Lou Lou's + Foster's Bistro & Bar

Two floors.
One staircase.

A chef-driven neighborhood bistro downstairs, a slower bar upstairs, and the two dogs who gave the place its name. 1350 13th Street, Midtown Columbus.

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Chesapeake crab cakes with sweet potato fries and a charred lemon
Chesapeake crab cakes
Grilled Georgia peach pork chop with squash and mashed potato
Georgia peach pork chop
French onion soup under a browned cheese crust
A proper French onion

Sit.

Downstairs is Lou Lou's.

We're Scott and Wesley Ailsworth, husband and wife, lifelong lovers of good food, good company, and creating places that feel like home. Together, we brought Lou Lou's Bistro and Foster's Bar to life with one simple goal: to create the kind of neighborhood gathering place we'd want to visit ourselves.

Scott brings years of culinary experience and a passion for thoughtful, approachable food, while Wesley focuses on the guest experience, making sure every detail, from the atmosphere to the warm welcome, feels intentional. Inspired by family, our beloved dogs Lou Lou and Foster, and the incredible Columbus community, we hope every visit leaves you feeling like part of ours.

We can't wait to welcome you in!

Scott & Wesley Ailsworth.

Read their story

The dining room at Lou Lou's, full at lunchtime under the timber trusses

What Chef Scott is cooking.

Appetizers

Pimento Cheese & Crackers$10

Fried Green Tomatoes$12

Deviled Eggs$9

Shrimp Cocktail$15

Sammies

Crispy Chicken Sandwich$15

Georgia Peach Brie Panini$15

Chesapeake Crab Cake$21

The Douglas$16

Entrées

Pan Seared Mountain Trout$24

Filet Mignon, 6 oz$39

Catch Du Jourmarket

Grilled Georgia Peach Pork Chop, 14 oz bone-in$28

See the whole menu
A glass of cold white wine beside an ice bucket in the evening light
A glass upstairs at Foster's.
Lou Lou, the French Bulldog the bistro is named for, lying in the sun

Lou Lou

French Bulldog, the bistro is hers

  • A little bossy
  • Very charming
  • Undeniably cute
  • Loves to lay in the sun
  • Slightly mischievous
  • Definitely thinks she's in charge
The guest book and a jar of flowers by the window
The book by the window. Everyone signs it.

Downstairs

Lou Lou's.

Lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch in the dining room Wesley built. Chef Scott cooks the food he grew up with beside the food he went looking for: Chesapeake oysters and crab cakes next to collards, cheese grits and a proper French onion.

Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 11 to 2 & 5 to 9 · Friday 11 to 2 & 5 to 10 · Saturday 11 to 10 · Sunday 11 to 3 · closed Wednesday

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The steel staircase running up the brick to Foster's Bar, with the Lou Lou's and Foster's sign mounted at the landing

Upstairs

Foster's.

Up the stairs everything slows down. Classic cocktails, good wine, live music you can still talk over, and the kind of evening that talks you into one more. Foster is an Australian Shepherd mix and the easiest company in the building. The bar took after him.

4 till close, every day except Wednesday and Sunday

What is pouring

Street level

Foster

Australian Shepherd mix, the bar is his

  • Sweet as can be
  • Always welcoming
  • Endlessly loyal
  • Loves to fetch
  • Easy going
  • The goodest kind of energy
Foster lying on the landing at the top of the stairs beside the gallery wall
Foster, at the top of his stairs. He has never once come down for a guest.

What's on

Industry Mondays

Every Monday, from 4pmUpstairs at Foster's

$1 off all beers and a $10 smash burger with fries. For the people who feed everybody else.

Weekend Brunch

Saturday & Sunday, 11 to 3Downstairs at Lou Lou's

Chicken and waffles, Eggs Benedict, Croque Madame, and a proper French toast. Reservations recommended.

Live Music at Foster's

Now bookingUpstairs at Foster's

We're booking players for the upstairs bar. Get in touch with Wesley.

The ribbon cutting outside Lou Lou's and Foster's on 13th Street, gold scissors and the whole street watching
Midtown Columbus gathered on the sidewalk outside for the opening

Why they opened the doors.

“What started as an idea has become a place we've poured our hearts into, and we're so excited to finally share it with the community that makes Columbus so special.”

Scott & Wesley Ailsworth

Sunflowers on the table by the guest book

Downstairs takes a booking. Upstairs never has. Either way the door is the same one, and both dogs are usually in it.

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