Grandview sister site retains pub tradition
The Press Pub on 5th continues a tradition of laid-back tavern fare started by its sibling, Press Grill, decades ago in the Short North.
The Grandview Heights-area pub, which opened two years ago, proudly serves the Press burger ($5.50, $7 for a double and $8 for a triple), topped with a fried egg, sunny-side up, on a toasted bun.
“It mixes all pretty well together for a pretty tasty sandwich,” said Binoy Mathew, who owns the new location with Scott Kay and Jake Skiroski.
Mathew and Kay have owned the Press Grill for 11 years.
One of the pub’s signature pizzas is the Dover-New Philadelphia option ($13.50) — named for two cities in Tuscarawas County — which uses ladles of tomato sauce, pepperoni and Colby cheese made in neighboring Holmes County.
As the story goes, Mathew said, mozzarella was hard to get during World War II, so What: Press Pub on 5th Address: 1505 W. 5th Ave. Hours: 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays; noon to 11:30 p.m. Sundays Contact: 614-817-1198, www.presspubon5th bargrandviewoh.com
the Italian population in the eastern Ohio county would buy Colby from the Amish community. The tradition stuck. “We get a lot of people from that area who get that pizza here,” he said. “As with all pizzas, you love what you grew up with.”
The jumbo chicken wings (six for $8, 10 for $13 and 20 for $22) are crispy.
All of the sauces are given a special touch, Mathew said. The honey barbecue uses real honey for a tangysweet combo. Some add hot sauce to spice things up.
Ranch and bluecheese dipping sauces are mixed in-house, too — with a little red-wine vinegar added to the latter for zip.
The Press is known for its daily specials. On Sunday, a 10-ounce New York strip costs $11. Sides are a la carte.
Mathew suggests the hand-cut cottage fries ($2), creamy and buttery house-made mashed potatoes with a hint of garlic ($2.50), and macaroni and cheese ($4).
After 5 p.m. Thursdays, patrons can get a Thanksgiving meal year-round (except on Thanksgiving, when the restaurant is closed). The hefty meal offers sliced turkey breast, green-bean casserole, sausage stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy.
The Press opened the second location to get closer to its longtime customers, many of whom got married and left the Shorth North and moved to Grandview, Mathew said.
“The other thing that’s really good about the location: We have a parking lot and a patio, where parking (in) the Short North is really tricky right now.”