Last year the Hilton Downtown Columbus debuted its new tower, with the notable ground-floor eatery Fyr, headed up by chef Sebastian La Rocca. As a companion to the live-fire cooking Fyr, the Hilton also debuted the tallest rooftop bar in Columbus, dubbed Stories on High. Sitting on the 28th floor, Stories on High serves up cocktails, small plates, and sushi with spectacular views.
Stories on High is geared more toward a casual meal and drinks, with low-backed seats around collections of two-top tables, a oblong bar, and a pair of patios. Reservations are recommended, and note that the restaurant is for 21+ only.
One of the patios looks roughly southeast, while another looks northwest. Our table sat on the latter, so we enjoyed views of downtown, the Arena District (including a Columbus Clippers game), and a look up High Street with the arches lit in Short North.
The beverage menu spans house cocktails, sake, wine by the glass and bottle, cider, bottled and draft beer, and a small selection of whiskey. Pictured here is the Rainmaker with Japanese whiskey and vermouth, spiced pear, sarsaparilla bitters, lotus root foam, and a dash of pink salt.
The salmon tartar crispy taquitos offered an excellent start. The crispy shells are packed with salmon, avocado, scallions, and then topped with salmon roe and sesame seeds.
The spicy tuna arrives atop crispy rice with jalapeno and a kimchi masago mayo. It’s a great start to the meal.
The Pachuca Sunrise, one of the house sours, marries roasted pineapple-infused Patron reposado tequila with yellow chartreuse, Bénédictine, aqua faba, Peychaud’s, lemon, and pineapple.
The delightful hamachi ceviche is tossed with avocado, cucumber, an agave dressing and togarashi.
The menu features a series of skewers, too, like the yakitori with chicken thigh and a miso buffalo glaze and a drizzle of wasabi ranch.
Or the tiger shrimp with a coconut curry sauce. Both skewers are tender and well seasoned.
Let’s make a quick pit stop for a rye Manhattan.
And then back to the food, like the crispy rock shrimp tempura with a zesty gochujang Bloody Mary sauce.
Or the pastrami fried wontons filled with sauerkraut, black garlic, chives, and a mustard soy sauce.
We also took a walk through Stories on High’s sashimi and nigiri menu.
We tasted a few different bites, each one expertly prepared.
And on top of the smartly prepared food and drink, and the very attentive service, we got to enjoy views like these all evening! It’s really hard to argue with the overall quality of the experience.
I appreciate a good rooftop patio, and I’m very happy to see more options like this in Columbus.
Stories on High is currently open Tuesday-Thursday, 4-11 p.m. and Friday-Saturday, 4 p.m. to midnight. Note that all guests must be 21 and up.
Stories on High
404 N. High St.
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 484-5285
Web: storiesonhigh.com
FB: Stories on High
IG: @storiesonhigh
