Michael’s Goody Boy Diner

1144 N. High St.
Columbus, OH 43201
614.291.9090
website

Michael’s Goody Boy Diner seems almost like an anachronism these days when you compare it to the breakneck development happening around the rest of the Short North. Mid-rise buildings are growing in all directions, and many of them are new flush with higher-end and more modern concepts. Local residents, in fact, complain sometimes that there’s nothing simple and convenient to grab on the street anymore. For that reason, places like this diner should be cherished. Simple and to-the-point amid a bevy of shiny new things.

Pizza

Burger

The diner maintains a very simple menu of classic American grill specialties. Among them:

• Burger: A third-pound beef patty, cooked well done by default, and topped with the classic veggies like lettuce, tomato and cheese of your choice, and coming with a side. The patty tastes a bit generic, which is unfortunately, but it’s good.
• Pizza: A personal-pan variety, served if you like with pepperoni or a few other toppings. I didn’t like this one, though, it seemed plain at the most, frozen at the least.
• Fried pickles: Big pickle spears, breaded and served with a horseradish-ranch sauce combination. Good as an appetizer, and definitely better when shared, because the pickles are salty and sweet.
• Tater tots: One of those side dishes that’s easy to like, these are very crispy and delicious with the ketchup, but then, good with other things too. Predictable, though.

The diner has an expansive patio, and during the summer months that tends to be where people prefer to sit while they enjoy drinks and other things. There’s a happy hour menu and a variety of beer to go with it, which is a plus. There are a lot of restaurants in this area but few of them have the same spacious outside.

Columbus is a growing town, but its Midwestern roots have kept it charming even as parts of it see dramatic change. In this dynamic, the Short North is ground zero. It can be easy to long for the simpler times in this increasingly complicated city, but as long as little dives like the Goody Boy Diner survive, the spirit of the Capital City remains alive.

Recommendations

• There’s a happy hour menu with a limited series of food items for cheaper during some hours. Price wise it’s one of the cheaper deals in the Short North though some of the food can be kind of generic.
• Don’t let the outside fool you, this can be a good hang-out spot, with a good beer menu.
• Skip the pizza.