Service great. Little crowded due to size of venue. Food was very tasty. My friend got a steak and I got a chicken sandwich. Both got a couple of beers as well. But by far was the crab cakes. Best Ive ever eaten. Beats any seafood restaurant Ive been too. However, it is a little pricey. So I wont be able to patronize this place often. But I see why its a go to place every weekend. read more

The Square - Giant chicken sandwich and the remains of the crab cakes - Seafood Near Me - Columbia City, Indiana

Very poor service on a Saturday too....4 of us there for over 30 minutes only to get waters and sides of coleslaw and no sandwiches. Disappointed and had to cancel our lunch order and walk out. Asked how the soup special was and the waitress said it was made a few days ago so that was out of the question too. Won't be back read more

I wanted to love this place BUT the food was terrible. The chicken tenders were dried out, not hot & burnt. The baked potato was day old at a minimum. The steamed broccoli was coated in who knows what & not edible. The breaded mushrooms were grainy & had an old burnt grease flavor. None of the hot food was hot. I must add that the cole slaw was very good!! Left sadly disappointed. Food pics attached. read more

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The parking was not bad , it's a group of business we had to park down the street a little but a easy walk. The atmosphere was good , it appeared to have regulars which is a cue for good food and prices - it proved to be correct I got a quality steak with sides for 20 dollars. The service was helpful and they worked as a team to get us our food and drinks. read more

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Had a great time with my daughter. Service was great with the exception of a late salad arrival. The salad came to our table after the waitress was notified. I ordered a blue moon beer and it arrived without a slice of orange. When I mentioned the missing orange slice the waitress promptly returned with a frosted mug & a thick slice of orange. My daughter ordered the shrimp secure, broccoli & house salid. I had a wet burrito. The food was excellent & I look forward to my next visit. There was a warm atmosphere & the chatter of other guests was not a problem allowing for conversation at our booth. I would recommend The Square to everybody. read more

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This was my first visit to the Square. I liked the atmosphere from the moment I walked in to the restaurant. Immediately at the front door is a hostess stand with a board listing the specials, the soup of the day, and the vegetables for the day. There is a decent seating area for families as well as a segregated bar area. The decor is very modern, and the restaurant is clean. The hostess gave us our choice of a booth or table. We chose the table. She then took our drink order and brought our drinks out fairly quickly. When the server came to take our order, I was a little disappointed to find out. She did not know what the specials were, or anything about the special. I believe that's one of the first things a server should learn at the beginning of the shift; what are the specials of the day. I ended up ordering off the menu. I got the Hawaiian chicken (pictured). I also opted for the walleye gumbo as one of my sides. She did say there was going to be an up charge for that, which I was happy to pay. My dinner, companion order the chicken cordon bleu, which she has ordered previously. Unfortunately, the server never brought out my companions salad until after the main dish was served. (This is the reason for four stars, and not five) aside from the salad being brought out last, her meal was fine. I really enjoyed the Hawaiian chicken, which was such a large portion that it easily hosted two full pineapple rings side by side. The asparagus was grilled and very tasty!! The prices are very reasonable. Each entree was $12. The up-charge for the soup was $2. We don't often dine in Columbia City, but I would gladly return here soon! I would have gladly given 5 stars if the server had known the specials and the salad would have been brought out promptly before the meal. read more

The Square - Hawaiian Chicken with grilled asparagus - Seafood Near Me - Columbia City, Indiana

The Square does a nice job for dinner. We went on a cold Friday evening, early, to try a new place that was out of the way. This facility is located in a strip of shops across from a beautiful court house. I'm sure this would be a great visit in warmer weather. Tonight The Square was no so busy. We were able to get right in and be seated. The wait team was plentiful. Our waitress was taking our drink order quickly. Throughout the course of the evening we had as many as five different employees stop AAM check on us, clear dishes or get refills. It probably helps that the restaurant is a long rectangle. All employees had to walk right past our table. The service was exceptional unless you were looking for a quiet slow paced diner. The facility is a nicely renovated shop. Lots of wood trim especially in the bar that was very attractive . The shop did have an interior door to try and stop drafts. On this cold evening there was still an uncomfortable draft coming in. I also found I it odd that there were about 5 TVs - one showing sports, a movie, 2 showing wood working and one running local commercials. Now to the food. My wife had the fish tacos and chips & salsa. The fish was excellent - nice taste though one was much saltier than the other. She said the taco wrap was a bit tough but still good. The taco chips were fresh and had an especially tasty seasoning. The salsa was delicious! I had the ribs, sweet potato fries and cole slaw. The slaw was very good - fresh, creamy withou a heavy mayo taste. The fries were good. Hot with a mild sweet potato taste. No special dipping sauce. The ribs were very tender and moist. I could cc'ing them from the bone with a fork. The sauce was baked on. Not much dripping off the bone. It was mild with a hint of BBQ flavor. Nicely done - didn't dominate the taste. Overall this is a must try. The staff was very friendly and professional. The food was very good at a reasonable price. Enjoy the journey to find The Square! read more

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I have been to The Square several times, and each time the service and the food was horrible. The first time I went there my boyfriend and I waited for close to an hour for our food. The waitress indicated the kitchen had lost our order, and there was no apology or compensation for the mistake. The next time my boyfriend and I went to eat at The Square the waitress brought out my boyfriend the incorrect food, and my Patty Melt was burnt and was not edible. I would not recommend eating and at The Square as the service, food, and ambiance is not worth the money. read more

Great food and service!! Always look forward to the smothered chicken. Kind of feels healthy, lol !

Salad bar was excellent with a lot of varieties and very reasonable price. Atmosphere was good and service was excellent.

A group of us had dinner here. The service was a little on and off. We tried 2 shrimp entrees, a ribeye steak and 2 tuna entrees. The steak was delicious. One of the 2 tuna dishes was really good but the other was over cooked. Both shrimp dishes were well done. All the side dishes were good and the fried pickles were very good. read more

During our recent trip to Columbia City with the in-laws, mother suggested we have dinner at Downtown on the Square. My in-laws made a few trips to this restaurant prior to our visit and they seem to enjoy their food along with the quaint hometown ambiance. The place was packed when we arrived around 6. A majority of patrons were locals. When a restaurant is popular with the local folk, then you know you're in the right place. Not a single seat was empty in the house. Our 92 year old grandfather was with us and our wait time was roughly 30 minutes for a table. Thankfully, staff noticed this and within minutes they offered a chair to our grandfather while we waited. The big draw to this restaurant is the affordability of getting a decent meal at a reasonable price point. $12 for a sirloin steak special with 2 sides is unheard of so mother and I ordered the special. Ben got the rib eye which was only $18 with sides. Grandpa ordered a wet queso burrito with chicken. I was totally blown away by how he inhaled his meal which signaled to us that all was good. The waitress who tended our table was new and although our food came out slowly, she did the best she could to handle the multiple tables and orders under pressure. Altogether, we had little to no complaints with our meals and service. Downtown on the Square was a solid choice for us and we left satisfied and happy. read more

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Very good lunch at a nice restaurant across from the courthouse. I had a salmon filet and it was delicious. Portions were large and the waitress was very attentive. Several locals were reminiscing in the bar area and it was enjoyable to listen to them. read more

Great service Great food Best place in town for a good meal and friends ! The salads are amazing! read more

Just stopped in on our way to Chicago. The food was delicious and the service was outstanding. The owners stopped over to chat with us and we're so friendly and genuinely kind. Thanks for a great lunch! read more

Appetizers are pretty good, rest of the menu is run-of-the-mill. Nice place to eat at in Columbia City, but wouldn't seem it out from out of town. read more

Stopped by on a whim. So glad we did! Started with the chips and salsa. Chips were fantistic! The salsa was decent but the somewhat thick sauce tasted almost "tomato pasty". I had the chicken parm, which was delicious. The hubby got the wet burrito. It was good given this isn't a Mexican restaurant. I would highly recommend and am anxious to go back and try the steaks. Service was top notch. read more

Got stopped in a 3 mile traffic jam on US 31. Pulled up the yelp app and tried to find a local place to have lunch. So happy to find Downtown on the Square! This local eatery was filled with small-town charm. So refreshing to get off the highway and away from all of the fast food options. I drove downtown and found a great establishment like this! Having a 3 Hour Car Dr. ahead of me, I wanted to go light; so I opted for the salad bar. Everything on it was fresh... Spinach salad and two different types of lettuce were available. Coleslaw, cottage cheese, numerous vegetables, and several different types of dressings - all of it freshly made. Also had a wonderful homemade New Orleans gumbo soup. It was filling, satisfying, and just the break I needed in the middle of a long trip. Even though I was new, I wasn't treated like an outsider. The waitress was very attentive and quick to refill my drink. But, it was obvious that the staff knew everyone having lunch on a Friday afternoon. I just wish I had left room for pie! read more

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We went here for dinner and got great service. We had the tuna appetizer. It was seasoned perfectly the only thing I would say it was cooked a little to much. We got the salad bar and it had the most fresh items on it we have had in a long time. My wife got the blackened salmon with blue cheese on top. I got the prime rib. Both were great. I would recommend coming here for some great down home cooking. read more

The Square - That's a king size crown and water. - Seafood Near Me - Columbia City, Indiana

Best salad bar and staff around! Highly recommend, and brunch on Sunday is excellent!

Great and cute little place to eat, was going downhill several years ago, but someone bought the place out back in 2020 I think and has gotten allot better since, only 3 stars because even tho food is really good, just little bit to small of food portions for the prices read more

Awesome little place located right across from the Courthouse. Nice atmosphere, clean, and friendly staff. I ordered the open faced prime rib sandwich and the hubby had the black and blue burger, both entrees came with fries. The food was fresh and seasoned well, we will definitely be back. read more

The Square - Black and blue burger - Seafood Near Me - Columbia City, Indiana

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Good food, reasonably priced, in a nice atmosphere. It feels good to support a small business that is doing things right and is located inside a lovely small town. Well worth a detour off of 30 for this restaurant and to see the beautiful Whitley County Courthouse. read more

Attention to details. This place is alright but could be really great with a little bit of training of the staff, investments in the space, and a focus on the food before it leaves the kitchen. Let me explain. We have been here several times and almost every time there are major service flaws. For example, no one at the front to greet arriving guests. In fact, one time had to walk all the way to the back to interrupt a server chatting with someone in the kitchen to be seated. Also, it is oftentimes a struggle to get extra napkins, drinks refilled, and plates cleared on a timely basis. Once we also ran into dirty silverware. And finally, someone needs to regularly clean the windows and glass door that looks out on the downtown square. As mentioned in other reviews the food is for the most part pretty good and the prices are more than fair for what you get. Fried fish is very thin and not much meat. Also was served an ice cold plate of mac&cheese which was taken back to the kitchen and microwaved. Chicken fingers, steaks, and salads are very good and the salad bar is decent although a bit expensive even to add to a dinner or sandwich. Easy to find something to like, but not so many choices that the menu is overwhelming. One final thing to note. The ventilation system is not very good which means if it is busy your clothes are going to smell like you just worked a shift in the kitchen. If you're just hanging out over a weekend that's not a problem, but if instead, you are on a business lunch and then heading to a meeting you are going to smell like fried food. Overall as mentioned above this could be a really fine place to grab a lunch or dinner, but management needs to insist on focusing on the small details so that the overall customer experience is better. read more

Today I arrived at The Square at 8:30 pm and instantly felt rushed by our service as she said "don't mean to rush you but our kitchen is closing" (Keep in mind that me and my friends are all servers and we're aware of them closing at 9:00 pm). The servers were so worried about closing instead of taking care of their customers. The food was great but i wish our servers didn't make us feel rushed. read more

The stars are contextual. For Columbia City and rural northeast Indiana, it's great. Takes a little long to get the food, but it was overall very good. Only beef (pardon the pun) was inconsistent temps on the steaks at our table. Husband's medium prime rib was very rare in spots. My medium rare flat iron was very rare in spots. If they amped up their beer selection, I'd be there more frequently. Overall, a nicer place to eat than most other options. read more

Definitely worth a shot! When I was told it was the "Brevin's of Columbia City" I had to check it out. Located right downtime, lots of parking is available. Very large spread to choose from, that I would compare to Brevin's. The new York strip did not disappoint (see picture), and hearing from other "regulars" at dinner, you can't go wrong with whatever is on special. Overall did not disappoint, but much like Brevin's, price point was a little high. (Which I expected). An interesting bit I did overhear while waiting for a table was that they take reservations every night of the week. (Which explained while groups walking in got seated ahead of mine) I would strongly recommend making a reservation if you are thinking about checking it out on a Friday/Saturday night. While I won't go out of my way to try again, I'd imagine I wouldn't be disappointed with this as an option to me if I were a local. read more

The Square - New York Strip - Seafood Near Me - Columbia City, Indiana

i went with a friend a tuesday night the place looks nice , not too busy . i ordered a onions soup , skin potatoes and a chicken parmesan . i couldn t eat the onion soup - no onions in it - same taste as Viandox , extremely salty. really disgusting the skin potatoes were barely ok the chicken parmesan was blah .... overall very disappointed , the food is way below average , even for a basic dinner read more

My husband and I decided to try somewhere new for dinner tonight and stumbled upon this restaurant not too far from where we live. I'm sure glad we stopped because it was definitely a hidden gem! The salad bar was really big and it had everything you could want. Our food was great and the service was good, even despite being very busy. We will definitely be returning for not only the food but next time the drinks from their huge bar! read more

I've been here multiple times and each time the food varies from night to night. If you're looking for good adult beverages this is the spot but the food is subpar at best. Appetizers are good main entrees leave much to be desired. Other then that it's a family friendly atmosphere and they waitresses are great! I go when I don't feel like cooking and taking the girlfriend out for a dinner. As for taking her on a date Id pass and head to Fort Wayne. read more

Really good! We stopped in here for a family dinner on the way through town. It was a Monday so there was no wait. I'm so glad to have a place in Columbia City that I can stop at for lunch or dinner. I had the smoked pork chop with a baked sweet potato. It was super yummy. My hubby and daughter had the hand-breaded pork tenderloin. He had homemade chips and liked them a lot. She had the waffle fries and was licking the plate clean. She loved them! My other daughter had the bacon cheeseburger and loved it. If you like salad bars, they have a really big salad bar. Service was excellent. We will definitely be going back! read more

People!!! You have to go! Update classic dinner! Unbelievable food. Low cost, big portions!

Excellent food huge Cobb and grilled chicken salads. Friendly staff with Holly. Please never run out of pretzel sticks. We will be back. Thanks . read more

I drive by Columbia City on interstate 30 frequently, and get frustrated at the fact I couldn't find a non-chain/fast-food restraint to eat at. Finally I received a recommendation for The Square, and was not disappointed! I got the Prime Rib sandwich, which couldn't have been better. Plenty of meat and very moist! Natasha was a great server and conversationalist. I will definitely be back next time I am passing through! read more

Amazing food, very clean restaurant, friendly servers, and fresh salad bar with a lot of options!!! Definitely a reason to turn off 30 and come into town for some awesome eats! read more

Most everyone, including our server, were very nice and accommodating - albeit a bit slow. I had the NY strip, which was cooked almost to the correct temp (slightly overdone) and very good flavor. My mom had the filet...and had to send it back twice because it was literally raw in the middle. They had seared it, assuming it would cook faster I think, so it was charred on the outside and raw on the inside. We have been eating steaks for many years and I'm a huge griller, so that was quite disappointing since they claim to be a steakhouse. The giant chocolate chip cookie with ice cream is insane, everyone should get it! Giving them 3 stars for a good try but feel like they need to try a little harder or get more staff, especially during graduation season. read more

Arrived on a Saturday afternoon and the place was busy. We've eaten there a few times and the food is tasty and the staff is pleasant. Our food took forever to arrive. I got up to ask the waitress about the delay. She stated that they're usually slower in the afternoon so they let the cook go home early. Quite a few people showed up to eat after that so the kitchen was short of staff. Just wish it didn't happened when we brought family members who were eating there for the first time. We'll be back :) read more

Yelp reviews were good so we stopped here on our way to Chicago to meet up with friends from out of state. All food we had was excellent and the dining area was perfect for conversation and catching up with our friends. Salad bar was simple but had a good selection of vegetables, protein items, and some desserts. Staff was great and just the right amount of attentiveness. There are air vents at almost every table so advise putting your menu over the vent to stop the cold air going on your legs. read more

My wife and I recently tried this place on a friend's recommendation. We aren't from the area so we needed somewhere for a decent meal. This place was jamming on a friday night, packed to the gills. Luckily, we got there in time to get the last table available. We had a nice waitress and our service was superior. We ordered and appetizer of friend mushrooms. They were ok, sort of tiny, a little spicy but different in a good way. They were decent. I ordered the Fish dinner along with Mac & Cheese, and mashed potatoes. The potatoes were pretty average, but homemade. The Mac and Cheese was surprisingly tasty. Really good. The fish was obviously not frozen and was really good too. My wife ordered the Prime Rib sandwich and she really liked it too. The place itself is not much to look at. It's pretty much circa 1978, but it's clean and decent. I would definitely consider eating here again when I'm in the area. I'd recommend giving it a try. read more

Absolutely the must stop when in Columbia City. Food is amazing, staff is so professional and friendly. You are welcomed like family.