Gary’s Hole In One

To counter other reviews that say nothing about the food.

Cute lil place! The bartender was great, very friendly & prompt! The place is nicely decorated & from what i can tell, clean.
The shots are large, but you remember, you pay for what you get, so don’t be sticker shocked but for a decent drink & quiet, clean place, I like the place. Oh & it’s connected to a Chinese restaurant that I thought had the most amazing Chinese food I’ve had in 15yrs in Ohio.
Some day I’ll review the actual restaurant, but the food was great!

My first visit to the Hole-​In-​One (5 years ago) went a little something like this. And I keep coming back for more:
Let me tell you about this place, he said.
It’s hidden in the back of the China Bell restaurant, next to a boarded-​up motel that used to be the scene of multiple shootings, stabbings, prostitution busts, and other lurid activities. I think bikers used to run the joint, maybe even a branch of the Hell’s Angels.
He said this in a tone that seemed to suggest you’d have no interest in such a thing and that this was out of your league and that you wouldn’t be caught dead in a bar in which known felons once slammed down shots of Wild Turkey, 151, and other thoroughly unpalatable and hair-​straightening libations.
Sounds wonderful, you say flatly after gulping down the last of your second gin and tonic. He looks surprised, you confidently ask for the check. You are not overly excited about heading to this bar but you’ll be damned if the past demons that may or may not still haunt the place will intimidate you.
So you and he pile into his 4-​door economy import and drive the short distance to the Hole-​In-​One Tavern, which is indeed stashed in the back of a China Bell restaurant and indeed slightly on the unseemly side. You find that there’s always something mysterious and secretive about establishments in which you enter from the rear. The car is parked, and your immediate surroundings come into focus:
Straight ahead — what appears to be the lobby of the boarded-​up motel. You make out what appears to be a condemned/​no trespassing/​keep out notice posted by the health department. However, it’s much too dark to know for sure, as, in keeping with the general theme of deferred maintenance in the immediate area, the parking lot lights appear to have burned out.
Car interior right — Dark. Probably an extension of the parking lot, but it’s impossible to know for certain. The gates of Hell could lurk in that darkness, and no one would be the wiser.
Behind — Fast food chain drive-​thru. You hear an annoying, high-​pitched voice ordering trans fats and grease.
Car interior left — Here sits the entrance to the Hole-​In-​One Tavern. Unassuming glass door, behind which lies a drab hallway, resplendent in the very best carpeting that 1973 had to offer.
Ready? He asks.
You both exit the car and as you get closer to the motel lobby, you see that it is indeed a condemned notice and you think of all the scurrying creatures that likely inhabit the structure now. This instantaneously makes your skin crawl and you rub your arms as if to knock off any fleas, roaches, or other vermin that may have somehow worked their way on to your person in the 10-​foot walk from the car to the bar entrance.
He looks at you with a bit of a knowing smile, certain that you have been unable to avoid being overcome with abject fear at the thought of actually imbibing an adult beverage in this environment, as he takes you for more of a fancy, metrosexual character. He has a valid point, as you drink high-​end gin and normally drink at bars in the heart of the city, but a drink is a drink. You will order one in this establishment with your head held high, just as you would at a trendy tapas bar that charges $ 15 for a lavender-​infused martini.
You ignore his glance and stride briskly toward the door, realizing that when you arrive, you must take an abrupt right turn through another set of mahogany doors. The actual bar is tucked away in here. The ghosts of drunken bastards leer uncomfortably at you, but you vow to press on.
He opens the door for you and gives a slight wave, indicating you are to enter first. With a deep breath and an ever-​so-​subtle stutter-​step, you enter the Hole-​In-​One.
And the rest is history. Go here tonight.

Gary’s Hole In One feels like an over-​sized den or rec room. It’s comfortable and nice but not too fancy. I’d call it a dive bar — without the dive. It caters to a clientele that’s mostly Gen X’s with a few Boomers and Gen Y’s mixed in. It’s definitely an alternative to the typical sports bar scene that attracts the meat market, d-​bag, bro and hipster crowd.
I’ve got to tell you that this is a great place to relax after a rough day. If you feel like putting your feet up and talking with a few friends or maybe even if you want to bring in a book and sit and read for a while, there’s an über comfortable love seat and some chairs that are very butt friendly. You can grab a cocktail at the bar or have a seat at one of the tables and order some dinner to be brought over from the attached China Bell Restaurant. The Spicy Crab Rangoon are wonderful by the way…
This is a legit cocktail lounge. They have a full bar and Carla the bartender pours a good drink. Their beer selection covers all the basics and they’ve got a few crafts for variety. This place only has two Unilocal reviews even though they’ve been here for about 2 years now, so I’m going to call this place a true hidden gem. It’s one of my favorite places to go for cocktails. Want to join me sometime?

I wandered into this place one evening when I first moved to town. I can’t say enough great things about the bartender, Carla! She has lived and worked in the area all her life and was so nice, attentive and informative that I ended up making this my regular watering hole. Although it’s connected to a Chinese restaurant, the bar itself is in a separate room that isn’t staffed until around 4pm. They share a kitchen but in addition to Chinese dishes, they also offer some pub food, like burgers and fries. The music and TVs are kept at a volume that allows for conversation and the place is never too crowded. There is also a sofa next to one of the TVs if you want to kick back and watch a Buckeye game like you would in your own living room. There is a fenced patio with tables for outdoor diners and/​or smokers. I’ve never seen anything rowdy or inappropriate here so I would even say it’s safe to bring your children here for dinner early in the evening. Lastly, I have to mention that darn game machine on the corner where some of us regulars spend hours trying to beat each others’ scores :-)