169 E. Beck St.
Columbus, OH 43206
614.228.4343
website
Nestled away in Columbus’ German Village neighborhood, Lindley’s Restaurant & Bar is a classic, old-school bar establishment with an expansive patio. Over the past 35 years in business, proprietor Sue Doody has built the restaurant into a powerhouse name in the city, with a reputation far beyond the neighborhood. The menu has a great variety of good items, almost akin to your old school steakhouse, but this place has built a far more modern menu, too. For any occasion, that menu is divine.
The menu has quite a few modern takes on classic cuisine. Some things to try:
- Burrata: So this is a special kind of Italian buffalo milk cheese, served up in a saucy tomato puree with grilled ciabatta. It looks like bruschetta, but the cheese is distinctly thicker and the tomato a bit sweeter.
- Ravioli: A stuff basil pesto sauce with rosemary, garlic and asparagus and topped with a thick creme fraiche. A kind of nice hint of almond throughout.
- Pots de Creme: A colorful desert. A caramel custard with caramel corn and almond brittle on top for texture. Sweet, salty, and crunchy.
- Frose: A rose wine slushie! Featuring citrus vodka and fresh fruit puree. You can definitely taste the alcohol but it’s definitely a sweeter drink.
- Three Dots and a Dash: A cocktail featuring rum, dram, a sweet falernum syrup, citrus juices and honey syrup. Again here, the sweetness is hot on the front end, but there’s a pleasant, slightly musty flavor from that combination of whiskey and sweet.
- Old fashioned: Always classy. There’s no recommended house whiskey so it’s more to your taste than anything else.
- Smokey Strawberry Mezcarita: Something like a margarita but with the deep, smokey flavor of wahaka espadin mezcal. Very calming.
The feel of the restaurant changes with the time. Earlier in the evening it can be a full, busy and very active place. But later in the evening, even on the weekends, it segues into a more peaceful, simple and comfortable place. The staff is very friendly and accommodating, but most importantly, it’s good at reading the mood of the room; sociable when need be, helpful and experienced when you have your finger on a certain mood but don’t know what it is, and knowing when to be invisible when your whole focus is on the person across the table from you.
The prices are just fine given what you experience here overall. That is to say, Lindley’s is of the highest quality. One place certainly to remember, and often one where you constantly want to return. Recommended.
Recommendations
- The cocktails are something. In fact, if you’re kind of looking for a quiet place to spend some time with someone in an intimate setting, this would be a good one.
- Make a reservation if it can be helped, some of the mealtimes get really full.
- The patio is wonderful on warm days.
Another Food Critic 