The Big Room Bar is a venue in Columbus that offers an intimate live music experience. This was my first live music experience since Covid, so I'm not sure if it's Covid related or because I went to a show on a Monday, but there were only about 35 people there, so most had a seat at the bar, a booth, or a table, and there was plenty of room for dancing. The bartenders were all very nice and provided great service. Drinks were really reasonably priced around ~$7 per drink. I asked about the food options before I went to the show, and they mentioned they only serve hotdogs, so I went to another spot to grab food before here. Tickets to the show I went to were $18 before the day-of, and $20 the day-of. Parking is offered for free as there is a parking lot for the bar. I believe there is on-street parking nearby as well. One last thing-- I went into the women's restroom, and they had some of the best writings all over the stalls. I'll share just a few. I spent like 15 minutes in there just reading them all, ha. read more

See all

Good live music venue with large bar in the back. Bartenders are friendly & drink prices are reasonable. Not a big room, but good place for local music. Variety of people there, too. Definitely worth going to for a show. read more

Big Room Bar - Stage from back of the room. - Beer Bar Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Came here to see a friend play. Nice big place. Friendly staff. Live music. Decent amount of craft beer. Will probably come again read more

Big Room Bar - Beer Bar Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

I must say that this venue is my favorite spot to see and hear live music. I've been so very fortunate to have experienced 10 or so CD 102.5 Big Room shows and have never been disappointed. The station is able to pull in a wide range of alternative acts from all over the world who are often playing large venues later that night. Typically artists play 3 to 4 songs while interacting with the DJ in between. During those exchanges you get to learn new & often pretty funny things about the artist that you might not learn elsewhere. All the performances that I have seen, the artists have appeared so comfortable and engaged with the small number of people present. The Big Room shows look like they are set to hold about 35 people which only adds to the intimacy of the overall experience. While never guaranteed, as the artists may not always be able, I've had the good fortune to meet so many fantastic artists... Matisyahu; Elle King; Leon Bridges; Welles; Flora Cash; Strumbellas. I have seen attendees bring with them albums, shirts, or other materials in hopes of obtaining autographs. I was fortunate to have met the artists every time & they are experiences that I will treasure. read more

Big Room Bar - Beer Bar Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

First and foremost, I have never had the food. I want to change this. I've only made it here for shows - and it's an intimate kind of spot - low stage, and there is not a bad spot in the house (except the booths, perhaps, but they're off to the side, so... caveat emptor?) In my experience, the draft list has been nice - a good variety of flavors and not just "here's fifteen IPAs and one other one" - and their mixed drinks have been unique and delicious. In my experience, the bartenders have been attentive and fast - even when it's been busy, I feel they were spot on to delivery and friendliness. All in all, as a bar and a venue - it's been good - a perfect performance spot to enjoy live music. As a food venue, or a coffee house, I haven't experienced those aspects, so clearly I need to return! read more

Have been here twice now. The first time was with my man's band as the photographer/videographer, never get to be a fan. The Bar is easy to find and parking is right there either in the lot or on the street. They have good beer prices and a nice craft draft beer selection, not huge but they make for that with quality. My second time is as a regular paying customer for the Nirvana and Pearl Jam cover bands show. Due to drinking before the show I was unable to get up to make it to the show for the Nirvana cover band, but that's okay because I like Pearl Jam better anyway. So they played 11 songs, not bad but if it was a Pearl Jam show it would have been disappointing. I was confused since they played Yellow Ledbetter as the 5th or 6th song, which is usually the last song or second to last. Regardless, I had a great time with my man and I love that they have tables available. Not only that but when you show up for the last band out of 4, there are still tables available. We will be back, not sure when but we definitely will be back. read more

I've been there twice to watch live performances, but I really didn't have anything beyond the tacos. They were decent, as I would expect 'bar' tacos to taste. Another good place for cozy concerts. read more

Big Room Bar - MoJoFlo, Colombus' hottest band, performing live and On The Air! - Beer Bar Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Finally, Yelp! I've been raring to get here since they announced the opening. Got seats at the bar during the last quarter of the OSU game, picked from the hefty draft beer list, and settled in. They have make your own Falter's hot dogs, grilled cheese and French fries, a la Happy Dog or Condado. I loved mine: hot dog with red onions, carrot slaw, and stoneground mustard paired with fries slathered in ketchup and awesome wasabi mayonnaise. Get the wasabi mayo. The crowd here were not necessarily neighborhood (we hung in with a guy who lives a few blocks from us in Beechwold), but they and the staff were super friendly and of course, the music was choice. Can't wait to make this another other bar away from home. read more

Big Room Bar - Beer Bar Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

This is a fun place to hang out for brunch! Our eggs came with a side of hilarious contemporary live jams from local calypso band Apocalypso and a chill atmosphere. Overall, Big Room Bar offers something a little different from your usual brunch haunts. Food was good - I wouldn't put it above more culinary-focused spots in town, but it was better than I was expecting from a radio station. Most of the dishes seem to be the same elements rearranged in different ways, but you'll get your standard variety of egg creations or pancake platter. I forget the name of my particular composition, but it included an alpine-inspired omelette and side of rosti. The rosti was pretty much your standard hash browns, but good. I liked the caramelized apple-onion in my omelette... all around more creative than one would expect in this setting. Service was a tad inattentive, though friendly. I wasn't in a hurry. Saw quite a few families with kids, sort of seemed like a fun environment for them with the live music. It's a good spot to bring out-of-towners for something unique to Columbus. I heard a rumor that they also have a late-night-bite menu. read more

The Big Room Bar is Columbus, OH's equivalent to CBGB in New York City! Randy Malloy is our Hilly Kristal! I've seen local acts like Personal Public, Betsy Ross, Damn The Witch Siren,The Salty Caramels,The Jeffs, Lydia Loveless & Linden Hollow play there and National Acts like Tommy Stinson of The Replacements perform there! Nationally known Bands were once local bands! The big advantage Big room Bar has is the CD102.5FM Radio Station attached to it. The Station plays local music on their Local Gems Segment and we get to see the bands play at The Big Room Bar! Great Bar, Great Atmosphere and wonderful place to meet up with friends interested in Alternative Rock Music! read more

This place has the best brunch menu I've seen since '93. The French Toast was piled with great toppings, and the biscuits and gravy had me wanting lots more. Yum. read more

Big Room Bar - Follow our food adventures on Instagram @PhotogenicFoodies - Beer Bar Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

We had a good, but not great, experience at brunch on Sunday. We have a young daughter and some friends have a young son, and we took them to see the Shazzbots brunch show. The show was a lot of fun for kids and adults alike, and we had a very good time as a result. The food and service were acceptable, but not particularly good. While everything sounded great on the menu, the food that was brought to us was really just kind of average diner food. I had some pancakes. They were acceptable, but not especially good. Everyone else's breakfast sandwiches looked kind of mediocre. The potatoes were really greasy, but the sausage was dry. It was fine, nothing too bad, but it wasn't all that good either. Our server was very nice, but everything was slow as hell. She apologized that they were short staffed, so that doesn't help with the speed, and the table of about 20 behind us who all were on separate checks slowed down the works too. Our food took forever to come out. It was fine because we were enjoying the show, but it wasn't ideal. The beer list is solid. Lots of choices on draft and in bottles, and many local favorites. I'm told the bloody Marys were very good. But the bar was out of glassware and was refilling people's pint glasses, which is a no-no, and they didn't have enough glasses to give you a glass with bottled beer. That's pretty bad planning. I'd go back if there were another good show (certainly for the Shazzbots, who were very good) and I wouldn't try to dissuade anyone from going, but I don't think I'd make a special trip back for the food or drink. There are better options out there. read more

I will begin by saying that I think this place needs a pool table. I have no clue why, it just seems like a pool table would tie the room together. Aside from the lack of a pool table, this bar is awesome!! Stellar beer selection, and they have a limited food menu. I have yet to try the food, but it looks pretty decent. I've only been for happy hour, so there is plenty of seating and space. I would imagine it gets packed for shows, however it is spacious so it should not be terribly uncomfortable. read more

A new favorite spot. Great menu options. I appreciated the simplicity, because sometimes you don't need a five star concoction that comes with a five star price. Sometimes you just need 2-3 pancakes and some bacon. Great service during a busy time with the Big Room hosting a show. We will definitely be coming back for brunch and happy hours. read more

Big Room Bar. Big fan. We made an attempt to go a few weeks ago, reading somewhere it opened at 9. Grrrr. They don't open till 11. Worth the few week wait to arrive when they actually open. I looked everywhere for a menu online to no avail so I had no idea what to expect. Turns out that was part of the charm for me. The menu didn't disappoint. Very eclectic choices but also a couple options for the less adventurous. I was torn between about 5 things on the menu so I will certainly be back. I went with the Hash Pipe which is pot roast served with 2 eggs any style and toast. HUGE amount of Pot Roast. No complaints, I have lunch tomorrow. My friend had the breakfast sandwich and a pancake. The pancake he so graciously allowed us to taste was awesome. He had no complaints about the sandwich. Great, relaxed service and a fun, unexpected atmosphere. Hey, it's a radio station! And they serve FOOD! And DRINKS! read more

With BAR in the name, you'd think this place might be...a bar. Well, apparently, its not. Its a venue, which there are distinctions. I went there while on vacation from LA, and experienced some very poor service from staff, and I would never return, or recommend anyone visit if they're looking for a good time. When I was surprised drinks ended early, and that there weren't typical bar hours, the manager snatched my drink from me, and literally crushed it on the bar with half the drink still in it, then told me to leave, explaining this ISN'T a bar, its a venue (I didn't have an attitude either, was trying to be friendly). Huh, well, how dumb of me to think a place with BAR in the name might be... a bar. In LA, I'd never heard of such a thing as whatever rules this place has, so I had different expectations as a customer. And my expectations, which are pretty low, were clearly not met. I'd never experienced anything quite like that before anywhere, and for that reason, I don't recommend this joint... only I guess if you need to use it as a place to play music (and even then, the vibe is pretty generic, and there's other more charming places in town to play). Otherwise, really don't bother. Literally any other place is better to have a drink. I've never written, or even considered writing a Yelp review, either. THATS how annoyed by my experience was... that I need a place to vent about it! Loki depressed I even wasted a vacation night here. The experience just made me feel bad about a night where I should have had a good time. read more

Stopped by last weekend for a David Bowie Tribute show. The place is easy to find and more importantly, it's easy to find somewhere to park your car. The staff is friendly, it's a pretty laid back atmosphere. They have a lot of beer on tap and a full bar and they'll make you whatever you'd like. As a venue, it's a great, intimate space and the acoustics were pretty solid. Haven't tried the food, but will be back to do so. read more

Waltzed on in New Year's Eve and were the only customers for a bit! There was an event starting at 8/830 with a live band so I will attribute the light traffic to that. The place gradually came alive while we were there but still no huge crowd towards the end of our meal. Hoping they had a successful night because we wish only the best for this place! Anywho, the service was on point! And it would be sad if it was anything less I suppose since they weren't busy. Still, very friendly and patient staff! They gladly offered to pour me a beer sample-which is always nice since I have a tough time deciding. I highly recommend the Rhinegeist they have on tap! The BF and I split the happy hour app- Panic! At the Disco fries (poutine). I haven't had a whole lot of experience with poutine yet but it was good!! And only $5 for HH. My boyfriend's burger was good-cooked and seasoned well. He also said that his side salad's bourbon dressing could get you drunk! But he said it was still quite tasty. My bacon egg and cheese sandwich was good, but maybe nothing to write home about. The bacon could have been more crispy for my taste. Still, decent! The roasted veggies that I got on the side were kinda not so good :(. It seemed the spices on them were a bit scorched, giving it a bitter taste. Overall, very friendly little place and I will be back to try more/different food. I would LOVE to come back for brunch and hear some live music as our lack in planning ahead had us missing out on that on this visit. read more

Love this place. We've been here 5 times since the opening. Not only is the bar awesome, bartenders super friendly & fun but they also have amazing food ! Brunch, late nite menu etc all in the CD102.5 building. Highly recommend for a fun night (or day) out read more

Prices were reasonable but bartender was straight up rude. Was gonna keep getting drinks but couldn't handle to dudes attitude.

The coolest radio station in Ohio opened up a bar. I mean, that's all you really need to know right there. The beer selection is great, the staff is super cool. These people are big time music nerds, without being pretentious wieners. The food is solid, but don't take the five star rating to mean that this is Refectory, or something. It's pub grub. If you want a fancy dinner, you have three upscale joints in German Village. This is where you go to knock back a few pints, catch a live band, or both. read more

LOVED this place. Came here bright and early (well, as early as a couple hungover assholes can manage) on a Sunday morning to check out what the fuss was about. Because, duh, it's called the "Big Room Bar," it is obviously a very large room set up with chairs, tables, booths, multiple bars, and a set-up for rock bands. And this Sunday morning was a very nice surprise -- a local kiddie rock act that was hilarious and drew in a ton of kids, which made me feel a little guilty about having some more of the hair of the dog that bit me. But they seemed too interested in other things than to mind a couple smelly hipsters. Food was fantastic -- just outside of your typical brunch fare to be actually surprising. The brunch menu is chock-full of rock-pun-filled items, like Widespread Pancakes, the Green Day omelet, and the baffling Stranger in the Alps, which is a sweet-and-savory omelet filled with one kind of potatoes with a side of a different kind of potatoes. What a great place. If I lived in town there would be a good chance that I would eat here every other day. read more

Went to see a band there on Saturday night. Great band, really enjoyed them. They have a bar with a backward L shape. I sat at the top of the L where a sign said, if you want service, come to the front of the bar. I know it is the norm for may bars to have service only at the bar but I was sitting at the bar, only feet away from what they said was the service area. They did wait on tables two feet in front of me. I never got a beverage or food. There were no more than 20 people in the place and the two bar personnel were watching TV all night. They had lots of spare time. I had money to spend but never had the chance to spend it. Went to the restroom and the sink was clogged and there was no soap in the dispenser. When I left, I had dirty hands but a clean liver, and drove home sober. read more

Great brunch. Huge selection. Wide open space. Would be a great place to catch a game at a bar or bring some people for a few beers and a bite after work. Price is in line with the neighborhood but there's plenty of food for the price so it's worth it. Highly recommend. read more

We came on a Saturday morning. Not busy. One server/bartender who was definitely distracted with other tasks, service actually got better as more people showed up since she was on the floor more at that point. If I had any complaints it would be that incredibly minor point. The menu is diverse and creative and the kitchen delivers high quality, well portioned grub. Not your typical bar food. Reminded me of The Crest. We had the pierogies which we were concerned were overpriced at $10 for 4 but once we tasted, felt were totally worth it. My husband had the archers of loaf. The bacon meatloaf was delicious and the meal itself was huge, he had plenty of leftovers. I had the big room burger made with a veggie patty and roasted carrots and leeks on the side. Again, fantastic quality and delicious. Hubby had a Bloody Mary which he thought was a little spicy but he's not crazy for spice. Overall we will be back! Good job guys! read more