Bodega

secret_knot

2.78/5  rDev -33.2%
vibe: 1 | quality: 3 | service: 1 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

I've been here on more than one occasion and while the tap selection is impressive, the overall experience of coming to Bodega leaves a lot to be desired. The service is non-existent, the vibe/attitude so "too cool for school" that it borders on nauseating. Yesterday, after 10 minutes of sitting AT THE BAR without ANY acknowldegement by the staff (we counted 4 behind the bar), we left and went a few doors down to Surly Girl Saloon (where were enthusiastically welcomed by the bar staff). If all you want is a good craft beer selection and have plenty of time to kill waiting for someone to serve you, by all means, head on over to Bodega. But if you've got that much free time, take a trip about 30 minutes east to Brews in Granville. Better tap selection. Attentive, knowledgeable bar staff. Consistently good food.

04-02-2012 19:22:32 | More by secret_knot

pecokid

Pennsylvania

3.26/5  rDev -21.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 1.5 | selection: 5 | $$

Made the twelve (12) block trek from downtown one night after a conference. This place was packed with coeds. Service was awful because the place was so packed. I heard their happy hour is half price drafts from four (4) to eight (8) pm. I got that price on one of my beers but not the other. They have dozens of taps. I can't rate the food because my group would not be able to get a table for over an hour. We quaffed 2 standing in the doorway and went to Barley's instead. If I am ever in Columbus again I will be going out of my way to get back here.

08-24-2008 22:09:31 | More by pecokid

Fezfreak

Ohio

3.4/5  rDev -18.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 1 | selection: 5 | food: 3 | $

With 50 tap handles, 90% of which are craft brewed, it's possibly the best selection in the entire city of Columbus. Bodega is conveniently located on High Street in the Short North neighborhood.

Ordinarily, I'm suspicious of any place with 50 taps because that's a lot of beer to move and keep fresh. And yet, this place somehow manages to do it.

Happy Hour is second to none. Half off all pints! That means many $2.00 Columbus IPAs for me!!!

Be forewarned, Bodega is notoriously unfriendly and the service is equally bad. I haven't spoken to one person who doesn't have the same opinion. There is a very distinct clique there that is impenetrable.

Bodega wrote the book on the "High Street Attitude" that is so pervasive up and down that stretch of road. Many speculate that it is literally written into the job description to be as uncaring and unfriendly as possible. Seriously! It's almost as funny as it is frustrating. But the truth is probably much uglier, most likely a thing where the jobs aren't so much given to the best applicants, but instead are "handed down" to the "next friend" who also happens to be a young hip bicyclist with a scowl on his/her face, a disdain for "service," and a love for being part of "the scene."

To be sure, this does not keep me from going to this establishment, and in fact I was there a few days ago. They don't care about customer loyalty, or how much you tip, and that's less pressure for me as a customer.

07-26-2009 13:24:11 | More by Fezfreak

manabozo

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -15.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 2 | selection: 5 | food: 2.5 | $$

I went here last Monday, for some evening beers with my good buddy SharaANevada. We entered the bar and the atmosphere was nice, classic style with a full service bar. The selection and the beer menu's were pretty clear and marked out by style. The only issue i had was the clueless staff. We asked 3 different bar tenders if there was something new on the beer menu, to which all three had a blank stare. After looking at the draft list we realized that they missed i think 6 new taps that weren't on the list. Other than that the experience was great. Notable taps: Quercus Vitis Humulus and La Roja

05-19-2010 19:43:56 | More by manabozo

TurdFurgison

Ohio

3.6/5  rDev -13.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | $

Very conveniently located to OSU, on High street at the base of the Short North district. The main draw is 50 taps. The second draw could be the 50% prices during happy hour from 4-8. No other draws after those though, as the atmosphere is sort of "meh" and the service is OK but not outstanding.

The drafts I saw today included:
DFH 90 Minute
Brewdog Hardcore IPA
Avery Imperial Octoberfest
Rogue Maifest
Ommegang Dry Stout
Elevator Bourbon Porter
and plenty more along those lines...

This is an easy and obvious choice if you're near OSU, one of the best choices in Columbus in general (not a big statement). I'm still waiting for an OH version of Maproom, Gingerman, or Toronados to be established, but I suspect our cities are too small to support them properly.

09-10-2009 00:39:53 | More by TurdFurgison

CapitalGains

Oregon

3.7/5  rDev -11.1%
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

Bogforce

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -9.9%
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

yuengling

Ohio

3.85/5  rDev -7.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 5 | food: 2.5 | $$

For the beer lover, Bodega's happy hour has got to be the greatest thing going. From 4-8 on weekdays, all draft beers are half price. And oh, what a selection it is. Almost fifty taps with an incredible array of top notch beers. I cannot give you all of them but what I could remember can put up against any bar in the country: Weyerbacher Double Simcoe, Old Rasputin, GL Blackout Stout and Commordore Perry, Deliriium Tremens, Bells Oberon and Java Stout, Stoudts Pils and IIPA, Chimay, Lindemans Framboise, Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye, Founders Red Rye, Dragons Milk, Stone IPA, Dog Fish Head 60 Minute, Ayinger Hefeweisen, Hop Sun. And thats only twenty. With Half price, pints go for $2 to $3. That is an absolute steal for beer of this quality.

There has been criticism of the atmosphere but I found it for the most part to be friendly. People are approachable. The place can get a bit hectic at times and there is only one bathroom each for men and women. Service varies from good to a bit of a wait during peak times. I found sometimes it took a bit longer for the waitstaff to get to me but I did not feel the delay to be too long. You will find little trouble getting your share.

The food is not Bodega's strong suit. The soups and sandwiches are not exceptional or imaginative or very satisfying. It just ties you over for the beer.

Bodega is a phenomenal experience for the beer enthusiast.
You will be disappointed if you go for any other reason.

06-12-2008 02:57:24 | More by yuengling

HopJ

California

3.9/5  rDev -6.3%
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

hyprlt

Ohio

3.93/5  rDev -5.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

1. $1 Grilled Cheese Mondays
2. 4-8 Half off drafts
3. Weekly cheese plate
4. Delicious pizzas
5. Next door to Late Night Slice
6. 50 Taps (Only two are domestic premium PBR and Miller Lite)
7. A ton of bottles, the owner also owns and operates a beer store in the North Market. (Barrel and Bottle)
This is a great neighborhood spot that doesn't always have parking or space to move around because it is more than a secret oasis. Bodega does not always have the best service. Now that I go there a lot and visit on business, my friends and I are received better than most. But there are quite a few holier-than-though hipsters that tend bar and like to change the jukebox if they feel like it and might not always give you a cheery vibe. YOU DONT COME HERE FOR THE SERVICE. ITS ABOUT THE BEER.

08-29-2011 12:54:19 | More by hyprlt