Sidebar Columbus

Not bad but not my favorite
Service was decent — nothing spectacular even though the waitress could of walked around the table (large party) so that we didn’t have to stop convo and speak over everyone + rest of the room’s noise
The food wasn’t spectacular either. Their main specialty is definitely the Spanish/​Mexican flavor. Most (if not everything) came with cilantro on it.
The servings were plentiful.
Again, not my favorite but not a bad place for dinner.

I came here for dinner last Friday night while staying at the Sheraton a few blocks away for a conference. When I first entered the establishment, I waited several minutes for the hostess to finish up what was obviously a personal call on her cell phone. Kind of annoying. I was asked to sit at the bar because I was by myself, even though there seemed to be many tables available. I asked to sit outside since there was no one out there. I was told up front that service might take a while since there was only one server– if the place is full to the point where you can’t even give a single person a table, then why the hell is there only one server, and why are you hanging out talking on your cell phone?
I ordered the tilapia fritters and the mushrooms– the mushrooms were delicious, and the fritters were overly salted and just kind of bland. I felt bloated and had digestive issues for the rest of the evening.
If I found myself in Columbus again for a conference or for personal reasons, I’d not go out of my way to come back here.

My boyfriend and I went here for valentine’s day. He ordered roasted duck and it was incredible. Of course it is expensive… definitely only a place we’d visit on special occasions. Had my first cocktail and it was very strong so I wasn’t a fan. But that’s just my personal opinion as I usually just prefer beer or fruity drinks. Staff was amazing and so helpful. They had a lady going out around taking photos of couples and printing them off in the back. Only cost $ 5. She was very sweet and i loved having that memorable photo. It started snowing so the view outside was really pretty. Very classy and beautiful place.

A busy Friday night on Memorial Day weekend. Open Table was able to get us a nice 5-​top at a nice time.
Never been, but heard the food is international, tapas, with inventive craft cocktails. All true. Owner was on site to help us along and she was great.
We had an array of tapas and one entrée. The owner guided us nicely. We ordered drinks but they didnt come until over twenty minures later… about the time the first tapas arrived (they serve when ready). Faux pas for sure. As a result they comped us an array of deserts for five.
Overall, a very nice place despite the drink glitch. It did disturb our mojo, but the food is well prepared, good quality, and served attentively.
We will return. No charge valet is a plus.

Classy interiors, friendly people and great cocktails! The menu has limited but pretty interesting options! (rare, since we’re vegetarian!)
Giving it four stars, since the pizza we ordered was a mild let down compared to the rest of our meal, but I am looking forward to coming back and trying a bunch of other things on the menu!

Great find. Very large portions for tapas bar, and reasonable price to boot. Very nice ambiance as well. A+ work all around.

Great find thanks to Unilocal… stopped in for an early lunch on Friday. Was warmly welcomed by a charming lady I believe was the owner and received very attentive service from her and the barmaid too (who shook a MEAN martini).
Nice atmosphere, classy but not snooty. Dressy casual. Muted décor, soft instrumental music mix. They have jazz on Thursday evenings.
Tapas, wow what a selection… meat, veg, seafood, spicy, sweet, something for every taste I think. And the portions we received were about double the size of the average tapas place so you really get your money’s worth on the food side. And so delicious. Tilapia fritters were tender flaky bites perfectly paired with a cilantro lemon aioli. The mussels Diablo were tender, plentiful and seriously spicy (hence the name). But the star of the show was the cilantro hummus. Clean, green and smooth as silk with a roasted red pepper garnish and toasty pita triangles. Oh yum. Plenty for two but I didn’t want to share!
Drink prices were definitely on the high side; maybe to balance the extremely affordable food? I’d limit it to one good cocktail and focus on the culinary delights. Would definitely return.

They handled a private party we were at and the food was amazing. My wife and I will be going to restaurant in the very near future.

In the basement as most of the time! And I must say it is great sound think about the acoustics well I say come here and check it out and the Tapas are great with a 2oz pour you do get your monies worth just saying!
Batman and Robin on the move!

Great lunch today. Cubans with fries and a bowl of black bean soup. For $ 10, that’s a great deal. Soup was perfect, topped with some fresh salsa. The Cubano was dead on.

Sidebar is fantastic. Period. My fiancée and I went there last evening for Happy Hour & some jazz music. First, the outdoor seating looks incredible and the atmosphere inside was equally great.
We came for the happy hour, which requires you to sit in the bar area. Initially we were seated in the dining room but they kindly moved us to the bar to get the HH specials.
The prices on HH drinks and food are stellar. I started with a seasonal Old Fashioned & she had a Moscow Mule ($ 5.50 each). It was one of the best old fashioned I’ve had. We ordered 3 more during the evening. Moscow Mule was also good.
Now to the food. We started with the plantains were great. They were her favorite. Then the beef empanadas were also very good and the dipping sauce was excellent! Finally, my favorite was the beef cilantro pizza. The beef was tender and the mozzarella was so fresh.
We capped it off with some tres leches and jazz. Great evening! Do yourself a favor and visit Sidebar!

I’ve just returned from a «Tapas Tuesday» which runs from 5 – 7 in the bar area. During this event you are given complimentary individual tapas every 15 – 20 minutes but in exchange for the free snacks, the drinks are all full priced. Understandable.
Compared to the normal tapas you can purchase from their menu, the free tapas are smaller (to be expected) and have much less flavor, but if you stay the entire time you will be decently satisfied at the end of the six plates. Fair enough.
Here’s the part I don’t understand: around tapa #4, I suddenly felt cold water all over my arm and face. When I turned to see what was going on, there was a steady stream of water rushing down from the ceiling above me and splattering on the bar top. I looked around and no one seemed very alarmed but eventually an ice bucket was placed under the leak. Meanwhile I continued to sit, half drenched, with my plate and silverware covered in mysterious ceiling water. A woman who appeared to be the manager/​owner moved us to the other end of the bar but made no apology or effort to compensate for us being sprayed with water from above for several minutes. After we moved, the bartender eventually said something to the effect of «this isn’t the first time it has happened» and didn’t indicate that anything was going to be done to make it right by us. Shortly after, another couple was seated right in our old seats, bucket still in place, problem not fixed. We paid our entire bill and left, unsure if we would return.
Sidebar projects itself as an upscale cocktail ($ 11 – 12) and tapas bar, but after the way our situation was shrugged off I have to wonder if it is actually as quality oriented as they try to project. No matter how many times the ceiling has opened up in the past, it is still a traumatizing let alone disgusting experience for a diner and should be handled with the utmost courtesy and remorse on the part of the restaurant. Or, you know, at least a simple «sorry» would have been nice.

Overall, the food was pretty meh. We ordered several tapas and they brought everything out at the same time, which created two problems. 1) It crowded the table to the point where we had zero room to move things around. 2) Dishes got cold before we could even get to them.
We had the following:
— Beef empanadas: This was the tastiest of all the tapas we ordered. Beef had good flavor and the sauce was nice.
— Calamari: Tasted like your typical calamari. Liked that it was served with aioli instead of marinara.
— Spicy potatoes: It was like a warm potato salad. Potato wedges drenched in mayo. There was no spice.
— Mushrooms & garlic: There was no flavor and it was so watery — the sherry needed to be reduced more.
— Chili relleno: Was not cooked enough. The cheese in the middle was still solid and cold instead of oozy and hot like it should be.
— Cured sausage & veggies: This one had pretty good flavor. The bread on the side was too thick to manage with this dish, so ate it with pita wedges that came with the mushrooms.
Most of the tapas we tried were pretty bland. This was a pretty disappointing experience given all the positive reviews we read on here. Typical for Columbus, I suppose.

The Tapas here are AMAZING!!! Those plantains with that soft cheese (don’t remember what type but light taste and spongy texture) and guava paste were everything. We also had the beef empanadas, and the opera mussels, I really felt like we arteries some of the best things on the tapas menu. I am still thinking about this meal a week later, so much I had to come back and write something for you all to be inspired to go! It’s not my first time here, they used to have a basement as well with a full bar, and usually a live performer singing classics or blues, I’m pretty sure even some poetry before too. Awesome little spot, GREAT for a dates, cozy close and dim (they might not appreciate the cost of 6−7tapas and drinks) but it was really intimate, and the food tastes it’s price! Drinks were delicious but also very pricey, noting under 10.25, and the basement should be open just in time for spring again! Oh yea, small patio too, hope u enjoy!

So far not impressed. Sitting at the bar waiting for my group. Had 1 drink and empanadas. Here I sit. Glass empty no one cares. Will kept you posted. I spoke with the owner about my concern. Very receptive. Will keep the updated. after sitting on the restaurant side my entire review has changed. what a wonderful experience you must ask for Rob as a server the food is outstanding the service is incredible you need to experience this restaurant. Ask for Rob as your server. He will make it amazing.

First time at sidebar being that we are new residents of Columbus and I have to say I am absolutely impressed! I love the tapas menu as well as their full menu of entrees. There were 5 of us so we did a little of everything including the octopus, ceviche (my favorite), cilantro hummus, and scallops! I kid you not everything was perfect, including the wonderful wait staff. The service was unbelievably fast and our waiter was very familiar with the menu and made great recommendations! A must try!

The food was excellent, the drinks very good, and Chris our bartender tonight was superb! Great service, great food… a very enjoyable night

Made 8:30 reservations 4 days in advance. We arrived about 10 minutes early, checked in and waited at the bar. The bar tender was busy but nice. The cocktail selection was good. At 8:34 we went to check on our reservation and they said it will be just a little while longer. All the while we see people walking in and going back to the dining area. Turns out they had two parties going on. It would have been nice to know that as we watched people be led back one after another. I only know this because I overheard.
At 8:50 we left. Never an update or a real apology. The two hostesses were either uninterested or they just didn’t know what to say. I wanted to like it but the opportunity was not given. We left and went to Oliver’s.

Extremely rude server but great food!
We were served by an extremely rude sever on Wednesday night. I ordered coke and the server comes back with a can and stands at the other corner of the table waiting for me to pass my glass through two other people sitting beside me because the server does not want take some extra steps towards where I was sitting. I didn’t even notice him at first but turned out our server kept staring at me assuming that I would stop doing everything and would pay attention towards him who stands 6 feet away from me holding a can of coke in his hands.
It was not just one incident which seemed strange but multiple times he didn’t sound very polite. Also while taking order, he didn’t make any eye contact with any of us and preferred staring walls.
Since I also work at a Hotel, I find it extremely uncomfortable to dine in at a place where they don’t really consider taking care and respecting their customers.
I am pretty sure rest of the servers do great job!
Food was great though!

My friend and I stopped at Sidebar just for a quick drink and some small plates before we went to the Harmony Project show at the Ohio Theater.
The staff and the bartender were all really amazing and friendly. Talking me through some drink options and what their favorite menu items are. The atmosphere is also really cozy and welcoming, with lots of seating and a big communal table (where we sat).
I ordered the seasonal Old Fashioned (black walnut!) and it was great, but next time I’ll sub something other than the Wild Turkey 101 it comes with. My friend got a Moscow Mule and it was really great.
They brought around a free little serving of salmon tartar, which was delicious. I noticed they do that a lot — bringing out very small plates of food to people in the bar area and communal table. Very cool idea for happy hour.
We ordered the Cilantro Hummus and the Cheese Empanadas and they were both fantastic.
I will definitely be back to spend more time there and try more menu items!

We had a company dinner here for a big group so I don’t know if the menu is the same if you go in small groups. That said, the sea bass was very tasty and the appetizers included a hummus, pesto dip and pita that was pretty good. I also enjoyed the salad with pecans and manchego cheese. The dessert was a chocolate cake that I found very yummy. The Pinot Grigio was amazing! I wish I had written down the name but I know it’s Italian.

Sidebar is a nice place, especially for some good drinks. Went here last night and ate at the bar. I think we might have had a more pleasant experience at a table as the bartenders were very busy and the gesticulating and sprinting about seemed like they were at war with their alcoholic creations.
Anyway, the drink I got was quite good — black walnut old fashioned. Sweet and strong. We ordered four tapas: fried plantains, spicy potatoes, squid, and beef empanadas. The plantains never came out as there was a computer screw up, but the other dishes tasted great! The potatoes were my favorite as they were creamy and spicy. I would definitely come back here to try some entrees.

I’m glad Gwen W. suggested meeting here for Tapas Tuesday because I really enjoyed it. I had not been in this space since it was the Brownstone years ago. I was a bit nervous about making the trip downtown from Westerville during rush hour, and about parking. My drive was actually not too bad and I found a spot at a meter just down the street. Gwen already had a table inside by the window and the place was not at all crowded by the time I arrived around 5:20. I started with a Stella, which was the cheapest drink on the menu at $ 4. I was brought a tall glass of cold water. The servers started bringing out the small plates and I thought everything was very tasty. After seeing other patrons getting pretty cocktails in champagne glasses, I wanted one too. I chose the $ 12 Smoked Manhattan, and I loved it. We were there until around 7:20 and had, I believe, 5 different tapas served to us. They could have served more, and spaced them out more timely, but I can’t really complain since they were free! Since it is Chef’s Choice, it would be fun to return because you don’t know what to expect.
The service was good, and they kept our water glasses filled. I would absolutely return for another Tapas Tuesday.

Anna H. and I made plans to meet for a chance to catch up at Sidebar. I had not been there before, so I was elated to hear they have free tapas every Tuesday (with the purchase of a drink) — one plus one = two!
I’ve heard pretty awesome things about the tapas here, so I was totally surprised that there was only two other patrons seated. I walked in @ 4:50 pm, so I expected it to already be filling up. But, hey, I won’t argue :) Lots of wood and tan tones. Nice layout. 15 – 16 seats at the bar. All the drinks are made fresh, by hand. No added sweeteners. Respectable!
The waiter told me how the free tapas thing works: all the small plates are Chef’s choice; they bring out all the shabiggalo, and patrons eat it if it looks enticing. After this point, the evening went a tad south.
The first tapa came out @ 5:20. The rest came out almost 30 minutes apart. One of the waiters said they were dealing with a party of 50 on the restaurant side, thus the kitchen was swamped. Funny, I saw four people leave the whole time we were there (two and a half hours!). And, when I went to the restroom before leaving @ 7:35, almost the entire restaurant side was empty. Hmm…
The tapas? Decent. I really liked the green beans with Brie cheese crumbles and the tomato slices-​mozzarella-​balsamic reduction drizzle plates. The oyster paella didn’t mesh with my tastebuds. Oh!!! And the size of these tapas? No bigger than ¼ cup. I was still hungry, walking to my car :(
I’m glad I walked out only spending $ 5 (covered my Stella beer and tip), seeing as the food was decent, but the wait time clouded the experience.

Went to dinner here last night and it was fantastic. We ordered many tapas to share and every single dish had its own amazing flavor and uniqueness. My table ordered 9 dishes and we loved each one. The mussels are a nice portion and I loved the sauce that came with the beef empanadas. I like that you can choose from tapas or normal entrees so there is something there for everyone! The drinks are also really good. They use fresh juices and make their own syrups for their drinks which is always a plus!
The service was great also. We were running late so I called and they just bumped us up to the next time. Super friendly and accommodating.
Very pretty inside as well. You get good size portions for tapas dishes. I will definitely be returning and recommend!

My boyfriend and I absolutely adore Sidebar. During the warm weather, the outdoor patio is a wonderful place to sit and waste a few hours.
We love the happy hour and normally sit and order drinks and a few different tapas. Tonight, however, we came from 5−7pm for Tapas Tuesday, which was phenomenal.
We ordered two cocktails, a Sidebar Sidecar and Sangria, both of which were incredible. The tapas came out at just the right pace. We enjoyed small bites of a mushroom salad, fried chicken wings, seafood medley, a fried mashed potato/​knish with meat, and a ceviche/​guacamole bite.
Sidebar is one of our favorite restaurants in Columbus.

Amazing food. Ordered the Salmon Bruschetta and pork skewers for apps. Pork was seasoned and cooked so well, and the Salmon was beyond this world! Seriously would comeback just for that tapas!
For an entrée my friend and I shared the Lobster Ravioli and BBQ Shrimp pizza.
The Ravioli was delicious, and the crab créme sauce on top was decadent! The pizza was outstanding as well, the crust was cooked to the perfect crispness and all the toppings were so fresh.
I would have given 5 stars but our waitress was a tad subpar. We were her only table and she would dissappear, and always seemed a bit lost. Her table touches were always a bit awkward, but she did get our food in correctly and did have a decent knowledge of the menu.
All in all the sidebar has an amazing atmosphere, amazing food, and I will be back for that delicious salmon tapas with more friends and family!

I concur with others who are hesitant to review, for selfish fear that this somewhat secret gem will go mainstream. it’s awesome. After deciding against The Walrus (too loud; too busy), two colleagues and I opted for Sidebar. So happy we did. The patio isn’t large, but it’s quaint and after this non-​summer we’ve had, it felt great to be outdoors.
To start, happy hour is until 7 p.m. Thank you for realizing not everyone is off work at 4 p.m. I mean, really. But I digress. I was craving something spicy, so I ordered up a spicy margarita (not on the menu). Complete with sliced jalapeño. I could’ve drank a pitcher it was so good!
The olives appetizer — with a side of warm pita bread — is yummy. But super hard to eat. Trying to be gracious with work peeps and you’re spitting pits and whole olives are rolling all over? Eh. Yum, but hard to handle. LOL.
Our server was kinda salty. I think he was trying to be clever and dry, but, really, it came off as jerk’ish. Eh, whatever. I’ve seen worse. The tapas, lemme say, are big portions (wahoo!). Order less than you think you’ll eat — and go from there. Gotta love healthy portions. Beef empanadas? Um, YES!

My wife and I along with another couple went a little crazy with the amount of food we ordered here over the weekend. We expected small plate tapas, but the servings are larger than I expected and definitely shareable.
The highlights of the meal for me were the scallops parmezan, ceviche, calamari, and cilantro hummus. The scallops were large, cooked perfectly, and sitting in a creamy cheesy sauce. The ceviche was bright and refreshing. The calamari was very delicate and came with a fantastic dipping aioli. I was a little disappointed that it was absent of any tentacles. The hummus was different from anything I’ve had before and the cilantro provided more than just coloring.
The chicken skewers were well received; primarily due to the chimichurri sauce that covered the chicken. The «loaf» of bread we ordered was actually several rolls; very tasty but something that should be complementary instead of $ 4. I didn’t get to try the croquettes, but the others spoke highly about them. The manchengo cheese was milder than I hoped, but the olives that accompanied it were high quality. The plantains were cooked a little unevenly as some were very firm and dense while others were soft and caramelized. I didn’t try the beef empanadas that we ordered, but they were one of the only items that didn’t get finished. The Spanish sausage probably ranked lowest on my list. The firm cured sausage was sliced thin and in a stew with onions and peppers. I’d like it if it were served dry with a good cheese.
I’m strictly a beer drinker and they don’t have an extensive list, but there are a couple beers that kept me from being disappointed. I went with the CBC pale ale. A liter of sangria was shared. I tried a sip of it, and there was a cinnamon aftertaste which was different from my limited sangria experiences. The craft cocktails were pricey at $ 10 – 11 each.
The pricing was fair for the serving sizes and quality of the food. It really gave us a chance to try many things. The service was fantastic and the restaurant wasn’t very busy. The atmosphere was upscale, but relaxed at the same time. I felt slightly overdressed in my button up shirt. You could come in wearing shorts and still feel comfortable.

Sidebar is an experience within itself, especially on Tapas Tuesday. We came to Sidebar a few hours before our show started to sit, relax and take in the whole experience. Once you order a drink they then bring you around different tapas plates to try. We could have only ate what they brought around as the portions were a good size but we decided to order off of the menu as well. We had around 6 – 7 different tapas plates and there was only 1 I wasn’t found of. They rest were out of this world.
The only thing I could slightly complain about was that we didn’t really have 1 server, they kind of rotated around the bar. I didn’t mind except there were a few times we looked around for awhile before we had to stop an employee to order food or another drink.
Time flew by as we sipped exceptional drinks and ate an array of amazing food. Before we knew it our show was starting in 10 minutes, we quickly grabbed someone to pay the bill and ran out. Time truly does fly when you’re having fun, eating amazing food and enjoying some of the best drinks you’ve ever had.
If you are in or around Columbus you definitely need to stop off at Sidebar and have yourself an awesome experience AND a Moscow Mule.

Haven’t been here for regular dining yet but I’ll definitely vouch for their Tuesday happy hour deal — free tapas with the purchase of any drink from 5 – 7! The cocktails were fantastic and you get about 6 – 7 tapas total (they bring one out about every 15 minutes). I think they have different tapas every week, but these are the ones I had when I was there:
— Quinoa salad with tomatoes and peppers
— Seared tuna with spring veggies (delicious!!)
— Mussels with spicy tomato-​cilantro sauce (I was tempted to lick the sauce off the plate, it was so good)
— Some kind of seafood casserole/​gratin (my 2^nd favorite)
— Arroz con pollo (pretty average)
— A flan-​like dessert (very light and airy)
Loved being able to try a bunch of different dishes just from buying a drink (if you’re gonna get a drink anyway, might as well get some yummy free food). I will definitely be back!

Great first impression after attending a holiday party at Sidebar last weekend. The ambiance is classy, but not stuffy. Because of our large party, the food came out in huge self-​serve trays. Such a presentation did not take away from the taste, as most of the food was excellent.
Even the simple house salad was elevated by their use of artichoke and their ever so addictive balsamic vinaigrette. My other favorites included the chicken skewers, beef empanadas and the lamb shank. If I could choose just one appetizer, it would be the beef empanadas. I had the crème brûlée for dessert, which was also delicious.
As far as drinks goes, the bartenders I encountered were friendly and engaging. I ordered only one craft cocktail from the bar, but it was a winner. The bartender actually made a concoction per request. I wanted a bourbon drink with egg whites in it (sounds strange I know) and he delivered in spades. He ended up making this delicious drink called Angel’s Share. It was as much a pleasure to watch the drink being made as it was to imbibe, since involved lighting liquor on fire.
I will be back for sure.

Had my first Sidebar experience this past Friday, and I have to say that it was pretty much perfect. All of the staff members that we interacted with were super nice and quite knowledgeable about the menu. The general atmosphere was easygoing and not at all overwhelming.
While their menu does seem to be filled with numerous fantastic entrees, my husband and I decided to stick with the extensive tapas menu for this first adventure. The waiter advised that 2 – 3 plates is generally enough food for any one person, so we got four plates to split between the two of us. We tried the pork skewers, beef empanadas, chicken croquettes, and the fried potatoes. The pork skewers and beef empanadas were probably our favorites, but everything was pretty tasty. And we were both eyeing things on the menu that we’d like to try next time…
The drinks here are basically fantastic. Sure they may be a bit on the pricey side compared to some other places, but the quality really is quite high.
And then there’s the dessert. We tried the one that I believe is called Chocolate Madness, and they weren’t kidding with that title. The chocolate level and richness is pretty serious, but you’ll get no complaints from me on that :)