SFG Neighborhood Guide
Short North Dive Bar Guide
There Are Divey Gems To Be Found
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Short North Dive Bars
Short North Breweries & Non-Dives
Short North Divey Food
Short North Attractions
Columbus Dive Bar Guide
Ohio Dive Bar Guide
Reviewed Short North Dive Bars
SFG Rating
8
Short North
Char Bar
Beware the haunted basement.
SFG Rating
7
Short North
Short North Tavern
Short North dive holdout.
SFG Rating
6
Short North
Mike's Grill
Jello shots & 40's in Columbus.
Other Recommended Short North Bars & Breweries
Not every drink has to be a divey one, we suppose. Other great bar and brewery options are listed below to round out your travels in slightly more sophisticated surroundings.
Sacred Palm
Shaking off the ghost of Char Bar, Sacred Palm is the password-required speakeasy that exists in what looks to be a large beer cooler in the Mikey’s Late Night Slice basement just north of Char Bar. While the concept is basement speakeasy, the drink selection leans toward tiki drinks, an intriguing pair to the thin, floppy-style pizza served overhead. Sacred Palm is only open select hours a bit later in the evening, so be sure to time your visit appropriately. The small space can become crowded quickly, a wait sometimes forming for the privilege of passing refrigerated condiments to get inside.
Half Baked
The Short North benefits from alternative experiences to break up the high-end restaurants that have swarmed the area, Half Baked one such beneficial recent addition. Half Baked combines graffiti, skater culture and a brewery fueled by unusual flavor combination, all of it crammed into a small High Street location. Though beer varieties rotate, past drink options have included a Snickers-themed stout and something called Fight Milk, a “boozy white hot cocoa.” Local art can be seen throughout the space, Half Baked routinely donating a portion of the bar’s proceeds to local arts charities.
Local Bar
Behind one of the few parking lots in the Short North that runs along High Street, Local Bar can sometimes be overlooked nestled in the corner of a small strip mall. In keeping with the theme of this bar crawl, Local Bar pre-exists some of the trendier gentrification that has taken place in the Short North, the hipster-friendly spot long a sticker-covered, art-covered destination. The beer selection here is extensive, the surroundings eclectic and the vibe a few degrees more laid back than the Short North standard.
Short North Hole-In-The-Wall Food Ideas
A nice evening wandering neighborhood streets is best fueled by at least a little something in one's stomach. These area options fit our divey vibe and will fit into any neighborhood bar crawl.
Press Grill
Press Grill is another Short North original, the long, narrow diner a largely unchanged experience as redevelopment has engulfed its immediate surroundings. Crucially for the area, the Press Grill kitchen stays open until 1 AM, the kind of good food lifeline that can save a night (or a bar crawl). A full bar is available as well, of course, but the signature offerings here are all culinary, from the meatloaf sandwich to the Thursday night special, a full Thanksgiving dinner complete with turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes. For those looking for a little bar crawl fuel, the loaded cottage fries are highly recommended.
Short North Area Attractions & Ideas
Shockingly enough, cities are filled with stores, museums and other attractions that serve little or no food & drink. We think these stops would fit in well with a dive-lined stroll through the neighborhood.
Big Fun
Big Fun Columbus provides a break in the drinking action, a perfect time to marvel at the sometimes eye-popping prices for toys you no doubt played with and discarded as a child. Part toy museum and full-time retail temptation, Big Fun stocks vintage action figures, dolls, games and everything between, every possible fandom represented here. Star Wars, GI Joe, Simpsons, Transformers and everything in between can be found in the densely-packed, hole-in-the-wall retail space.
Other Columbus Neighborhood Guides
German Village
3 Dive Bars
Grandview Heights
4 Dive Bars
Old North Columbus
3 Dive Bars
OSU Campus
6 Dive Bars
Contact Us
What did we miss? Where should we go? We'd love to hear your ideas, your favorite spots, your profound disappointments and anything in between.
