On this reviewer’s recent visit, an afternoon burger stop, children were part of a couple of the groups grabbing food at one of the low tables, which might sometimes be a bit of a turn off for a dive bar experience but here feels perfectly in tune with the local, neighborhood, grab a beer and watch the game vibe at Johnnie’s Tavern. The ceiling definitely feels a bit low, as mentioned, another element of the presentation that only heightens that feeling that we’re all huddled in here together, away from the world for a bit, particularly on a cold Ohio day.
Word of advice to first-timers, make sure the door closes behind you. This reviewer learned quickly that Johnnie’s is locked in a timeless battle with a cold draft that bursts through any gap in the aging door, meaning if you don’t close it, a local is going to have to get up and do it for you. The bar itself stretches one long wall of the space, surrounded by the previously mentioned booths and tables, a doorway to the kitchen in back just next to the bar. Behind, one of the more epic Schlitz beer lights this reviewer has ever seen hovers over the tap selection that expands beyond domestic dive bar favorites into a handful of Ohio-based craft selections.
The food menu does extend beyond burgers, though new visitors are encouraged to at least give a nod to what has gained Johnnie’s its food reputation over the years. Fried appetizers, a fried bologna sandwich that was pretty difficult to resist and coney’s served on Wednesdays only make up a few of the other menu highlights. It’s the kind of menu that instantly makes a place feel comfortable. If this is the kind of place that specializes in burgers, fries and fried bologna, it’s an easy mental leap to see it as an inviting place for a beer or five as well.
The walls aren’t necessarily thick with faded photographs and ancient decorations, but a handful of classic dive bar decoration elements can be seen along the wood paneling behind the bar. A black & white photo here, an interesting mural there, a beer can airplane suspended from the ceiling caps it off. And that really encapsulates Johnnie’s Tavern, a local spot built for locals, a welcoming dive bar experience hidden in plain sight along the side of a busy road that just happens to have some of the finest burgers in Columbus paired with an equally inviting environment.