Sloopy’s Diner

This is great spot for breakfast right on the OSU campus. The service was quick and friendly, and because this is on campus the prices were very affordable. I ordered a buckwheat pancake with whipped cream and when it arrived it had the word «Ohio» spelled out in the whipped cream. Fun.
I enjoy a good diner experience, and this place has it all. There is a retro look with the décor but not campy. It was very clean and the food was served quickly. Everything was warm and tasty.

Sloopy’s is always a good option if you’re on campus and need a fulfilling breakfast, lunch or dinner. What I love the most about Sloopy’s is that I can get breakfast for dinner which is definitely my favorite meal! Tonight I ordered their garden skillet which included hash browns mixed with eggs (ordered how you like), mushrooms, peppers, mozzarella cheese and topped with sour cream and avocado! It also comes with a side of toast and I couldn’t resist ordering a side of bacon which was delicious as well. It was a very filling meal but the only suggestion I would have is to place the sour cream and avocado on the side rather than on top of the entire meal. I found it difficult to get a good bite without too much sour cream or avocado but other than that it was delicious!

A Fifties style diner in the heart of a modern student union? Yes. Does it work? Indeed it does.
Upon entry, you will see a glass case dessert area featuring pies, doughnuts, candy apples, and a whole host of goodies. This is also the area where you pay, so many people stopping in for treats or coffee do tend to cause a line during busy times when you are trying to cash out. This is annoying, but the food is worth it.
Diner counter and tables, with those little boomerang shaped Jetsons like shapes and chrome edges adorn the interior. (You may have to wait to be seated, but they give you a pager, so no worries.) Take a look at the menu and realize you will need to come in here many times to try all the selections that look good. My advice, go for breakfast regardless of time of day. Great pancakes, eggs, bacon, shredded hash browns! Breakfast can do no wrong. Burgers, fries, malts? When in 1955, this is good, too. Burritos, soups, chili, omelets. Hell, it’s all fantastic.
Two items of note: 1) the servers and staff are all students. They cannot accept tips, as tips are supposedly built into the costs. Weird and guilt inducing, but this is how it goes. 2) Fifties music is always playing. Always. Think about this. Some of these songs are going on 60+ years old. Do these students know any of these songs? This is the equivalent of roaring twenties flapper/​Charleston songs being played in a restaurant in 1985. Cool but bizarre.
Try this place, be forgiving of long waits, and enjoy Eisenhower, Sputnik, and Buicks.

I eat a late breakfast/​early lunch almost every day on OSU campus. Today I decided to try to save $ 1-​$ 2 by eating at sloopy’s instead of heirloom. It took 15 minutes for anyone to come to my table, and an additional 30 minutes for my food to appear. It’s NOT busy in here right now. The employees here (students) do not work for tips, and it’s obvious.
The food options are uninspired and, for the most part, unhealthy. This is unsurprising considering it’s a diner, but they could at least amp up the quality of the ingredients and their preparation. I ordered a custom scramble (they define this as having the ingredients «mixed into» the egg). It came out with a pile of (clearly canned) black beans, barely warmed, plopped on top of some scrambled eggs.
Sloopy’s earns its third star only for its location and price.

Snoopy… Sloppy… whatever the name is.
OSU certainly has its share of interesting on-​campus dining options, and I must admit that I’m actually a fan of this little diner inside the Union.
Sloopy’s seems like THE place for meetings, casual dining with friends, and just a way to use your meal plan on something other than take out. It is much more low key in the summertime, but I think that is genuinely reflected in the student staff. I haven’t had any awkward interactions with the workers here and the diner atmosphere here makes it seem almost too weird for it to be collegiate dining. But something about it works.
Some standouts from the lunch meetings I’ve had in here include:
— Garden Skillet topped with avocado, this is great for someone that’s craving a savory breakfast item.
— Chicken fingers are definitely a step up from some of the wings they have at Woody’s next door, and you get a choice of dipping sauces to go with it
— Salmon pasta was meh, but the fish itself was quite delightful for on-​campus dining
— Biscuits here were great!
After your meal, be sure to grab one of their milkshakes or bump up your order to the nearest block with a cookie or two! They have a buckeye shake which I’ve still yet to try, most likely because the candy itself is so rich! But soon enough I’ll sink my Californian taste buds into one.
PS– NO TIPPING! Yes, it’s weird, but I dig it lol.

We ate here to fully experience OSU and we were not disappointed. The atmosphere is 1950s diner. The staff are super friendly. The food was fine. The only downer was that our poached eggs & toast, taco salad, and a wrap sandwich took almost 30 minutes to arrive. Fully regret not buying the chocolate covered bacon at the checkout – looked yummy!

Good place to eat on campus. The service is usually slow and the servers are students. However, this *is* technically a campus dining cafeteria, so it is always overflowing with students. Students with BuckIDs have the option to use blocks here, so Sloopy’s is a bit of a «higher class» option compared to the other campus cafeterias. Conveniently located and the food is decent enough for student standards.

Yes the waiters can be a little or completely awkward (You don’t have to call students mr. or sir) and the wait to get your food is usually bad but the breakfast food makes it the best place to eat on campus and it doesn’t hurt that they have a bevy of four seasons classics playing. I’ve gotten the breakfast burrito as well as chocolate chip pancakes and both are good. The baked goods and milkshakes (m&m milkshake? Where do I sign) are also really good and much better than the muffins or cookies found at other campus spots. Also the prices are reasonable compared to other campus eateries.

I will admit, Sloopy’s is a decent place.
It is inside of the Ohio Union at OSU, so is really a campus dining facility. But I would consider it the best among them. It’s a table service establishment with surprisingly good food. I think that the best items are the breakfast foods [in my opinion, biscuits and gravy or the garden veggie skillet] and the milkshakes [the chocolate chip cookie one, oh my goodness]. The prices for most meals aren’t bad at all, though the desserts are way too expensive.
Therefore I strongly recommend this location for any student with a meal plan, it’s probably the best bang for your buck, and open until like 3am usually.
For visitors, it’s also not too bad. And who knows, Obama stopped in last year, you never know who you’ll see.
The customer service staff is completely students, so just be prepared for the inevitable awkward waitress/​waiter.

Stopped here for lunch while visiting OSU. Very busy at lunch time. Has the ambiance of a 50’s style diner. Menu has a lot of breakfast and lunch items. Burgers were good, not great. Sloopy shake was very thick and good. Sandwiches are generous. Overall, good, not great. If you want a sit down dining place this is a good choice.

Let it be known that nary a non-​student, non-​faculty, non-​OSU-​employee, non-​parent, or non-​affiliated with a student would likely end up here. It’s in the middle of campus — used as a training hub for hospitality students — and if I were seeking out a place to eat, this would not seem like my first choice based primarily on its location (in the student union.)
That said, it’s everything what I would expect from a student-​run restaurant with its primary purpose being education.
They serve breakfast all day, which all I can think of to say is ‘hell yeah!’ if I was currently a student and had this option. Even though I’m not, I still say ‘hell yeah!’ and have ordered it 2 out of the 3 times I’ve been here — in the late afternoon.
They have all your basic breakfast options. So think eggs, bacon, omelets, and these lovely little skillet things that can be made with whatever you want. My favorite so far has been the skillet. Get the veggie!
I also ordered the veggie burger once — made with Ohio’s own, Luna! Besides breakfast, they have your usual sandwiches too, like the BLT and traditional hamburger. Anything you could imagine from a typical small down diner, you’ll find it here.
Service is… they’re students who are still learning, so you can make your own assessments. But it makes it convenient that you don’t have to wait for them to cash you out. You just ask for your check and pay as you leave. (If you’re on a diet, don’t be tempted by the smoothies and dessert case as you exit — like me!)

Sloopy’s Diner might not be bringing anything new to the table, but the food that it brings trumps anything that is offered on campus, besides the Heirloom Café of course. Unlike the food in question served at the libraries and cafes, the dishes are actually cooked to order, which is a refreshing change of pace. While the sandwiches and entrées are all satisfying, the breakfast plates are one’s best bet, and the fact that they can be ordered late is very convenient when, say, one is stumbling in at 2 in the morning and wanting a stack of hot pancakes. If one is in the heart of campus or at the Ohio Union, it would be worth making a visit to.

For campus food, Sloopy’s is a great diner! I can’t name too many colleges who have that kind of place on your meal plan. But really anyone can go to Sloopy’s, as long as you don’t mind being surrounded by college kids.
I had the Turkey Burger, and it was good! The patty wasn’t huge, which I enjoyed because I could actually eat it without the extreme messiness that usually accompanies an oversized burger! The bun was toasted Brioche perfection :)
The prices were reasonable – $ 6.75 for a burger with saratoga chips and BBQ sauce. My sister had a turkey club sandwich for around the same place and said it was good! My brother had the fish sandwich and it was HUGE. He ate the whole thing, of course.
My favorite thing about Sloopy’s is the brunch. The breakfast sandwich on a biscuit is a foolproof hangover cure. The pancakes are fluffy and delicious, with several flavor options.
The service at Sloopy’s is very average… a college student was waiting on us so we didn’t expect too much. Gratuity is included into the prices (it’s a college meal plan thing) so don’t worry about leaving extra $, unless of course your server went WAY above and beyond!

A satisfying alternative to the typical cafeterias and food service places on a college campus. Sloopy’s Diner appeals to patrons who savor eating out, travelers who are looking for a standout eatery in Columbus to dine in, Ohio State students who desire to have a break from the rigors of studying, and Buckeye fans.
The entrees are pretty good. I think the turkey club sandwich along with fries and the mexican dish featuring fajitas are first rate. The desserts such as strawberry and chocolate ice cream are superb items that can help conclude your dining experience on a high note.
The waiters and waitresses are OSU students and are very affable and professional in the fashion they perform their duties. They even welcome some conversation. One time, I chatted with a waitress and asked what she was studying at the school. It’s another way the place can be a satisfactory experience. Also, the waiters and waitresses have a positive attitude in doing their job, which makes you want to plan for return visits.
A drawback of Sloopy’s Diner is you may need to wait a long time if the place is busy with customers. If you’re in a hurry to eat, the alternative is the food court at the Ohio Union. But overall, it is a top notch eatery.

I got sick shortly after the first time I went here one night, probably as a result of food poisoning from the nachos or biscuits and gravy, but somehow my illness left me after about an hour. I’ve been here twice since anyway.
It’s not bad; it’s a whole lot like the Silver Diner chain in the D.C. area. The one time I ordered a burger, however, it definitely wasn’t fresh, and the patty was cool and overcooked – maybe I should’ve expected this after my server failed to ask me how I want my burger cooked.
But! The dessert selection is quite blissful, so major props for that.

For brunch, not bad. Gratuity is included in menu prices despite waiting service.
Food was good and for $ 12 I was stuffed. The «skillet» I ordered had so many of my favorite things thrown together (hash browns, eggs, cheese, sour cream, avocado, broccoli, mushrooms…) and who knew they could all taste good together! Also ordered the chocolate chip pancakes, which were huge and I had to take home. Bad me. They were delicious, however, even hours later.
I plan on going back next time the morning after calls! You just can’t beat cheap brunch.

My husband works for Ohio State and it is hard to find family friendly places (that have high chairs) near or on campus when we want to visit him for lunch. This place was VERY family friendly. They had a good sized kids menu, straw cups (with lids), high chairs, and crayons. The staff were very nice to my toddler. The food is dinner style (of course). My husband got a hamburger, I got chicken cheese steak, and my son had grilled cheese. All of them came out well cooked and as expected. The price is VERY reasonable and include gratuity in the price (since some students use their dinning plans there). We will be going again.

I was here with a three year old, and with campus restaurants that seems to be a rarity, but they managed to rustle up some crayons for him, and found a kid cup for his water, even if it took them awhile.
That aside, the place was clean, and the grilled cheese with bacon was exactly right. The salad was about what you’d expect from any diner, with lettuce, lots of carrot, and one sad looking tomato, but the ranch dressing tasted exactly like Wishbone Ranch, which happens to be my favorite, so that saved it.
My son got chicken tenders and french fries and gobbled them down. The prices were a lot cheaper than I expected from campus food, so if I need to spend another afternoon in the Union, this is probably where I’ll end up.

Price is pretty decent and the portion was generous. I had the buttermilk pancake and turkey sausage links. It was ok, nothing special. I wish they had more side dishes to chose from. My friend ordered hash browns and they were well seasoned and delicious.
My waitress was nice and accommodating. She was actually doing this for her hospitality course, which I thought was interesting.

Open ²⁴⁄₇ during the school year. 7am — 2pm in the summer.
It’s a diner with diner food.
First time i came, i ordered a pulled pork sandwich. It was ok. There was some hiccups with my friend’s order. She ordered a burger with mushrooms and no onions. The first time they brought it out, there were onions and no mushrooms. The second time, there were neither. So the student wait staff is still learning! They got it fright the third time around.
That being said, they are all extremely friendly! Comprised of students attending the university, I had a great time talking with a couple of them on my second visit. I ordered three gigantic pancakes with banana and granola topping for $ 4.25. The waiter bet me that I couldn’t finish it. Of course, now I had to finish it and BAM I did (took two breaks).
Soo, it was an enjoyable experience. The food is average so don’t expect too much. Pancake quality is pretty much the same no matter where you go though and this place definitely fits the bill for that. I would definitely go back if I’m craving another stack of pancakes… although next time i will probably just get one or two.