The Thurman Cafe

Thurman Café is the epitome of a Greasy Spoon, a dive that has been operating a food program at a just-​slightly-​above-​average clip.
If you want a burger in Columbus, this is often the first place you think of. And rightfully so, the burgers have built quite a reputation, even appearing quite a few times on national television.
The portions are gluttonous– and that is basically the sum of Thurman’s fame. Just massive portion sizes, that extends beyond just the burgers-​to almost everything else on the menu.
Don’t expect your burger temps to be accurate– definitely a weak point in execution– but likely a result of the size of the patty being so enormous.
When the craving hits for a burger, this is where I come. I recommend you give it a try.

Very vintage, whole in the wall divey bar. Long wait to get in most times. The staff here was over and beyond friendly. The food was excellent, savory and juicy. Burger was slightly over cooked but for a 12oz (2) i didnt expect perfection. Only con, personally did not care for ham on my thurmanator… but them fries were on another level.

As seen on Man vs Food, on the Ohio State Campus. Great burgers, great bar food. Huge menu. If your a burger fan as I am, just make the trip next time your in Columbus. Pictured is the Patty Melt my gf had. Rye bread, burger, grilled onions, Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing. It’s my girlfiends favorite burger and she said it was the best one she’s ever had. She got a side of onion straws with hers, tasty! I had the Western burger with bacon, bbq sauce, extra cheddar cheese, and onion rings, loved it!

A great day in the wake of STUFFEDVILLE!!! We started the tour with the Big Dawg 1lb and chips and finished it off with the Jaeger Burger, Onion Rings and Fries! Great day!

Ah, the famed Thurman Café. It’s been a GV staple for a while, and I always try to make a visit whenever I’m in Columbus. Labeled as a dive bar with some really good and well-​portioned dive bar food, It’s worth noting that there is usually a wait, so it’s recommended to come here early to minimize wait times. You can also find bar seating, but that’s also usually first come first serve.
When I come here, I usually have to prep myself by not eating for a while, so I can free up as much real estate for all the unhealthy burgers, namely the Thurman burger and the Thurmanator. Not for the faint of heart, the Thurman burger is a huge 12 oz beef patty stacked with sautéed mushrooms and onios, ham, mozzarella, and all the normal fixings. You feel a lot of hatred for yourself after eating it, but on the other hand, you also feel pretty accomplished at the same time. But mostly hate.
As for the Thurmanator (essentially the Thurman burger with two 12 oz. patties instea of one), I’d probably have to find someone else willing to take on that mountainous challenge with me. The wings and handcut fries are also pretty solid here as well, so you can’t really go wrong with the specialties. I’ve never gotten any wings hotter than «Hot», so be aware that the «Extreme» wings might not really have much flavor, and mostly just exhibit heat. Hoo-​wee.
Service is always friendly and helpful, although it can get a little spotty during the super busy times. Nonetheless, I’ve always had a great time here, and you usually just hang out and wave them down. Prices are very reasonable, especially with the huge portions. You definitely won’t have to spend much, and you definitely won’t leave hungry.
Hard to pull away from the burgers and wings, but one of these days, I’ll have to try some other things on the menu like their pizza thins or sandwiches.

I had heard all the hype throughout the years about this place & their epic portion sizes. The pictures certainly looked great as well. I’m going to give it 3 stars, though, & I’ll tell you why.
I don’t care about how tiny the place is; my moon & stars & I expected to wait, but thankfully it was only about 20 minutes. What we didn’t care for was the service, & the food was surprisingly mediocre. It wasn’t bad by any means, but I’ve had better seasoned burgers elsewhere, as well as fries.
Of course we only had one burger (can’t quite remember which we each had), but I’m not amped out of my mind to return to try another. I was ecstatic to see they had sauces for fries, like my favorite which is sweet chili Thai. Of course I buried my fries in it until I had disgusting jam hands & my beard was nice & sticky.
The service was not good whatsoever. I think 2 larger groups were served & checked on the entire time before we even got an acknowledgment. The employees, save for the older woman, seemed really douchey & impersonable. Bar or not, I expect better. Of course everything took an eternity to get since we had trouble flagging the employees down. Sides were forgotten, which I’m sure is no shocker at this point of the review. We said «F it» because we didn’t want to wait another 15 min for ranch.
The appetizer we got (pretzel bites) was really good, as was the honey mustard sauce w it; we quite enjoyed it.
Overall, this place has a lot of potential, & there are several other items we’d like to try in time, but the mediocrity of our burgers & fries, as well as the virtually nonexistent impersonable staff, just may have us going elsewhere for some time.

More than just a mere restaurant to me, Thurman Café is one of my favorite places in town. I would have an absolute breakdown if it ever went away. Yes because of its delicious burgers which I will strain to describe (a opinion not shared by everyone on Unilocal weirdly) but also because of memories of people and events whose ghosts haunt it dark, narrow barscape and white waiting room of hunger. The place is an experience with all its corky authenticity and fame.
Needless to say, this is not a place to go before a show or event. The waiting room is twice as large as its dining area, and it is highly popular; at peak times the wait can push up against two hours. Add to this the time it takes for your food to arrive and it is not meant for efficient stop and pop. No, this place is a destination in-​and-​of itself, an event all to its own, and my review circa 2012 still applies: it’s purgatory in wait for heaven with St Peters reading off the names of the saved from the holy 100-​sheet Mead spiral bound.
The joint has been around since about the time Yamamoto was dropping torpedo bombs on Pearl Harbor, in the space stuffed between other greasy spoons that reminds one of the strips of midcentury small towns. Parking is off street and can be a problem on weekend nights especially after tOSU games and other tourist attractions when visitors come, egged on by Man Versus Food, to check it. Often I have to park several blocks down. That’s alright though as Thurman Avenue is a safe and beautiful section of town. (The street and restaurant is both named after a native that ran for Vice President in the 19^th century.)
Strangely, the Thurman Café escaped my radar for much of my time in Columbus. Having been introduced to it about 12-​years ago, and being a constant choice of mine for many of those years, I have had every burger here save for one: the Thurmanator – the double 12-​ounce monster whose creation is due to the yearly Arnold Classic. The mountain of burger, bacon, cheeses and mushrooms are too much for this appetite, though I plan on tackling it after some random day of fasting. Of my favorites are:
The Jaeger Burger – steaming heap on delicious texas toast, melting French onion sour cream, and sautéed mushroom. I recommend it for those that have had others, but not for first timers who deserve classic burgers.
The Garden Burger has lots of sautéed peppers and onions, mushrooms and swiss cheese.
The Jonny Burger – a blue cheese concoction loaded with bacon and absolutely stunning horseradish cheese.
The Thurman Burger (the classic formula that I suggest newbs to try) ham, sautéed shrooms with american cheese.
What makes this burger great to me is hard to assertion. I remember my first bite was like a orgasmic experience, and, though I am not being literal with body function, the mental ping of sudden dopamine reward hit on that very bite. And still today, at this very trip (I don’t eat here as often as I don’t want to lose the effect by familiarity) one bite and it is like heaven in the mouth. The burger, however it is tendered, or dry rubbed or what, has this very thick, even, taste of beef, or the absolute Platonian ideal of how beef should taste. And the burger does not lose this quality bite after bite. It is so good I don’t mind that burger falling apart as I go.
Add that the fries here are best in town too. Thick cuts fried perfectly with a taste that compliments the burger.
The interior is divey perfection. Old signs, a million dollar bills, scuffy woodwork, under the warm glow of electric beer signs red, green, and blue. The dining area is tight on space with several booths, tables in the center, a bar, and a cubby looking out bay windows to the street. The staff are like ninjas as you don’t notice them passing by in these narrow walkways.
It is just my favorite place; and this is my song to it.

I went with a party of 4 on a Wednesday evening and had to wait about 10 min. for a table. It’s a very small, tight bar but don’t let that stop you from going there.
I was the odd man out as I ordered the thin 10″ pepperoni and banana peppers pizza and a side salad. The side salad was actually huge, should have stopped there. But the pizza was oh, so good, I couldn’t stop! Yes I left there stuffed!
The Burgers are the thing here though, as the Man vs. Food TV show actually visited to try The Thurmanator. Everybody else in my party got different burgers and each burger came with different sides.
Prices are good and the staff are excellent.

Great Food and a Awesome Awesome Environment to Eat in.
We Had an Amazing Time
The Burgers are HUGE and we couldn’t finish ours lol
They have Excellent Beer and Drinks

LOVE this place! If you can manage to get there before 5 o’clock on a weekday, you won’t have any problems. Later than that and on weekends, you can expect an hour wait at the very least. However, the wait time is the only negative of this place. They have INCREDIBLE burgers and wings and a very reasonable price. There’s no wonder why there is such a long wait. The atmosphere is very warm and unique. It feels like a neighborhood bar, with the best menu that you’ve ever tasted. Just stop reading this review and go there for yourself.

It’s been awhile since I’ve been to Thurmans, but I remember the burgers well.
We chose to go right when it opened, as the line gets really long.
For starters, the fried pickles and fried pretzel bites were very good. I was actually surprised how good the pretzel bites were.
Now to the burgers… they’re big, messy, and juicy. Do they live up to the hype? Sure.
Is it worth hours waiting? No.
Thurmans is at least worth a visit, just don’t waste your half your day.

After a quick Über right from my hotel, I was fortunate enough to find a seat at the bar closest to the TV. However, it does take some time for the staff to notice you but that’s fine — I wasn’t ready anyway.
I grabbed myself a menu because I didn’t receive one when I sat down and immediately felt overwhelmed with my options. Being from out of town, I didn’t want to be «too touristy» but I also didn’t want to miss out on a good burger. I didn’t want to ask either (I know, rookie mistake) but I felt I did enough research on Unilocal before my trip here so I ordered a Columbus IPA and then settled on the Big TC and subbed fries.
I was accidentally given my bar neighbor’s burger and ate one of his fries — WHOOPS. Luckily, he didn’t make a big stink about it. Despite feeling a little out of place at the bar (it was just little ol’ me after all), I was able to comfortably eat my burger and drink my beer in peace.
A good place to visit if you’re visiting Columbus.

Best damn cheese fries east or west of the Mississippi. Dang. Character for days. Super super friendly & cool staff.
Update: «The Thurman» burger was perhaps the best burger I’ve ever had. It was amazing. It was enormous.
Another Update: I can’t sleep, hours later– I can’t stop thinking about that burger. It was so good. I didn’t know a burger could taste like that. The sear on that burger changed my life.

Best burger in the city! I only wish the place were bigger.
I hate to not give it 5 stars because it’s just that good! But I do have to account for the wait time. (my only complaint)
Now, Is it WORTH the wait? YES!
but waiting isn’t fun for me. Luckily there’s good music available and a Ms. Pac-​man machine! :)
The food:
Sure, it’s a novelty to have a big burger and that could be the end of it, but it’s not! Despite what some other people here say, It’s also a very delicious burger! I worked in restuarants for many years cooking and running kitchens and as far as I’m concerned, the Thurman has an amazing burger.
Also, the selection is outstanding. There’s one for every mood featuring every topping you could want. My personal favorite is the Johnny Burger. The Chicken cordon bleu sandwich is also quite fantastic.
Of course, If you’re REALLY hungry, you can try to tackle the Thurmanator! Good luck!
Service:
The staff is awesome too! Sure, the place gets packed and they have to run around a LOT, but they are very friendly and always cool.
Drinks:
If you’re a fan of Mixed drinks, be sure to ask for a Donna Star (Donna’s signature drink) next time you go. If she’s working, you’ll enjoy it!
So back to my only complaint:
The wait can be long, be warned! But it’s well worth it. If you want to avoid the wait, try an early afternoon on a week day where you can get right in.
The thing is, Seating is limited. Why? because no more can be added due to city code.
The waiting area/​lobby was added a few years back because they were not allowed to add the seating needed. This area however, is nice because you used to have to wait outside which was crazy in the winter time.
Overall, This place rocks!
be sure to check them out, it’s totally worth it!

Ok, if you’ve got a friend from Columbus who keeps telling you about this place, you need to find new friends. As somebody who lives in Columbus I get really frustrated that people think it’s a «must see» place. It’s a nice neighborhood pub. That’s it. Not great. Just nice. Because of the hype it’s actually overpriced.
The burgers are mediocre at best. They’re overloaded and sloppy but often under seasoned and almost always overcooked. Nothing special here. Again, if they were 3 – 4 bucks cheaper and the place was close to home or work, it’s good. If you’re hoping to experience an epic stop on the Columbus food trail, you’ve missed the mark horribly. Far better to go down the street to Hey Hey and scarf down some Sauerkraut Balls.
I know that won’t stop your obnoxious friend from dragging you here, but when you get there and they say it’s an hour for a table and your friend says it’s worth the wait, punch him in the face.

So, it’s definitely all hype. Not the worst burger I’ve ever had, but incredibly mediocre.
The portions are definitely huge, though! I had the Western burger, and there’s a ton of meat in the actual burger itself, which would be good if it was at all seasoned well — it was bland and kind of dry yet really greasy at the same time (done medium-​well). Fries were also a little on the soggy side.
Overall, I didn’t hate my experience there, but I won’t be back.

So driving cross country and stopped here because of how well it was rated.
So really tiny place.
Fits 30 – 40 people tops.
Bar seating was available when I arrived.
Table wait time was one hour at 5 pm on a Saturday.
The food was okay.
Had an order of bacon cheese fries.
Large order for $ 6. Lots of bacon on the fries. Really bacon. Not that chips of bacon crap.
Certainly not the best burger I have ever had. Also the burger was not prepared as requested. See photos.
The price is right for the quantity of the food.
The service was good. With the exception of the one server who seemed to find something disgusting on their finger then flick it violently off their finger in to the wash sink below the bar.
I would say this place is highly overrated for the quality of food.
Although I’m still happy to have stopped the wildness of the interior décor is worth the trip.
If I do somehow stop by again I will NOT get a burger. I’ll get the chicken wings.

It only took me ten years to finally check out Thurman’s, but wow… it is simply amazing!
Between the staff, the menu items, and the food… everything and everyone was superb!
We arrived around 4 PM on a Monday afternoon and guess what?! There was NO wait! YES!!! We tried to stop in a couple of weeks ago and there was an hour wait so we decided to take a pass… I’m seeing now that that was a big mistake! It is SO worth the wait!
The first thing that I noticed (being a new mommy and all) is that they have a baby changing station in the women’s restroom!!! This is a huge plus for me since this is not common in any of the restaurants/​pubs downtown!
The next thing that I noticed was the HUGE selection of food items on the menu! Everything sounded so delicious! From the wide selection of fries, burgers, pizzas, and sandwiches… it was all enough to make one’s mouth water!
I ordered the Chicken Cordon Bleu with a small salad and Brian ordered the Thurman Burger. Each meal comes with potato chips and a pickle. We also ordered a small order of fries for the babes. Let me first start with saying that the portion sizes are HUGE! My small salad was a pretty decent size and I had enough dressing for a large salad. This was really nice since I usually have to ask for a second side of dressing. The small order of fries looked like a large order as well! The fries are nice and thick so if you like steak fries — this is your spot! I couldn’t finish my sandwich so we ended up taking half of my sandwich and the plate of fries home. Brian struggled with finishing his burger as well, but ended up eating every last bite. Side note — We didn’t even touch our potato chips… that’s how enormous and filling the sandwiches are.
Lastly, the wait staff is FANTASTIC! Every now and then… a different person would come and check to make sure that everything was ok. Our waitress consistently checked on us as well. When we decided not to order our daughter a drink with the juice selection that the restaurant had, our waitress went above and beyond and decided to make her version of a juice that our daughter would like and she LOVED it! Not many servers would do that. She didn’t even charge us for the drink which earned her a couple extra percentages in her tip!
Thurman’s is not short of 5 stars! I cannot wait for our next visit!
Kudos, team!

Eating at Thurman café is an «experience». It doesn’t matter what time of day or night we have come here it has always had a long wait. We’ve typically waited an hour and a half. One time we were here late on a weekday night and waited almost an hour. The problem is that there is very little seating space for waiting. So, the best thing to do is to bundle up in the winter and walk around the quaint German village neighborhood while you are whiling away the time.
Once you finally get in the first thing you notice is that the restaurant itself is a little bit of a dive. Its quite dark, cramped and very very busy.
Now for the food. Everything here is big. If you order wings, they will be supersized! The hamburgers are huge even if you don’t get the monstrous Thurmanator. I’ve tried the western burger (¾ lb patty), which is very good swimming in bbq sauce, and much more than I can handle. Once we ordered the Thurmanator and wings for four of us and that was more than enough. The Thurmanator comes with 2 12 ounce patties plus, a generous helping of ham, not to mention bacon, cheddar, mozzarella and American cheeses, and the top bun is served with fries. I personally preferred the Western burger, but the Thurmanator is definitely worth trying once. They also have a similarly sized Hot Dog, which is one pound of hot dog.
I think the food tastes pretty good, but the overall experience is why you go to Thurman’s café.

We searched for the best as we took our daughter to College and we found you… World famous and probably the most laid back, fun serving staff that I have ever experienced and yes dollar bills with notes hanging everywhere! You know I am a tough critic because I have been in the biz for 20 years (working in the oldest establishments in my city) and the food is awesome… Brat burger, 12oz burger. what ever you choose… we even went back for the Thurman’s to go.
Put this on your list!
Your truly, from Cincinnati

I recently had the opportunity of setting foot in the city of Columbus. I’ve heard that it has a good food scene and I was curious to see for myself the types of offerings available. This was the very first establishment my friends brought me to after I asked where one can get a good burger in Columbus.
After taking several minutes to browse over my burger options, all of which looked great, I decided to go with the Thurman Burger (on a different day, and if it wasn’t so late, I may have tried to tackle the Thurmanator). For the temperature, I asked for my burger to be medium. When it arrived, I was in awe! I couldn’t figure out how to bite into it, so I settled with using a fork & knife to help me with the task. I loved every component on my burger — the cheese, caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, banana peppers, and I added jalapeño peppers to give it some more heat. The beef patty itself was very well seasoned and cooked to perfection, just the way I had requested it.
Having the Thurman Burger for my very first meal in Columbus, Ohio was one heck of an experience! Save your appetite, come hungry and leave satisfied!
The next time I visit I hope that I’ll be able to sample more of the options on the menu.

Was SO excited to finally try this place!
My friends have never been to Ohio so we decided to show them Columbus before heading to Cincinnati.
Had seen Thurman on ESPN Todd Blackledge show… best eats around town or something.
Well, we were scared there would be a long wait so we went straight here at 4pm from airport on a saturday. No one was waiting but hostess made us wait 15 minutes.
We got a booth and ordered everything.
*Onion rings– excellent!
*Fries with gravy– too thick and nothing special. Wouldn’t have ordered if we realized all the burgers came with the same fries minus the gravy.
*mushroom burger– can’t remember the exact name but it was fine.
*Bleu cheese burger-​hubby says it wasn’t special.
*wings…AWESOME. habanero and garlic sauces. They have 4 levels of heat. These were like mini chickens haha.
Huge wings and drumsticks. Comes with celery.
Service was great at the table. Inside is just as everyone describes with dollar bills and every nook and cranny filled with something. Food just wasn’t as we some as the hype.
Maybe we should have ordered the Thurmanator?

As you get to know me you know I normally do not give reviews on the same night I go to a restaurant as I do not like being reactive whether positively or negatively based on an immediate feeling.
I am very glad I tried this restaurant. My interest in it was based on the television show Man versus Food where Adam at the Thurmator (or at least attempted it).
To start with my brother and I sat at the bar and the place was crowded and small (intimate). We waited for approximately 15 minute for a couple of guys to leave the bar and then we pounced! We were prepared to wait 1.5 hours if necessary. Thurman’s is very cool on the inside and the bartenders are all very nice and totally engaged with the patrons and the servers.
I had a couple of beers and ordered the Thurman and my brother ordered the mushroom burger. We also ordered a side of onion rings and fries. The burger was just good. Not great, but good. I expected that ¾ pound of meat would have a little more flavoring, but to me it just did not have the extra flavor I like with beef. Not sure if it was the lack of salt or quality of the meat. Nonetheless the additions to the burger made up what the meat was missing. My brother loved his burger and the fries and onion rings were terrific.
Prices are very reasonable for what you get.
Will I go back when I go to Columbus again? ABSOLUTELY! The menu is extensive and I want to try other things.

Very disappointed that a place as hyped up as this doesn’t know how to cook a burger to order. Literally ⁵⁄₅ burgers at our table were overcooked. Not only were they overcooked but the quality of the meat was not good and the meat to bread ratio was off, making it a very dry burger overall. The service was also subpar — don’t get me wrong, the server was funny but only came around about twice in an hour and a half. It took forever to get our check and then just as long to get out since it’s almost completely wheelchair inaccessible. I recommend you skip it altogether and head elsewhere instead. There are plenty of quality restaurants in German Village and this just happens to not be one of them.