The Chintz Room

This is ridiculous; I placed an online order for delivery through Skip the Dishes; a full 40 minutes later, I receive a phone call telling me that Chintz Room’s kitchen had closed – at 9pm – on a FRIDAY night. Well I had been hearing negative reviews on their food quality, but thought that I would give it a chance… guess I won’t have that option now… seriously, 9:00 on a Friday for a DOWNTOWN Restaurant? Won’t be making THAT mistake again.

We visited here on a very slow Tuesday evening right after the holidays, so that could have been the culprit of many of our issues. We tried a few appetizers to start. Everything seemed to be served tepid and got cold quickly. The onion dip is a MUST! Our entrees were kind of hit and miss. I had the «Adult Grilled Cheese» which was delicious, others in our group had the stir fry and the Mac and Cheese Bacon Burger and were underwhelmed. The bar was out of a lot of liquors, so most of our drinks were second or third choices from what we actually wanted. The waitress did explain that they were in the process of changing the drink list and was very helpful in helping us find appropriate substitutes. The waitress was very friendly and professional. The pricing is reasonable, so I did’t feel like I had wasted my time or money and we still all greatly enjoyed our evening together. I’d also like to try it for lunch or brunch.
That being said, the atmosphere is enough to make me want to give it another chance. The restaurant has retained hints of the old Lazarus building as well as old photos of downtown Columbus. I already plan on taking on mother, who grew up in Columbus in the 60s & 70s, here to let her reminisce!

12/​26, Website stated the restaurant was open, but when we arrived the doors were locked. No closed sign on the door and no answer or voice message when we called. I sent the manager an email expressing my frustration via the address stated on their website, but never received a reply.

This place was an utter disappointment and not worth the money. The bacon Mac burger was nothing but salt and I’m fairly certain they used a knockoff Kraft mac and cheese on the burger. Furthermore, the bread pudding I tried was nothing short of nasty. It came as a square chunk of bland slightly cinnamon flavored solidness that was drowning in the «bourbon sauce» which I can only describe as flavorless dessert gravy.
If this place was run by a former lunch lady and some unseasoned line cook, I wouldn’t be surprised.
After being contacted by the owner on here, I can readily see that the issue here starts with the management not recognizing that the quality and preparation of the food being served is the issue. Bad food is bad food and I was upset that I paid for it, but I wouldn’t eat that kind of food again even if it was free. I think you have some hurdles to jump in the kitchen before I’d consider coming back.

We came here at the end of a Pub Tour on a whim on a Sat. early evening. There were 10 people in our group. They had a table to accommodate the group immediately as they were not busy at the time.
First, I have to note the confusion of the establishment’s décor. It appeared as if they had no clue what they were trying to be or if they had even hired a designer. We noted a creepy looking mannequin sporting a wedding dress just inside the revolving door looking out. Hmm. Our nostalgic interest piqued; it is in the former F & R Lazarus building. I noted aloud that Lazarus used to have extensive exquisite window displays so perhaps a throwback or attempt at a salute to the old retailer now matter how meager. Inside there was a diorama from the 1950’s inset into the wall next to our table and a small hat display on the wall. We had a short conversation about hat collections, (one of which I had when I was in college from around the same time period that was larger than this paltry display). Sitting down I saw another mannequin on the wall nearest the bar, this one a male in a suit, (perhaps the creepy bride’s groom?) I lacked a connection with the bride looking out near the door. The corridor to the restroom had portraits of the former Lazarus owners (I think) but the placards on their frames were not well lit so I could read the details. Then on the way back to our table I noticed another mannequin in a bridal dress on top of the revolving door, facing in. Wow!
Next the service: The drinks came fast enough from the bar but at this point most of us were no longer drinking so 4 beers wasn’t a tall order. However, I was baffled that it took 30 mins. (actual time) to serve three desserts that were ordered at our table.
The food: I had a Pecan Ball, that was nothing out of the ordinary. I asked the waitress when I ordered if it could be served with flavors of ice cream other than vanilla. It can not. Someone ordered a peach dessert. It came with a scoop of (the same) vanilla ice cream and a peanut butter sandwich cookie of some sort.
Unfortunately, The Chintz Room is nothing of its former past and the sparsity of the disparate displays in The Chintz Room was a sad tribute to the department store. To try the food we would have to come back at another time but the ambiance and service was so lacking that I doubt we will. There are so many fabulous restaurants in Columbus, why settle for one that’s mediocre merely because it is reminiscent of something remembered as better?

Average. My husband and I stopped here for dinner. It started with the bartender having no idea what the house wine was and also being it of beers on draft without replacing them. Ok. Food came: husband liked his burger but also said there was nothing special
About it. I had chicken salad sandwich with side salad. The house vin is very good. The chicken salad ok — I’ve had better from market district but I still liked it. Finally — we ordered the bourbon bread pudding — the sauce was more like gravy. Neither of us liked this and we left most of it. Overall, eh, we won’t be back.

Super slow, hope you have all day to eat. We have been here an hour and still no food on the table.

I am old enough to remember the original Chintz Room, so I was really excited to try this new iteration.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go as well as I had hoped.
The staff that we interacted with were all very friendly and professional, and the drinks were good (the mule with bourbon was very good). The problem here was the food. Both my pork roast and my husband’s salmon were dry, way overcooked, and salty. I just ended up not eating.
I would stop by for a drink here, but there are too many great restaurants nearby to waste time and money here.

We took our sweet time getting down here, but it was worth the wait. The space is large, with a main bar area and a side dining room. Patio seating is available for warm-​weather days.
Service was quick, friendly, and efficient — the hostess greeted and seated us immediately and our waiter was friendly without being overbearing. The dining room has pictures of Lazarus’ glory days, and other Lazarus memorabilia stashed around the room.
They have happy hour, $ 2 off drafts and other specials ($ 3 well drinks, $ 6 dips and $ 9 pizzas). In addition to the classic Lazarus menu items, fans of the Lessner restaurants will recognize various other dishes (hummus and veggie sandwich, veggie stir fry, roasted red pepper hummus). I had the chicken salad sandwich and celery dressing — although I don’t truly recall what these tasted like from back in the day — both of these items tasted like what my grandma would make, which was satisfying. The spouse had the pulled pork sandwich and pronounced it good as well.
This is a solid spot to visit for food and/​or drinks in the downtown area. Happy to have this option south of Broad.

My friends and I went out on a last minute dining adventure. We had plans to try out Arepazo but there was a private party there so we were turned away. We then found ourselves at the Chintz Room and we were not disappointed. I have walked by the restaurant a few times in my adventures downtown and have always wanted to stop in and I am so glad I did. The atmosphere is very elegant and classy. They have really cool memoirs of the Lazarus building throughout and everything is very interesting and attention-​grabbing. The drinks are very well-​made and appropriately priced. The food is delicious! I tried the grilled chicken and vegetables and the seasoning for the veggies was fantastic and the chicken was perfect. All of my companions really enjoyed their meals as well. And this nice meal was only $ 13! What a steal for such a nice venue! Our server was very attentive and also quite funny. She was full of little quips that kept us entertained throughout our night. I will definitely be going back!

Great food, great service, great atmosphere! Ask for Michael, he was our awesome server!!!

Was looking forward to dining here since I remember my parents taking me to the Chintz Room in downtown Lazarus when we were very little. The atmosphere is great with two sections; one focused on the bar area, the second focused on dining.
The ambiance was nice, a little too dark (we mentioned the street lights were brighter than the restaurant lighting turning everything a tad. .. orange.) They had all sorts of pieces from the original Chintz Room on the walls (pictures, etc.) The chandelier above the bar is from the original Chintz Room and some of the tables, chairs and table bases were as well.
The food was good. Menu was small but very diversified focused on smaller plates and portions. I got a side salad which was good and the fresh pasta which was amazing and a smaller portion, which was probably the portion I needed because I would’ve kept eating it. Our drinks were very strong — always a good thing.
We had a great server (Michael) but it seemed a little chaotic and the restaurant wasn’t full. A few things were spilled on people, food runners were walking in circles bringing food to the wrong tables not knowing where to take their orders.
I’d def go back. May try lunch — that might be more crowded as I’m sure businesses around flock there in the afternoon.

Dined at the Chintz room today. The food and service we’re OK. If you’re looking for nostalgia in the food that was served at Lazarus this is not it. The celery dressing was what I could make it home. It tasted nothing like Lazarus use to make, which had fine soft crumbs with rich yellow chicken gravy.
I thought surely the pecan ice cream ball would redeem them. The original was so good because the pecans were toasted before application to the ice cream ball. The chocolate on this version was just so so. I didn’t finish it.
The watermelon salad was ok.
I was kind of surprised that they didn’t have TheCharlie’s salad. It was a staple of all the Lazarus’.
I will say that looking at some of the memorabilia brought back fond memories Lazarus luncheon with my aunt and mother. Doubt I’ll go back for food I can get any place.

OMG!!! (My first time using an emoticon because I don’t like them but there is no other way for me to describe today’s lunch at The Chintz Room.)
The food brought back memories of many meals eaten at Lazarus over the past fifty years. The food was very good and the staff very attentive. I enjoyed the pictures and history of Lazarus throughout the restaurant.
The only thing missing was ladies wearing their hats and white gloves.

I didn’t hate it… so that’s something. Seemed a little expensive for what I got.
I ordered the potato chips and they were just as expected. How can that not be good right? The garlic sauce was good but I wish it would have been a little more evenly spread throughout the dish. Very rich but good. 10 bucks seemed a little steep though. I expected more.
Now here is the disappointment: I had the buffalo chicken sandwich which they said was served panini style. Panini to me is pressed in a panini grill which this wasn’t. Just regular toasted bread. And dry… there was supposed to be buffalo aioli. And salty.
Celery dressing. A little gross.

I feel like giving something a 3-​star review when there are so many places getting 4 or 5 stars in the area suggests that I don’t really like a place, but that’s not true. I did like The Chintz Room, but a few things weren’t quite right that prevented me from giving it four stars. Overall, the atmosphere is kitschy, but I think it’s a little half baked. The mannequins and chandeliers work for me but there isn’t enough of this kind of thing to really pull the look off. Maybe overtime this atmosphere will be complete, but right now the décor seems a bit sparse for what they are going for.
The service was find once we were seated, but it took us a little bit to get someone’s attention. The two of us got a nice seat near the window at peak lunchtime, which was nice. We each ordered a sandwich and shared — the muffuletta and the buffalo chicken. The muffuletta was good — based on that alone I could give this place four stars. The buffalo chicken had far too much blue cheese. My dining companion scraped some off and I wish I had as well. The fries were good, but honestly I eat fries so rarely these days that fries are always good.
Overall, I think this place could improve but for right now it’s a 3-​star lunch option in an area with a lot of 4-​star options.

Was downtown for a dance competition this weekend and had a great meal! The food was great and server Brody made sure to accommodate for our daughters vegan diet. (Ask for him if you have a special diet, he knew the menu well and had good recommendations.) We also had the pizza and fish & chips. The staff was very friendly and answered our questions about the broad beer and cocktail menu. Everything felt «fresh» and the desserts were something special.
We will definitely be back, this place is a gem!
Also– nice outdoor seating options (was too hot for our visit) but reminded me of most restaurants in downtown San Francisco or Atlanta without the ridiculous prices. Would be good for dates, groups or out of town guests.

TOO LOUD. Had a business lunch group of 8 people who could barely hear each other. The wood floors, sparse walls and high ceilings combine for an extremely loud lunch service. 2 to 4 people might not have a problem.
The food was okay. We started with a beet/​feta cheese dip, which was a good portion except it came with a few small quarters of toast; too much dip was left over with nothing else to dip with. The grown up grilled cheese was pretty good. Chicken salad sandwich was okay, best part was the buttery grilled toast it was served on and the side of delish fresh cut fries. They don’t have ketchup on the table, when I asked for it I was served one small cup for myself, even though 4 of us had fries, so we each had to ask. Cheeseburger with an egg was cooked perfectly. The most interesting was the 1963 Diet Plate, which has 2 giant scoops of chicken salad and shrimp salad, with raw veggies on the side. Dessert cakes looked like a heart slice, probably worth it.
Ask about the $ 7 lunch special, which is a good deal for their menu, the day we visited it was a chicken chef salad.
One and done for me, not much to complain about but nothing great.

The menu looks awesome — I love me some chicken salad — so I will be back for that.
Most importantly, the staff was friendly on this «new year’s week» as my friend and I popped in to talk, and to have a drink. The bartender even entertained my Dr. Winston O’ Boogie order, a hot chocolate drink. He made it perfectly.
It’s still early. The vibe is weird (the décor is not the usual. It’s like pseudo-​CFL style).
I’ll be back, but at the moment, I’m left with good feelings from talking to the staff, and relaxing with drinks.

I don’t know why I was expecting more for a $ 10 sandwich at a lessner restaurant, but that bologna sandwich was just that, bologna. The cooked egg was thicker than the paltry slice of meat, and they had grilled the bread so much I think it was comprised more of salt and butter than actual bread. The side of stuffing was better though, so it balanced it out a little bit.
We had the beet dip as an appetizer, it was pretty chunky and was not really what I would consider a dip, it just fell off anything you tried to dip in it, we ended up eating it with a spoon.
Service was good but slow, drinks were good but they ran out of a draft on their menu while we were there (but it was replaced with southern tier 2XMas, so I guess no foul there).
Décor is nice, with the exception of the gaudy yellow/​black awnings out front. The floor is polished and slippery, an old lady slipped and fell on the floor while we were there.
Their website pays zero homage to the lazarus building, and it would be nice to have a building history on their menu as well to look over when you’re waiting for your $ 10 bologna sandwich…