Club 185

Club 185 is a solid lunch, dinner and late-night dining option that I have overlooked writing about previously by mistakenly believing that I had written about the German Village pub before. I had not, and that means it was worth revisiting the popular spot that has anchored this part of the city since the 1950s.

The owners of Club 185 operate a mini-empire in Columbus with the Rossi, PhilCo, El Camino Inn and the Little Palace. There are a decent amount of vegetarian items on the menu at all of the places but El Camino. The menu at Club 185 revolves around pub fare and comfort food.

Most of the starters and sides are meatless. Most of the items on the menu contain eggs or cheese, so vegans would probably have to special request main courses.

Vegetarian appetizers include spinach artichoke dip, quesadillas and house-made chips and onion dip, as well as the salads. The cheesy black bean dip with house-made tortilla chips was tasty, although it was shimmering with a deep oily varnish that covered my hands in grease.

 Vegetarian entrees include the open-face veggie sandwich, the grilled cheese, pizza and a fried egg sandwich. The open-faced veggie sandwich is portobello mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, red onion and roasted red peppers atop melted provolone dressed in a bright green pesto that adds an herbaceous note that delivers a subtle hint of garlic. 

The grilled cheese sandwich is Havarti cheese between two griddled slices of Texas toast with a tomato. It is an elevated version of a classic dish many grew up loving.

The bar makes nice drinks and features a decent selection of beers with a few Ohio taps. Club 185 is a place that sometimes can be overlooked because it has been around for so long. With food this good in a convivial atmosphere, it is easy to enjoy.