Eight and Sand Tavern & Refuge — Restaurant in Columbus

Eight and Sand Tavern & Refuge is outstanding!! My first visit last night was most impressive. Located in Hungarian Village, just south of German Village and a few blocks east of S High Street, the neighborhood has some interesting history. I look forward to returning during daylight hours to explore it some more!! A classic old neighborhood bar on a corner lot, cleaned up and whipped back into shape for a new life. When you enter the front door from Innis Avenue, you step up into the barroom, bar on the left, tables down the right and the kitchen about midway back. Just past the bar and kitchen is a hallway that runs the rest of the length of the building, where you'll find the restrooms. I was told that the back door leads to outdoor seating.

The crowd they're drawing is eclectic. The bar is nicely appointed with 6-8 taps of a good variety of craft beers, more in cans and bottles and the back bar is well-stocked with spirits. The owner is a Cameron Mitchell alumnus and takes special pride in the food portion of this operation. A small pub menu with very tasty, well thought out appetizers and sandwiches incorporating house-made condiments and sauces, changes several times yearly. The house fries that came with house-made ketchup and/or basil aioli and their version of a corn dog: andouille with a crunchy cornmeal crust and house-made mustard sauce for dipping left lots of great flavors in my mouth!! During Happy Hour on Tuesdays, all food menu items are 50% off and Duck Fat Fridays feature fresh cut fries and their Yardbird chicken sandwiches are died in duck fat. You won't know what you're missing until you try them!! Other weekly specials: Trivia on Mondays, Euchre on Wednesday and Karaoke on Thursdays. The owner and rest of the staff are very approachable, knowledgeable and friendly.

There you have it. Get there down to Eight and Sand Tavern and Refuge for a...

One of the coolest dive bars in Columbus area. Has a casual, unpretentious local bar vibe that is cool. The draft beer selection is good. Service and bartenders are great.

The food is really good! I am a frequent gastro pub customer and can tell you that most of these types of places have decent food. Eight and Sand over delivers and their food beats most gastro pubs in Columbus! The bartender said they have a cook in the back that is experienced and talented - it shows. The food is second to none. Of the 20 or so gastro pubs in Columbus that I frequent, there are only 3 that come to mind as having food as good as Eight and Sand.

Caveat emptor - there is no parking. You will park in the neighborhood. Very common for urban dining. The bar looks a bit rough from the outside - it looks like a dive bar. Inside decor also dive bar - not high end gastro pub. It is cool - just understand the genre.

There are signs that the maintenance is being neglected - above where I was sitting a large sheet of paint was peeling off the HVAC return. Hopefully the management will invest is keeping this place tip top; it is worth it, the place is dope.

I almost gave it 5 stars. Easily 5 star but there were too many signs the owner is not keeping up on the maintenance. For example, a dive bar doesn't mean broke down. Fix the busted up stuff - this place is a gem.

Conclusion - I will be back regularly - you should...

We enjoy going out on Wednesdays to eat and explore new places. I also like small, out-of-the-way neighborhood places. Eight & Sand in Hungarian Village is the epitome of a neighborhood bar. It's small inside, with a great bar down one side of the space, a few high-top two-seaters, and half-booths taking up the rest. There was room for standing around, and everyone was friendly. They had a wide selection of beer, and it was really cold. The food was better than expected for a borderline dive bar. My burger was excellent, with just the right amount of cheese and dressing. My wife had a meatball sub that was the special and declared it mighty acceptable. 8 and Sand is a great place, so if you are into getting out of your rut, we highly recommend them.

On a second trip, our experience was again super. The bartender was the owner. He greeted us as regulars. My with had the special steak torta steak, smashed avocado, LTO, and chimichurri on a toasted hoagie, and I had Coney Dog1/3lb all beef, house coney sauce, onions, cheddar, yellow mustard, toasted bun. Both were large portions. This place has a dive bar neighborhood vibe and is a...