Little West Tavern — Restaurant in Columbus

This was my second time at this restaurant. The first time we sat at the bar and the second time was for a large party birthday dinner. My conclusion is never go here for an event with a big party.

My husband requested we go here for his birthday dinner with a party size of 12 people. I worked with an event planner because the party was larger than 6 people. Initially, we planned to order food individually. However the planner strongly suggested we go with a price fix menu. She stated if we ordered individually, we would be waiting for our Entrees for at least an hour and a half because it is a large party. I personally felt the price fix was a little expensive for the 3 options; $65, $75, and I think $100. So I was hesitant to move forward with the price fixe menu. However, we had a second reservation for another place to have drinks at 8:30 that I had prepaid for so I knew there were going to be time constraints. Our dinner reservation was at 6:30, which would give us 2 hours. We discussed the options and my husband really wanted his dinner here. Since it was made clear we would be waiting a hour and a half for food if we ordered individually, we decided to go with the price fixe menu. We were assured with the price fixe that food would be ready faster since it was predetermined and they could just run the courses. We chose the $75 option. It included 4 courses: 2 starter salads, 3 apps, 3 entrees with 2 sides, and 2 dessert options. As I said, we did feel it was a bit expensive but the food options looked to be plentiful so cost was justified . We were confident though it would go a lot smoother if we went that route and we could make our next reservation.

Fast forward to the actual reservation. We arrived and were seated without issue. About 5 minutes after we were seated, the server came over to introduce herself. She did not offer to take our drink order and began to walk away so we had to speak up to get their attention to come back for that. She clearly seemed very annoyed by this. Which was the theme of the service she provided. Throughout the entire experience she had an attitude like we were inconveniencing her and she seemed annoyed with us over basic asks. We had to constantly stop her as she walked by because she was not actually stopping to check on us. A few people in our dinner party work as servers and we know their job is difficult. However, we should not be feeling bad about expecting basic service at a nice dinner. Her attitude never improved throughout the dinner. It was very off putting.

As far as food goes, the food was very tasty and looked great. I have no complaint of the quality. My complaint goes down to timing. The entire reason we decided on a price fixe menu was to ensure we could get our food in a reasonable amount of time to make our second reservation. I realize 2 hours for a large party at dinner may be pushing it, but the predetermined menu selection should have sped things along according to their manager and planner. We did not receive the first of our 4 courses until almost an hour after we were seated; around 7:20 with the 2nd Appetizer course about 15 minutes later. Then the entree course came out about 45 minutes after the 1st course. At this point it was 8:15 and our next reservation was about a 5 minute walk from there. So we requested the last dessert course be boxed up instead of served at the restaurant. I wanted to check in at the second reservation so I quickly ate my entree and left the party to check in at the second spot by 8:30. I waited about 30 more minutes at the next reservation for the rest of the party to arrive from dinner.

I would like to note, we had 3 diet restrictions in our party that did not go with the price fix menu. They ordered individual items. They received their food before the first course even came out.

Overall, nice restaurant with pretty delicious food. Service was not great and I feel like the overall cost did not match our experience. I would go back to sit at the bar but would never go back for a seated dinner with a...

I had a great time at Little West Tavern, thanks to the wonderful service of Michael, our host. He was friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable about the menu and the history of the place. He greeted us warmly and showed us to our table, which had a nice view of the wood-hearth oven. He explained the concept of the restaurant and recommended some dishes that we might enjoy. He also told us about the other dining options at The Junto, such as the rooftop bar Brass Eye and the cow-themed coffee shop Maudine’s.

We ordered the cheddar scallion drop biscuits, the wood-fired chicken wings, and the tavern burger with fries. He also refilled our drinks and offered us some sauces for our wings and fries. The food was delicious and satisfying, especially the biscuits, which were warm and fluffy. The wings had a nice smoky flavor and the burger was juicy and cooked to perfection.

Michael also made our dining experience more enjoyable by chatting with us about the neighborhood and the hotel. He told us that Little West Tavern was inspired by the independent spirit of the West and that it featured both indoor and outdoor dining. He also shared some interesting stories about Maudine, the cow who was Ohio State’s homecoming queen in 1926, and how she inspired the coffee shop’s name and decor. He also gave us some tips on where to go and what to do in Columbus.

We ended our meal with a slice of apple pie with vanilla ice cream, which Michael said was made with local apples and homemade crust. It was a perfect way to end our night. Michael thanked us for coming, He also invited us to check out the rooftop bar Brass Eye, where he said they had a Rooftop Area and a great selection of drinks.

We left Little West Tavern feeling full and happy, impressed by the food, the ambiance, and most of all, by Michael’s service. He was one of the best Hosts we ever had at a restaurant. He made us feel welcome, comfortable, and entertained. He was professional, courteous, and personable. He went above and beyond to make our night memorable. We would definitely come back to Little West Tavern and recommend it to anyone looking for a great place to eat in Columbus. And we would definitely Ask for Michael as our...

This was one of the poorer dining experiences I’ve had and I guess I’ll just start from the beginning. Some may enjoy Sue as folksy, but we found her a bit over the top. It started with a comment about her painting, noting they couldn’t afford an original so they had to buy a print. I think it was a joke, but as we got deeper into the meal, it became apparent that maybe wasn’t the case. I won’t go into every detail, but will lowlight the key points.

It’s important to note, this place can’t even figure out it’s own identity. It has a $120 Tomahawk steak as well as a neon cowgirl on the wall. Those two items don’t go together. Not to mention our seat was so close to the burning wood, we could uncomfortably feel the heat.

-It took us 25 minutes to get our drinks after ordering (there was one table of 5 and a table of 2 when we sat down). -She was pushy (being kind) on two ladies who ordered a glass of champagne, pressing the bottle. -Someone’s food was so hot and sizzling (think fajita), by the time everyone was done his food was still too hot to enjoy. -Two ladies ordered the chicken sandwich, a very simple dish, but it was an almost chunked chicken dish and somehow came out 20 minutes after the other dishes. -She noted “food would come out when ready”, so someone got their burger, then 5-7 minutes later, would come the fries. It’s all one order, serve the basics together. -One person’s bill had 9 items, they had 4. Two of those items we were told would be removed from the bill. One a dish for the birthday boy and another for the poor service. -After all of this and the separate charges of 2%, 2.5%, 2.25% and tax, we were told the 18% gratuity would be removed so we could tip appropriately. It wasn’t but everyone wanted to leave so bad, we agreed not to say anything and we left.

I am confident in saying Sue had not served before. Between her personality and the constant excuses about being too busy (there were a total of 8-10 non-bar patrons outside of us), that was obvious. She couldn’t get the orders right, the bills were not even close and she just kind of made excuses and laughed a bit.

Just a really terrible experience from...