I have no idea why this place seems to have mediocre reviews. Service was amazing, and food was sublime. It was everything I wanted in a French comfort type restaurant. Would go again in a heartbeat. read more

Best new hidden gem downtown. Tasty craft cocktails worthy of their $11-$13 price tag in a cozy, swanky atmosphere. read more

The Keep - Amelia's Beacon- Templeton Rye, house peach syrup, lemon peach bitters, absinthe - Bars Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

*This review is for bar/drinks-only, as I did not have a full meal.* First off, let me say that this is an absolutely gorgeous space. The Hotel LeVeque has really embraced the art deco period, with a seamless blend of both the classic and modern touch. The lounge area where the bar/restaurant is located is no exception. The bummer is that they have their happy hour menu on hold right now as it's being reviewed by corporate. That means that all of their items are full price, and whew... $12 -15 for a cocktail is pretty steep in my book. I mean, there are several other bars that focus on handmade cocktails with high end ingredients (I'm looking at you, Sidebar and Mouton) and you can still get a classic cocktail there for around $10. I just struggle to see the logic in paying that much when we are Columbus, OH, not NYC. Our server was nice enough to honor the happy hour price ($8) for one of our parties' drinks, so that was great customer service. The service here in general was very friendly and accommodating. The space itself is definitely worth a revisit, and I can see myself bringing guests from out of town to marvel at the historic building and lounging on the leather couches. I'd definitely come back if they reinstate their happy hour. This place is worth a visit for sure, but a bit too rich for my blood. read more

This restaurant was worth the steep price tag and the very long wait. My husband and I tried the bone marrow and the duck which were both superb. If you like to be daring and try food that's normally a rarity here in Ohio, I highly recommend checking this place out. read more

Well we were big fans. It was well worth the dash through Columbus rain to get to The Keep. It had a wonderful ambiance and the flickering sconces were a nice touch. My husband had Guinness, and I tried Hemingway's Martini...quite citrusy and delicious. I imagine them great in the Keys lounging around under palm fans. He and my seven-year old shared the bread with tomato herb oil. Both loved it. I deferred to enjoy the french onion soup which was delicious to the last drop. The cheese was gooey and the onions and broth quite flavorful. Entrees were waygu strip steak, roasted chicken, and beef bourgigion. The steak and chicken were amazing and the beef quite good. The steak was served Pittsburgh style by request with a butter herb mustard which made my eyes roll back a bit if I'm truthful. Worth every dime. Steak that good with mushrooms, brussel sprouts and potatoes for $54? A steal. The chicken was for my daughter as I wasn't going to go to a nice place and let her do grilled cheese or chicken fingers. She ate nearly the entire chicken!! It was so tender and she kept asking us to cut up more for her to eat. The au gratin potatoes were light and delicate. No you did not misread. It wasn't too rich or laden with cream. It was served with cauliflower and roasted carrots. She declared it her favorite ever. I snuck a bite. She wasn't far off... I had the beef and it was tender and served with whipped potatoes, onions, carrots, mushrooms and chunky smoked bacon. Personally, I'd have preferred more veggies and less bacon but it was quite good. For dessert we shared smore bombe and beignets. Ivy didn't know what beignets were but the chocolate, caramel and powdered sugar showered her face in approval. A definite success and we will be back. read more

See all

Had a Friday night dinner with friends. It was a disappointing experience. For its cost, the food was edible, but lacked any kind of real pizzazz. A beet salad that was overdressed with very few beets, Kroger's quality bread accompanying three dips that were somewhat bland and unimagined, desserts that looked and tastes as if they were purchased frozen and then thawed. The main entrees were acceptable, but nothing spectacular. It was all just underwhelming. While the physical atmosphere was nice, restaurant staff pushed a Cres Cor hot food cabinet by our table the times (we were asked to move each time) and later wait staff were pushing an ugly black plastic cart to bus dishes through the place. Our waiter almost contained his eye roll when my friends and I were discussing how we wanted to split the bill and told us he would just split it four way. I likely will never return here as Columbus has many other restaurant options that do much better than The Keep. read more

Our experience at The Keep was extremely disappointing and we just want others to be wary of the service and management issues. (We never received our dinner so we can't comment on the food). We arrived on time and informed the waiter we had tickets to a show that evening. We ordered and received our cocktails (4 people) and then placed our food order 10 minutes after sitting down. This is where things fell apart....35 minutes later we asked the waiter about our salads and he responded "they lost the salad ticket so they should be coming out shortly and I just put in your order for dinner". Salads arrived 5 minutes later and the waiter returned to the table to inform us that the kitchen lost the dinner order (it was only placed 10 minutes ago) and they were going to "comp" us for the drinks and salads but our dinner would not be served. We were shocked and couldn't believe what was happening. The Manager never approached us to explain what had happened so we sought him out before we left the restaurant. There was no apology nor an explanation of what occured. He said that he was just informed of the situation and couldn't explain what happened. There was No attempt in finding the root cause and trying to make ammends for the error. It was as if he just didn't care and didn't take any responsibility for such poor service. We dine out frequently and have NEVER had a situation like this occur. Needless to say, we aren't recommending you spend your time nor money at a restaurant that doesn't value customer service or providing food to their customers. read more

We were staying at the hotel and decided to come up for breakfast and it turned into a two hour disappointing affair. Slowest service ever. And then when we finally do receive our food we had just witnessed the cooks touching it all with their bare hands and it needed to be sent back. Burnt bacon that took 20 minutes to get another serving and when it did come it was in a pool of complete grease! Food tasted fine but not worth the hassle. And to top it all off after we get home 2 of our guests ended up with food poisoning!! No manager helped or comped any of our meal. Overall a terrible experience. read more

They can keep it. Went to The Keep for dinner on a Saturday evening. Had a reservation and no trouble getting our table. Had a drink at the bar first. I had the Levique 75 ($13) and my husband had the Smoked Cherry Old Fashion ($15). Nothing special for how pricey they were. I have no problem paying $$ for deliciousness. Didn't find it with the drink. Not with dinner either, unfortunately. For appetizers I had the beet salad ($14) There was a tiny piece of goat cheese that was hidden in the frisee. Not well dressed and pretty dry overall. My husband had the oysters that were good but very small. You can get better oysters at The Market IV. Not worth it at The Keep. Dinner entrees were not good. I had the scallops ($36). The best thing about them was the sear. They were nicely seared with a pretty golden brown crust. Unfortunately the risotto was dry and clumpy. The promotion of the charred corn in the menu description made me think there would indeed be corn in the risotto. Perhaps a couple small kernels. No corn flavor. Also, the whole dish was sitting in a pool of butter. Maybe this was the vierge sauce? I don't know but it looked like a pool of butter so I'm guessing the sauce had broken and was just pooling at the bottom. Not great. My husband had the monkfish special that was wrapped in bacon ($35? can't remember). The good with his dish is that the bacon was crispy. The bad is that the fish was super dry. You really needed the steak knife to cut through it. Also, no sauce over the fish. Not looking for a soupy saucy mess of a dinner entree, but a good sauce can really tie an entire dish together. We didn't find that here. Also, the decor left something to be desired for how beautiful the building is and how expensive dinner is. My chair at the bar had a big hole in it and the stuffing was coming out. The ceilings feel low and the whole space is dark. The shades were drawn in the dining room so there was no natural light. The vibe was claustrophobic, dingy, and worn out versus classic. The bathrooms were nice though. Overall, a big disappointment. We will not return. read more

Pretty mediocre and expensive to boot. Food quality leaves a lot to be desired. Shrimp were way overspiced and overcooked. Service is meh for fine dining. Waiter made quite the impression on me by coming over and without any sort of greeting, "Get you something to drink?" This is acceptable at the neighborhood dive, not a place with $50 entrees. Area outside the bathroom was disgusting. There's a closet in the foyer area with the bathrooms and it had a pair of blue jeans on top of it (wtf?!?!?) as well as microfiber towels and paper towels. Can you imagine that sort of attention to detail at ANY Cameron Mitchell restaurant or Lindey's? read more

This place has been on my list as a resident of downtown for quite some time. Was able to finally make it for breakfast with about eight of my friends and I was not at all disappointed. The food was incredible the service even better and the manager went out of his way to make sure we were taken care of and checked in on us twice. We all ordered something different and each and every meal was incredible. If their breakfast is any indication as to how good their dinner is, I'm super excited to return for dinner. read more

Maybe my expectations were too high based on photos, previous reviews and the fact that it's in one of the most iconic buildings in the city, but I feel like there is a lot of opportunity for improvement here. CONS:They didn't have their signature drink available, however it was on the menu. The lighting is SUPER low which makes it difficult(and questionable) to see what you are eating. Unfortunately my burger had several bad burnt edges that I didn't realize until it was already in my mouth. I felt horrible complaining because it was a special evening for our group so I kept it to myself. It wasn't crowded at all but the kitchen seemed to be hustling. They were wheeling carts of stock back and forth through the dining room during peak dining hours. PROS: The drinks were great, salad was perfection, ambiance is romantic and chic. I would be willing to try it again for happy hour or apps but dining, more than likely not. We have too many other options with consistent quality. read more

As we are staying at the hotel, we ventured to the bar for drinks before dinner. Bartenders not attentive and most annoying waitress laugh was some type of odd heckle that was condescending in approach and sound. Given the price point of the hotel, bar and restaurant, would of expected a significantly heightened experience. Wait staff was extremely slow, and not interested in keeping drinks full. Waited over 45 minutes for a charcuterie starter. Very disappointing experience. read more

First time there food ok but for the price needs to be a lot lower. Very skimpy on the drinks.

Wanted to love it...but didn't. The space was amazingly finished and ambiance would be 5 . From the very well appointed Art Deco lobby up to The mezzanine where the restaurant is, we loved the atmosphere. Service was fine. The food, however, felt flat. We had the octopus and Brussels sprouts for appetizers and then the chicken and pork entrees. The apps were very good. The chicken and root vegetables dish was very plain. The chicken was done well but had no flavor. The root vegetables were also lacking any salt, pepper or spices. The pork was super thin, fried and plain and we could barely eat it. For the awesome surroundings, the food definitely needs to be upgraded. read more

Two stars for the feel and look of the place. Very nice addition to the columbus scene. That is all I have because drinks (cocktails and food) left much to be desired. Read other reviews around the drinks and the same crap happened to me. Bartenders had no clue and were not apologetic when I told them the drink was not right. I asked for a simple old fashioned and I felt I was drinking gasoline. Odd. Our company ordered dirty martinis and had a hard time As well. We went with bottles of whatever after that. We ordered food next(apps) and were just ok. Not sure if we expected some amazing stuff but there 4 of us and all decided to leave to another restaurant I will come back to this place but not anytime soon. read more

We were asked to leave because they needed our table!! That has never happened before to us. There were other people there just as long as us but they weren't asked to leave. We spent a lot on food that was not even that great!! read more

The Short-Rib Poutine is NEXT LEVEL- I stayed at the hotel two nights and ordered this dish via room service from 'The Keep' both nights. I've literally never had such a tasty 'fusion' item- fusion as it's not really 'poutine', as the proverbial 'gravy' is much more a bordelaise sauce with perfectly crisped fries topped with a generous portion of short ribs; it's VERY TASTY, just ask for extra cheese curds! read more

I have never posted a review before, but this was the worst meal I have been ever served--at any price point. Let alone at $125 per person. The service was slow, we waited close to an hour for the first course--which arrived cold. The subsequent courses were Luke warm, slow and were nothing like the food that was described on the menu. Even dessert was inedible, stale, cold, flavorless and, again, nothing like what was described. The staff were aware of the issues and comped our meal, which we were grateful for. My Manhattan was delicious. read more

The title of this review is "You Can Keep It" meaning no thank-you! Being from Columbus we thought this might be a fun spot to try for celebrating my parent's wedding anniversary. I must start by saying both the Hostess and our waiter did an excellent job of their respective tasks and at trying to apologize for the problems that we experienced. They were not deficient in any way. However, Our overall experience was not a good one. To start with the booth that we were seated at was so dark that we had to use our cell phones to see the menus and the table. The light over our table was burned out. Out of the 4 of us, only two people liked their food. Criticism for the French Onion Soup-it had a bitter after taste-our waiter shared that they had added vinegar which seems like an odd ingredient. Also, two people had the Steak & Pomme Frites and said the meat was ordinary in flavor and one of the steaks had a horrible "stockyard" odor. All of this made worse by the fact that it took 2 hours to get our entrees served! Almost, 90 minutes after we received our appetizers. When we asked why guests who were seated, at least an hour after us were served before us-our waiter had no response. Clearly, the kitchen has some dysfunctional issues. We asked to speak to the manager who never bothered to come to see us. Instead, our waiter told us he would give us free wine and desert-we didn't want either. We didn't want to wait another hour for dessert. They gave us a small discount off the bill as a way of saying sorry but at 260 bucks for dinner, there are many more reliable and delicious places we'd rather eat in Columbus. If you have another favorite spot, by all means, book your reservation there. This place isn't going to be able to last without an efficiency manager in the kitchen and a new general manager-one who understands the importance of customer service-not to mention being a professional. At the very least, he should have come to our table to apologize. I hope his bosses are reading this review-he needs to find another job. read more

Great atmosphere here. Relaxed and comfortable. Jimmy helped us to pick out a great wine,delicious, to pair with our Pork Chop and Beef Bourguignon meals which were wonderful!. First time here and will try again! read more

This place is AMAZING!! Breakfast menu is amazing, the lunch is fabulous, and so is the dinner. Drinks are on point as well. Very clean and great friendly staff. Definitely try the duck grilled cheese. read more

Cozy and casually chic. As a French speaker and traveler to all areas of France and Belgium, The Keep has a definite charm and authenticity. I would recommend for a nice date night for a low key vibe. Bon appétit! read more

It's always an amazing experience. We just enjoyed the Valentines dinner menu and breakfast. Highly recommend the short rib hash and steak frites. Let the server recommend a cocktail or wine to complete the experience. A stay at the Hotel LeVeque will complete your night out. read more

My boyfriend brought me here for a surprise Valentine's Day dinner. Initially, we got sat against a wall, so we asked to move to the bar. Our server was mostly absent. We observed the cook not wearing gloves and handle the meat being prepared for our appetizer. Visible dust on the ceilings over top of the food station. Our appetizers were great, but our meal-- the exact same, cooked differently. I didn't like my drink but my server offered to take it off right away when I ordered a new one. The AC came on at one point... it was only on for a short while but none the less, it's winter! Most importantly, our meals did not match the menu description. The main menu features a peppered ribeye but what we received was just simply seasoned. For the cost of the experience, i don't think it was worth it. read more

Sometimes you need to get all dressed up go to fancy place, definitely The Keep is just the place. The decor and ambiance is great, the cocktails were excellent, and the food delicious. We ordered a seafood tower and everything was just perfect but I wish it had more than 6 oysters. Our waiter was definitely knowledgeable and while a bit snobbish he really took great care of our table so I forgive him. We made a reservation for dinner and headed over to see the Flamenco with the Columbus Symphony, a night out to remember. The Keep really makes a great impression. Looking forward to coming back. read more

Had breakfast here for 2 days while on a trip in town. I really enjoyed both the biscuit and gravy as well as the omelette. The restaurant is a bit hard to find but is located in a very nice, historic hotel (renovated ) with very classy furnishing . Prices are very reasonable as well. read more

Disappointing. I've dined in twice over the years and got take out today. The ambiance is nice, service is pretty good as well. But the food and drink leave a lot to be desired. I ordered the fall salad +chicken, and the crispy chicken sandwich. The fam salad was missing the apples and cherries (the two sweet elements), and the sandwich was bland. The fries were great though. Anywho. Not horrible, but not great either. read more

My favorite place in town for drinks-food is wonderful as well. Their staff is incredibly friendly, there's almost always a place to sit (at least for 2-usually for more), and their drinks are amazing. If you tell them what you like, they'll make a recommendation and make you something special. The food is very good as well-I have never had anything I didn't like. The food and drink menu rotate constantly, so there's always something new to try. The ambiance is inviting and not too quiet loud. It's calm without feeling dead. My husband is very picky and vocal about his dislikes, and he has nothing bad to say about the Keep! Everyone I've ever taken loves it as well. read more

Went to dinner here before a broadway show this past Friday evening. Reservation was for 5:45 for 9 people and show began at 8pm. Everyone who ordered an entrée that should have been served hot, was served cold food. There were 4 orders for the steak frites, which include fries and a flat iron steak. Everyone's food was cold. We barely got to the theatre in time to sit down before the show started. At the prices we paid, this was very unacceptable. We did not ask to have the food sent back, because we had waited so long for it to be served in the first place, and we were running out of time to make it to the show. read more

Awesome spot downtown with great food and drinks. Great for a nice date night or any upscale dinner.

I will give overall 3.5 stars. I had brunch with my boyfriend. I had salmon sandwich my bf had fruit salad with cereal smth. He said his was good. But I didn't really liked it was ok not that tasty. But service was good. read more

I have been here twice now on this trip. Amazing service. The servers are tops for sure and frequently checking up on me without going overboard. And the food is so good. Highly recommend. read more

Amazing food and atmosphere! Cocktails are perfect. Plan to visit again the next time we are in town!

The Keep is a gem. Walking into Leveque and finding your way to the restaurant is a treat because everything is beautiful! We went to the bar/lounge for the evening but took a peek at the restaurant and kitchen. The space is so cozy and well-designed. We arrived around 7:50, just as crowds were descending to a show at the Palace. It was clear that tables hadn't been turned but we decided to sit at the bar and were immediately greeted. Multiple people stopped to say hi and offer recommendations and many apologized for the busy evening. We noticed that it was all hands on deck but we experienced fantastic service our entire stay. We understood that the staff was recovering from a rush but they made us a priority. I had the Paloma and it was very refreshing and not sweet, I appreciate a well-designed cocktail with complex flavors that is not sweet. My husband had the Howlin at the Moon with in-house coffee infused whiskey and it was incredible! The drink was the perfect dessert cocktail and paired nicely with the s'mores dessert. The dessert had fantastic texture and flavor and the smoked flavor of the toasted marshmallow was perfect. The GM was work side-by-side with his staff and was genuinely interested in our thoughts and made small-talk. We had a fantastic experience and cannot wait to return and try their menu! Everything is pricey but the quality was worth it. read more

We went to The Keep for brunch today for Mother's Day. Unfortunately, the experience left a lot to be desired. My mom ordered you spicy margarita, they couldn't make it. My husband's drink had a bug in it. We order apps and they didn't have Shrimp Cocktail or the Stick Ribs. We switched and ordered grilled oysters, they brought out raw oysters. We had ordered onion rings, they never brought them to our table. We finally asked if they could let us know what was available on the menu before we placed our entree order. It took another 15 minutes for the server to return to our table. There were only 2 other tables full in the restaurant. We decided we were going to go somewhere else as there was no acknowledgement that these issues could have been avoided by simply telling us what they were out of before we ordered. When we told the server we were leaving a manager didn't come to the table. We spent $35 on drinks and still tipped but it was a disappointment for sure. More organization and some one coming out and proactively expressing the fact that they were sorry about being our of so many things on the menu would have gone a long way in making this bad experience somewhat better. read more

Party of 8, check came to $750, only 6 of us were drinking. Had the seafood tower ($125 -- not a ton of food for that price), 3 salads, entrees, one desert and one coffee. The food was good, we did not walk away hungry as some have stated. I think it's a tad overpriced when compared to higher quality restaurants with similar pricing (think Lindey's). Also, the menu doesn't state (and the server didn't mention) that the branzino is served as a whole fish head to tail, which is a helluva project if you're not expecting it (deboning was not offered). The service was friendly and competent but we rarely saw our server and waited nearly an hour between courses (we sat at 7 pm and served desert/coffee at 9:30). The pacing could use work. The space itself is beautiful, warm and inviting. Overall I think it's a fun occasional splurge. read more

My wife and I finally made it to The Keep and we were not disappointed. We had several different dishes, for example, the Petite Tower, French Onion Soup (which was voted best French Onion in Columbus) and the Whole Fish. All the food was amazing! The atmosphere is great, with the kitchen right in the center of the restaurant. Gas lighting is a really nice touch as well. One of the best pieces of our experience was our host Jimmy. He is passionate about the food he is serving and it shows. He's happy to make recommendations and did not let us down. He took very good care of us and next time we'll be sure to ask for him! read more

Do not let the other reviews fool you, this place is not good. Every dish we had had 17 ingredients and felt like it came from a Cheese Cake factory menu. The price point of most items will make it seem like a quality restaurant, but it is not. Who puts oregano on shrimp cocktail? Maybe a college bro that has never had seafood. Bubba Gump has higher quality food and it barely passes for edible human cuisine. It's great that there is something in the Leveque Tower but do not goto this place. It is trying too hard and is not good. read more

The Keep - Bars Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Service, food and dining space was great. The menu is smaller but should have an option for everyone. The bread appetizer was delicious and a must try at $5. read more