* * * * Â Â Fries Â
* * * * * Â Battered Onion Rings Â
* * * * * Â Spicy dipping sauce for rings
* * * * * Â Stephanie. Â A "super server". Â The type that every business hopes they Â
 could find:  Efficient...attentive...warm, genuine smile.  Naturally upbeat and
 friendly---not embarrassingly enthusiastic, saccharine, or phony.
Would have given Stephanie 10 stars instead of 5 had she ASKED how our fish dinners were----but she may have been told to NEVER ask how the food is. Â That's always a risky (potentially costly) question posed by any food server. ( I was tired and not in the mood to speak up like an adult. Â Shame on me.) Â A day later, however---reminded by seeing the weighty mass in the garbage can, and after thinking about dropping $28 on two WAY below average fish dinners---instead of forgetting about it and not bothering to review, I felt compelled to sound a "Food Alert" .
Â
x x x x x  Breaded Lake Erie Perch
      (5 Don't Do It's)  What the...?  Worst perch fish fry we've EVER had. Â
Their self-proclaimed "famous" perch dinner---audaciously printed on their menu and website---would be more aptly described as "infamous". Â Offered battered, breaded, or broiled. Â We opted for breaded---the best preparation for LE Perch. Â Never had ANYTHING with breading that was this firm and thick---from 1/8" to 1/4" ! Â More like cow hide. Â And gummy, too. Â Maybe dipped into egg and flour 5-6 times before the bread crumbs. Â This preparation was NO mistake---this was the intended heavily-coated result. Â
And they didn't TASTE like LE Perch. Â Not sweet and mild, but on the strong side, and very VERY dry. Â If this WAS the real thing, it was likely a catch from 3 or 4 years ago---that was stubbornly stuck to the bottom of the freezer (requiring industrial pliers to yank them loose)---then finally dropped into a fryer and onto our plates. Â I finished less than the equivalent of a single filet of the four served---about two small bites of each hoping to find a good part. Â No luck. Â I'm sure Stephanie noticed the heaping amount of food---mostly fish---that we packed into the take-home box, but she didn't dare say a word. Â Rather than leave them there, an examination/dissection in the privacy of my own kitchen would determine if any of the FISH could be salvaged---whether for human consumption, canine consumption, or plant fertilizer. Â No, no, and I'm still thinking about it.
x x x x x  Their Homemade Tartar Sauce
 A thick amalgam of what tasted and looked like a mayo/BUTTER combination
 ...yes, butter.  Unappetizing.  Unlike any tartar we've ever tasted.  Sampled once,
 so didn't use.
x x x x x  Coleslaw
 An unseasoned and liquidy mixture of what appeared to be just cabbage and
 maybe 1% MILK---certainly not cream.  Neither sweet nor tangy.  Could eat just
 two small fork-fulls.
Based on Bonnie's current self-promotion about their "famous LE Perch dinners", we expected a vast improvement. Â But---to be on the safe side---I brought my own tartar from home. Â Just in case. Â (AL's from Seven Seas). Â But even this excellent condiment couldn't save these petrificated and badly prepared fish. Â It had been about 10 years since we had their LE Perch dinner. Â All
components were just "ok" then---nothing special. Â But much better than THIS visit. Â (Except for the 4 star fries.)
Instead of looking forward to tasty fried perch leftovers today, I'll warm up the fries and rings in the toaster oven, and nuke some hotdogs. Â
Other edible menu offerings may be real winners in this popular, clean, friendly, welcoming, comfortable spot, so worth checking out. Â Heard their wings are favorites.
If we visit again---and feel like something to eat with our drinks---we'll stick to their onion rings and dipping sauce. Â
.
Bonnie's seemed to have a lot of regulars when I was there, and I can see why. It's a really friendly place with pretty solid typical bar food. Nothing to go out of my way to enjoy (I'm not exactly in their demographic wheelhouse), but it's not far from me and I expect I'll happily return sometime soon.
Review Source:We were out wandering and looking for somewhere to go, because the dogs were calm and the in-laws were feeling flu-ey. So, we figured we'd get out if their hair, and grab a beer and something munchy.
Being still within the holiday season, we went with a seasonal beer to warm the hearts a bit, so we went with the Leinenkugel Fireside Nut Brown (the Great Lakes Christmas was long since gone).
Seemed like a really good excuse to get some pierogies to warm the stomachs while we were at it. Those were delicious. Nice and large... potatoes, butter... hell, anything wrapped in pasta is going to score with me. It's just tough to find them in a bar.
I wish more places in Columbus served them
The battered green beans were a nice appetizer. I've been a fan of these since my introduction to them at Tip Top in C-bus. Bonnie's provides a really good portion that is great for sharing.
The staff is very friendly and the atmosphere is such that you can bring your family here to eat in the dining area, or watch and yell at the Browns as they kick some ass (or not) on a football Sunday. A very happy, community-friendly feel to the place overall. Glad we stopped by.
I've driven by Bonnie's 1000 times and finally made the move to have dinner there. I was told they had redone the patio, which was really nice, the interior is still your usual townie bar. We sat outside and it took awhile to be served, but once we were, I was very happy. The beers are huge and cheap and the food was really tasty. It's a great little spot to stop for a quick bite or to watch a game. I'll go back for sure.
PS very very light on the parking spaces... try the side street...
They have some of the best wings around - Crispy, not too dry and not too much sauce (which, so far, they have all been great). There is also a great food special almost every night. Taco Thursdays are pretty good. Their draft beer selection is a little weak. And when they are busy, it can get quite slow. I blame this on their nice new outdoor patio bringing in a lot more customers and they haven't quite yet adjusted the staff to accommodate. Food is 5 stars, beer selection and struggling service drops it down one.
Review Source:Bonnie's is where I lost my Leinenkugel virginity. I'd never even heard of the brew before my pal Lisa asked our ever-friendly waitress to slap a pitcher on our table. I'm not saying it's going to replace my cabernet, but it was definitely a tasty brew.
I'm giving this divey sports bar four stars for sheer damn friendliness. The waitress greeted my friend by name, remembered mine when I was leaving, and made a point of checking on us to make sure we were brew happy. The food looked delightfully artery clogging, so next time I'm in the mood for an anti-cleanse, I'll buy a ticket to the Cleveland 'burbs and pool up a barstool at Bonnie's.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
