"We had planned on moving from the old location well over a year ago," Mark Jones told the Ledger-Enquirer about his restaurant's move. "It took us longer to get here than what we wanted."
"Here" is 6801 River Road. On September 22, 2026, Mark's City Grill opened there, sharing a greenspace with a locally owned grocery that had been open since December 2025. Both businesses described the same goal for the north side. Shopping, lunch and an outdoor table now sit within one walk across the lawn. It's still a work in progress, though. As of the most recent reporting, the restaurant was waiting on licenses, and some of the grocery's promised services hadn't been confirmed. Know which parts are finished before you plan an evening around it.
The Grocery Came First, Built to Fill a Gap
Green Island Grocery opened in Building J at 6801 River Road with a grand opening in mid-December 2025, according to the Ledger-Enquirer's opening coverage. General manager Lori Cody told the paper the store took "18 months of planning, which piece of equipment we wanted here, and then it's getting all here and fixing it up." Its own daily menu page shortens the name to "the GIG."
Co-owner Mulford Waldrop explained the idea in plain terms. "I just didn't feel like we had a lot of good beef and good seafood here in town," he told the Ledger-Enquirer. "I wanted to add this here, so people have convenience on the north side."
That reason shapes what's on the shelves. The store promises fresh daily seafood, certified Angus beef and unusual produce next to everyday staples. Cody told the paper it has Columbus's only in-store lobster tank. She was clear that it isn't only a specialty stop: "We are a little bit of a niche store, but you can still do a complete shop."
The bakery case has a familiar source. Joseph Dellascio and Martha Stephens Hart, the former owners of Columbus Corner Bakery, bake most of the pastries, cakes and other baked goods. Cody named cream horns and gingerbread houses as early favorites.
The Hot Bar Turns a Grocery Run Into Dinner
The feature most likely to change a weeknight is the hot food. The store runs a daily hot bar with soups and salads for lunch and dinner, plus a pizza and sandwich counter. The hot bar rotates by day of the week. The posted GIG Daily Menu lists:
- Monday: Swedish meatballs or hamburger steak, baked or roasted chicken, green beans, Brussels sprouts with balsamic glaze, glazed carrots, rice, mac and cheese, and rolls
- Tuesday: beef taco meat, chicken fajita, cilantro lime rice, black beans, and shrimp or steak
Because of that rotation, the same trip works differently depending on the day. One stop can cover groceries for later in the week and a hot plate for tonight. In December 2025, the store also said ready-made meals for families on the go were coming "soon."
Mark's City Grill Moved Next Door
Mark's City Grill had been on Moon Road. Its website still lists 7160 Moon Road. In April 2026, the Ledger-Enquirer photographed the unfinished River Road site and reported the restaurant was marking 17 years in business, with "changes ahead." The Moon Road location closed July 25, and the River Road restaurant opened September 22. That was a gap of 59 days, close to two months with no Mark's to visit.
The new space is bigger. Jones told the Ledger-Enquirer it has more room for customers, including a patio that shares a greenspace with Green Island Grocery. "It's the vision we had," he said, "and we're just trying to make it come full circle." His wife, Sheri Jones, led the decorating and aimed for a more "elevated" look. Jones called the result "one of the best-looking restaurants in Columbus."
That shared lawn is what turns two neighboring businesses into one stop. The reporting doesn't describe any events or programming on the green so far.
What's Open Today, and What's Still Being Finished
Mark's has said openly that the restaurant isn't in its final form. "We're waiting for all our licenses to come in, and then we're going to roll out the whole menu with all the new changes," Jones told the Ledger-Enquirer in its September 30 story. Until then, the paper reported, the restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Sunday, and hours will change once the alcohol license arrives. We found no public update on the license or the full menu after that article.
The grocery has its own unfinished list. In December 2025, Cody said the store planned to launch online ordering and delivery and to host events such as cooking classes. Those were stated as plans, and we couldn't confirm a launch date or class schedule.
| At 6801 River Road | Status in the most recent reporting |
|---|---|
| Green Island Grocery: seafood, Angus beef, produce, bakery | Open since December 2025 |
| GIG hot bar, soups, pizza and sandwich counter | Open, menu rotates by day |
| GIG ready-made family meals | Described as "soon" in December 2025 |
| GIG online ordering, delivery, cooking classes | Planned, not confirmed as launched |
| Mark's City Grill at River Road | Open since Sept. 22, 2026 |
| Mark's hours | 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily as of Sept. 30, 2026 |
| Mark's alcohol license and full menu | Pending as of Sept. 30, 2026 |
Compare those hours with the old schedule. Mark's website still shows its Moon Road hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and closed Sunday. The River Road restaurant is open seven days, but so far only at lunch. Until the license comes through, a weeknight dinner at Mark's isn't available the way it was on Moon Road. That shapes how the two businesses fit together right now. In the evening, the grocery's hot bar is the hot meal on the property. At midday, you can choose between the two.
Before You Head Over
A few details can save you a wasted trip while the property is still settling in:
- Don't rely on the Mark's website for location or hours yet. It still shows the Moon Road address and dinner schedule, while the Ledger-Enquirer reports the move and the shorter hours.
- Call the grocery about hours. Online directories disagree. Apple Maps lists 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, while another directory lists 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day.
- Check the daily menu before a hot-bar dinner. The GIG posts its rotation online, so you can see whether Monday's meatballs or Tuesday's fajitas suit you better.
- Other offices share the address. Piedmont Physicians at Green Island lists its primary-care practice at 6801 River Road, Suite 101, which puts a doctor's visit on the same property as lunch and groceries.
Cody told the Ledger-Enquirer she wants customers to "walk out thinking, 'Wow, I just learned something.'" Jones said he's happy to see longtime customers following him and is "looking forward to seeing a lot of new ones." When Mark's gets its license and sets dinner hours, River Road will have a lunch stop, a grocery and a dinner restaurant sharing one patio lawn.
If you're wondering how errands, lunch spots and drive times line up from different streets around Green Island, Mia Manns is glad to go through it with you. Let's Connect.