Dempsey's Food and Spirits - Downtown Columbus May 2026 I was staying at the Westin Great Southern in downtown Columbus mid-May 2026 and circulated around High Street near the Common Pleas Courthouse complex, looking for a place for a light dinner. In what must be a Columbus courthouse tradition, Dempsey's was just the thing. Business was light when I arrived, and Brooklynn took my order for a double Bombay Saphire and tonic. When she returned, I ordered the Columbus Club (smoked turkey, bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, mayo, on wheat, $14, with Tin Roof fries). Freshly cut bread and turkey, ample serving of fries - enough on my plate that I took half the sandwich and fries and had them for lunch the next day. This is a dive bar, in all the good ways. The food was pub food at its best; and Brooklynn was a seasoned champion of good bartending. This being Columbus, there's always the chance of an exchange with locals who might be a few cards short of a full deck. After I ordered my G&T a lovely young(ish) woman got off her bar stool, shook my hand, and sat down to chat. I'm not particularly social, so our exchange was a brief but polite one. No, I wasn't likely to want to buy her a drink; no, I wasn't likely to become a regular customer of this fine establishment. Message got, my visitor returned to her bar stool, paid for her check, and left. read more

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Went to Dempsey's for May The 4th & it was a great time! Dempsey's has a welcoming vibe & atmosphere (perfect for all the soccer fans or lovers of Irish Bars); the service is speedy & the food & drinks are great! They have tons of events & specials that go on, including themed trivia nights, like Star Wars Trivia on May The 4th! The drinks here are always great! I most recently had the drink specials, the light side & the dark side; and both were awesome! The fish & chips portion is huge! The fish is incredibly fresh & has the perfect crisp! The fries have a fun grooved cut that allow the grooves to get extra crispy; I've never had fries like these before! You need to stop on by! read more

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Had my eye on this, and though their menu is brief it sounded good on a cold day. Torn between the bangers and mash and cottage pie, I went with the cottage pie. It came out super quickly. Too quickly. Made me nervous. But I guess it's easy to put together, and it's probably pretty popular here. It was a bed of mashed potatoes with ground beef and sauce, and a few veggies, ladled on top. I prefer the potatoes on top and lightly roasted. This was fine, but not great. Bland even for this type of "pie." But it was filling and warm. Service was excellent. The place is very welcoming. An old-school bar, lots of dark wood, lots of Irish decorations. A long and narrow building with some party rooms and the restrooms in back. I will definitely come back, but to have a drink from their large beer menu, not so much for the food. Three stars for that maybe, four stars for the service and ambience. read more

Dempsey's Food & Spirits - Cottage Pie - American Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

We've been at Dempsey's twice now. Once before an event at Southern Theatre and once before an event at the Jury Room. Easy walking access to both and if you're attending something at Columbus Commons. We're had the mushroom soup (really good) and small salads, again really solid. This time my husband ordered the mushroom burger, decent but a little small. I ordered the Reuben on sourdough- quite large and really tasty. We both had sides if tots - super crisp and well seasoned. Service has been super friendly and timely on both visits. The location itself has a lot of personality with an old wooden bar, exposed brick walls, and sports - legal theme. Definitely give it a try! read more

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C'MON CITY!!! Visited for the Man City, Chelsea match!! Loved every minute of it. Seems like a great place to watch the EPL. Drinks were dirt cheap (or everything we ordered didn't make the tab) and the food was pretty good too!! read more

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While the service was lacking, this review is based solely on the food. I ordered the Buffalo chicken wrap without some of the toppings. The order came out wrong even after I sent it back. But the worst part is I think vending machines could probably provide a better sandwich with actual flavor. I was shocked because the reviews are not that bad. I have never been so disappointed in my life for lunch- and as a jury member, we don't have many other options close by the courthouse. Maybe go for a beer and a game. read more

Notre Dame game watch was fantastic! Great for Irish fans. Enjoyed the food as well; great service.

If you like sweet potato fries.... This is THE place to go! I personally don't think there are any better in Columbus. They appear hand cut, taste super fresh and I dont know how they get them the perfect crispness without any burning. Ive had them multiple times and they never ever disappoint. Today I also ordered the mushroom swiss burger. It was to be medium-rare. I bit into it and realized It arrived well done. What was weird is I tasted zero mushrooms. So I looked at it. Saw no mushrokms then realized... ah ha -The mushrooms were hidden under the cheese. There were 4 1/2 mushrooms. For a burger that costs $15 that was a huge disappointment.... More disappointing than the over cooked patty-- which I didnt complain about it, as it was packed and Demseys had one cook and one super nice and attentive server/bartender working the entire space-so two ppl handling over 14 parties of 2-4 ppl... with take out orders popping in constantly.... I decided to let it slide. However, next time I will ask for more mushrooms... (you might want to follow my lead on that one! It really should of had more mushrooms... for sure). The burger was the only reason it got four stars. The sweet potato fries are ten stars out of five. Sooooo good. Now the ambiance! This is what a downtown Irish bar should be. Long dining room with a bar that runs half the length. Dim lit. Brick walls with pictures of politicians that have probably come in at one time or another. Great wood bar, stocked with lots of Irish whiskeys and Guinness. Dempseys is a bar I will continue to go back to... read more

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This place is what you expect from a downtown irish pub. Great bar area with a nice selection of beers and cocktails served by very attentive bartenders. They have a very good menu offering a wide selection of traditional foods, not to mention one of the best Reubens you can enjoy in CBus. read more

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Placed an order to go for nachos and the slow braised roast beef. When I showed up to pick it up (curbside), no one was out there. I went in to ask for it and they were having trivia night, so I understand they were busy. I had to flag down someone to check on the order and happily waited a few minutes for my food, as I prefer it as fresh as possible. I had hoped for more for the braised beef.. it was ok but lacking. Nachos were fair but not what we expected/hoped for. Overall, I might consider it in the future if I'm ever in the area and want to go sit. But it won't be my first choice. read more

The mushroom soup is AWESOME!! Full of flavor, creamy and well stocked with mushrooms.

Great fantastic bar. Bar wouldn't be the same without Dirk. This man is the best bartender. Love this place! read more

I feel like I low key found a hidden gem! As a foodie in a growing city I'd like to think I know all the spots but this is one I'd never seen anyone really post about. They have a great breakfast menu. Very Irish inspired but I love a good savory breakfast so it was right up my alley. But what really drew me to this place was the $18 bottomless mimosa deal. Between my friend and I think we went through 2 maybe 3 bottles? It ends at 2pm on weekends. The place was pretty quiet and service was quick. For my food I ordered the corned beef hash. It was tasty but not mind blowing. It paired well with the sweet mimosas and kept my belly full :) read more

Dempsey's Food & Spirits - Corned Beef Hash - American Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Dempseys is an incredible restauran/bar. the food was delicious and prepared without a wait. The staff was amazing, efficient and friendly. Abby and Lily treated us so well and were the best!!! The Guinness' were a perfect pour.We had a large party were seated right on time and absolutely no issues!! We will be revisiting again soon. I recommend Demoseys highly! read more

Dempsey's Food & Spirits - Dempsey's Guinness!! - American Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

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Stopped in to meet up with family. Our first time there. Was pleasantly surprised. Service was friendly and food was served fast and hot. Stop in and check them out. read more

Great gluten-free pancakes. We've only been for breakfast and brunch , but we've gone several tim w and never had a bad meal.

Always a fun atmosphere - their staff is the best and always provides such great service!! Definitely recommend checking them out for any event big or small! read more

Dempsey's Food & Spirits - $5 espresso martini - American Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

10/10! While visiting Columbus for a hockey game, we needed a brunch spot to help us get moving in the AM after a long day of travel the day before. We met up with a friend who lives in Columbus and had never been here before, so it was a great treat for all of us. I got the Irish breakfast 2.0 and I would legit drive back to Columbus right now for that bread pudding. WOWZA! Everyone at the table had some. I was lucky I didn't mention how good it was until after I had already finished my first piece. Matt got the biscuits and gravy, because he has to everywhere we go. My dude Jeremy got the corn beef sandwich and I had to try some and it was incredible too! The thing that drew us here was the Bloody Mary bar, and they are no longer doing that. Just as a heads up to the future folks chowing down at Dempsey's, know before you go. I would still go though! Matt said his Bloody Maria (with tequila) was really great! I will definitely be back here when we come back into town. Happy Eating! read more

Yet another lunch at Dempsey's and another great meal. Abby was Fantastic and really took great care of us today. Thanks Abby!

Dempsey's has literally been saved in my Yelp as a place I wanted to try for 13yrs! I FINALLY went the other day. I am now disappointed in myself for not having tried it sooner. The atmosphere was everything you want from a local dive bar. Beautiful, antique wooden bar, quiet and a little dark, simple decor. The food was amaaaaaaaaazibg. Get the sweet potato poutine and thank me later. Service left nothing lacking. A great experience. This place is now added to my list of off the beaten path places that are my favorite! Very authentic, old school Columbus vibe. They are becoming more and more difficult to find. read more

Had kind of a weird experience here with one of the male bartenders. He was nice and then super rude and then it was like he checked himself and was nice again? I thought it was something I did/said but I simply ordered a drink and my food without pickles. But the same thing happened the next time I went back with the same bartender. Don't know what to make of that. Definitely Irish pub vibes. I'd still go back. read more

Had heard a friend talk about this place, so gave it a try this morning. I had the J. Erb's Emerald Piper Hash and eggs. The corned beef brisket was tender and full of flavor, the red skin potatoes were soft and the scrambled eggs were perfect. I'm not sure of the seasoning used in the hash, almost a nutmegy, bay leaf flavor, whAtever it is, it works well. The young man that took care of us was very nice and served great coffee and unsweetened ice tea. It's a quaint little Irish Pub. Definitely will be back for lunch or dinner. read more

Dempsey's Food & Spirits - Breakfast Menu - American Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

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Close to my hotel and it is freezing out, but...OMG, the pot roast sandwich was heaven. It was tender and plentiful pot roast on a ciabatta bun covered in grilled onions and giant blue cheese crumbles. The horseradish spread was a perfect compliment! Don't waver, order the pot roast sandwich!! My waiter, Bryant, was awesome too! Highly recommended and cannot wait for my next CMH layover. read more

Dempsey's Food & Spirits - Pot Roast Sandwich, fries - American Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Perfect pour of Guinness great atmosphere, great soccer bar - official Manchester City bar of Columbus read more

Dempsey's Food & Spirits - American Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

We were in Columbus for a family wedding, which also fell on the same weekend as our daughter's 18th bday. There was a lot of family who also traveled in and we found ourselves last minute trying to find a place to accommodate about 25 people. I placed an inquiry and Dempsey's almost immediately responded they would be happy to host us in their private room. I cannot begin to thank you all enough for being so accommodating! The staff was so friendly and attentive to our group, the food was amazing, and a great time was had by all! I will add, my husband is a big ND fan and loved the Ruettiger jersey! And my daughter got be the last to sit in that Crown Royal chair before it got sold! Lol! Thank you so much again. Cheers! read more

This place is amazing. The staff goes above and beyond and is friendly like an Irish pub should be. The food is very good bar food. Highly recommend this neighborhood establishment. You'll feel at home the minute you walk through the door. read more

The food and service were great. I have seen this place many times. A friend and I tried it out today. Very chill bar. Bartenders awesome. Food awesome. Very affordable. read more

My husband and I swung through Dempsey's Food & Spirits while on a day date. While I was really looking forward to the Irish Breakfast that many Yelpers have raved about here on Yelp, I was disappointed to find that Dempsey's only serves breakfast on the weekends. Boo! So I went ahead and ordered the next best thing - Cottage Pie (Shepard's Pie). The pie was absolutely delish! The broth was nice and thick and I liked all of the added veggies in the pie. The only thing that I questioned was the scoop of redskin mashed potatoes in the center of the pie. While I typically like my mashed potatoes evenly spread out on the top or bottom of the dish, it still tasted good. I was also put off by the redskin mashed potatoes being "chunky" versus being smooth. My husband ordered the same meal and really enjoyed it. I thought that it was odd that the dish was not served with soda bread and butter like at other Irish restaurants. Aside from our cottage pies, my husband and I both ordered Bloody Mary's to have with our meals. The Bloody Mary's were a big no go for us. All we could taste while sipping on our drinks was cocktail sauce. While I was not a big fan of the Bloody Mary's, I do plan to come back on a weekend to enjoy the Irish Breakfast! read more

I like the old bars so that includes Dempsey's. It's a classic that's like a time travel. The bar is dimly lit and the decor is very old school. It's located in downtown so it's where important people go. The bar has lots of history so mull over that while sipping your cocktail. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's open Sundays even, which is when many businesses around it are closed. This makes it one of the few places that aren't chains open if you want something to eat. It also has a fairly good happy hour through the week. The bartenders were happy to serve you even if you're just a regular schmo. It's got all the classic cocktails. The best is the scotch on the rocks. It's menu has lots of weekly specials. They have a $4 special from 3 to 6 daily and from 8 10 on Fridays and Saturdays. It includes some vegetarian items. The hummus and vegetables is good. It also has the trifecta, which includes black bean salsa, guacamole, and pico de gallo. There's also a black bean burger and side for about $10. It's made with cashews and red peppers. This was the best one any of us had in a long time. I would come to Dempsey's if around the downtown area and looking for something more classy and quiet. It's got lots of character. The staff is also welcoming. read more

Dempsey's Food & Spirits - Pumpkin Ale - American Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Absolutely amazing thank you so much for wonderful evening and amazing @buckeyevodka cocktails

Great Irish bar in the heart of Columbus. Had a proper pint of Guinness (poured correctly) and a delicious cottage pie.

The surname Dempsey is famous in Irish lore; warriors of the name defeated the English King Henry II in the twelfth century. The name was derived from the ancient Irish word meaning proud or arrogant. This joint so named on South High Street almost fits the moniker perfectly being an Irish pub drenched with Irish pride, but having that classic dark puby comfort making it not arrogant at all. You can find it a block south of the grand French Renaissance styles of the Westin Great Southern of Columbus in a black frame entrance. All the delicious trapping of the type are inside. Long wood bar tanned dark. Wood floor. Narrow space that spills into back room. Exposed brick wall decked with photos and art. Notre Dame flags and posters? Check! ( Maybe Dempsey's is arrogant after all!) The space, as said in other reviews, is dark. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I came for lunch on break from jury duty. Common pub fare makes majority of the lunch menu but Dempsey does dip its toes into creative items. For every spinach dip there's a lamb lollipop, for every pot roast there's sheppard pie made with ground angus, in with Caesar are Panko encrusted salmon. There are similar choices in sandwich, burgers, and wraps. I went boring for me lunch, simple, plain old predictable classic club sandwich. Basic but good. There make is on wheat smoked turkey with local bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato with mayo. It was good, great ingredients, held together well. Fries were average. I need to come back sometime to have drinks and try over items. read more

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Unfortunately on a Sunday morning we were victims of a lack of employees. One wait staff to run from kitchen and bar. Our Bloody Mary's were exceptional. Bottomless mimosas advertised, but were not available for lack of champagne. I had salmon eggs Benedict.. it came to the table cold and we all know what happens to poached eggs, salmon, hollandaise, and muffins when they are reheated. It was not edible at that point. Hubby had Kitchen Sink. His also came cold and when reheated was edible, but lacking as the biscuit was soggy and scrambled eggs were rubbery. In fact, one of the regulars went to retrieve our plates from the kitchen from the reheat request. The atmosphere and locals are exceptional. The wait staff was just at a loss for ability to do all he was asked to do. When he brought the check and saw full plates uneaten he said he would have credited us at least one of the meals, but was not allowed. Opportunity missed here. That would have received a second opportunity from us, but when the customer leaves after 2 hours, hungry and a $70 bill, I can't recommend to others. read more

Awesome Saturday brunch with bottomless mimosas! Our waitress, magic, was awesome too!

Pretty welcoming, pancakes were delicious. But would only come back to try the lunch and dinner options. If you like breakfast with no flavor then I would suggest coming here. *Only been there once so maybe give them the benefit of the doubt. read more

Uker night! Euker? Euker? Whatever. I learned how to play and got to milk the cow. Great hang!

What a fun breakfast place! We parked at the door (yay)! We just had a blast. Superb service even though we felt so welcomed. We started with mimosas and Bloody Mary upped about five levels due to their "fixings bar!" The food was just very well prepared. Perfectly cooked bacon, fluffy eggs, and French toast made from banana bread pudding. We had nothing that wasn't excellent including shrimp and grits although not like we make them at home. Personal fave...red skinned breakfast potatoes. We really enjoyed our meal and encourage you to give them a try! read more

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The restaurant only had one server for the whole restaurant. I think the kitchen staff was also short staffed as my broccoli was cold. The staff tried their best, but could not keep up. read more

We rolled into Dempsey's for brunch on 10/24 with a party of 10. Our out of town friends loved the atmosphere and everyone thought the food was wonderful! Our server was attentive and was quick to bring our table a whole carafe of coffee to help with our whiskey hangover. The portions were large and everyone's orders were perfectly cooked and they were really accommodating with substitutions. I had the Irish Breakfast 2.0, the sausage had the perfect amount of spice and the potatoes were crispy. The breakfast portion of bread pudding was wonderful! A couple of people got fancy Irish Coffee cocktails and said they were really good! Our friends said they definitely want to come back and try dinner! read more

My fiancé is a die hard Notre Dame fan and now that he has Saturday's off he decided it was time to indoctrinate me into the Columbus Notre Dame staple, Dempsey's. First, the atmosphere is just what you want in a neighborhood Irish pub. A perfectly poured Guinness, lots of wood and a homey comfortable vibe. Complete with A Christmas Story lamp on the bar. The menu is varied and big, ranging from a good amount of appetizers to steak. We had the buffalo chicken dip with house made chips which were delicious, Mac n cheese with fried chicken and a mushrooms Swiss burger hold the garden. Everything was delicious and before I could snap some pictures our plates were empty! If you haven't been here definitely check it out. Plenty of Ohio State fans leaving as the Notre Dame game got started and all looked well fed and happy! read more