Mandrake Rooftop — Restaurant in Columbus

Local or visiting – this place is a must go! Come hungry, thirsty, and with time to spare because this is an experience you do not want to rush! First you walk in this hallway that looks like an apartment building or hotel with an elevator you have to press the button that says “Mandrake” on it (you can also press the #10) so it’s a very private/speakeasy type of vibe. When you get upstairs its stunning from the décor to the skyline view of the city, its more than a 180 degree view of all that surrounds you. We headed to the bar and the bartender (Vince) was moving fast but quickly got us waters and menus to take a look at. Our first round was a High Fashion (play on an old fashioned but with plum Japanese whiskey so be ready for just a little extra sweetness to your OF). I had a pretty in pink (with titos) and I was pleasantly surprised how you could really taste the freshness of the strawberry in the strawberry basil sorbet, the twist of lemon was a perfect addition to bring it all together. Vince then asked what kinds of things we like to drink and if we wanted recommendations for off menu options, we were intrigued so we agreed. He asked us a few questions about our tastes and then he made us each a beverage. Mine was a delicious gin cocktail floral on the nose with a citrusy undertone to really break out the citrus in the gin, and another bourbon drink for my friend, he enjoyed it and thought it was unique vs just a traditional old fashioned/Manhattan you can get anywhere. I also had the opportunity to taste the “good florals” cocktail which had a great mouthfeel and was refreshing although im not sure I could appreciate the kiwi infusion in the vodka since the st germain, peach soju, and lavender water where competing. I noticed the executive sushi chef, Chef Yudi was walking around the restaurant chatting with a few folks and I asked him for recommendations. He brought out a play on the Hamachi Jalapeno which was succulent and tender with a really mild heat element. We had an opportunity to try a few off the menu items that night, a Lobster roll and a tuna trio. If the lobster roll makes it to the menu, I hope they sear the bread a bit harder as it was starting to get soggy and break but the tuna trio was fantastic! A thinly cut red fin that completely melted in my mouth, a thicker cut of the yellowtail which was incredibly fresh and tender followed by a fatty tuna which is a delicacy and one that while not often ordered personally I thoroughly enjoyed. As we were half way through our Tuna Trio, the managing director of the restaurant (Kal) came over and asked us our thoughts on the evening and the food we had tried. He was clearly seeking an environment of excellence in this restaurant and was enthused by the minor critiques we offered. I always enjoy when someone at the top makes time to interact with patrons and really ask for feedback not just “hows everything”, rather when they actually want to know about your experience. This is such a fun place to be with the head sushi chef really understanding and appreciating the delicacy of his product and the manager engaging with guests at the level he did. Now it was time for dessert (photo). We ordered the Paradise, French Mocha Roll, and Strawberry Fields. The truth, the paradise is the clear winner here with the vanilla bean in the sponge, the rum pineapple compote and the brittle for just the right amount of crunch. The Mocha Roll was very optically stimulating however it lacked in flavor and the sponge was a bit dry. The Strawberry Fields had some definite high points with pistachio in the crumb and the amaretto strawberries on top where tasty. Also, the desserts where quite large and great for sharing. Overall I very much enjoyed my visit to the Mandrake Rooftop and absolutely plan to visit again. You could tell there were quite a bit of repeat customers which creates a great vibe and friendly atmosphere. There was even a woman at the bottom of the elevator sending us off with “have a great rest of your night” on...

We had a birthday dinner for 9pm for 10 people. When making the reservation it asked for my birthday (under age birthday) which I put. We arrived for dinner and the lady checking us in asked for ID’s to verify we were all over 21. Not everyone was over 21 of age so she told us since not everyone is 21 we can not have dinner there since it’s 9pm so we all left but we pulled up the confirmation email and it says “Additionally, after 10 PM, all guests must present a valid ID for proof of age.“

So we all went back in and asked to speak to a manager. A “manager” came and we explained to him what happened and what the email says he told us that it’s fine but we would have to leave at 10 which we agreed too. He once again asked for ID’s and started to nitpick on what everyone was wearing in the group. One gentlemen was wearing cargo pants and a women was wearing a dress but had to tie the bust area together. He told us that on the website it says no cargo pants or drawstring…so we all went back to look at the website and no where does it say cargo pants or drawstrings are not allowed. The “manager” was veryyy thrilled to go back and forth with us about.

5 minutes after we left I got a text message saying “Thanks for letting us know! Your reservation is now cancelled.” I also got a notification from my bank that $200 was taken out by mandrake so I called to speak to a manager. The lady that answered the phone said “we are very busy right now can I get a brief summery so I can let the manager know so they can come to the phone.” I gave her a brief summary and she put me on hold. 20 secs later she puts me back on the phone and says that they don’t have a manager there tonight. Which is very weird since I talked to a “manager” while I was there. I had to call my bank to dispute the charge of $200 because I wasn’t the one to cancel the reservation and couldn’t reach a manager.

It wasn’t only us but also another group having a problem with what the staff was saying. Overall, we were all veryyyyy disappointed with how the night went especially since it was a special occasion. Staff was very rude and veryyyy unprofessional. Definitely a place that we will never have reservation for again. I would give this place a -10 star review if I would. A very disgusting place for how much hype it gets. If you plan on going definitely make sure there are no black people in your group or people with an accent because my group and the other group were the only ones that had a problem while all other people that didn’t have an accent or were not black got right on thru to their...

Tropical Luxe Vibes, High-end, but cozy. Lots of reasons for photo ops.

Best rooftop bar ambiance in Columbus that I've experienced yet (over Lincoln Social, Juniper, Goodale Station, Lumin, Vaso - comment if you know of any other good ones to check out). Lots of foliage and colorful flowers on the balcony space, but paired with velour, stand-alone booths as inside seating with dusted gold metal hardware. Great balance of airy and heavy aesthetics. Intimate but roomy seating in the outdoor space (intimate with your party but not on top of people around you). Amazing views and outdoor space, perfect for after work beverages or enjoying a sunny day with cocktails.

Food is a bit pricey for the flavor/quality. But the presentation is on point. $32 for a signature sushi roll (8 pieces - Short North Roll) is blasphemy especially for sitting on the same site as my once favorite Cbus sushi restaurant (Haiku - RIP 🙏). *Tip: there are less pricey standard rolls at the back of the cocktail menu. I'll need to try those ones next time ($14 for a roll is definitely more reasonable). The food/beverages are definitely pretty, but an average price of $16-18 for signature cocktails in Cbus is a bit extreme. This isn't NYC or LA. The High Fashion, Magic Mushroom, and Mylk Punch were all tasty, but nothing mind-blowing for $20, after tip. The branzino fish did have some small bones be careful. I'm not a fish person outside of salmon or sea bass, so I can't speak to the quality/flavor of the actual fish, but it seemed over-seasoned/dressed for my taste. Same for the brussel sprouts. Well-prepared brussel sprouts don't need a lot of accoutrements. With fine dining, less is definitely more. The s'mores dessert was very large and rich. Honestly, from a business perspective, they could make it half the size, charge the same ($12) and it would still be reasonable. Again nothing amazing (but still good), as far as flavor, and the presentation was nice.

They just soft-opened 3 days ago. Be kind and patient with the wait staff. They were all very pleasant and accommodating, but still working out some kinks. I overheard there was some sort of dress code at certain times/seating areas (?) but not entirely sure of the details. But you definitely shouldn't be coming in a tee, frayed bottoms and flip flops. I got "yacht club" or business casual attire vibes. Stay classy, y'all.

Shout-out to our server Noreen. She was a sweetheart and very...