I acknowledge that a pub crawl is a little outside the typical scope of this blog, but with St. Patrick’s Day in view – why not. All of these spots are within the distance you could hurl a beer bottle so the strolling is minimal. This would be a great way to spend a late afternoon with a gang of friends – share a few beers and an appetizer or split a meal at each place. I plotted out the paces, (if you opt to jaywalk) it is 165 steps from door to door.
P.K. O’Ryans Irish Pub
666 High Street
Worthington
614.781.0771
Happy hour is Monday – Thursday from 4:00pm until 6:00pm. The place offers a wide range of pub style meals with several beers on tap. Happy Hour gets you: reduced prices on draft and domestic bottled beer plus 1/2 price appetizers. The regular menu item to try here is the Irish Stew – a hearty mix of slow cooked beef, onions, carrots and potatoes with at least a pour of Guinness mixed in – served in a bread bowl. That will keep you warm.
Old Bag of Nails
663 High Street
Worthington
614.436.5552
The best menu item is the Famous Fish Sandwich. It easily serves two. My favorite reason to go here is the Fried Snickers (not available at all locations – but you can count on it here.) It is battered and devine, served with ice cream. There are plenty of beers on tap. It feels like a true pub when you walk through the door. Since you just hit O’Ryans you may think you are on the Emerald Isle – until you notice no one has an Irish accent and everyone is talking about the Buckeyes. This is the original Old Bag of Nails and has the best “feel” of any of the locations. There are old beercans and other pub bric a brac lining the walls. Many of the staff have worked at this location for years and they know their regulars by name.
Worthington Inn
649 High Street
Worthington
614.885.1223
Most people do not think Happy Hour when they think of Worthington Inn – but there is room at the Inn within the spacious bar area. Their happy hour is the longest on this stroll – Monday to Saturday, 4 – 7 PM. They offer domestic beer and well drink specials. However the best deal here is the discounted plates to share specials. The Worthington Inn is a very good restaurant and their “bar food” is more than one would expect.
1/2 off “Plates to Share”
La Chatelaine
627 High Street
Worthington
614.848.6711
There is a nice selection of French wines along with some hard to find Belgian and Euro beers on tap at the bar. If this is your last stop for the day consider picking up a bakery item as you are walking out the door – for a snack or maybe for breakfast the next day. The wine bar happy hour is from 5 to 7 PM. If owner Val Wielezynski is behind the bar – ask him about anything – he has great stories to share about the restaurant, his family and life in general.
So that is your Pub stroll agenda – a mix of small town and uptown for a Eurotrash style day out in the heart of Worthington.
CMH Gourmand - Eating in Columbus & Ohio 