Costelos Restaurant

aha. So, you are closed. (as confirmed by Paul F at appx 11:00 am 3÷18÷11)
Guess the website non-​renewal was the first tip.
I’m saddened. Would have loved to have tried you.

Costelos was pretty much exactly as I pictured it from the other reviews. The menu was huge and after a lot if internal debate I ordered the fourth of an island chicken with yellow rice and sweet plantains. It also came with a salad I didn’t realize would be on there.
But the very friendly server (who I’m pretty sure was the owner, and possibly the chef too) brought me out a basket of bread first. I would go back for the bread alone. It tasted like a mix between cuban bread and a baguette and it was toasted perfectly on just one side. He provided ample butter and I was in loooooove. At this point I was pretty sure it’d get five stars on that starter alone.
It didn’t take long for my food to come out and the chicken was tasty. I’m not sure what made it island exactly, but it had a nice garlicy flavor and wasn’t dry or overdone. I wish my serving of plaintains was bigger because I didn’t get many of them and they were the best part to me. The rice had an islandly flavor that when combined with a bite of the chicken made me very glad I’d ordered that meal.
The only negative things happened at the end of the meal, and they weren’t hugely negative, just sort of meh. For one, when the server/​owner/​chef came to take my plate and saw I hadn’t finished he asked if I didn’t like it. I told him it was great but that I wasn’t all that hungry to begin with. He didn’t seem to believe me and I really felt like I offended him, which was sad because I liked the food a lot. Then, I asked for tres leche cake to go, but he forgot about it, and I was in sort of a hurry so I didn’t get to try it.
I’m sure I’ll try it next time though, because Costelos was good enough that I’ll be back for sure.

We tried to go to this restaurant twice in the last two weeks and they were closed with no explanation. According to their posted hours of operation they should have been open.
I don’t know if they’re out of business or just have no respect for their potential customers. Either way, I’m not going to try again.

After visiting Costelo’s twice, I’d definitely recommend it to a friend. The menu is reasonably large and features some traditional Puerto Rican dishes. I particularly enjoyed the ropa vieja. We delighted in the plantains and rice with pigeon peas. Our friends ordered sandwiches, which they also enjoyed quite well.
The only reason I didn’t give this restaurant 5 stars is the service. Though the staff is extremely friendly and clearly want to make everyone happy, the service can be slow to the point of being maddening. Make sure you have a relaxed attitude and someone fun to talk to (or a good book), and you’ll have a great time at Costelo’s.

Great place– get the plantain chips! Met the owner; great guy.

Costellos makes the best Puerto Rican food in Columbus, quite possibly the only Puerto Rican food in the city, but fantastic food nonetheless. The only other place I can find Puerto Rican comfort food like this is back on the East Cost at my buddy’s Mother’s house (I love my Spanish Grandma!). Costellos has excellent food that you just won’t find anywhere else, an extensive menu, and I haven’t had a bad meal here yet. Their portions are pretty big, so come hungry (and bring a hungry friend).
An excellent first order for you (this is what I get when I go): Carribean Nachos (easily enough for two and, good god, it is an amazing dish that cannot be described well enough to do it justice) as your appetizer, Arroz con Gandules pernil y tostones (seasoned beef, rice with pigeon peas, and fried plantains, a simple dish but so flavorful) as your entrée, and Tres Leches for dessert (triple milk cake, fruity and awesome).
If you’re in the mood for a big meaty sandwich instead, you cannot go wrong with the Tripletta. The Cubano is very good, but the Tripletta is better (it just is). When seeking a midnight snack and finding a leftover Tripletta, I do a happy dance.
And, if you’re in the mood for something incredibly different, order a Mofongo (mashed plantains in several variations, all delicious).
Costellos is one of our best kept secrets, so spread the word!

I went with a group of 6 on a Wednesday night and overall our experience was certainly positive.
The menu is quite large and they had a few options for vegetarians. One salad looked delicious, and they have black bean and cheese empanadas (oh goodness, delicious!) and then they have a vegetarian mofongo, which was a half plate of veggies and sauce (next time I would definitely say no sauce or no oil, they were coated… delicious, but not healthy) and then this plantain mash with veggies and garlic and a side salad. I’ve never cared for plantain anything before, but this was quite delicious. There might be other vegetarian things on the menu or items that can be modified (they have lots of apps) but the «vegetariano» caught my eye.
Friends got dishes ranging from a salad (the light yellow Costelo’s dressing was a resounding success and was served with almost everything), to the Cuban sandwich (so good he wanted to order another), fried shrimp and a chicken dish of some kind that came with rice and a salad. Everyone was happy. We also got desserts, a vanilla flan (pretty good) and a guava and cream cheese empanada (not a lot of filling for the big shell).
They also have interesting drinks, a champagne soda, mango iced tea, ect. No beer or wine, but he did tell us that you can bring your own and they’ll charge a cork fee.
Prices were perfectly acceptable for the portions.
Our only complaint was the painfully slow service. It was a 2 and a half hour dinner at a small, not busy place. We probably sat for about an hour in between finishing dinner and getting our checks.

Costelo’s is like the little girl in the children’s book — when it is good it is very, very good and when it is bad — well the owners just decided not to open that day. One big issue here is the lack of dependable hours. The posted times for lunch are 11 – 2 but I have shown up at noon to find a locked door or the owner in the back not paying attention. One of the owners does most of the cooking and when he’s on, he is ON. The menu says Puerto Rican, American, and Italian but you are best sticking to the Puerto Rican food.
One of my favorite things here is the quarter roast chicken with yellow rice and pigeon peas which can be perfectly moist and full of garlic. The roasted pork is also very good, although on one occasion it was I need to write someone a letter about how good this is perfect and another time it was dry. They have mofongo which is a mashed mound of plantains into which a combination of seafood, meat, or vegetables is added, and it is delicous. It takes some time to cook, so order some delicious empanadillas while you wait. My friend loves the Carribean Nachos which features fried plantains in place of the chips.
Service here is spotty and ranges from friendly and fast to friendly and slow as Hell. If Costelo’s could only get its proverbial shit together and bring the A game every day, it would be worthy of more stars. I would like to give 2.5 but round up for the times it has been amazing and the earnest good nature of the owner.