Drinking at the best bars in Columbus is going to be covered in full detail as this post goes along. Some may be searching for a tall glass of beer, a shot of vodka, to save money on liquor during local drink special times, or maybe to sing karaoke and either way you should have a much better understanding of the scene soon.
We will kick this baby off with the best wine and cocktail bars in Columbus. Breweries and sports bars where you can watch the big game or maybe play some pool or throw some darts will get our second section.
Contents
The best drink specials at bars near you with cheaper alcohol will come next before we pivot to bars with trivia, quiz, and/or game nights in your area. Bars for dancing, karaoke, and to listen to live music will garner our final section.
Expect to find a local bar map with all these spots pinned on it so you can have a better feel for what venues are closest to your current area at the moment. The Midwest region is one that we have written about many times in the past if you are interested in reading more.
Cocktail & Wine Bars
The best cocktail and wine bars in Columbus might just be:
- Wine on High Bar & Retail at 789 N High St
- The Alibi Bourbon & Cocktail Lounge at 843 N High St
- Law Bird at 740 S High St
- Mouton at 954 N High St
- Coast Wine House at 75 S High St, Dublin
- Napa Kitchen + Bar at 7148 Muirfield Dr, Dublin
- Cherry Street Pub at 202 N Cherry St, Lancaster
- Cardone’s Restaurant & Bar at 377 W Main St, Westerville
- The Wine Bistro at 1750 W Lane Ave, Upper Arlington
- Prohibition Gastro Lounge at 21 W Olentangy St, Powell
Wine on High Bar & Retail offers wine by the glass, flights, draft beer, and delectable cocktails plus they have some of the best alcoholic drink specials in your area until 6pm Tuesday through Friday.
The Alibi Bourbon & Cocktail Lounge has happy hours Monday through Friday from 4pm to 6pm and they also have 30 specialty cocktails and over 300 whiskies for you to choose from.
Wine, cocktails, and snacks with daily liquor drink specials from 4:30pm to 6:30pm are what you get at Law Bird.
Mouton serves everything from a perfectly executed cocktail to a craft beer, an intriguing wine, and even a snack or shared plates.
Coast Wine House is a wine-focused bar and bottle shop where you can stop in for a drink and some snacks or select from an array of globally sourced wines and gifts plus they have happy hours from 4pm to 7pm Wednesday and Thursday.
For a contemporary restaurant with a creative menu and an extensive drink menu including several wines by the glass and refreshing cocktails head to Napa Kitchen + Bar in Dublin.
Cherry Street Pub serves homemade dishes in addition to cocktails, red and white wine by the glass or bottle, and beers by the tap, can, or bottle.
The Wine Bistro in Upper Arlington serves lunch and dinner as well as small plates and shareable appetizers from 3pm to 6pm Monday through Friday and from 11am to 5pm on Saturday.
A variety of craft cocktails, food, wine, and whiskeys with daily drink specials in Powell from 4:30pm to 5:30pm are available at Prohibition Gastro Lounge.
Columbus Breweries & Sports Bars
Watch the big game with your friends and sample new flavors of beers at the best breweries and sports bars in your area:
- Land-Grant Brewing Company at 424 W Town St
- Classic’s Victory’s Sports Bar at 547 S High St
- Short North Pint House at 780 N High St
- Chubby’s Sports Bar & Grill at 1846 Hard Rd
- Stein Brewing Company at 23 W Church St, Newark
- Revelry Tavern at 6711 Dublin Center Dr, Dublin
- Ale House 1890 at 149 W Main St, Lancaster
- Grizzlybird Brewing Company at 5901 Chandler Ct, Westerville
- The Daily Growler at 2812 Fishinger Rd, Upper Arlington
- Gallo’s Tap Room Powell at 240 N Liberty St A, Powell
Land-Grant Brewing Company is a local brewery with an on-site taproom and Columbus’ largest beer garden.Classic’s Victory’s is a great sports bar near you that is known for live music, tasty food, and being a great place to watch your favorite sporting event with drink specials from 11am to 7pm daily.
A variety of food and a large beer selection is what you can find at Short North Pint House which is a good place to watch a big game on many of the TV’s plus they have happy hours from 3pm to 6pm Monday through Friday to save you money.
Chubby’s Sports Bar & Grill offers a diverse menu of food, beer, and spirits as well as OSU games and NFL Sunday Ticket ensuring that you don’t miss a single game of your favorite team.
Stein Brewing Company in Newark has a 36 tap self pour beer wall with 10 to 15 of their locally brewed beers, craft cocktails, craft soda, and some of the country’s finest beers.
Beer, whiskey, cocktails, and barrel-aged bourbon is what you will find at Revelry Tavern in Dublin.
Ale House 1890 is a casual restaurant that also offers eighteen beers on tap in Lancaster with exceptional food and atmosphere every Monday through Saturday from 4pm to11pm.
Grizzlybird Brewing Company has 5 to 8 beers on tap with at least one being a standard fixture alongside seasonal styles.
60 taps of fresh craft beer and drink specials in Upper Arlington from 3pm to 6pm every Monday are available at The Daily Growler.
Gallo’s Tap Room in Powell features over 15 large flat-screen TV’s, a wide selection of desired bourbons, craft cocktails, and over 20 draft beer tap handles.
Local Drink Specials
Save some money buying cheaper alcohol at these bars with drink specials near you:
- Bodega at 1044 N High St
- Tip Top Kitchen & Cocktails at 73 E Gay St
- Local Bar Short North at 913 N High St
- Arch City Tavern at 862 N High St
- Draft House at 15 W Main St, Newark
- Fado Pub & Kitchen at 6652 Riverside Dr, Dublin
- O’Huids Gaelic Pub at 167 W Main St, Lancaster
- Wendell’s Pub at 925 N State St, Westerville
- Huli Huli Tiki Lounge at 26 W Olentangy St, Powell
At Bodega you will find 45 craft beers on tap that are constantly rotating as well as local drink specials from 4pm to 8pm Monday through Friday.
Arch City Tavern is an upscale gastro pub, bar, and grill in your area offering a diverse selection of premium craft beers, signature cocktails, and delectable gourmet food with liquor specials running from 3pm to 6pm Monday through Friday.
The famous Benji Boy Girl Burger and six rotating draft beer options is what you get at Draft House who has good happy hours in Newark.
Fado Pub & Kitchen’s food, cocktail, and wine menus are inspired by the great culinary traditions of France, Italy, Spain, and Ireland and their drink specials in Dublin are available Monday through Friday from 2pm to 6pm.
For a family-run pub that focuses on community, great food, and beverages with alcoholic drink specials from 4pm to 6pm every day visit O’Huids Gaelic Pub in Lancaster.
Wendell’s Pub serves chef-prepared meals as well as a wide selection of beer, wine, seasonal drink options, and happy hours in Westerville from 2pm to 6pm.
Food and specialty cocktails are the star at Huli Huli Tiki Lounge who has drink specials in Powell every Tuesday through Saturday from 4pm to 6pm.
We have done our best to mention any time you can drink alcohol for cheaper at bars in Columbus during happy hours all through this post so don’t only focus on this section if you are hoping to save a few bucks.
Trivia, Quiz, & Game Nights
There are plenty of bars with local trivia, quiz, and game nights:
- Little Rock Bar at 944 N 4th St
- The Forge Tavern at 1375 Bethel Rd
- Fadó Irish Pub at 4022 Townsfair Way
- Zeno’s at 384 W 3rd Ave
- The Newark Hub at 370 W Church St, Newark
- The Goat at 5730 Silver Falls St, Dublin
- Harry Buffalo at 6150 S Sunbury Rd, Westerville
- The Filling Station Bar & Grill at 8765 Smoky Row Rd, Powell
Little Rock Bar has bingo on Tuesday and trivia on Thursday plus they do karaoke on Wednesday and all of the above start at 8pm.
For a fun board game venue with food and specialty drinks that also hosts bar trivia near you every Thursday from 8pm to 10pm head over to The Forge Tavern.
Fadó Irish Pub serves a craft beer lineup, homemade cocktails, live music, and drink specials that go down Monday through Friday from 4pm to 7pm plus they have NFL Sunday Ticket.
Since 1984 Zeno’s has been open and today they are where to go for good neighborhood vibes, cold drinks, and trivia every Thursday beginning at 8pm.
The Newark Hub serves delicious food, has diamond pool tables, and amazing cocktails.
More Columbus bar trivia nights take place at Harry Buffalo Westerville every Wednesday at 7pm plus you can save money during their happy hours every Monday through Friday from 3pm to 7pm.
The Filling Station Bar & Grill is a popular spot for locals to watch sports or play some trivia in Powell every Tuesday and Wednesday starting at 7pm.
Dance, Karaoke, & Live Music
These bars are great for dancing, live music, and karaoke:
- Park Street Tavern at 501 Park St
- Howl at the Moon at 504 Park St
- Thirty One West at 31 W Church St, Newark
- The Dublin Village Tavern at 27 S High St, Dublin
- Bootleggers of Lancaster at 147 W Main St, Lancaster
For a fun piano and live music bar in your area to host birthday parties, bachelor and bachelorette parties, corporate events, holiday parties, and private parties consider Howl at the Moon.
Thirty One West is a three-story event space in Newark that hosts concerts, comedy shows, and private parties and every Wednesday the stage is open to all local artists and karaoke begins at 8pm.
Bootleggers of Lancaster has karaoke from 9pm to 11pm and music bingo from 7pm to 9pm every Thursday.
Other bars for music lovers in Columbus from other sections include Stein Brewing Company, Grizzlybird Brewing Company, The Newark Hub, Classic’s Victory’s Sports Bar, Little Rock, and Fadó Irish Pub.
We also have written posts on:
- Cleveland Bar Business Information
- Cincinnati Bars Business Information
- Dayton Bar Business Information
- Pittsburgh Bar Business Information
Have Fun Drinking At The Best Bars In Columbus
Now that you have read all of that you should have a much better understanding of what is available in your area. There are plenty of local wine and cocktail bars, breweries to watch sports at, places with good drink specials to save money, trivia, quiz, and game nights, as well as bars to listen to live music, dance, and sing karaoke near you.
If you notice us listing any venues that are no longer open or just think we got something wrong please tell us in the comments so this page stays as up to date as possible. Now go have fun drinking at the best bars in Columbus.
