Though the word “grill” maintains its spot in the name of the Columbus dive bar, no food is served at Mike’s Grill though that was not always the case, hamburgers and hot dogs sold from windows out front during the 1970s. Mike’s Grill was even the focus of an effort during the 1980s to revoke its liquor license, undertaken by the Italian Village society in response to some of the rough customers known to frequent the bar. With those historical footnotes in mind, it is easy to see Mike’s Grill as a kind of Midwestern saloon, the wood out front, the shotgun style footprint, the worn surfaces throughout.
A visit to Mike’s Grill is a visit with a set of regulars, some of them long-time patrons of the bar over decades. Lining up at the penny-laden bar top, some of these loyal drinks have favorite seats, favorite stories, favorite inside jokes with the bartender. That vibe is part of the allure of the space, the kind of communal, authentic connection hard to replicate at an upscale Italian restaurant or dimly-lit martini bar.
Naturally, Mike’s Grill is cash-only, though it doesn’t take too much cash to work through an evening within the Short North bar. A few steps away from countless bars offering $20 signature cocktails, Mike’s Grill is refreshingly affordable. Happy hour here drops prices down to price levels that hover around $2 for selected options and the Mike’s Grill signature offering is probably the $1 Jello shot (keep an eye out for the suggestive signs marketing the shots throughout the space).