PATRONIZING PATIOS

Bars, restaurants usher in outdoor season

As warmer weather approaches, restaurants, old and new, are beginning to open their patios.

To make up for a loss of revenue, bars and restaurants extended their outdoor seating last year into parking lots, sidewalks and even into the street. A raft of measures from Columbus and its suburbs let those establishments temporarily add more outdoor seating, or cut down on red tape required to place more tables outside.

Columbus’ own outdoor seating program began in August and ended last year in November. Restaurant and bar owners were allowed to resubmit expansion plans by mid-march.

According to Anthony Celebrezze, assistant director of building and zoning for the city of Columbus, nine restaurants and bars applied, and as of Monday, six were approved.

Other cities created designated outdoor refreshment areas (DORAS) that give bar and restaurant patrons in a specific block or neighborhood the right to enjoy food and drink in a closed-off space.

Hilliard, for example, designates a downtown DORA for a Thursday night concert series most years, but decided to extend that DORA to seven nights a week during the spring and summer.

Here’s a look at bars and restaurants who will have outdoor or patio seating for the spring and summer seasons.

New and expanding outdoor dining spaces DK Diner

1715 W. 3rd Ave.

After coronavirus restrictions cut

this American-style diner’s seating by nearly two-thirds, the restaurant added more outside seating and doubled the total number of tables available.

“We’re already a small restaurant as it is, and we went from having in the neighborhood of 12 to 15 tables to five,” said Anthony Teny, general manager of DK Diner, near Grandview Heights. “When the original outdoor dining program started (last year), it was a great opportunity for us to at least get something back.”

Ugly Tuna Saloona

195 Chittenden Ave.

Bans on standing-room-only crowds were especially hard on late-night establishments.

On the weekends “we went from a packed bar down to 10 tables,” said Liam Van Vorhis, operations partner at Ugly Tuna Saloona.

Then the city of Columbus gave the campus area bar the green light to add six tables on its patio.

“That’s going to make a big difference,” Van Vorhis said.

Top Steak House

2891 E. Main St. — 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Top Steak House, one of the oldest restaurants in central Ohio, will be expanding its patio. Its patio originally sat 20-30 people, but will now expand to include 82 seats plus a bar with 12 stools. Restaurant owner Matt Schoedinger hoped to begin construction on the new patio March 1 and hopes to be finished with the project around Memorial Day.

Brewdog

97 W. Granville St. Brewdog will be expanding to New Albany, and yes, this new location includes an outdoor patio. Once the project is finished, it will take up 8,600 square feet, and the outdoor patio will take up 1,645 square feet. According to the New Albany press release, the space will include 24 bar taps and indoor and outdoor firepits. The space is planning to open in the spring or summer.

Getaway Brewing Co.

104 N. High St., Dublin

This will be the third bar under the Seventh Son group. The Getaway will occupy a 4,000-square-foot space and include a 1,000-square-foot greenhouse patio that overlooks the river. It’s expected to open in early April.

Bendi Wok N’ Bar

277 E. Livingston Ave.

This new location opened March 5. The restaurant will have Asian cuisine, serving Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese and Indian foods. A small patio will be available to customers when the weather gets warmer.

Oldfield’s North Fourth Tavern

1571 N. 4th St.

Dan Starek, who owns Oldfield’s North Fourth Tavern, successfully applied to permanently expand the University District tavern’s patio by roughly 60 seats. The process took about four months, he said, whereas an expedited temporary expansion process only takes a few days.

“That will bring us back to the normal capacity we had before COVID,” Starek said. “That’s really exciting.”

Hen Quarter

6628 Riverside Dr., Dublin When Dublin let restaurants and bars in the Bridge Park development move tables into a closed-off portion of Longshore Street, the Southern-style eatery Hen Quarter was one of the restaurants that took advantage.

“After getting a couple more seats to put out there, we’re bracing ourselves for a record spring and summer,” Hen Quarter owner Ron Jordan said.

Restaurants with expanded patio seating

h Lucky’s Stout House, 1475 N. High St., Columbus

h Woodhouse Vegan Cafe, 851 N. High St., Columbus

h Byrne’s Pub, 1248 W. 3rd Ave., Columbus

h The Rail, 5839 Frantz Road, Columbus

h The Whitney House, 666 High St., Worthington

h Highline Coffee Co., 693 High St., Worthington

h Half Pint, 671 High St., Worthington

h House Wine, 644 High St., Worthington

h Sassafras Bakery, 657 High St., Worthington

h Porch Growler, 890 High St., Worthington

h Old Bag of Nails, 663 High St., Worthington

h Yappy Greek, 455 E. Wilson Bridge Road, Worthington

h Over the Counter, 5596 N. High St., Worthington

h Fado Pub and Kitchen, 6652 Riverside Dr., Dublin

h Cap City Fine Diner, 6644 Riverside Dr., Dublin

h Urban Meyer’s Pint House, 6632 Longshore St.t, Dublin

h REBOL, 6608 Longshore St., Dublin

h Z Cucina, 6584 Riverside Dr., Dublin

h Frank and Carl’s, 6558 Longshore St., Dublin

h 16 Bit Bar and Pins Mechanical Co., 6564 Riverside Dr., Dublin

h Local Cantina, 3975 Main St., Hilliard

h Legacy Smokehouse, 3987 Main Street, Hilliard

h Otie’s Tavern and Grill, 5344 Center St., Hilliard

h Abner’s Casual Dining, 4051 Main St.

h Old Bag of Nails, 4065 Main St., Hilliard

h Starliner Diner, 4121 Main St., Hilliard

h Crooked Can, 5354 Center St., Hilliard

h Yabo’s Tacos, 5242 Cemetery Road, Hilliard

h Makoy Center, 5462 Center St.,

Hilliard

h Benito’s, 5286 Center St., Hilliard

h Hillgarten, 3141 Main St., Hilliard

h Asterisk Supper Club, 14 N. State St., Westerville

h Barrel and Boar, 8 N. State St., Westerville

h The Draft Room, 570 W. Shrock Road, Westerville

Restaurants previously open for patio/outdoor seating

h Plank’s Bier Garten, 888 S. High St. — 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

h Kitchen Social, 8954 Lyra Dr. — 3 p.m.

h Condado’s Tacos, all locations — beginning at 11 a.m.

h Brewdog, all locations — 11 a.m.

h Vaso Rooftop Lounge, 6540 Riverside Dr., Dublin — 4 p.m.

h Standard Hall, 1100 N. High St. — 3 p.m.

h Grandview Cafe, 1455 W. 3rd Ave. — 11 a.m.

h Happy Greek, 660 N. High St. — 11 a.m.

h Katalina’s, 3482 N. High St. — 8 a.m.

h Gresso’s, 961 S. High St. — 3 p.m.

h Hofbrauhaus, 800 Goodale Blvd. — 11 a.m.

h High Bank Distillery, 1051 Goodale Blvd. — 11 a.m.

h Ringside Cafe, 19 N Pearl St. — 11 a.m.

h R Bar, 415 N Front St. — 11 a.m.

h Novak’s Tavern, 475 N. High St. — 4 p.m.

h Harry Buffalo, 6150 S. Sunbury Road, Westerville — 11 a.m.

h Northstar Cafe, all locations — 9 a.m.

h Pies and Pints, Easton Town Center — 11 a.m.

h Yabo’s Tacos, all locations — 11 a.m.

h La Chatelaine French Bakery and Bistro, various locations

h Woodland’s Backyard, 668 Grandview Ave. — 3 p.m.

h Marshall’s restaurant, 1105 W. 1st Ave., Grandview Heights — 9 a.m.

h Boston’s Pizza and Sports Bar, 199 W Nationwide Blvd. — 11 a.m.

h Pecan Penny’s, 113 E. Main St. — 11 a.m.

h The Goat, all locations — various times for all locations

h UA Pub, 2096 Henderson Road — 11 a.m.

h Land-grant Brewing Company, 424 W. Town St. — 3 p.m.

h Marcella’s, 1319 Polaris Parkway — 4 p.m.

h Mitchell’s Ocean Club, 4002 Easton Station — 4 p.m.

h Lindey’s 169 E. Beck Street. — 11 a.m.

h Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, 8760 Sancus Blvd. — 11 a.m.

h Wolf Ridge Brewing Company, 215 N. 4th St. — 11:30 a.m.

h Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse, 6360 Franz Road, Dublin

What’s your favorite? Did we miss some?

Fill out this form or email Audience Editor Chandler Boese at cboese@dispatch.com to let us know where you like to eat outside in the Columbus area.

Gershon Harrell and Patrick Cooley contributed to this story.

PHOTOS BY COURTNEY HERGESHEIMER/COLUMBUS DISPATCH Molly Radigan, with her dog Madden, Josh Rivera and Craig Yantko, not pictured, share beer and pizza on the expanded patio at Oldfield's North Fourth Tavern on Tuesday.

Oldfield's went through the process with the city to permanently expand the University District tavern's patio by roughly 60 seats.