District 13 — Restaurant in Sunbury

The food is a hit or miss, the cocktails are excellent. Got the pineapple express ($12) and it had a wonderful smoked flavor and the blackberry mojito ($8)was pretty good too. The Brussel sprouts as an appetizer ($12)were simply amazing but the portion was so large that we were full after finishing them. The sauce is like a raising canes and sweet chili mix and the cashews were a surprise but really tasty addition. The surf and turf left a lot to be desired for $33. The steak was cooked really well but could have been seasoned more generously, the shrimp were big but very under seasoned and a bit overcooked. The mashed potatoes were AWEFUL. Had never had mashed that bad before, and I love any and all potato's. Bland as ever, no potato flavor or flavor at all, tasted like they used oil instead of butter and the best was to describe them were like instant mash with some potato skins thrown in to look appealing. Steak was served over them so each bite of steak had these horrid potato's. The greens salad was pretty good but the Champaign vinaigrette was extremely overpowering and sweet. Again, we paid $33 for this dinner and it honestly kinda sucked. Would not order again. The same can be said for the fish and chips. ($21) Huge portion of fish, but it had NO flavor :( Breading was good and crispy and reheated as such but the fish itself was a bit tough. There was small pools of oil under each piece on the plate. The fries were alright but so much ranch seasoning and I am not a ranch person, they were also a little hard like they needed cooked more. This entrée came with fried pickles too and I had never had those before but they were not bad! Boyfriend did not like them however and they also had some ranch seasoning. Based on other reviews we were prepared to wait but there was no wait at all, the moment we finished our appetizer the entrees were brought out and the server was on top of water refills and clearing our table, and the place was about half capacity. I don't know if we would eat here again or recommend it to anyone, but if we did we would not order the same entrees. Maybe just stop in for some drinks and appetizers. The staff was wonderful and the restaurant was comfortable, bathrooms were clean. Our bill was $96 before tip, which was far more than what I think the food was worth based on...

My wife and I live close to Sunbury and we’ve recently decided to start visiting local restaurants since the kids have left us empty nesters. I asked my brother who eats out every day about this place. He told me the food is good but service is very slow and he doesn’t eat there any longer. Coincidentally, last year we were in Milanos near Reynoldsburg, and over heard people talking about restaurants in Sunbury. Our ears perked up because we live in the area. They mentioned District 13, didn’t say anything about the food, but they said service was so bad and were never going back. We decided for ourselves to go and try it out. Thinking people sometimes just get bad reviews and the restaurant is busy, and staff gets behind, we’d give them a shot. I started laughing upon walking in. They have a note in prominent places saying if you’re in a hurry, basically don’t eat there. Not to treat the staff disrespectful and you’re not wanted. I agree not treating staff in that manner, but it tells me they have issues. Our food was pretty good, but there were definitely issues with service. Don’t ask for a refill. You’re not getting one. One bartender serving drinks and food. The bartender left for a prolonged period of time leaving no one there. The bar was filling up with people and it was painfully obvious that people were getting annoyed with the wait times. Two waitresses serving the whole restaurant. One greeter that took at least 5 mins to show us to our table. Mind you, the restaurant didn’t have many people there when we first got in. Young girls who seem nice, but it’s not working. The restaurant is woefully under staffed. When we were done eating, it took all of 20-25 mins to get our bill. With the reputation it’s gaining from just word of mouth living in the area and the views on this site, the owners know of the terrible service. They just don’t care. Could be a great place,...

I have very mixed feelings on the food here. I had the bourbon glazed burger. The quality of the meat was excellent, and it was nice to actually go to a place that took (and delivered!) temperatures on their burgers! So many places now just do that "smash burger" foolishness. It was a joy to be able to bite into a true, fresh, medium rare burger for a change! However, it was totally unseasoned meat!! The fat to protein ratio was perfect, the temperature was on the mark, but there was no flavor! Season your burgers!!

The glaze was very tasty, thankfully but the plate was swimming in it! My burger was in a pool of glaze, which made for a very sticky affair indeed. Although a bar back was kind enough to preemptively drop off some extra napkins, that only added to the mess as they tore and stuck to the hands!

I substituted fries for the chips that normally came with it, which was a mistake. That one is on me though.

The service was hit or miss, and the interactions were all a little awkward. The burger and fries took over 15 minutes to come out as well, which seemed excessive.

This last bit might seem knit-picky, but it honestly impacted the atmosphere and the occasion quite a bit. The bar is flimsy. It's not well built. Another customer several seats down had the habit of slapping the bar with his hand as he was talking to his buddy about politics, which sent pretty strong vibrations all the way down. It's not an uncommon habit for people to do that, I am frequently at bars, and I am not easily annoyed, but by the end of it I was getting there. If you're going to build a bar, build it sturdy!

Update: I visited again and got fried chicken tenders which were also very poorly seasoned. Thankfully they came with dipping sauces, but fried chicken should be able to...