The Treebar

Treebar has been around for a minute. Any Columbus-​ite knows that. This dive is a bit out-​of-​the-​way however, every now and then I end up here around happy hour time to shoot a few games of pool and get to know the smoker’s on the patio.
If you’re looking for a chill place to kick off your evening and are in the area, swing by and check it out. It’s slightly hard to find if you’re unfamiliar so Google is your friend in this case. Best friend actually.
The bands and shows are usually top notch so since it’s a small venue, get there early to snag a place to stand.

I went to a Mummula show at the Treebar when I was visiting Columbus. It’s less of a concert venue and more of a carpeted room with a tree stump in the middle, but after the shot of Old Granddad and the PBR pounder, I didn’t really care that much. I love this place – it’s weird, but that’s what’s good about it. Would definitely recommend. Hope I get to visit again!

You have to understand what a dive bar truly is to understand why this place is worthy of five stars. First, it’s not even on a road. Yeah, the address says it’s on Chambers but it’s not. It’s in the alley. More specifically it’s in an ally off of an ally. There are no widows. The building is concrete block. Treebar is known for being a music destination, but calling it a venue probably gives people the wrong impression. This is a dive bar that has a room where bands play. There’s no stage. The band is on one side of the room, and the audience is on the other.
What makes this place great is that the staff knows what they’re doing. They know music, they know beer, and they know whiskey. You can drink some really good stuff in this place and not pay a whole hell of a lot of money.
It’s dark, drafty, and beat to hell, but it’s not depressing. It’s like a clubhouse for people who aren’t douches.

Cool hip place to chill at. Good music, pool, and occasional live performances. cool place that’s kinda hidden adding to it’s awesomeness

Among the best dive bars in Columbus, and what a great whiskey selection! Parking is the only thing that’s a little tough, but you’ll figure it out.

Part of me really likes Treebar, and part of me really dislikes Treebar.
No kidding that this place is like a hipster dive bar, but I also witnessed it becoming a midlife crisis bar as well.
Treebar’s redeeming qualities are that it is unique in it’s own way, and isn’t just your standard one room bar. If you want to escape from a shit band, then you can easily tear out to the patio, or the main bar area.
The tree thing is cool, but part of me HATES the fact that the viewing area is smaller than the actual bar area. Talk about a pack of sardines in a sauna once the main gig hits. All I could think was, «That damn thermostat on that wall AC is fucking lying.» It is NOT a comfortable 76 degrees in here.
Rock it and sweat it out.
Even dives have a sound guy, but Treebar does not. The bands have to mix their own sound on a shit soundboard screwed to the wall, which ended in this situation…
Dude from the crowd yelling at vocals–
Dude: DUDE! We can’t hear your vocals! Turn it up!
Main Singer: Man, we are up all the way. Sorry, bro!
NOTE– the main vocals was NOT a light singer, either. lol
One redeeming feature to this trippy place was that they have an arcade machine, which houses all the great classics, so I could occupy my time blasting the shit outta enemy space ships, while some crap starting bands were blasting the crap outta music.
Bar prices here are average for mixed drinks, but I witnessed the following:
Dude: Hey can I get a can of that pale ale?
Bar tender: Sure. *slides can of ale to dude*
*dude opens can*
Bartender: That’ll be 4 bucks.
Treebar… I think we’re on a love-​hate relationship, Bro.

What can I say, I’m from C-Bus…I love the TreeBar!

I never came here when the bar actually housed a tree, so I can’t speak to its former character versus how it is currently. I can say that it’s a cool little place and I like it.
My friends and I were the only people in one night other than the bartender’s friends, and the bartender let us have some free plays on the jukebox. The pool table is in a separate room, so you don’t have to worry about jabbing innocent bar patrons with your pool cue. Beers are pretty reasonably priced.

The big update on the tree bar is, well, the tree is gone. Apparently, it was dead and causing a whole host of terrible problems like bugs, mold, structural collapse, and other such miscellaneous imminent doom. So the tree is no more. The place is cleaner, for sure, and it looks like it is transition, so I won’t belabor the lack of character right now. Just be aware this ain’t the tree bar of the past. The worst part, however, is that they left the stump. I get the need for a memorial, but it just makes me sad. I can’t even look at it. Maybe it’s all for the best and other such nonsense, but, whatever. Boo hoo. Change sucks.

Few things make me feel as old as saying «when I lived in Campus View apartments…» but yeah, that’s the last time I’ve been to Andyman’s Treehouse. Even though Andyman’s passed, it’ll always be Andyman’s to me — from the times he bought me shots and beers when I was in there drinking my sorrows away while he drank to his friend’s passing.
It wasn’t a hip place. It wasn’t «the» place — it was just a cool little hidden bar, that felt like a secret whenever you went there. It’s obvious it holds the snobbish eliteness by the hipster kids even then — it was only four years ago, but still the crowd was obviously there to be there *ironically* and the older crowd was definitely trying to cling to their youth and their PBR and their «youthful ideology — they didn’t sell out, they bought in» — it was always awesome people watching, awesome juke box, and awesome bartenders.

Of all the bars i’ve been to in Columbus, this is the one where I am most likely to run into honest-​to-​goodness good musicians just sitting around talking and having beers.
The fact that it’s also a total dive isn’t much of a deterrence.

The Treehouse has a special place in my heart. I first visited years ago with a boy I had been dating casually, and we had a few too many drinks of liquid honesty one night, and the Treehouse provided a backdrop for us moving from something casual to a relationship. It was a good night:)
It’s a fantastic little bar though. Good drinks, comfy cozy couches, charming room where the bands play, with of course, the tree in the center of the room. I only wish there was more seating. I could handle a better bathroom situation as well. Sometimes they lock, sometimes they don’t…It’s a fun little game to play.

Much like other reviews of this place, I am not sure whether I love or hate this place.
Getting to this bar was harder than finding a white guy at the source awards. I was told to come to this bar by a friend who is into the Columbus local music scene. I had always heard that the Treehouse was a prime-​time place for a great show, but I was skeptical.
Parking was atrocious. Assuming you found a spot that you did not get towed, you had to also find the alley which the bar was at. Yet everything changes once you enter the bar. Having band paraphernalia all over the walls is a big thumbs up for me that tells me this isn’t your typical bar bar. Plus I love looking at what bands put together for promotion. The seedy undertone of the place made me feel like this was something mysterious and special all at the same time. There is also only one tv at the bar which is super awesome cause you can actually talk with people.
Oh yea and did I mention that the main stage has a giant tree growing in the middle of the room! MOST AWESOME THING IN A BAR.
If it wasn’t for the music, I don’t think I would have come to this bar, but I am glad I did. This may turn out to be a great saturday night hang out.

I can’t tell if I love or hate this place. Maybe that’s the charm.
I hear its an amazing place to see live music, but I can’t really see why. My band played there the other week and it was a pretty mixed impression I got.
First of all, its damn hard to find. Even with the address and an iPhone. Parking isn’t clearly marked for what is the Treehouse and what will get you towed.
Its made of basically 3 rooms. To the far left is the bar and piano. This is the most open room. In the middle there’s pool table. And then to the far right there’s a room for the music– which has a large tree in it. Literally coming up through the center of the room.
I think I had a better sound system for concerts in my garage when I was 14. (It was pretty impressive and when we had shows it upset neighbors for a mile around). There is no sound guy, so whatever band you’re seeing play will constantly be asking you, «Does it sound ok? Can you hear us?». No stage means that you’re toe to toe with your favorite little band, but also that you’re unlikely to be able to see anything unless you’re tall or right in the front (if its crowded, which it wasn’t). Also a little more likely to get hit with a guitar or something.
Its a bit dirty. In the type of way that would make CBGB’s proud. But if it gives them more hipster cred whatever. However, I’m a little afraid of spiders, so clearing some of the webs in the tree-​room would be nice.
The guy who does piano karaōke was super nice. The bartender was pretty nice and swift as well, but the lack of drafts left me wanting a little more. Its bad when my last house had more kegs than a legitimate bar.
On the positive side, once you settle in, its a neat atmosphere. No one was annoying, no douchebag OSU students screaming at a game on TV, and in fact no sports games being played at all on any TVs. I appreciate a bar that lacks HDTVs on every wall.
i also like that they do have a green room to put gear in, and there’s no back door that people will leave with equipment while you’re not looking. Always a plus. Also appreciated was the fact that they do accept credit cards.
I’d imagine when its a good night there, it feels like watching a band play in your living room. Could be pretty interesting. But the super DIY feel of the place left me a little cold feeling. They could try just a little harder and things would be pretty damn perfect in there.

This is the hippest dive bar I have ever seen. Or maybe hipster-​est. One of those.
Now don’t get me wrong by my 3-​star review. I like this place. It’s shabby and run-​down, but it’s fun and it works. what doesn’t work for me is how just plain dirty it is. There were cobwebs everywhere. not just little wispy cobwebs but your-grandparents’-nearly-abandoned-basement level of curtain-​thick cobwebs. seriously? please invest in a vacuum.
On the basis of hipness, I like this place. It has a pool table, a piano, some couches, and a tree. The piano provides karaōke. Live-​action karaōke is a musing I’ve wanted to execute forever, and Treehouse beat me to it. The guy who runs the piano karaōke is awesome. Five-​star karaōke.
The bar is lacking. There is no draft, and they will probably be out of the beer you want. Then again, the price is definitely right. $ 2 – 4 for bottles, and my impression is that hard stuff is somewhere in a similar range. I guess I should be relieved they don’t have drafts, because if they can’t keep their ceilings cobweb free they probably wouldn’t do a good job at keeping their keg lines clean if they had them. eww.
The layout is kind of weird, and the room with the live music sound system is mostly tree. It’s basically the size of a kindergarten classroom, which is chill, but the sound is pretty low quality. Oh, and one of their amps caught on fire when I was here last week. I repeat, it CAUGHT ON FIRE. ghetto-​fabulous.

I was at the Treehouse both Friday and Saturday this weekend for shows, and after the first night I was ready to write a scathing re-​review — but knowing I had to go back last night, I decided to wait. I guess time makes me a bit soft, or the second night wasn’t as annoying as the first, but either way I got a big dose of the bar formerly known as Andyman’s (RIP), so let me tell you what the deal was.
This place, as I said before, reminds me of what I thought Ohio would be like before I moved here — it’s like the Drew Carrey Show or something (sorry, Ohioans, that WAS my only reference as a child). Plus, a tree in the middle. Two dollar PBR bottles I can deal with, especially since I don’t always have to buy my own (the boy played here twice this weekend), but rude menfolk, especially ones who work there — I cannot deal with that at all. The women bartenders were perfectly lovely — I just wish they had been there Friday night when I really had to pee and the women’s bathroom was occupied… forever.
Since no one was in the men’s bathroom, and since the men’s bathroom doesn’t lock (my friend informed me that it also did not lock when he was seventeen and used to sneak into shows… ten years ago), I asked the dude bartender and some of his fellow brahs if they wouldn’t mind watching the bathroom door for me so I could just quickly go to the bathroom. Now, I’m sorry, but anywhere else, that exchange would go like this:
Mel: Do you mind watching the bathroom so I can go real quick?
Dude: Sure, no problem.
But at the Treehouse, apparently, that exchange goes like THIS:
Mel: Do you mind watching the bathroom so I can go real quick?
Dude: What? Why? Why can’t you just go to the girl’s bathroom?
Mel: Because someone has been in there for a while and I have to pee.
Dude: What, no, this is the men’s room. You should go in the women’s room.
Mel: WHAT? No, someone is still in there. The lock is broken on the men’s room — can you just watch it for me for like 30 seconds so I can go?
Dude: No, you should go to the girl’s room…
Infuriated, and plotting my next Unilocal review, I flung myself into the unlocked men’s room anyway (seriously, people, it is a SIGN on a DOOR and that is about it), and used the facilities faster than ever, because I’d witnessed the guy before me get walked in on twice because of the broken lock. What the hell was so wrong with those hipster douchbags that they couldn’t look out for a girl for a minute, instead opting to philosophize and/​or fuckwit? Where are your MANNERS? In. sulted. I emerged triumphantly (the world did not end because I used a bathroom with a sign that said «men» on it and a had urinal next to the toilet, omggg), glaring at the bearded gentlemen, one in oversized sunglasses and a faux fur coat.
Well, I was going to write a really terrible review after that, but everything else the last two nights was pretty A-​OK. Other than the bunch of hipsters at the bar NOT watching the bands on the first night (Cotton Jackson is in no way ironic about their love of nudie bars and pickup trucks, so I completely understand, HA), nothing was particularly annoying. I was a bit surprised by the hipster element, however, because last time I was here, I remember the crowd being a bit older — it might have just been the show I was at.
Regardless, this place is still weirdly set up, it’s like someone’s basement, the bartenders are mostly nice, and there is a nice back patio. Someone decided to play the entire Queen is Dead album by the Smiths on the jukebox last night, so I can’t speak to it’s outstandingness now, but I do remember there being good selections. I like the intimacy of shows here, but I don’t know that I fully embrace this awkward space. And after the bathroom incident of 2011, I’m fairly put off. How rude!

I don’t get it, but whatever.

I wanted to give the Treehouse a higher rating but after this most recent visit I just can’t.
The concept and layout are great. Yes — the tree makes it difficult to see… get over yourself and get up & personal toward the front. The performance space is smallish, so no need for a huge sound system or soundman. Makes it feel like you’re at a private party with the band in uncle Lester’s basement versus being out in one of the more traditional style venues.
Oh, musicians — there’s a green room for your equipment needs… bonus.
I’m not a pool player but the small room where the table is seems adequate and nice enough. The bar room is cozy with its leather couches, Elvis lighting and jukebox. A nice retreat if the band is lacking that certain sparkle…
The hard-​to-​find location is nice because it keeps the crowd down to those who really want to be there. A definite plus for a place so close to campus…
The killer of this place is the price. I don’t remember drink prices being so bad on my previous dozen or so visits… $ 4.50 for a 12oz bottle of Abita? For two of those I could buy an entire six pack! Same with the Great Lakes bottles: $ 4.00 each. These aren’t pints, guys… these are the same bottles I can get at Kroger. And after paying $ 5.00 at the door (which seems to be the unfortunately standard rate in Cbus), I am a bit gunshy about taking a hit for beer. And yes, I know that PBR is supposedly the drink of choice in this hipster era, but I may as well drink Natty Light and relive my undergrad years…
Treehouse, I used to love you… but from now on, unless it’s an act that I really love… I’ll be enjoying my drinks somewhere like Tip Top or Surly Girl, where for those prices I am getting a pint.

This is THE bar to go to see music in Columbus. It is tiny, tucked away in a corner of the city that not many people know. It’s a dive bar, and a great one. They’ve got a huge selection of beers (all bottled) and a full service liquor bar.
It was originally owned by the late Andy «Andyman» Davis and Quinn Fallon. The bar was taken over by the Palma family in June of 2008. It is essentially the same place, but the jukebox has been improved, they’ve added a PacMan tabletop game, and the stage lighting has gotten a lot better (there’s even a carpeted performance area now).
The venue’s famous feature is the 200+ year old silver maple tree in the middle of the performance room, affectionately called the tree room. But they are also known for cheap drinks and a great outdoor patio on the back of the bar.
They’re also known for several events that they hold every year, like Halloween Weekend, Homecoming, and Prom.

«The bar that’s hard to find and even harder to leave.»
It’s tagline is something very similar to that, if not that exact phrasing.
Previously owned by Andyman of CD101 fame, this bar has a stellar ambiance. It’s a total dive in some respects. The beer is cheap, the jukebox is amazing, it’s tiny and tucked away on an obscure portion of Chambers road. The performance area has a friggin’ tree growing through the floor, taking up prime real estate for band viewing. Gotta love it. The pool table is pretty cheap as I recall. It’s kind of hard to reach if you don’t drive and even more difficult to get home if you did drive. Probably a bad idea for regular olé drinking if you don’t live close by, but a great place to catch some local talent.

If you have an appreciation for local music, dive bars, and interesting conversation, this is the place for you. If you want to see and be seen, hook up with the latest star quarterback or show off your new Jimmy Choo’s…not your bar!
This place rocks, literally! It is like no other… even Esquire magazine says so (see link to article below). You must give it a go!