Popular Chinese restaurant with roots in Chicago opens late-night Columbus locations

Bethel Road just got a whole lot spicier.

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Hunan Bistro is the latest Chinese restaurant to join the corridor scene, with successful roots in both Middletown, OH and Chinatown, Chicago. They just opened at 5240 Bethel Center Mall, taking over the former home of K House.

The owners, Sarah Cai and David Mei, are originally from the Hunan province of Southeast China. The husband-and-wife-duo moved to the United States, where David attended Miami University of Ohio for a degree in business, while Sarah was immersed in the restaurant world.

The menu is as authentic as it gets, with Hunan-style cuisine as the specialty, leaning in on traditional recipes from Cai’s family. The grilled skewers, like shrimp, beef, squid, lamb, and pork, are all cooked Hunan-style, which gives them bold, spicy, yet sweet, and almost sour flavor profiles.

Mei said in the press release that what makes Hunan Bistro rare here in Central Ohio is that no sauces are prepared ahead of time, except for their signature spicy hot oil. All of their flavors are developed in the wok.

“We very much believe in the quality and authenticity of our food,” he said. Beyond skewers, they offer stir-fried pork with spicy peppers, braised beef over noodles, pork and vegetable dry pot, and American-Chinese dishes, like General Tso’s chicken, orange chicken, and much more. Hunan Bistro is closed on Tuesdays, but open 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. the other six days of the week. They hope to be a late-night destination for those seeking some bites after dark.

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