Bodega

BeTheBall

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev -0.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Was there last Friday from 4:00 to 6:00PM before dinner in the Short North. $2 drafts? That's crazy; well being from a liberal state where that's illegal it seemed relatively crazy. A pint of 90 Minute for $2? A pint of Lake Erie Monster for $2?
Open floor layout in a bright area on a busy street. Sat with my wife and 2 friends and were promptly greeted by a friendly waitress, one that remained attentive. We split 4 appetizers which were all good tome. I had 3 pints; Lake Erie Monster, 90 Minute and a local saison whose name escapes me. The selection was large enough to make anyone happy, and with plenty of munchies on the menu, I really enjoyed our sort of brief visit here. Not sure when I'll be back to Columbus, but I will go back whenever that is. Great place to drink.

08-07-2011 13:52:57 | More by BeTheBall

CapitalGains

Oregon

3.7/5  rDev -10.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 2 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $

Bodega's, along with Bob's Bar in Columbus were my gateways into the world of craft beer as an undergraduate at Ohio State. As such, they will always have a special place in my heart. When I finally turned 21 and discovered good beer I was probably hitting up Bodega's at least two times per week. Although I don't live in Columbus anymore I frequented Bodega's plenty and still do when I visit.

To be blunt, Bodega's isn't very large. There are maybe 4 small tables outside and another 12-14 inside, within about 15-20 bar seats. Residing in the trendy Short North, Bodega's attracts a lot of non-beer enthusiasts. That's not a bad thing at all, but just a heads up as to the general attitude and knowledge of beer for most other patrons. During the weekly happy hour or grilled cheese Monday's this place is PACKED. If you don't get there early (think 5 pm) forget about finding a table and expect a wait.

So, onto the service. Oh boy. Despite it being sub-par on just about every visit my friends and I still came here all the time. So they must be doing something right. Most of our waiters and waitresses seemed disinterested in their job and took awhile to come around to our table. I can't remember a single occurrence where we were treated that well; our patronage always seemed to annoy them even though we tipped pretty well. I always went with friends we weren't obnoxious by any means - maybe we asked too many beer-related questions but I don't remember us ever explicitly being assholes. We also split our tabs as poor college students (rather than pay a single check) and apparently this was a foreign concept to them and they never liked this.

Alright, enough negativity. But the service is easily the worst part about this place. I still love Bodega's, and here's why: their tap-list is phenomenal and their happy hour. My god, the HAPPY HOUR. Unbelievable. Every week day from 4-8 pm (or something like that), every draft beer on the menu is HALF OFF. Where else do you find that with their kind of tap selection? I've never seen anything else like it. Their tap-list spans about 40 beers with 15 of those frequently rotating seasonals. There is also a large bottle selection but because of the ridiculously happy hour deal my friends and I almost always stuck with the draft choices. There is always something on draft worth drinking even if you've had it before. Quality was always pretty good - clean glassware, decent pours. They may not have always had the most appropriate glassware but I can live with that. You won't see many whales here but I have seen CBS on-tap once.

Food was alright, moderately priced. We never went there for the food but it was a nice supplement while grabbing a couple of beers. Despite the dismal service we always came back to Bodega's. I can't speak much about the crowd or atmosphere during the nights or weekends because we usually went during the happy hours. Definitely worth checking out when you're in Columbus. Also worth visiting regularly if you're a Columbus resident.

06-06-2011 03:06:03 | More by CapitalGains

smithm1970

Ohio

5/5  rDev +20.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $

Bodega's is my favorite place to drink beer in Columbus. The selection, value, atmosphere, and service all make this place the 'go to' beer bar in Columbus.

Bodega's gets beers that no one else in Ohio gets..the beer is always fresh, and Colin and his crew take great pains to make certain that customers get the beer fresh and served at the right temperature.

How can you fault a place with the best selection, the best prices, and the best atmosphere?

I highly recommend Bodega's as a place where you won't be disappointed in your experience anytime you are fortunate enough to visit.

06-01-2011 03:08:18 | More by smithm1970

SaCkErZ9

Florida

4.14/5  rDev -0.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5 | $$$$

This was one of my last stops on my Columbus bar crawl, night two. The weather was cold and rainy so the walk was made even tougher because of the adverse weather conditions. Upon arrival at the Bodega, there were about 5 skinny jeans wearing dudes standing about three feet from the door smoking cigarettes. What is the point of making a place nonsmoking if you have to wade through smoke just to get inside?

The music was annoyingly loud. It would be practically impossible to carry on a conversation inside here. The place was filled with college kids and more skinny jeans wearing people. I felt pretty out of place as an older professional.

The bartender was pretty uninterested in serving me any beer, but after looking at the outrageously overpriced but extensive beer list, I settled on a $2 Pabst Blue RIbbon. This was definitely the best selection in the whole city, as far as bars go. Too bad I killed by beer money early.

I would try to go here during the early afternoon when nobody is here and maybe the music isnt quite as loud. Otherwise, its still a pretty cool place with a huge beer list.

01-19-2011 00:25:57 | More by SaCkErZ9

Bogforce

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -9.6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$$

A small cafe turned into a beer paradise during the day and loud hipster hang out at night.

I visit my friend quite often in Columbus and this is the bar we always go to because she lives a few blocks from it. The crowd has been similiar on every night. Sunday they have trivia and the crowd isn't huge, service is pretty good on that night.

Weekends are a different story, if you go on a friday or saturday night be warned that you will have to push your way to the bar to get a beer and its so loud that it's hard for the bartenders to even hear what you are ordering. I recommend going during th happy hour or during the day.

The selection is great, over 50 beers on tap and numerous others in bottles.

Haven't had much food from here but what I had was good.

The price is the biggest issue for me. Beer on tap that I would like to order ranges from 5.50 to 10.00 which is steep to me. I usually end up getting a beer I haven't tried before then switching to 2 dollar PBR for the rest of the time because the prices are too much.

Overall a decent place with a great selection, but definitely a hipster hang out.

01-05-2011 04:47:03 | More by Bogforce

DoubleSimcoe

New York

4.55/5  rDev +9.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 3.5 | $$$

*A little re-reviewing here... knocking down the service rating a little and up the food*

BODEGA! Best beer bar in Columbus, Ohio, the entire Midwest. Entering Bodega makes me giddy with excitement... what kind of rare craft taps will they be offering this time? Always something amazing!

I've visited my share of beer bars around the US and nothing comes close to Bodega (The Ginger Man in my native New York does have more taps, but somehow I still like the Bodega selections better).

You probably have read all those negative reviews of Bodega- bad service, an attitude, too many hipsters, way crowded... when I went there for the first time, I was afraid. But I've been to Bodega several times now and have never ever had an issue with service, attitude or annoying hipsters. :-) I think the crowd is really eclectic and makes for great people-watching.

The atmosphere is superb, cozy and inviting, a little loud but not too much, nice tables. I could easily spend hours there if I lived nearby! Service is always smooth, prompt and so perfectly nice. My wife and I felt like regulars after one or two visits!

The negative is that it does crowded, particularly during their happy hour (understandably). But if you don't mind paying full price, come later on and the crowd thins out.

Bodega doesn't get a perfect 5 from me because of the food (just average pub food, nothing great) and the price (a little pricey- I know the beers are rare, but still, this is Columbus, shouldn't charge $8 for a pint!).

Oh, some cask beers would be great too. I don't think they have any.

I would love Bodega to get a new, imaginative menu and move the place to a higher level. Maybe some tuna or beef tartare, kobe sliders, some cool appetizers.

But hey, we're here for the beer! Bodega rules Columbus.

10-07-2010 02:48:24 | More by DoubleSimcoe

jrallen34

Illinois

4.09/5  rDev -1.4%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $

Headed here with some buddies to hit up the Columbus beer scene. Good location in the Short North, a couple tables outside provide some nice people watching. The inside was nice but it's a weird beer bar place, its way to trendy for me, nice just not what I want for my beer bar...The quality of the beers was really nice, good selection of midwest beers, lots of Michigan, nice to get some Troegs as well. The service was good, both servers offered good suggestions.

A Columbus must for a beer bar.

09-14-2010 20:32:32 | More by jrallen34

HopJ

California

3.9/5  rDev -6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3 | $$

I went here twice on a recent Columbus visit. Once for happy hour which is a great value but as very packed and then on a mellow Sunday afternoon where the vibe shifted accordingly. The have a well thought out draft selection with something for everyone as well as a fair bottle list to round things out.

I had 4 different draft beers all with great quality. Bells 2 Hearted, Goose Island Sofie, Great Lakes Erie Monster & Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout (finally got to taste on of these).

Even when they were busy, our experience was that the staff stayed attentive and friendly. Some were very laid back but not lazy.

08-19-2010 15:15:38 | More by HopJ

Spider889

Ohio

4.22/5  rDev +1.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$$

I had been wanting to visit Bodega for some time this year. Ever since I heard about their selection I begged my wife to go, but she kept asking to go elsewhere. This was due to a combination of busy downtown atmosphere with little parking options, and the fact that nearly every review of this place claimed the staff was rude, snobby, and/or inattentive.

Parking is slightly annoying, there is no dedicated lot, but it wasn't too hard to find parking within a half block or so.

The place is a little cramped, but it is a cozy and inviting little bistro with a really nice patio area. I would have loved to sit there but we went on a hot summer afternoon so the AC seemed a little more inviting.

The service was nothing like the other reviewers claim. (I saw bad reviews of the service here and on numerous other online sites) The staff was friendly and semi knowledgeable. Our waitress wasn't aware Bodega had tapped a keg of Hopslam they were cellaring despite the fact that they had been making regular announcements on Facebook the night before regarding when the keg would be tapped. Nonetheless, she did have several recommendations for my wife when her first choice was out.

The waitstaff wasn't overly attentive, but enough so that I was never without beer.

The food, while pricey, was pretty good. I believe they do $1 grilled cheese sandwiches on Mondays.

The main sellers for this place though are their happy hour and selection. I missed happy hour when I went, but it is advertised as half off all drafts 4-8pm on week nights, including Fridays.

The selection was phenomenal. They had many rarities I haven't found anywhere else in Columbus, and a range of 4-16 beers for the most popular styles. It winds up being something on the order of 40-50 taps at least. They also have a decently sized bottle list as well.

So if you don't mind a potentially crowded Short North bar and don't expect to have a dedicated personal waitress at your side all night long Bodega is definitely worth checking out. They regularly post new and rare beers they offer on Facebook for those interested.

07-28-2010 10:03:50 | More by Spider889

Lolli1315

Illinois

4.35/5  rDev +4.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5 | $

Went to Bodega with some friends for happy hour during the week. Ended up have a good amount of beer including Founder's Devil Dancer, Jolly Pumpkin Luciernaga, Southern Tier 2x IPA, and Weyebacher's Slam Dunkel among others. All of these were at half price during happy hour as is all draft beer. Happy Hour spanning from 4-8, this is one hell of a deal. Waiter was great and made sure that we always had a drink in front of us if that is what we wanted. Food wasn't bad, seemed a little above the average bar food to me. All and all, great place to go in Columbus for a great pint of beer.

07-11-2010 22:47:44 | More by Lolli1315