Bodega

While I definitely miss the «old» Bodega, I still love Bodega. Awesome draft selection, ample seating considering the size, good food, super friendly staff. Depending on the day/​time you go, the crowd can be annoying. I’ll go out on a limb and say this is the best bar in the Short North.

Great happy hour, half off drafts! Busy during the week and may be hard to find a seat during happy hour times. Gotta go Monday nights for the grilled cheese and tomato soup.

Happy hour and food is great. No denying that.
But I miss the old bartenders! Got served by someone who I believe was the manager the other night. It was a Tuesday so it was a slower night and he was the only one behind the bar. Guy that wears a hat with a tattoo behind one of his ears. He was a total d*ck. Not helpful, talkative when we had beer questions. Guy is going to drive away business if he needs to keep filling in behind the bar.

Bodega has great food and great beer. The only problem I’ve had is with the service.
I will admit, I have a baby face. It may not be presumed I’m 21+, but not only did the bartender I encountered make his own assumption and refuse to serve us for about 15 – 20 minutes he also very obviously talked about us to the other bar staff… «Children at the end of the bar», annoyed at our presence in general. Maybe he presumed our tab wouldn’t be worth his while or that we wouldn’t tip well, he made his distaste and lack of interest known. During the 15 – 20 minute wait he served every «adult» that came up to the bar, then, when he couldn’t find anyone else to serve, or a server ticket to pour or even something to clean he wandered on down to us.
I use to love this place, cool patio and nice deals. But I probably won’t ever go back :(

The best thing about Bodega is the happy hour. It goes from 4 – 8 and offers half off all drafts, which is a steal and a deal! Like most bars now, the menu tends towards the hoppy side but it’s possible to find something else if you’re not into that. The crowd is young and it’s definitely more a bar than a place to go out to eat, although the food smells great. I have visited before and after «the change» and the biggest differences are that the beer menu is reduced and there is more of an open feeling with more communal seating, which I like. Definitely worth checking out, especially during happy hour! You can get an Ohio craft beer pint for $ 2.50!

The ‘80s tunes made me get humsy
To salad, my mouth was succumbsy
Thumbs up for taste
But not paprika paste
Or for making me feel super clumsy
Lunch at Bodega on a Sunday afternoon was a mix of nice with a little bit of «Really?» There’s brunch earlier (weekends only), but I came in shortly before the kitchen switched over to the lunch/​dinner menu at 3. The sign said «Seat yourself,» so I did, but there are some corners of the dining room where you might not get seen too easily, so after about ten minutes in a corner with a menu, I moved to a more conspicuous table and immediately got noticed and helped, though I had to wait a bit before my order was put in because of my timing.
So the biggest «Really?» for me concerns the step in front of the seats along walls. Every single time I got on or off a seat, I either tripped on or fell off of this stupid step. The tables are on this step, contributing to their height in relation to those seats. A tall table isn’t so bad when you’re just drinking, but it’s hard to eat at a table that goes up to your armpits (I’m short but not super-​short). I folded my legs under me and partially kneeled so I could be over my food.
On the nice side, however, I loved the ‘80s music steam playing. I had forgotten that Huey Lewis & the News had more than one hit.
I had the hummus plate and the quinoa-​brussels sprouts salad. I can’t say I’m crazy about the food presentation. The hummus plate was coated with so much paprika that it looked like it gone through a Hungarian windstorm on its way to the table. Eating the veggies and flatbread was an exercise in equal parts finding the food, eating the food, and finding a spot on the napkin that wasn’t already bright red to wipe my fingers on. The hummus itself, what I could see of it under the paprika, was oddly lumpy-​looking. BUT it was very good. The flatbread was a little bit crisp, but I ended up getting used to it and liking it. The veggies were fresh but had perhaps been washed and not dried too soon before being plated because the paprika coating was practically a paste on them. A tasty paste, but a paste nonetheless.
The quinoa salad made a more neutral impression aesthetically, but it too had a lot of good flavors in it. The candied walnuts in particular were toasted so perfectly that they popped between my teeth. The dried cranberries were barely dried, so there was still plenty of juiciness in them. All the separate parts of the salad were prepared perfectly, and they blended wonderfully on the plate.
In addition to the rogue step and the paprika, I had a little trouble finding the menu online before I came. However, I have just checked Bodega’s website again, and the menu is there now, whereas it was missing yesterday morning (only the cheesecake was listed, oddly). I don’t know if the «Skip the Dishes» site was flaky or if they were just changing it over at the time I was looking, but I ended up having to go to their Facebook page for it. Seems ok now though.
The menu has a few vegan options and a few more for veggies. Not tons but enough to offer an actual choice. I can recommend the two I tried, though they appeal more to the sense of taste than that of sight. Which is good, since this is food we’re talking about.
A sign said there is trivia Sunday nights. Would love to check that out.

Nuri and Matt served me today and they are great! Nuri was attentive and opened my eyes to the brand of coffee that they use (It’s from Brioso, located downtown) which is amazing. Matt gave me all my fave beer after I was being bashful about drinking today. Great beer selection, too, so I have no regrets.
Also, I recommend the breakfast burrito. And coming here.

Stopped in for brunch this past weekend. First timer. I was eyeing the French Toast, but sadly they were out so I opted for the Chicken & Waffles. No complaints on the food. I also ordered a wake up call (basically an espresso martini) and a spicy Bloody Mary. Both were great!
It was a nice day and we lucked out by grabbing a couple of seats outside. It’s a unique patio setup with a long high top table with stools facing towards the street. I was into it. Great people watching set up. Service was great! Very attentive and friendly.
Definitely want to come back and try the lunch/​dinner menu and word is Monday night $ 1 grilled cheese night is a worth while trip. I also noticed on Wednesdays they have a special on their gourmet pb&j which had already caught my eye on the menu and I would have ordered had it not been brunch (and not available).

Atmosphere– I have been here when it was the old bodega. It lost a bit of its charm but the new space offers more seating. It feels bro-​ish now and it’s really loud inside so you have open up your vocal cords.
Service– B, it’s fair. It’s a bar so I don’t expect attentive care.
I come here for the drinks and grilled cheese Monday. I have had their food before and it was alright. I do recommend their truffle fries.

The bar smells really, really, really bad. And it’s currently freezing outside. I can’t imagine how bad the smell would be if it was summer. Food was good though.

Great selection of beer, good food. Maybe a little pricey, but atmosphere is worth it

I’m new the Columbus, OH area (today officially makes 2 weeks… woohoo!) and already I’ve been back to Bodega twice. The service is great, the beers that they brew are delicious (and I absolutely HATE beer) you don’t even realize you’re drinking beer, it’s that good. The space is large enough that you have room to move but also cozy enough that you don’t feel the need to shout to get someone’s attention. The outdoor space seems nice, although I haven’t used it yet since it’s the dead of winter lol. I believe on Tuesday they have $ 2 tacos and $ 5 margaritas (very strong might I add) which is yummy! You have your choice of chicken, fish, or vegetable. It’s really good for the dollar amount. I would recommend everyone to check it or at least once. See for yourself how much you’ll enjoy it.

First of all great area! This is my first time to this downtime area. Bodega has a great atmosphere with a great beer selection. Visited for taco night on Tuesday. Tacos were very good for a bar. Had the wings and pork belly nachos as well. All very good. A must try when in the area.

What do I say about Bodega? They have by far the best happy hour downtown! Not only the amount of craft beers on tap, but ½ off until 8:00 PM. If you are looking for chicken and waffles, they are reasonably priced and the chicken is very tender. I can’t say enough good things about this place!

Bodega has the best happy hour in Columbus! From 4 – 8 every weekday. I’m here after work almost everyday. The beer selection here is outstanding.

I’ve only been here for brunch and it is awesome! The service is friendly, attentive, and great! Pricing is affordable for both drinks and food. The menu is appealing; however I’ve had the same dish each time because it’s so good. I get the chicken and waffles and it is a perfect crisp, moist chicken to allow a perfect combination with the very tasty waffle. Good turkey sausage is hard to find, but they nailed it and provide nice portions. Mimosa and white sangria are both delicious accompaniments.

I am a vegatarian. They put bacon in my appetizer and said they would take it off my tab and did not.
At 9:55pm I ordered my dinner.
After 45 minutes of waiting for a PB&J I just told the waitress to cancel it. Her reply was «O, Okay.» then she walked away. Even though we were ready for our check.
Needless to say I went home hungry. We still tipped her hoping she was just having a bad day. Next time she messes up someone’s order maybe she should just learn how to utilize customer service skills.
I’ve been a waitress before so I was never rude but the fact that she didn’t even seem phased by the fact she was careless makes me not want to go to that bar any longer.

The beer selection here is one of my favorites in Columbus. Always something interesting on tap that I haven’t tried, and their half-​off drafts during happy hour is a great excuse to try them all. Now, the layout of this place is not my favorite. There are always way too many people for the amount of tables, so you gotta play that awkward «imma stare at your table until you leave» game. With that said, everything else about this place is A-​OK with me. They have food specials throughout the week ($ 1 grilled cheese what’s good??) so keep an eye out for that. And they have karaōke on the weekend I believe. I can’t really speak too much on the food cause I’ve only had the fish and chips here (which were pretty good btw, fries were nice and crispy), but I would highly recommend this place solely for their beer selection.
In short, drop by here for happy hour, order a few beers (half-​off), then move on out and you got yourself the start to a good night.

Bodega is simultaneously the best and worst of both worlds — completely awesome if you can get a seat and a great server, or disappointing if you arrive to a packed house and distracted wait staff.
Our last trip was a mix — we got the last seats along the front rail (good) but things were harried and busy (not good). Drinks were managed, and we got our order of pork bites and sea salt & truffle fries. I could have made dinner on those two shareables — meat cubes and salty fries, okay! I ordered fish tacos for my entrée, and they were solid. I ended up bathing part of my dish in the house-​made hot sauce since the chili seeds blocked up the spout, I squeezed too hard, and — oops. The hot sauce is good, though, watch out for those seeds. We’d tentatively planned to head in for more drinks, but it was still packed and our server didn’t offer another round.
Would I come back again? Sure. Would I recommend this to other folks? Maaaybe, if I knew they could take the good with the not so good. Three stars, hard-​earned.

Stopped here for appetizers and beers when I visited Columbus a few weeks back. The space itself is really cool — it is a renovated former biker bar and the walls open to the outside when weather is nice.
The beer list is AWESOME and the happy hour deal is fabulous (half price drafts!). As an out-​of-​towner visiting, I appreciated both the quantity and variety of local beers on tap (Columbus Brewing, Seventh Son, etc.).
The food and service were less impressive. It took at least 15 minutes for anyone to realize that we were even there. The calamari we ordered was bland, as was the hummus plate.
All in all, not a bad stop, especially if it is beer you are after.

First of all, Short North is such a cool area!
Second of all, you can never go wrong eating in Short North! Bodega is no exception. I had the quinoa salad preceded by the hummus plate. Both were refreshing and delicious. Huge portion sizes, gluten free and vegan options, and a cool interior design are all there to provide a fun dining experience!

Bodega is really good! Tuesday $ 2 tacos are great, and mac and cheese is good. I had the brisket french dip the first time I went – amazing. Great beer selection, with plenty of local Ohio brews.
The only thing I don’t like about Bodega is it’s WAY too loud during dinner time. I can understand the louder music late in the evening, but it’s very hard to have a conversation, even with the people with whom you are sitting.

Unexpectedly fantastic brunch!
I recently came here for a 614 event and was a little skeptical. I don’t live super close to Bodega, so it was never all that convenient to come for happy hour, and the last time I had come here was right after the reopening, and I was less than impressed with their new food offerings. However, it was clear when I sat down that they had made some significant changes to the food side of things, and I was pleased with the results.
Our server was very pleasant and helped us navigate the 614 deal. My breakfast burrito was delicious, as was my boyfriend’s egg sandwich. We also ordered a fruit bowl, which was fresh and tasty. With the sun shining in through the big windows into the bar and the updated menu, it really felt like a classy brasserie. Can’t wait to come here more often!

Spent less than $ 5 on my meal and couldn’t be happier about it. Not only was the service great and the food awesome, but they had specials every night of the week. Which is great for a recent college graduate.
I went on Monday for the $ 1 grilled cheese. I added tomato to my sandwich and a side of tomato soup for a grand total bill of $ 4.75. I have had my fair share of grilled cheese and Bodega’s is in my top ranks. It was crunchy, with a great cheese to bread ratio. And the tomato soup had a hint of basil (a personal favorite touch).
I also loved the atmosphere. It was clean and rustic. All the employees were kind and greeted you as soon as you came inside. And I am a sucker for accent brick walls, which was what they had behind their bar. They served a ton of local beers on draft, which I love to see.
Safe to say I will be back, possibly every Monday. For a yo pro on a budget, this place was great.

Happiest hour!
Bodega packs a pretty fantastic happy hour. Half off drafts with a long beer list is truly an asset. The website says they have 47 taps! Not only are the happy hour beers fantastic, but also they have an interesting list of cocktails — all served in lovely mason jars.
To pair with the beer, they have a variety of yummy appetizers. If you enjoy spicy snacks, the buffalo calamari will not disappoint. In addition, the sea salt and truffle fries are always a safe bet. Get them loaded with queso, bacon, and scallions. They also have some seasonal rotations like the completely scrumptious cheese curds.
Once you’ve enjoyed your starters, maybe you’ll want something more substantial. On a number of occasions, I’ve split their house specialty, the famous Bodega grilled cheese! Load that sandwich however you want it — bacon, jalapeños, tomatoes! Oh, and that means some more fries on the side.
No, you will not walk away feeling like you consumed a super healthy meal. But, for the occasional happy hour with your half-​priced beers, it’s totally worth it. Heavy pocketbook and heavy tummy!

It seems like a lot of the food reviews on here are «just okay» and I have to agree. I came for brunch on Sunday with my family for Mother’s Day. Hadn’t been back since the renovation and it does seem a lot smaller. They have mostly high top tables (which I don’t like b/​c I’m short) and they’re really small. Their playlist repeated while we were there which was odd. Good music but shouldn’t be repeating a playlist, especially in a bar this popular.
Anyway, I had the huevos rancheros. They were fine. Nothing outstanding. A couple of us had the breakfast burrito. Again, they were fine. I think their food is good enough but I wasn’t blown away. Prices are average and reasonable. They do seem to have cheaper drinks than a lot of other places. I had the Moscow Mule and I have to say, I did not care for it. I barely tasted any ginger and I’m not sure if that’s a reflection on Rambling House’s ginger beer or if it’s a reflection on the bartender. BUT it was strong and it was a couple bucks cheaper than the one you’d get at Pint House or Sidebar.
This is a Short North staple and they do have an EXCELLENT beer selection. If you order food, you’ll feel ok. I don’t know that I’d recommend going for brunch but definitely go hang out on the patio, get a beer, and people watch.

Bodega has been through a lot of changes in the last year. After being closed for several months in early 2014, I anxiously awaited a bigger and better Bodega when it opened in April. But I was incredibly disappointed with the changes they made, primarily around the all community tables and lack of table service. It definitely changed from a restaurant with a bar to a bar with some food (mostly just fried chicken).
Fast forward to April 2015: Bodega has a new owner and whoever they are, they have solved all of my problems! They brought back $ 1 grilled cheese Mondays, in addition to some other amazing weekday specials! Wednesday $ 2 gourmet PB&J with BACON, let’s talk about that… it’s amazing. In addition, they brought back some smaller tables and booths, and the entire menu has been revamped to be more like the original Bodega along with some new favorites. There are lots of vegetarian and gluten free options, and for a ‘bar’, the food is REALLY good. It’s a great casual place to hang out, grab a bite to eat, and have a drink any day of the week.
Only downside to this place in my mind is the other customers can sometimes be a little too friendly for my liking. My friend and I came to Bodega on a Wednesday night solely for some grilled cheese and PB&J and were forced into a conversation by some rando guys sitting at the bar who wanted to talk to «some cute girls in glasses»… but shout out to our waitress who realized we were creeped out and brought us our checks super quickly!!!

This is the first time I have been to Bodega since the remodel. I definitely think it was an improvement. For some reason, this place seems to have a reputation as one of the best bars (if the not being the quintessential bar) in the Short North and I’ve never really understood why. I mean, its a good bar, but its nothing spectacular.
But back to my experience, I only came here for drinks with some friends. We wanted beer, and they have a great selection of beers on tap for reasonable prices. They had all sorts of beers and had their menu organized by type and flavor. I like this because I like to learn about new beers and discover what I like and having a menu that helps you out is much better to the more pretentious attitude of some bars where I have a list of drinks that I don’t know anything about.

My husband and I popped into Bodega for a quick lunch last week. I was a little bit surprised that it wasn’t more busy in there, but I’m not going to complain about getting served more quickly haha.
I got a burger and fries, while my husband got the poutine. We both enjoyed our meals, and the portions were so nicely sized that we both had leftovers. Bodega doesn’t seem to have a super extensive menu, but they do well with what they have. We’ll definitely be going back in the future.

Yesterday was an adventure trying to find lunch and not a fun one. The power was out at two restaurants we were trying to go to in Clintonville, so we decided to get some Hot Chicken Takeover at North Market, and they were out of boneless chicken (a sign would have been nice). I’ve had HCT plenty, and rather than go with something else, I told the girlfriend, we’re going to try Bodega’s fried chicken. I’d heard good things and had been meaning to try it but just never got around to it. We found a parking spot right outside (which made me hate North Market’s parking situation even more) and went in and had a seat at the bar.
The bartenders were both super friendly, and they must have been bored, because they were trying to strike up a conversation with us, but yesterday was just not that day for me. I’d been driving around for hours and wanted food and a drink at that point. Bodega has an amazing beer selection, although I do think they focus a bit too much on the IPAs and really hoppy beers. I know they’re pretty popular nowadays (that fad has died for me along with my taste buds), but there’s plenty of other great beers too. I ended up trying one of Land Grant’s beers, and it was pretty tasty.
I said before that I wanted boneless, but I really wanted to try their 4 piece chicken platter too, especially since I was super hungry, so I got that with cornbread. The girlfriend ordered the fried chicken sandwich.
Holy cow. That chicken platter is enormous. I struggled to get it down, not only because of the amount of food, but because the buttermilk batter is just way too filling. Honestly, I’d have to give the bone-​in chicken pieces a 3. I wasn’t a fan of the batter (it was like 1/​8″ –¼″ thick before you hit chicken), and I thought the chicken itself was a little tough. Also, the cornbread that came with it was pretty dry. Their hot sauce was delicious though, and with the help of that, I managed to get most of the meal down.
The real star here was the girlfriend’s sandwich, because the chicken seemed to taste a bit juicier, and the aioli on it was the bomb. Easily a 5 star sandwich, and she was in love with it. Also, the fries that came with it were amazing as well. I really wish I had ordered this and will the next time I’m here.
I also had the poutine the last time I was here, and it was amazing, so I can let the chicken issue I had slide. They have other great dishes on the menu, and I live close enough, so I’ll be back to try them again.

I’m honestly really sad to write this. Truly.
A friend and I went for brunch a few weeks ago to check it out since it’s been redone.
We were hoping for a good experience. Key word there: hoping.
Walking in a lot has changed. A lot. There’s hardly any tables anymore in comparison to the old Bodega. It actually makes the space feel much smaller which I don’t think is a good thing. My opinion. The wall on the right side looks a bit half-​assed and the graphics on it didn’t really seem to make any sense with the rest of the décor at all. That was weird to me.
We looked at a menu and figured out our food, then headed up to the bar. It took this kid 15 – 20 minutes to make two bloody mary’s. Hell, I’m not a bartender but I sure as hell could’ve figured it out quicker than that. There were not many people in there either (we’re talking under 10 total here…13 if you’re included the seen staff). It was pretty surprising. If you’re going to have a bar, have bartenders that know what they’re doing. My friend said something before I did even on how long it took.
The gentleman running the shift comped us our drinks as he agreed it was way too long. After that got figured out, we ordered.
My friend ordered the two eggs, waffle and bacon strips. I chose a burger and fries.
My friend said her dish was good and it was appropriate in regards to portion size.
My dish on the other hand, the burger was nothing to rave about. It didn’t even taste like the chef seasoned the meat at all. No salt. No pepper. No nada. So it was a basic bland burger with cheese and mayo. Fries — average. Again, nothing to rave about.
Overall, I left feeling pretty disappointed. This whole time since the change, I hadn’t had time to make it over. I felt like I was missing out… until after I went and realized how much I wasn’t.
#sadday

(I initially posted this review on the old Bodega page, not realizing that they closed it and made a new page after the renovations, so I’m moving this review over and deleting the old one)
I like this place less with the new changes, since it feels like the restaurant has downgraded. I didn’t realize that they shifted to an order-​at-​the-​counter model when I planned to come check out the newly-​renovated restaurant.
What we tried:
1) Romaine salad — this was good, but how can salad with chicken and bacon in it go wrong…
2) Smoked fried chicken — I didn’t like this much and could only eat one piece. I brought the leftovers to go but ended up gifting it to a homeless dude
3) Beer-​battered fish plate — best part of the meal, not the best but still very solid
4) Cornbread side — this was drier than what I prefer from cornbread
5) Apple fennel slaw side — I generally like slaw but this was blander than usual
My biggest problem was with the service, since the people who work there all seem quite aloof. I was missing multiple items from my order and when I mentioned it a few times, each time they fixed my complaint but not completely (i.e. I was missing two cornbread and when I said my cornbread was missing, they brought me back one; also my slaw was missing). It got to the point where I stopped bothering and just focused on finishing my fish so that we could head outta of there.

I visited Bodega last Thursday for Happy Hour and left a bit disappointed. This was mostly because of their food and not due to their drinks. The beer selection is phenomenal, with 47 beers of tap, ½ priced between 4 and 8 pm Mondays through Fridays. Bodega’s first class beer selection and full bar is the main reason to visit.
However I felt the food selection, especially their happy hour specials, was lacking. The only food special that day was a 6-​piece wing meal for $ 6. It’s a great deal, since you get essentially 6 large chicken legs. Unfortunately, the flavor and the BBQ sauce didn’t really penetrate into the meat. It’s one of those dishes that would prolly taste better the next day, after the sauce has time to soak into the meat.
My buddy also got the poutine for $ 8. It was just okay. The cheese curds were not right and the fries seemed a little overdone. The pulled pork was flavorful though. Being from Canada, i’m a little picky when it comes to poutine. He also got a cheeseburger, but told me flatly that he could have made a better burger.
I’ll definitely be back for drinks, but i’m not sure if I will bring hungry friends here, especially for happy hour. I think there are many other places with better food options.