinion. That, coupled with the ease of ordering, take-​out, and the cool place in general this is 5-​star worthy all day long.

Honestly I love this place. It’s low key, I can bring my kids, it’s close to my house. Where else could you get bagels or crappy chinese food or sushi or salad? Sure, I don’t think the bagels are all fresh everyday, I bet they freeze some every night and serve them up. The Chinese food isn’t super authentic, but you know what? It’s the kind of place sometimes you’re just in the mood for. It’s fast, inexpensive and enjoyable. And I like for there to be places like this or else every corner would be a gastropub out of my regular price range instead of somewhere I can have a quick snack or lunch instead of fast food.

Excellent Pad Thai, sushi and sweet and sour chicken. Unusual combo of a deli that serves exceptional Asian food.
Have not tried the deli sandwiches yet, but plan to stop in and see the operation. So far, we’ve only used the delivery option. That said, delivery has been prompt, the food hot, and the driver courteous.
This probably is going to become a regular option on the family take-​out/​quick meal menu.

I really wanted to like this place. I walked in on a whim. The atmosphere was comfortable and clean. The employee was wonderfully cheerful and friendly. But I was disappointed.
I got a portobello melt on wheat, a taro bubble tea, and a Thai iced coffee.
The boba in the bubble tea were bad. The texture was funny, as if they had been sitting around for quite awhile. The tea itself was okay though.
I absolutely love Thai iced tea, so I was hoping Thai coffee might be similarly wonderful, but it was stale, weak, and disgustingly sweet. I couldn’t drink it.
The melt was good. I enjoyed it a lot. But… how do I put this politely? About 6 – 7 hours later I was not so fond of it anymore. This is coming from someone whose gut it not phased even by Taco Bell.
I might give them another chance. The service was great and they had an interesting menu. Maybe my negative experience was an aberration.

Still good as ever. Had the spicy shrimp California roll and a portabella melt on a three cheese bagel over the weekend. As usual, the food was tasty, service prompt, and check total comfortable on the wallet. I’m glad to see that this establishment is still up to standard and flourishing.

Today I tried something I had heard was delicious but always forgot about because it’s not listed on their chalkboard menu above the register — their pad thai!
In short, probably the best pad thai I’ve had in Columbus.
As I ordered it, the cashier told me that it was spicy. I was like «oh no… spicy??» and she was like «oh, no, not really spicy. American spicy.» I was still worried; my tongue doesn’t love spicy, and my stomach definitely doesn’t.
When I got the pad thai, though, it was the perfect amount of spice. It was flavorful, unlike some dishes that are so spicy they impact your ability to really taste the food. The egg, carrots, bean sprouts, and all other parts of the dish were on point. The noodles were cooked perfectly. I think it was $ 7 — our whole meal was about $ 15.
I definitely have a new lunch go-​to at Cornerstone!

I could write graphs about Cornerstone’s bagel sandwiches or fresh salads, my usual gets here at this high value delicatessen, but instead I must speak of the Phad Thai. I had their take on the Thailand street food for the first time Sunday having read the accolades about on Unilocal.I must say that the accolades are justified. Although I don’t do Phad very often, the dish of noodles here were the best I’ve had in the city.
The noodles were fresh, tender, and hot. The spices were flavorful and unique as exotic food should be. Listed as spicy, the spice isn’t really hot, about on par with the spicy chicken at Wendy’s. For a great price of $ 6.97, the serving is large. Not very often you get that quality withe that quantity.
My friend ordered a Godie sandwich which was large and potato salad which was good.
Self-​described as a café-​deli, Cornerstone always have great and sizable meals for cheep. This makes the Clintonville institution a magnet for students. They have a diverse menu, that stays true to the delicatessen staples, but ventures with success outside the box. Its old wooden space on the corner there is reminiscent of off-​campus joints. It has that smell like a mix of sulfur water, wet mahogany stain, and B/​O – which is your classic student pad smell. The place is clean though, and the smell is not strong. There is ample but not numerous seating. It does get loud here, like all delis do.
Great place for students and others looking for a good meal for the value.
Note: they have a sign up saying not to get soda out of the fountain if you didn’t pay for it. Some people must be confused.