Agni

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Bengali-American Celebration of Fire

On South High Street in Columbus, Agni announces itself with a single directive: Feed Your Fire. The name — Sanskrit for fire — is not incidental. Everything on the table here passes through char, grill, or sear, and the cooking is the personal expression of Chef Avishar, whose travels across South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the American Midwest converge in a single multi-course format priced at $165 per person.

What's on the Menu

The tasting menu reads like a private travel diary made edible. A course called Phuchka — the Bengali street snack — arrives alongside Foie, Apple, Tamarind. A McSiu Bao riffs on smoked meat, onion, and pickle. Joya's Jhal brings seafood, corn, and tomato; Dum Biryani pairs beef with basmati and phol. Dessert lands as Buckeye, Bangladesh, S'mores — three words that say everything about where this kitchen lives culturally. The bar menu runs parallel with dishes like Bulgogi Pierogi (grilled lamb, kimchi, sour crema) and Bengali Shrimp Taco with malaikari and cucumber — American and Asian flavors treated as a single, coherent tradition rather than a fusion exercise.

The kitchen is equally prepared for pescatarian, vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free guests every service, with other allergies accommodated given 48 hours' notice.

The Wine Program

Wine Spectator recognized Agni with its Best of Award of Excellence for 2025 — a distinction that reflects the seriousness and range of the cellar. Three pairing tiers are offered: a $90 option moving through Champagne, German Riesling, Sicilian white, sake, Oregon Trousseau, Tuscan Sangiovese, and Priorat; a $175 reserve tier anchored by a 2014 Barolo and a 2017 Kamptal Riesling; and a $500 prestige pairing that reaches back to a 1996 ARPEPE Valtellina and a 2000 Domaine Clape Cornas. The by-the-glass list is deliberately international — Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale, a Basmati Rice Lager from Boston, cocktails built with pandan whiskey, toasted rice tequila, and pani puri masala.

The Room and the Experience

The bar is available for walk-ins; the dining room runs Wednesday through Sunday evenings and is reservation-driven. Chef Avishar's connection to Southeast Asia runs deep enough that he is organizing a group trip from Bangkok to Chiang Mai in 2026, tracing the flavor roots that surface nightly at Agni. For a Columbus restaurant that sits at the intersection of American and Asian cooking, that kind of commitment to source material is exactly what the food tastes like.