German Village Bar Crawl

German Village's charm is all brick-lined streets and upscale dining. Just kidding, dive bars.

Connected by a network of brick-laid streets, German Village is Columbus’ most scenic urban neighborhood, a patchwork of parks, restaurants, shops and some amazingly expensive homes. The area, just south of downtown Columbus, dates back to 1814, with German immigrants growing the area considerably during the mid-1800s. Luckily for us, on the back of that considerable history, German Village also hosts some of the city’s best places to grab a beer.

And the area is not without its dichotomy, with one of the city’s most expensive restaurants, Lindey’s, just a handful of blocks away and on the same street as one the city’s finest dive bars, Beck Tavern. Parsons Avenue, the eastern edge of the area, is the current gentrification corridor du jour in Columbus, with new development extending the reach of German Village’s amenities into new territory.

The Short North may grab a higher share of tourist and weekend traffic thanks to its more compact layout, but German Village is the classic and enduring soul of the city, with more than enough food, alcohol, books and bars to fuel a lengthy night out.

819 Mohawk St, Columbus, OH 43206

Fueling up is often a good way to start the night, and the Old Mohawk is a great place to lay that foundation. The atmosphere is casual, the menu is robust and the exposed brick interior provides that hint of class needed before delving into a dive bar evening.

564 S High St, Columbus, OH 43215

One of the city’s most popular dive bars, High Beck is not to be confused with Beck Tavern, seen later on our tour. A ping pong table, a dart board alcove and a web of Christmas lights add the ambiance to this corner bar.

547 S High St, Columbus, OH 43212

Across the street from High Beck, Classic’s is an underrated anchor of the area and often a venue for live music. A back bar features all the tv and beer you may need, and provides some nice seclusion from the show up front.

185 E Livingston Ave, Columbus, OH 43215

The sign outside screams dive bar, but the interior is honestly too nice to classify Club 185 as a dive. Depending on your perspective, that can be a good or bad thing, but a great neighborhood bar is a universal truth, and this one has good food as a bonus.

284 E Beck St, Columbus, OH 43206

The dive bar king of the area, Beck Tavern is a small hovel of a space, with extensive built-in wooden seating and a dangerously cramped dart room. The space can feel small on a busy night, but therein lies the charm.

685 Parsons Ave, Columbus, OH 43206

A new addition to the area, Parsons North anchors a section of Parsons Avenue that has seen a burst of new development. Despite its relative youth, the beer offerings are diverse and high quality, with a spacious back patio to boot.

743 Parsons Ave, Columbus, OH 43206

The sauce is sweet, and if that’s not your thing, you’ve been warned. But the interior is everyone’s thing, an absolute throwback that feels a little bit like a classic diner crossed with a pizza shop, with some interesting pricing benefits for buying pitchers, always a good thing.

361 E Whittier St, Columbus, OH 43206

And if there was ever a place to end the night, Hey Hey is a great candidate, with some late night sauerkraut balls the signature offering (order spicy). The beer selection is robust and the back room is eclectic, a fun mismatch of old trophies, weird couches and long tables in front of a short stage.

Cut the pretentious with a dive bar.

College without the crippling debt.