I've always appreciate the friendly service here. They have a good draught beer selection and a fully bar. Free popcorn, really good food. read more

Zeno's - Mexican mule - Dive Bars Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

I've always had a soft spot for Zeno's. I recently returned after over two years away and was not disappointed. On my most recent trip, I had what I think I can safely call my favorite Bloody Mary in town. There are many out there that please me, but this one was the best - nice and spicy with all the accoutrement and a little Guinness on top. Perfect. I love that there's Keno, I love that there's pool, and I'm a fan of the big long bar. It's consistently one of my favorite stops when I'm on this side of town. read more

We came in during Covid not really knowing what to expect- I happened to have an appointment near by and we just sort of stumbled upon the place. The service was great, and the food came out quickly! We sat outside and they had the tables spread out nicely. Would definitely recommend stopping by for food and a drink! read more

Pizza slaps. All the other food is awesome. Good prices. Great spot for a game, party, or night out. Best kept secret: the Bloody Mary.

This used to be a great place but the bar staff has really changed. A female bartender (dirty blond with pony tail) was extremely rude. She had no control, was letting people order out of turn then getting belligerent with customers. The pizza and beer were good, but not worth having to deal with the nasty bartender. Disappointed cause we used to come here every week. read more

Our server Emma was fantastic! Excellent service, the drinks and food were amazing. The only bad thing i could say is the onion soup was super salty, but besides that everything was perfect! Our group was in from out of town and if we're ever back in town we will definitely be coming back here! I can't praise Emma enough, she was super personable and her service was fantastic. read more

Fun neighborhood spot with good food. Lots of TV sets and good quality food for a sports bar

I can't help it -- I really enjoy letting loose here. While I do spend most of my nights drinking good beer and wine in the Short North/Arena district, I do really, really enjoy some late night Zenos. Sure, its full of skeeve. In fact, it is the embodiment of skeeve at most times (a quick google search let me know "skeeve" is not recognized by Webster. I'm going to call his people and send him here so he knows to put it in the next edition and how to define it) -- but I rant... Yes, it is skeevy and I've been hit on by more men that make me wish I had pepper spray or men that need taxis called immediately because they may have drunkly peed themselves. However, sometimes you just want that middle-of-nowhere, who-the-heck-cares feel! Plus, once you've had enough cheap pitchers and played more rounds of quarters than you should, you can dance judge-free. Which I do. Look for me. AND WHY HAS NO ONE MENTIONED THAT THERE IS 4 WAY PAC MAN HERE!?!?!?! It is seriously how I get people to drive to Columbus to visit! read more

Went here for trivia night. Unfortunately didnt get to order food. It was very busy and extremely crowded. Would definitely like to go back and try some things, but would avoid going during events or trivia nights. It seems like a decent bar and its clearly popular based of the insane crowd. Maybe I'll give it another shot soon. read more

Nice place to catch the game. Can watch just about any game on one of their Multiple TVs, play pool in the "pool table area", They have a good menu, free popcorn, huge bar selection, a jukebox. There is plenty of space. Not much parking but you can park along the street and there is a few spots behind Zenos. read more

Zeno's oh Zeno's, the girl I adore... Are you a sports bar?, well yes. Are you a karaoke bar?, well yes (on Wednesdays). Are you a great local neighborhood tavern?, well yes. Are you a dive bar?, no, no, no, no. I really don't see how people can call Zeno's a dive bar. The place is clean, filled with a mix of (mostly) normal people. A nice eclectic mix. They have a pool table, an electronic dart board, video games, and or course the obligatory Keno machines and screens. There's also a DJ on some nights, and of course you can always dance there somewhere, if you want. To me, it's mostly a sports bar, where the game you want to watch is always on one of the many high-def TVs. I'm guessing the owner is a Blue Jackets fan because there seems to be one TV dedicated to the CBJ games, in hockey season. But either way, it's a great place to enjoy any game while drinking your favorite adult beverage. The bartenders are cute, friendly and the service is always excellent. The bar has a nice selection of draft and bottled beers, or they will just as easily serve you a shot or mixed drink of your choice. I have never had to wait with an empty glass hoping to catch the next waitress. They are very attentive, and service is always with a smile. There always seems to be something fun going on at Zeno's and there certainly are some interesting people that you will meet here. The bar seems to draw a varied mix of locals and older college students. Wednesday is karaoke night and the place gets pretty packed after 10:00pm, at least when school is in session. There's a DJ on Friday and Saturday nights to keep things moving. So come to Zeno's to enjoy some beers and watch your favorite team on TV, and you'll never know when some unexpected fun will happen. (Summer Shandy Girl, you know who you are...) read more

Best traditional bar in Columbus with a "Cheers" vibe. Everyone knows your name. They're always glad you came. Bartenders are attentive and great. Good food. Good times. That home made blue cheese dressing with wings is on point! read more

I'm not sure what it is about this place, but I like it. I think it's the good times and memories my friends and I have had here. We came here for a friend's birthday party a few years back and had a blast. I always have fun here - it's a good little bar. Zeno's is right in Victorian Village at the corner of 3rd and Pennsylvania. It's close enough that I could walk if I wanted, but we've always driven. There is a small parking lot in the back, but it's been packed every time we've been here so we've had to park on a nearby street which isn't too hard since there are always spots. Zeno's is a little brick building with a red and white striped awning. The name is printed on the awning but it's not very prominently displayed so if you're trying to find it, just look for the stripes. I like that the bar is right in this area, it's a nice safe area and it seems like the regulars that frequent this bar live nearby. When you go in Zeno's, you'll see everything with wooden trim and the walls are painted dark green. I think it's cute. There are all kinds of pictures and things hung on the walls. If you go to the left, you'll find the bar, which stretches almost the length of the whole building, and there are tables and chairs all the way back until you reach the restrooms at the other end. But if you walk in and go to the right, you'll go up a few steps to find tables, booths and a small dance floor. The floor is raised on that side of the bar for some reason, and a wooden railing separates the two levels, but they are still both very much close to each other and accessible. There are a few TVs here and there and there is usually music playing and a handful of people dancing. The music they play can certainly range. One time when we were here they played some Spanish conga music and another it was recent R&B hits. It varies. There is a small disco ball above the dance floor, which looks so out of place with the rest of the bar. The rest of it looks like an Irish pub to me. As far as drinks go, they make some good strong ones here. I'll be honest, I've never left here sober. I'm not sure if the drinks are expensive. We'd usually get the pitchers of beer and they weren't too bad. But whenever I've come here and gotten, say, a rum and Coke, it's been pretty strong. The bartenders are also pretty nice, but sometimes it takes a long time to get their attention. We had a bartender here once that kept forgetting everything we ordered and we had to tell her like three times every time we wanted a drink. It's also a chore to fight your way to a spot at the bar when it's crowded. It's not very big in here and big crowds can form on the weekends. Most of the times I've been here has been with a large group of friends. Our mission is to come in and grab a booth and hold on to it all night. If you get a table here, don't all get up unless you're leaving or it'll be taken. There are usually more people here than tables. So if some of us want to go dance, someone has to stay behind and guard the table. Or we designate one or two people to go get the drinks. But it's a fun little place to come with friends and enjoy a night of drinking, dancing and hanging out. And smoking. Hmmmm, I like this place and I don't want it to get in trouble somehow, but I feel like this is a pretty huge factor of this place. That's right, you can smoke in here. (At least you could last time I was here.) That's why my friends love it so much. But man, you realize how used you are to the smoking ban when you set foot in here. It smells horrible. I've noticed other reviewers complaining about the smell. Yep, it's soggy cigarettes. See, here's how it works: If you want to smoke, you don't get an ashtray. Go ahead and light up, but you have to ash and throw your cigarette butt into a cup. (Zeno's will turn a blind eye.) Either your cup or someone's at your table. It's usually someone who got a drink with ice or something, and the ice melts, so you're throwing your butts into a cup of water. It gets really gross looking and stinks. I've been here with a large table of friends that smoke like chimneys. By the end of the night their "ashtray cup" is foul. A handy tip: Don't let one of your drunk friends fall into the table and knock over the cup - not fun to clean up! Yes, that's happened to us. More than once. So if you're a smoker, yay for you! A place where you don't have to go stand out in the cold or rain to get your fix. But if you don't smoke and you hate the smell, I would suggest steering clear. Don't come here and expect everyone to put their smokes out for you, and don't complain and get the place in trouble. I do appreciate the smoking ban, but let the smokers have one place where they can come and enjoy themselves. Personally, I think it's kind of badass that Zeno's defies the rules like that. I know a lot of people who appreciate that, so come here often. It kind of explains what kind of a place Zeno's is. Good times come first, rules later. read more

Zeno's - The front door - Dive Bars Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

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Zeno's is a two star bar, but gets an extra star for standing their ground as a smokers' bar and paying dearly for it from the state which slapped them with a fine of a whopping $20,000+, while doing nothing about the extremely high concentration of neighborhood nuisances on the east, west, south, and northeast sides of the city which encourage much worse behavior than smoking inside of a privately owned bar. It's definitely a lively place that is rather packed and at least is a half step up from crowds you'd encounter at any number of lowest common denominator bars near OSU or Park St. Not much of a compliment for sure, but I was thoroughly amused by a couple of fat guys in Christmas sweaters getting into a bout of fisticuffs out front one winter. read more

This is a dive bar. I am not opposed to dive bars, but you need to know what you are getting into before you set out. Albeit, it is a brightly lit dive bar that tries to dress up a bit and blares an occasional 'hip' new song for the local yocals from off the juke box (digital, of course). The set of regulars here ranges from mid-40s and up, and as they *daily* pay the salaries of the staff- they get first dibs on service and bar stools. The crowd doesn't get younger until after 9:30 or 10. Happy Hour -on Domestics and well drinks -ends at 7, I believe. There is a pool table and electronic dart board up front, a Keno machine that you must do yourself, and a 4 person Pac Man arcade game in the back next to the Johns. The servers are friendly and they know how to make you your fav drink. That being said, I would rate it a 2.5 stars. If you walk in knowing it is a dive bar- 3 stars. If you walked in expecting more- 2 stars. read more

I returned this evening after work with some of my work family. I strongly felt that I was targeted because of my ethnicity by the bartender. This experience tonight made me feel very uncomfortable. I stood at the bar while the bartender worked the other side of the bar for a good while as she seen me standing there waiting. Then the bartender comes over and asks me if I was going to post up an more bad reviews on Facebook - like I did before. Stunned by her aggressive nature I responded with excuse me? I am entitled to have my opinion and discuss my experience as a paying customer and one who wanted others to know my thoughts about the establishment. She then proceeded to tell me that I got her in trouble with her boss an that he checked tapes an everything. Then she tells me she forgives me -- um for what --- my opinion? Then to top that off she said that she didn't have to serve me. Hmm.. okay after this aggressive and condescending confrontation I then returned to my friends an told them what happened and left with all kinds of emotions. I've never in my life felt so uncomfortable an embarrassed like I was tonight at Zeno's Bar. read more

I was a little hesitant to order food here but I was told the fries are delicious. I ended up getting the 50/50 burgers which are "Half ground beef, half ground bacon, two 3oz sliders topped with fresh jalepeño, smoked mozzerella cheese and our signature "Slider Slaw." A Zeno's Original." and some waffle fries. From the description of the sliders I wasn't quite sure what I would actually be receiving. I will just say this, it is nothing like you would really expect, but so good! I can't quite describe the sliders, the taste is really unique. Like a batter tasting burger? Not sure, all I will say is that you HAVE TO try them. They are so delicious. And the fries you ask?? Perfect! Hot, salty, crispy and so good! I don't think I could have asked for anything else from a dive bar. Definitely give this place, and the food a shot. You will not be disappointed! read more

I was actually happily surprised, when I stepped inside Zeno's doors. Full bar down the left wall, table seating and a pool table on the right. Back of the room houses what looked like 6 arcade games. The seating area is raised four steps above the ground floor. The music playing, an eclectic mix of mostly 60s, 70s and 90's was very enjoyable. Bonus points that the music's volume was perfect: loud enough to sing along, but low enough I could still hear other people talking around me. It's all-American bar food. Decent menu to pick from. I went with their Rosemary Grilled Chicken Salad. Their homemade balsamic dressing was way too pucker/tart for me, so I went with the ranch. Solid salad. Nothing spectacular, but still tasted good (fresh lettuce) for the price. I got hungry a few hours later, and split their Chicken Quesadillas. Also good. The soft shell was not soggy from oil. Comes with sour cream and their salsa. As the nite carried on, more locals started to fill seats. Fun night! read more

Zeno's is one of Columbus's best dive bars. When I'm out on the town with friends we always end up finishing the night off at Zeno's. A little of that has to do with the fact that it's withing walking distance from my place, but I live in the Short North. A LOT of places are within walking distance, but we always end up here. It gets a bit crowded, but it seems there's always just enough room to be comfortable. Food's decent too. It's a fun, let-loose, come-as-you-are, can't embarrass yourself cause you got a little too drunk kind of place. There's always somebody there a little more drunk than you -- especially if I'M there with my friends. Cheers! read more

Extremely rude bartender. She criticized the patrons for calling out people who were ordering out of turn. It was a crowded night and most people patiently waited to order. She let people order obviously that hadn't been waiting then shouted at those that tried to correct the situation. Downhill service since the owner passed away. Too bad. I won't be back and only live a few blocks away so it hurts. In fairness the other bartender was professional and I left him a nice tip. Pizza was good. read more

The perfect neighborhood bar. Great place to meet friends for a drink or grab a pizza (Buffalo Chicken or regular Pepperoni are always go-to's). read more

Great bar - good drinks. Staff was very rude behind the bar. Pizza is great - but beware what else you get to eat here. read more

They ran out of popcorn and wouldnt make more even though I politely asked multiple times.

This is the neighborhood bar that I always end up at. It's an Irish themed pub. The food usually beats expectations for pub food and the games always on. If you stop by, know that the bartenders rarely walk to the tables and it's expected to order everything at the bar. Tuesdays are $2 tall boys. Those remodeled bathrooms are nice! read more

Folks, let me tell ya. I went into it with great expectations. I walked through the front door of Zeno's and quietly thought to myself, "This is my kinda place." And it was... all up until the last 5 minutes we were there. Then everything fell apart. A friend and I decided to kick off the night with a few drinks at Zeno's, a bar I had never visited in all my years living in Columbus. The prospect of trying something new was exciting. We each had a few drinks, talked about old times... the usual, right? Anyways, it came time for us to head to our next destination and we closed out. Here's where the bottom fell out... My friend and I noticed that we were charged for a round of drinks that we in fact never purchased. It was only a few bucks, but we figured it would be an easy fix once we notified the staff. Boy, were we wrong. The bar staff (low energy and not very friendly) vehemently disputed our claim to the point where even I questioned my own sanity. We made it very clear that we were not the type of people to try and swindle a neighborhood bar out of a few dollars... that's just stupid. Nevertheless, the bartender persisted, petitioning "I'm the sober one here." Again, like I said, we only had a few drinks. We weren't getting all wet and wild like a couple of college kids. Gimme a break, lady. After trying to politely rectify the situation, it became very clear that the bartender we were dealing with couldn't pour piss out of a boot if the instructions were written right on the heel. Thanks to our dogged persistence, the bartender acquiesced and decided to refund us the money we were owed. Even though she was pretty rude to us, we still tipped her because it's the right thing to do. Look, you never know what other people are going through in their personal lives. So it's always best to assume that a person who acts like that is just having a rough go of it. We paid our bill and left. But, my friends, sadly it doesn't end there. After attending a party not too far away, several friends recommended that we all go to Zeno's together before heading our separate ways. My friend and I were still a little rattled by the confrontation we had a few hours earlier, but we are team players and agreed to go along anyways, just putting the whole matter aside. Upon entering Zeno's once again, we were denied service and told to leave. In fact, even the people who walked in with us were told that they would not be served. This was all happening because we had previously disputed (politely) a charge that amounted to just a few dollars. While we were willing to put aside the personal animus that was directed towards us a few hours prior, the disappointing bartenders at Zeno's chose to wield their only source of power and deny us entry to their rather unremarkable establishment. So, we all left and took a short walk down to Harrison's, which is a much better bar with staff who actually care about their customers. We highly recommend that next time you're around Victorian Village you skip the dumpster fire known as Zeno's and go to Harrison's where everybody welcomes you with a smile. read more

Pfft, whatever haters! Bieber Fever up in here!!!! Okay, yeah, it isn't all that, but when you've been drinking for 9 hours, it's as good as anywhere, I'd say. About all I remember from my visit is Chauch City and No Room to Move. SWAG. read more

Maybe Zeno's should focus more on cleaning the mysterious smell out than fighting a smoking ban that was put in place for the safety and well-being of it's patrons. Get invited to attend weekly and always, ALWAYS turn it down because it's impossible to breathe in the place. read more

Came here before the doo-dah parade on the Fourth of July. Fun atmosphere. Good food. It was a bit crowded and obviously super loud, given the circumstances. We enjoyed ourselves and will probably be back again next year. read more

A small bar that has so much potential but it just doesn't use it. The beer selection is what you would expect at any dive bar. Mostly Bud and Miller. On the weekends they usually draw in some sort of DJ to blare rap or reggae music in a sad attempt to.. I'm not really sure... a sad attempt to be like McFadden's? And, if you're lucky, you might get to see one or two extremely drunk guys waver around the makeshift dance floor in what I can only assume is dancing. The food is terrible so I would not suggest you eat it unless you are extremely drunk and desperate. In conclusion, it's a crappy dive bar with it's own mysterious scent. read more

Penn State Zeno's is better ... Ohio State Zeno's was up all night but it was tiring and had to be put to bed in the final minutes of the night !!!! read more

Eh - not too well kept. Poor service. Selection was not the greatest. Layout is not great. Crowd I would say was more of a lower-middle class 21-30 blue collar slightly rough. Did have a decent DJ and people seemed to enjoy dancing there. read more

Mehhhhhhh. This is not really my scene. Crowd is definitely not my scene. The saving graces of this bar are the amount of beers they have on draft, a small parking lot on the side, and a basement where they sometimes house sketch/stand up comedy shows (reason we came here). ONLY reason I would come back would be to attend one of those. read more

Zeno's is a speakeasy for our modern times. Go there yourself if you want insight into that cryptic comment. Otherwise, Zeno's is an excellent dive bar. My best guy friend has a werewolf like change once he enters the bar. Chatty, business man outside turns into Crackbox Crazy once in. He will literally spend an entire evening glued to the bar's video/quiz/golf game box that is steps away from Zeno's front door. Weird. Anyways, abandoned for the rest of the night I find Zeno's an easy place to make friends. The decor is wood and booths. On weekends there is a DJ who plays top forty and hip hop. During the week you can rock it out to the tunes on the juke box. There is a dance floor and after a few drinks no matter how conservative you are, you will be up there grinding. For conversation I suggest sliding in a booth and then guarding it for the rest of the night. This is also your best strategy to people watch which turns into a real show. I like how at Zeno's you would be as likely to see an older gentleman getting down as you would a college aged lady, or suited up executive. Zeno's does bring people together, and it should bring you in. Enjoy a dive bar experience that promises to memorable. If you are coming with a date steer him clear away from the crackbox. read more

Worst bartenders ever. Comfest weekend. Severely understaffed in light of highly expected rain. Bad. Bad. Bad. Even their keno machine didn't work because of the "weather"! Horrible place. Glad I got here so I never come back. Pizza was bad Too. Actually only a half star. read more

This place is worse than a dive bar.. .and I'm the type of guy who enjoys dive bars. Unfortunately I live closeby and it's a common meeting place for my friends, so I end up going there more than I'd like to admit. The slimeball owner sits and drinks at the bar EVERY NIGHT and hits on the women who are 1/3 his age. I have met 18 year olds who go there to drink because they don't get carded, so if you're in to that, then maybe this is your place! The owner also encourages the patrons to smoke in his bar even though the state of Ohio outlawed that a year ago. I leave smelling like and ashtray and hot garbage. Seriously. . .don't go here, I would suggest heading downtown or to Campus Gateway. read more

Great neighborhood bar. Always good for watching a game, grabbing a bite, or just stopping in for a drink on the way home.

Great neighborhood bar. Thye have free popcorn and reasonably priced drinks. They also have a pac man arcade game, which is often over looked. I live in the area, so I often find myself here on a low key evening for a few beers, and I'm never disappointed. Don't over look the food either, the wings and BELT are some of my favorites. read more

Neighborhood bar, all that you want it to be, and nothing you don't. If you are looking to be seen, go be seen elsewhere. Let's kick a few back and enjoy the haunt that is Zeno's. read more

Our favorite spot to hangout. The have a pool table and Golden Tee. They also have weekly specials like Dj, Karaoke, trivia, etc.

Love the food here! Pizza is awesome, nachos are delicious and the wings are just what you expect. Service is always on point. Love this neighborhood bar!! read more