Sumeno's

January 5, 2011

Sumenos
7400 Sawmill Road
Columbus, OH 43235
(614) 791-0939

Having lived on the northwest side of town for 17 years, I have been to Sumeno's many times.  It's a very low-key Italian restaurant in a strip center at the corner of Sawmill and Hard Road that is also occupied by the resale stores Once Upon a Child, Play it Again Sports, and General Uses.

Sumeno's offers and extensive menu as well as a lunch and dinner buffet.  In addition to the standard pizza, pasta, and salad bar, the Sunday buffet also features lasagna, Italian baked chicken, and sausage with green peppers and onions.

The restaurant has always been a favorite of ours.  Kids are given pizza dough when they arrive so they can play with it at their tables.  Molly and Sarah would always make their own little imaginary pizzas or cookies with their dough as we awaited our food.

On this evening, we opted for the buffet.  At $6.99 per person, it really is hard to beat.  Soft drinks are a bit overpriced at $2.59, but how many places can you have dinner for less than $10.00?

For pasta fans, there is a selection of rigatoni, rotoli, and spaghetti that is cooked for you right at the counter.  As you wait the few short minutes for your pasta to cook, you can look right into the kitchen and watch the cooks at work.  Once the pasta is ready, you are faced with another decision...which sauce to choose.  Typically, the choices are cheddar cheese, meat, mushroom, sausage, tomato, and white sauce.

There are generally at least four or five pizzas as well as a dessert pizza and other sweet items.

Although I did not order it on this visit, my favorite Sumeno's dish is the Spaghetti Parmesan.  It is described on the menu as spaghetti tossed with tomato sauce and covered with mozzarella and parmesan cheese and baked.  It is a large portion, usually necessitating a take home box, and well worth the $10.99.

Sumeno's is a family-oriented restaurant (although I remember one visit about 13 years ago when Molly was just a baby and the staff wasn't too thrilled to provide her with saltine crackers for fear they would end up on the floor...some of which undoubtedly did!), that is comfortable and not the least bit pretentious.

The staff is friendly, the food is good, and the price is right.  I recommend Sumeno's if you find yourself in the Sawmill Road area with an appetite for Italian food.

(Photos from http://www.idine.com/)