This year, as The Refectory celebrates 50 years of French dining in Columbus, we’re marking the milestone with a distinction that speaks directly to what our guests experience at the table: Wine Spectator has named The Refectory a Best of Award of Excellence winner in its 2026 Restaurant Awards.
We’re honored to be one of just a handful of Columbus restaurants to reach this level of recognition, joining a very short list that includes Butcher & Rose, Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse, Agni, Mastro’s Steakhouse, and Tucci’s. In total, Wine Spectator recognized 4,012 restaurants worldwide across three tiers this year — the Award of Excellence, the Best of Award of Excellence, and the Grand Award — and The Refectory earned a place in the upper tier.
What the Award Recognizes
Wine Spectator’s Restaurant Awards have spent nearly five decades identifying restaurants that go beyond simply offering a wine list — recognizing programs that are thoughtfully built, well-paired to the menu, and delivered with genuine hospitality. As Wine Spectator Chairman and CEO Marvin R. Shanken put it in this year’s announcement, restaurants earning recognition are the ones “elevating the wine experience for guests” as diners become more selective and more curious about what’s in their glass.
That’s exactly the philosophy sommelier Clayton Young has brought to our cellar and our tables this year — reintroducing guests to a wine program built around discovery, education, and pairing with intention, from our everyday list to the special bottlings we’ve poured throughout our 50th anniversary celebrations, including our 50th Anniversary Cuvée Champagne.
A Fitting Way to Mark 50 Years
Half a century in, this recognition feels like a full-circle moment. The Refectory has spent five decades building a wine program guests can trust, and this award is a reflection of that consistency — as well as where the program is headed next, with new initiatives like our upcoming Cellar Society membership continuing to deepen what we offer wine lovers in Columbus.
Wine Spectator’s full Restaurant Awards issue hits newsstands July 21. We’ll be raising a glass well before then.
Join us this summer to experience the wine program behind the award — reserve your table at The Refectory today.
