219 S. High St.
Columbus, OH 43215
614.779.0830
website
The Goat was largely designed as a neighborhood bar, and it has opened a few locations around Central Ohio, largely focused on new neighborhoods designed by Lifestyle Communities, and so the environs differ a little bit in each. Gahanna’s location, for instance, practically feels like a clubhouse, while the newer downtown shop has much more of a modern bar feel. The menu, as a result is pretty straightforward, simple and modern American cuisine in an approachable format. So the food and the drinks end up really being comforting and simple. Distinct? Maybe there’s more room for that.
The bar has a strong focus on the straightforward. Some of the things I tried:
- Buffalo Cauliflower: What an interesting idea for an app, these cauliflowers are softened, breaded and served something like tater tots but in a lighter and healthier way.
- Baja Chicken Wrap: Featuring blackened chicken, bacon, cheddar, avocado, greens, tomato, scallions and a bit of chipotle ranch sauce. This one is a lighter wrap but not without its charm. Served with a side of kettle chips to thicken it a bit, which is nice.
- Farmhouse Tots: These are made in-house, so they’re balls of chopped potatoes fried up warm and comforting.
- Sweet Potato Fries: A good shareable, specifically pretty good with ketchup but could use something. Maybe rosemary would help.
- Guinness Chocolate Pie: It almost looks like a chocolate bar, but this dish isn’t anything like it. Probably a lot thicker but featuring a thick, sweet custard with a really sturdy bit of crust on the bottom.
- House Made Donut Holes: Small and munchable, probably best shared, and deceptively heavy.
- Margarita: This is kind if a fruity take on a marg, and kind of comforting at that. I like it for the lighter taste, when this drink can often be really intense.
The different locations have a different feel, though generally speaking they tend to be expansive and wide open places. There’s a sense of minimalism to the location in Gahanna, for instance, because it’s kind of set in the middle of a neighborhood and away from a commercial strip. The location in downtown’s RiverSouth neighborhood has more an expansive cave feel.
The bar menu is very familiar and approachable, and that’s a nice thing. That said, the food can at times come off a bit generic, and that’s a shame. A few things are notably different, but as far as what makes the food here special and worth returning for — maybe there could be more. It’s the kind of place you visit for location and convenience, and that’s the main appeal.
Recommendations
- There are lots of sandwiches and wraps and plenty of options for heavier food and lighter sharables too.
- The bars tend to be pretty wide open later at night, more of a place for a quiet drink.
- Cocktails here are simple and pleasing.
Another Food Critic 