The Torpedo Room

I enjoyed this place. Cute little bar next to gateway film center. The embiance is so unique and fun. It really makes you feel like youre in a submarine of sorts.
We only had drinks, so i cant comment on the food. But the prices were reasonable and the service was great! I cant wait to go back and try the food/

The Torpedo Room is just off the box office at Gateway Film Center. It does keep to its theme — feels like the inside of a submarine, with «portholes» and movies playing on a round «periscope» screen.
Ok, enough with the quotes. Theme: submarines. Food: Classic Liz Lessner. Cocktails: Various and themed. Beer: Yes.
There are plenty of old favorites on this menu — red pepper hummus, house kettle chips, mac n cheese. I ordered the veggie torpedo and the roasted Brussels sprouts while the spouse got a roast beef sandwich with kettle chips. Mine was nice, with grilled bread and the red pepper hummus. The sprouts as a substitute side matched up nicely. Chips were yummy per usual. I ordered a side of the house-​made pickle chips. House-​made pickles can be a thing forever, as far as I’m concerned.
Our server was friendly and things went smoothly, aside from my getting the pickles as our plates were cleared away. We were the only seated customers (a couple folks at the bar), and I hope they do better business on other days/​times. Overall, a decent place to grab a bite and beer before a movie.

COME FOR DRINKS — NOT FOOD.
You walk in and the décor gets you excited for your experience at The Torpedo Room. It’s so dark you probably won’t notice your sitting at what feels like a folding table in a cheap plastic chair. I sat patiently and just looked around at the cool environment waiting for a server. I eventually had to go to the bar and they acted surprised that I wanted to order (not rude, just surprised). I ordered Hummus with veggies and Salted Pita. The veggies were actually ONLY soggy carrots that tasted like a plastic bag and the salted pita were too salty and crunchy. The hummus also was flavorless and thick. Only come here if you wan’t to grab a beer before the movie, but with World of Beer just outside the door… maybe not.

A good place to get a quick bite before watching a movie. Good craft beer selection and mixed drinks. The Torpedo Room is inside Gateway Film Center. Don’t forget to buy a parking validation at the ticket booth, 3 hours for $ 1 if you are in the garage!

In a word: chaotic. We planned to dine here prior to seeing the Amy Winehouse documentary. The staff seemed so ill prepared that we eventually (15 minutes+) we approached the bar to place our dinner order. We were quickly dismissed and soon a server arrived. The server did not write down the order & came back to our table twice to verify. We ordered immediately as we feared missing our showtime.
I ordered the bratwurst boat (2 grilled brats, potato salad and corn) The corn was barely edible, not at all tender. The mustard dill potato salad was delish, but would have preferred the hot bratwurst NOT being served a top. Average brats.

After really enjoying our first visit to the Torpedo Room, we stopped by yesterday for a return visit. This unfortunately did not go as well as our first visit. Online, we saw that they open at 11am… so we show up at 11am and was told by the GFC staff that they actually don’t open until 1pm. Apparently The Torpedo Room had without prior notice changed their Sunday operating hours from 11am-​11pm to 1pm-​11pm on Sundays. Their website now reflects their new hours, but Unilocal and other dining websites have yet to catch up and still shows the wrong operating hours.
They advertise a brunch menu, but don’t open till 1pm on the weekends and 4pm on the weekdays. Really?
The girl working the concession stand at the GFC was kind enough to talk to her boss and get their kitchen working early so that we could order some food anyways, but we didn’t get to dine in the actual restaurant area and didn’t get the restaurant service that we were hoping for.
I’m not giving up on The Torpedo Room just yet, but seeing how fickle Columbus Food League restaurants seem to be (like the sudden closing of Surly Girl last month), I would advise against investing in any gift certificates or even Groupons for any Columbus Food League restaurants.

Great place to grab a drink before catching a movie at Gateway. The video screen, music, décor, and general ambiance make you feel like you’re in the Bioshock or Fallout universes, which is a big plus for me.

Consistent with the last reviewer, we liked the torpedo room. We went there understanding that it’s a small resturant, with limited kitchen capacity, attached to a movie theater. They have a very good craft beer selection, with an emphasis on Ohio breweries. The happy hour prices for Ohio craft beer was $ 4. One of us got their drink special which was good and strong.
The cheeseburgers were very good, and my husband enjoyed the ham torpedo sandwich. We did not try the pizzas which some reviewers found lacking in taste.
You can also order to take your meal and drinks into the theater with you.
The atmosphere was very relaxed as the customers were enjoying a light meal and drinks before watching a movie. A nice distinction from the other bar restaurants in the area.

Less than mediocre food and terrible service. I had almost the same exact experience as Kandice describes below.

I love that you can get beer-​to-​go and take it in the theater with you. And they have a pretty decent selection as well. But that’s as far as it goes for me.
We stopped in before a free showing to grab some snacks. I wanted fried pickles, and my guy was excited that I was finally willing to order fried pickles– but they were gross. I ate one pickle chip. I’m not sure what kind of pickles they were, and the breading was soggy and gross, and the dip (ranch? I don’t know) was pretty nasty looking and did nothing to cover up the gross pickle. We also got chips and queso and salse. The salsa was thicker than tomato paste, but didn’t tast horrible. The chips were loaded with pepper. I’m talking a thick layer of pepper. The queso was fine.
I ordered a ramblin’ house soda pop with a shot of bourbon in it. They’re out of soda pop. SO I order OYO bourbon on the rocks. Out of OYO bourbon, but they have Watershed bourbon. Ok, I’ll take that. She brings me gin. Which I hate.
Not a great experience. But our server was super sweet, so she saved the place form a one-​star review.

We came here with the Living Social deal. I ordered the pepperoni pizza, and my husband ordered the French dip. My pizza was certainly worse than I expected and my expectations were pretty low. Digorno pizza is better. I didn’t even bother asking my husband how his was. I could tell by looking at it. The bartender and server spent more time talking to each other than on our table (1 of 3 in the whole place). Then we got our bill, which reflected the discount. Bht then the server went back and ran our card for the whole amount! Like we wouldn’t notice? Ugh. They had a decent beer selection for a movie theater which is pretty much the only reason this isn’t a one star review.

I love the Gateway and come here all the time. Never tried this place before but we had a living social for $ 20 worth of free food so here I was before my movie.
1. happy hour is great! $ 4 cocktails and ohio beers until 7. I would go back just to drink before a movie. Plus you can bring a beer into the theater if you don’t finish.
2. Service was interesting to evaluate. The guy was super friendly and helpful in making recommendations. However after a long wait he told us the kitchen had never actually received our order. Then we randomly had another waiter take over for the second half of our meal. No warning or introduction. Oh well.
3. Most important the food. It was definitely not impressive. We had the nachos. The potato chips were awesome. The everything else was okay. We tried two of the three pizzas. Both were pretty bland and very small for $ 9.
Great drinks. Will get again. Wil probably never try food again on my own.

The Torpedo Room isn’t the usual Columbus Food League restaurant. It’s a partnership between the Gateway Film Center and Liz Lesnar, so it’s smaller and more intimate, with a menu to match. That’s something to keep in mind.
I went in during the brunch time, although they have the full menu available in addition to their brunch menu. The ham torpedo was delicious, especially with the stone ground mustard dip instead of basic stone ground mustard. It’s a great size, too, and the chips it’s served with have a great seasoning.
Overall, it’s a nice experience. Instead of going away somewhere for dinner after a movie, it’s a perfect place to go. Just a few steps past concessions! They also have a full bar and some great steampunk themed cocktails, and a new happy hour from 11pm-​1am Fri-​Sun. It’s definitely a better place to go than Ugly Tuna, to get away from the crowd and noise.

Next time you’re at the Gateway crying over the fact that you’re inside (or waiting in line to get into) Ugly Tuna, fear not! The Torpedo Room is tucked in through a door next to concessions, but if you can find it, you’re in for some affordable and tasty food and drinks. (Well, affordable in real world prices, maybe a little stiff for being on campus.)
Now, I still haven’t quite forgiven them for taking their Spicy Mac & Cheese Popcorn off the menu, but their chips and salsa/​queso are pretty good. They do need to work on proportions, though, because you get two giant cups of the dips, but only a handful of chips, and when we asked our bartender for more chips, she had to talk to management before giving us some more chips (and we still had some of the dips left over). I really love their green enchiladas, which are perfectly tangy and crispy on the sides, and their salads are inventive and delightful.
They have a small draft list of about 5 – 6 local beers, and they tend to be a little wild, which is great fun. You can choose from several cocktails, too, and some of them have absinthe. Is that even legal?
The décor is very intense, aiming halfway between being on a submarine and in a boutique cinema, with old silent films playing on a screen in addition to the movies playing on the TV screens at the bar. I like it, but the space that was here previously had great windows looking out to the plaza, and I wish the peep hole «windows» were actually see-​through instead of decorative.
The service is sometimes spotty, which seems to be due to the fact that the staff is split between concessions and the and restaurant. However, everyone is generally friendly and apologetic if something goes wrong. Unfortunately, there usually aren’t very many patrons, and we’re always wondering if it’s still going to be open when we stop by.

We recently checked out the Torpedo Room for drinks and dinner before a movie, and while I liked them a lot, you can see areas where they aren’t really up to quite the same level as other Columbus Food League sites.
They serve a relatively small menu, which makes a lot of sense given the way they’re tucked into the Gateway Film Center, and you can recognize the bones of several other CFL favorites in the cheese curd bites or their goldfish cracker mac ‘n’ cheese. The drink menu is a bit more extensive, and I like the attempt to create house drinks that match the steampunk style theme.
We did notice that service was a little uneven on the night we went in, and the staff seems a bit harried at times. The kitchen is sharing space with the main Gateway concessions, and it seems like some items might be sitting or getting rushed because of it. (I ordered the brussels sprouts appetizer, and it was pretty good, but about half my sprouts were so undercooked that they were almost raw).
Looking at other reviews, it seems like others are having similar up and down experiences. It almost feels like they’re not getting enough resources in terms of kitchen manpower — I don’t know how much staff they share with the main film center, but adding two or three more dedicated cooks and /​or bar staff feels like it could make a huge difference in the overall quality.

We chose to have a late lunch at the Torpedo Room after enjoying a film at the GFC. When we arrived (4 pm on Saturday), the restaurant was empty. The décor is deep sea/​steampunk chic and amusing, largely the reason why we chose to eat there. If measured against the entirely all-​consuming kitsch of the Grass Skirt Tiki Room, the Torpedo Room falls short and could use a little fleshing out. But the chandelier and scenic portholes are cool.
Our server was friendly, prompt, and attentive. He earned the 3^rd star for this place.
The cocktail and beer menu was pretty good, enough interesting choices for adventurous drinkers. I had the Kraken Stormy and enjoyed it, but thought it could have used a garnish of some sort.
The menu had salads, sandwiches, pizzas, and a few entrees. My party ordered the ham torpedo sandwich, the mac n cheese, and the Brussels sprouts side. Our order was out very quickly, which is a plus for a restaurant inside a theater.
The spicy popcorn that came with the sandwich was inedibly salty. The sub was solid. My order of Brussels sprouts was a tad underdone/​roasted unevenly and not quite what I expected. The mac n cheese was like a doctored up version of the creamy version from a box; not bad, per se, but could have benefited from more poblano chilies and red onion throughout, as well as a different choice of cheese melted on top. From the looks of the way it browned along the edges of the casserole dish, processed American cheese (and another white cheese) was used and it just doesn’t melt that well under a broiler.
All said, I’d give this place another shot for a post-​movie cocktail and a dessert, but probably wouldn’t make a special trip for lunch or dinner.

There’s a Liz Lesser flavor or style or something that’s palpable in all her restaurants. It’s not bad, but you definietly notice a common thread running through these eateries, making each one a bit less of a surprise.
I had a good time here. The staff were… odd, but in a friendly, happily memorable way. The flatbread I had was tasty. The beer selection was great.
This is a great spot to grab a quick dinner before a movie or, like me, between double-​headers. It’s a welcome addition to the Gateway.

I dearly want the Torpedo Room to be good and I will try it again and again as it works out its kinks and rises to the level of Liz’s other restaurants. The Gateway theatre is my favorite theatre and it is so nice to have a place to go before a film.
The staff are great. They are friendly and helpful. The beer and wine — perfect. The food needs a little help.
I have eaten the Brussels sprout flat bread and while it wasn’t really warm enough it did have good flavor and I would try it again, Another time we shared chicken enchiladas. They were dry with very little of the canned green sauce on them, I’m ok with canned green sauce and I use it at home when I’m in a hurry. But enchiladas need sauce. They should sit in a pool. I lived in Mexico and maybe my standards for enchiladas are high for Ohio but the ones I had at the Torpedo Room really missed the mark. I mentioned it to our gracious server who said she would tell the kitchen.
We also shared the wings — supposedly fiery hot but again dry, overcooked and with no heat. They were kind of like yesterday’s wings warmed in a microwave.
We also shared the mac and cheese with sausage. The sausage was delicious. The mac and cheese was massive. I suggest cutting the mac and cheese portion down and making it creamier and cheesier. It too was somewhat dry.
These notes are offered in hopes that the menu continues to refine and improve. Again, I will definitely go back and try other things on the menu. Two visits to a new restaurant is not enough data to base a definitive opinion on.

Tried this place out last night before seeing a movie at the gateway. First of all, our poor planning left us with about 40 minutes to eat before the movie, and the waiter was awesome about telling us what could be made fastest, what he enjoyed off the menu and being speedy about it all without rushing us. We ate the Brussel sprout flat bread, chicken wings and my 4 year old son got a plain quesadilla. All of it was good, the flat bread was Awe-​some.
We ordered drinks, one specialty cocktail and I requested a Moscow Mule. Our waiter had never heard of a Moscow Mule, so there’s that, but it came out exactly how I’d expected, maybe a little stronger too. And the specialty cocktail we had was really great, it was big, had a kick and was still drinkable. Perfect for the price.
And as far as my son goes, he was psyched that we were in a «submarine restaurant» for dinner before treating him to a movie. Not bad I’d say.

The Torpedo Room is the newest addition to the Columbus Food League series of restaurants, which includes restaurants such as Surly Girl Saloon and Grass Skirt Tiki Room among several others. A group of us were celebrating two birthdays, and since dinner and a movie sounded fun, we thought we’d check out this establishment located within the Gateway Theater. We ordered a wide assortment of cocktails and food to share, but since their website doesn’t have their menu listed and I can’t quite remember what we specifically ordered, I can only give the gist of my experience.
Overall, I got a good vibe from this place. The place was empty when we arrived, which made us a tad nervous but it made sense since they were new and we were here on a weekday evening. The bartenders and servers were extremely attentive and had a great sense of humor, and they checked in with us often. One of us ordered a drink that they hadn’t heard of, so we looked up the recipe for the cocktail and they were eager to custom make it for us.
My biggest complaint however was the food. There wasn’t anything that was so bad that I’d refuse to eat it, but I really disliked one of their flatbreads and their beans dish, and there wasn’t anything we ordered that stood out to me. We tried both types of wings on the menu and they felt a little too greasy, the mac and cheese dish was lukewarm and a tad stringy, and their specialty cocktails were a little too watered down.
I do understand that they’re still going through a preview period and that they were working on optimizing their menu. Between the great service and the cool steam punk décor, I can see myself returning for another dinner and movie night just so I can see how their menu has improved. I’ll keep my eyes peeled.