711 N. High St.
Columbus, OH 43215
614.300.9494
website
Columbus restaurateur Cameron Mitchell is known for pioneering a great variety of restaurant concepts, but in the Lincoln Social Rooftop, he has figuratively and literally reached new heights. This beautiful, upscale rooftop bar is built into the top floor of a brand new Short North office building, giving ninth-floor views of the buzzing high-profile neighborhood. Certainly, you’ll have to wait in a line to get in, but believe it, this place is worth the wait.
The Short North is one of the coolest restaurants in the country. This bar is one of the coolest views of the Short North.
There’s a menu of small plates if you’re crafty enough to get a reservation, and then there’s a menu of cocktails that’s worth coming back to. Some things to try:
- Luke Skywalker: Lemongrass-infused Ketel One Vodka, matcha and lemon come together in this bright and spry cocktail. It’ll sneak up on you!
- Mojito: Plantation Silver Rum, fresh mint, lime, sugar combine for a slightly sweet, very refreshing spring drink. Brings you to a beach.
- The Real McCoy: A take on a Manhattan. Old Forester, Amaro, vanilla sugar, and skull ice cubes that’ll take you for one if you don’t see them right away!
- Tokyo Drift: A surprisingly thick cocktail. Combined with Watershed Guild Series Gin, basil, rice almond water, spices.
- Don’t Kill my Vibe: Don Julio Blanco, strawberries, lime, egg white, hummingbird bitters and the secret ingredient: a Sichuan peppercorn, which is legendary for its numbing quality.
- Old Fashioned: A light sweetness, but not an aggressive one! Classic and timeless cocktail.
The kitchen has a small bites menu too, often with an unexpected combination of foods, which is worth a sample.
- Lobster Corn Dog: What a combo. Soft lobster actually hides well in a crunchy shell. And the sharp pomegranate mustard adds a lot.
- Caviar Potato: Twice-baked potatoes with sour cream and, surprisingly, a bit of caviar on the top that does pop a bit.
- Rumaki Brussels Sprout: Bacon wrapped? How cool is that. One kind of crunch with another.
- Stir Fried Arancini: This fried risotto ball has a kimchi aioli and a little bit of a sweetness to it that’s unexpected.
- Wagyu Beef Slider: These tiny burgers are too darn much to love. Crunchy beef patty, creamy cheese and a remoulade.
The bar has an exciting and hip vibe to it, because it has literally brought the Short North to new heights. Looking over the neighborhoods around it, once desolate and considered the end of nowhere in this city, this area has revived in a story more and more of the country has come to behold.
Lincoln Social is already popular, and I suspect it will be for quite some time. If you’re new to this town and want to see what the new Short North is all about, here’s a good place to start.
Recommendations
- Lines pick up pretty quickly in the evening, so come early to avoid the crowd.
- The roof does retract which will be nice in rain and cold weather, so don’t omit it then.
- Tables can be reserved, but it’s a pretty penny.
Another Food Critic 