Café Bourbon Street

One of the bartenders was a really nasty dude. He was angry about something. .. and not a short term problem like his car wouldn’t start that day. He was angry like something had been eating away at him since he was a child and just couldn’t get over it. It was a deep rooted anger. He hated his job and hated everyone who entered that place who asked him for a beer. It’s like he wanted to say, «Get your own damn beer!»
It’s been a while, so he may not be there anymore, but it was a bad enough experience that I won’t go back.

Excellent staff here, some of the best bar food I’ve ever had in Pierogi Mountain, and cheap as hell drinks. One star off for parking and whatever is up with that bathroom, but otherwise a cool dive bar that embraces that term.

Went here for the first time last night to staff a table. Was pleasantly surprised!
First, like everyone else has said, it’s a TOTAL dive bar. Some things are falling apart, duct tape has been used to fix some furniture, etc. But I was really worried about both the area, the atmosphere, and parking, based on other reviews, and I shouldn’t have been. The area is close enough to walk to OSU, and I mostly saw house parties in the surrounding area. The atmosphere was divey, like I said, and the crowd seemed to be mostly hipster-​esque people, but that could have been the event I was at. Parking was really easy as there was ample street parking on both the main and side streets.
I only drank a couple of sodas because of what I was doing, but the bartender was nice and efficient. The sodas were only $ 1, not that most people go to a bar to drink soda. A few people got food and it looked and smelled really good, though I didn’t have any.
They were putting on an event that benefited a really wonderful cause, so maybe I’m a little biased on this one. But I would totally recommend this place for a laidback way to spend an evening.

Worst experience I’ve had at a bar. It’s cash only and there’s an ATM next door, that’s okay, just super inconvenient. Not the reason why I’m giving it this rating at all.
My rating is based on my first visit on a Friday night, so take this review appropriately as maybe the service is better at other times!
The atmosphere was pretty chill, enough room to where I felt comfortable. Went to the bar to order a drink, noticed some specials on the wall. My friends didn’t have cash and they ordered drinks, so I spent my only $ 10 to help them out since it’s a cash-​only bar. They asked how long they served drinks and the guy was like, «Maybe another 35 – 40 minutes.» …ok, 2:05 AM, got it I guess… A little uneasy, wish he could’ve just stated an exact time. My friend ordered a double Burbon and coke and the guy handed him one shot of Burbon… He’s like, «Oh, I ordered a double Burbon and coke.» The bartender said, «You mean you want coke with it?» Ugh. Okay. So, they went by the ATM while I waited with no drink, still doing decently okay. They came back and asked what I wanted, I wanted my usual vodka gimlet (vodka & lime). They ordered me a double and I was handed a short glass… I was instantly like… Ugh. This is going to suck. So, took a sip and realized this guy makes super strong drinks. This is fine, ok… So I force a little down to make room for more lime juice so I can actually enjoy my drink… I’m afraid to talk to the bartender bc he’s already been not-​so-​nice so my friend asks him for me if I can have more lime juice in my drink. Bartender says, «I put enough in the first time.» and puts MAYBE a splash more of lime juice… ugh. I’ve worked in service. If someone wants something a certain way, I don’t question it at all, I just ask «how much?» like any respectable person that respects what another persons wants… If it costs extra just tell me, don’t question my wants. Seriously. So… Super disrespectful. He made one order wrong and questioned us/​was disrespectful on two things: «You want coke in it?» And «I put enough the first time.» Yeah. The story tells itself, just take it for what it is. If you want to be treated like crap, that Asian dude is your man. I really hope something changes about that attitude… That was… The worst ‘buzzkill’ (and I hadn’t had anything to drink beforehand)… Maybe people are into this kind of stuff like being questioned about an order… Yes, you’re right, I have a vagina!!! Yay! Now that that is cleared up, PLEEEASE give me the lime juice I kindly asked/​paid/​am willing to pay more for, K? Thanks.

Friendly bar tenders and cheap beer. This is a trend in Columbus, and that’s a good thing. This place is definitely dark, dank, and dirty, but it has character. It’s not exactly in an area that I would normally hang out in, as it seems to be in the middle of a war zone. Also the very strange pairing of bands is a bit much. I like diversity, but noisecore, bluegrass, metal, and pop just don’t go together.
The food coming out of the kitchen smelled great, but I unfortunately didn’t have anything. Next time.

I came here for $ 1 tacos on Monday nights (eat in only). It was good, I’ll be back for the tacos. Two of us were full on 3 tacos each for about $ 6.50. The extra 50 cents was because I chose to have both salsa and sour cream when you usually only get a choice of one. I’m just gluttonous like that. The salsa was not spicy in any way, but sriracha sauce remedied that easily.
The place was pretty empty while we were there. At one point we were the only ones there. The music was a little loud but not bad. I think I’ll have to go back to get a good feel of this place.

So it’s a dive, but I like dive bars. Great vibe to the place and their Sunday night karaōke is crazy amazing and fun. Drinks were cheap and the Russian bartender just added to the cool feel of the place. I’m looking forward to going back.

People seem nice, and they have good beer prices. (2 $ PBR tallboys). But, I think there’s a 10 $ credit card minimum, which i found a little… odd for a bar that’s so dirty.
Regarding the upkeep — there’s a dive, and then there’s a dive. The men’s bathroom had a horrible sewer smell, and they had no soap. I had to hold my breath the entire time i used the bathroom, because i didn’t even want to breathe through my mouth. I think it’s a little disrespectful to customers to leave the bathroom in such bad shape.

The Café Bourbon located right next to the Summit is the dingier of the two. They do quite a decent job of brining in local and national music but are horrible in publicizing the events and do not have a webpage or MySpace. Its mostly rock-​n-​roll but sometimes they get some other types of music to color it up.
Yes the place is dark and dingy and probably not in the safest neighborhood. The pluses are cheap food (very limited, if open at all), decent prices for beer and of course cheap shows — pretty much what you would expect from a local club/​venue that’s in a university area.
The sound is really not that bad and ranges with the band (more often), but the small size of the venue can always get you upfront for an up-​n-​coming music artist. Shows start quite late and headliners typically do not get on till midnight. Parking is an issue since streets fill up quickly on a weekend show and you will end up circling for a while. All in all, this place is something you would only visit for the music and leave right away, but the experience is worthwhile.

I’ve been past this place eleventy billion times before but I never stopped in for fear of getting shanked. Café Bourbon Street is a sketchy looking place for sure.
Then I found out– via Unilocal of course– that it’s apparently legit and has decent music. So of course I had to check that out. All in all, I’d have to say it’s not a bad little dive bar. Sadly, there was no live music when I stopped in. However, the bartender had some nice records going on and the drinks were decently priced, so good times were had all around. If you, like me, are a fan of dive bars and decent music but have never stopped in here out of fear– give it a try. Take a friend and have a few beers– it’s a good place to hang.
One word of caution though: it’d be a good idea to take your own hand sanitizer. I’m wasn’t joking when I said dive bar.

Two friends of mine who relocated from Cleveland to Columbus describe Café Bourbon Street as «the most Cleveland place Columbus has to offer» and I would have to agree with them. Café Bourbon Street has the same atmosphere as Cleveland’s Now That’s Class and the same quality vegan and vegetarian food. The veggie hot dogs are the best I’ve had (I’d recommend ordering them as described on the menu, with ketchup, mustard, and relish), their falafel tacos are great, and their fries come well-​seasoned. In addition to being delicious, everything is dirt cheap — the best of both worlds! If I lived in Columbus, I could easily imagine Café Bourbon Street becoming one of my regular late night dining destinations. That said, it may require a particular kind of person to appreciate Café Bourbon Street’s atmosphere. It’s dimly lit and loud, even when there’s not a show, and I would imagine that not everyone wants to eat their hot dogs with Wire’s Pink Flag blasting in the background. But, if you’re looking for good, cheap vegan and vegetarian food late at night and you don’t mind being pummeled by some post-​punk while you eat, Café Bourbon Street is perfect.

best dive in town if you like gritty rock and rollers. frank the bartender rules, ask him for a cuba libre. good place to chill and be left alone during the week. decent shows during the weekend. the bar connected to it, the summit, is only open when there’s a larger show. i don’t know why the summit doesnt have a sign or advertise in the paper.

I was recently asked, «If you had to pick one bar in town to only go to, which would it be and why.»
Easy. Café Bourbon Street. Here’s why: $ 1 taco Mondays, $ 1 hot dog Tuesdays, $ 2.50 PBR tall boys, good local & national live shows, records, friendly bartenders (when it’s not 1:30 am), karaōke, dive bar atmosphere minus the pee smell, a mostly decent crowd and it’s less than 5 minutes from my house.
What more could you want?

The former Extreme Weiners has been replaced by a vegan friendly café! Lara whips up some fantastic empanadas and gaspacho — specials change as she is inspired by local produce offerings. Definitely good eats!!!

Meh. Only been here once, wasn’t impressed. Small, dirty, divey — but not in the charming, local kind of way. In the «we’re located in the bad part of town and you might contract something from touching stuff» kinda way. Tiny stage for live acts, and in rectangular room so that only 5 or 6 people can actually SEE the stage. Bad beer selection. Bad liquor selection, too — they were out of Tanqueray and Jack?!
Apparently the bar attached is called The Summit, but doesn’t have any signage, so it appears to be Café Bourbon Street, too. So the friend who I was meeting here went into that bar, and I in the other, each paying different covers — chaos ensued. Oh, and it was an unintended «battle of the bands» between live acts at both bars, because the paper thin wall separating the spaces failed miserably to keep the sounds to their respective sides.
I drove in circles for a while trying to figure out where to park, and ended up parking — I think illegally — on a nearby street, but hey, my car was still there when I ducked out early to go home and shower off ol’ Bourbon Street.

What amuses me about my review from last year is that the Velvet Underground tribute was actually at The Summit, the bar connected to Café Bourbon Street. Having been to both of these places a bunch in the last year since then, I can say that while yes, I find the bathrooms at Bourbon Street FAR more acceptable, I think I actually like Summit better as a space. Bourbon Street is smaller, darker, more crowded and more hipster. The sound is Not Good. And yet somehow, Bourbon Street has a sign outside and Summit doesn’t. Huh. Oh and if you’re with the band and getting free beverages, the beer is Genesee… which I’m kinda sure isn’t alcoholic (and definitely not tasty) in the least. Yes, it’s true. I am classy. :P

I’ll go one further and state that this is the successor to the crown of Best Dive Bar in Columbus. Anyone still in Columbus from the days when you could hang at Bernie’s all week and see the Queers on Monday, Guitar Wolf on Tuesday, the Donnas on Wednesday (not that anyone would want to), Oxymoron on Thursday and The Promise Ring on Friday now hangs out at Café Bourbon Street (okay, okay; maybe a few are at Carabar and a few are at Ruby Tuesday). It’s not as good as Bernie’s was then, but it’s far better than Bernie’s is now.
They have karaōke on Sundays, and it’s a good time. They have Gennessee, Stroh’s, Lone Star and Pabst, and for the right price. So yeah, it’s a dive bar. The stage is maybe a foot high. There are no windows, it’s dark, there’s a broken pinball machine. It’s one of the preferred venues of the likes of the legendary, yet still underground, Cheater Slicks and so on.
There used to be a delivery restaurant called Taco Ninja adjoined to it that was infamously rumored to deliver cocaine in addition to tacos. It has since been replaced with a wiener stand. There are no drug dealing rumors regarding the wieners yet.

I’ve only been here twice, and it wasn’t for very long each time. i can see why the place has become one of the most mentioned names in Columbus music bars, though. It’s a place without contrived touches (although the one band i saw there was all blow and no go) and probably provides a slice of that CBGB’s shitty but real feel that some young people crave in our media saturated culture. Speaking of the word «shit», i hear it’s the uncontested headquarters of the Columbus Shitgaze music genre. The beer prices were palatable, and i liked the overall feel of the interior. It’s one place i intend to go more often to catch bands in the near future.

Bier Stube and Bernie’s aside, this is truly the epitome of dive bars in Columbus. Even if Bourbon Street didn’t own a liquor license, there’s little doubt in my mind that gutter punks would squat here and drink warm beer in the back until the cops showed up regardless. It’s that kind of place.
If you’ve ever been to Bernie’s, I guess it’s easiest to imagine this North Campus hole in the wall as its above-​ground partner in crime. Not like there are any windows or sources of outside light to fool you in to thinking you aren’t in a basement anyways, but you get the drift I’m sure. The tackiness and unkempt nature of this bar is the pure essence of punk rock, distilled in to a 30’x20’ room that houses it all. The walls are sparsely covered in random knick knacks that couldn’t have come from anywhere but a dumpster, the bar is decorated like the ruckus room of your creepy bachelor uncle, and the ceiling is a mess of stray wires and shoddy drop-​paneling that may or may not have been used to keep asbestos in check at some point in the not-​so-​distant past. In other words, this place is perfect for a first date.
Along with a truly random assortment of live acts, Bourbon Street also hosts punk rock karaōke on random nights of the week (Tuesdays maybe?). What better way to pass the time on a school night than by drinking 20 cans of Pabst and singing a duet of «Where Eagles Dare» by The Misfits with your new love interest that you met in Cultural Anthropology 200. Share a 40 of Olde English with her behind the dumpster after the bar closes and you’re sure to get at least a warm peck on the cheek at night’s end. That’s right, they sell 40s here. As if a place that looks like it might have been condemned three or four times before it opened wouldn’t sell malt liquor by the gallon, right?