Oldfield's On High

If you come to Oldfield's on High you're most likely here to see a live band perform. There really isn't too much else going on at this bar besides that. It's not a bad bar, but it's small and doesn't seem to have much else going for it. As scary as the location is, I prefer the Oldfield's on 4th because of their drink specials and it's somehow a really good time whenever I'm there.

Finding a place to park isn't all that easy. Since it's on High north of campus, you'll probably have to park on the street somewhere if you can find a spot. It's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it kind of place, identifiable only by the sign sticking out of the front of the building alerting you about what bands are performing and what specials you can expect. If you come here for a night and you decide to leave and check out the other bars in the area, be warned that you're immediately surrounded by dumps such as Ledo's and Sloopy's. However, Ravari Room is just across and down the street a bit, and if you go the other way across the street you'll eventually run into Blue Danube and Hendoc's, which are great bars.

I came here one night and was pleased to find that there was not a cover charge at the door. There was a band that night, but they weren't charging for it. Sometimes there will be a cover but it depends on the band. Then it's usually between $3-$5.

It was a friendly, neighborhood looking bar. Like a good place to come and meet some friends. I liked the Tiffany-style stained glass pendant lamps hanging from the ceiling around the bar. It gave the place charm. The bar sat sort of right in the middle of the room and to the left was the stage area. The floor was open in front of the stage, and that's where people ended up dancing during the show. The crowd there that night was mostly hippies with a few creepy looking people. But I was there with a group of friends and we stayed to ourselves. Most of the seating was barstools.

The beer prices weren't so hot. We got pitchers of Bud Light and each pitcher was about $7. It was a Sunday night, so maybe not the best night for drink specials. We stuck with the beer because our friend was getting mixed drinks and they were almost $5 apiece. The one bartender that was there was nice enough, but he took forever to serve us.

The bathrooms were weird. It was a single room in the back of the bar. The door sort of blended a bit with the wall. Inside it seemed well stocked enough, but was sort of run-down. It was a little uncomfortable, though, how when you came out of the restroom you were right out onto the dance floor. All that separated you from the rest of the bar was the door, so basically if the door was opened on you, everyone could see you on the toilet. I didn't realize until then how accustomed I was to bathrooms around a corner or down a hallway.

Oldfield's features a good mix of live shows if that's your cup of tea. They have a lot of acoustic, jazz, funk, hip hop, and feature a lot of local bands. I wouldn't mind coming here again if I was in the mood for some live music, but other than that, there are just too many other fun places to go to spend a night out.

I've heard some good music here on a number of occasions and seen it packed with people really enjoying themselves. It seems like i've met a disproportionate number of friendly and interesting people here and felt glad to make their acquaintance. I haven't been back for a while, though, and it seems that Oldfield's might have closed for a while and changed hands or some such thing that's become too common these days. The beer prices are not too tough on you, and the marquee has been advertising some alluring drink specials lately, certainly just to get more people to walk through the door. My impression is that Oldfield's was once a hot spot for music and carousing and it's lost a bit of its luster recently. But it's a solid bar and i hope it will hang on through the obstacles of the present and continue to put the funk and the rock on stage.

As you can see on the marquee sign that's posted above the front door, Oldfield's main attraction is live music. The bar is relatively small, making most of the shows here intimate affairs that always have a great energy to them. If the band sucks, however, you're in for a rough night. I believe that whoever does the booking here does a pretty good job of bringing in fun bands that are well-suited for the small bar environment that Oldfield's hosts, and I can say that I enjoyed most of the shows I've seen here. A lot of the acts that get booked are of the soul/funk or classic rock variety, which means the crowd here is generally older and less college-oriented. If you know anything about the other bars in this area, namely Sloopy's and Ledo's, this is certainly  the saving grace of this otherwise average bar. The draft selection is decent and is known to always have a few Irish standbys like Guinness or Smithwick's on tap, and the drink specials are decent on weeknights. If you're not here to see music, however, the cost of the drinks probably won't offset the $5-or-so cover you paid to get in. Regardless, Oldfield's is a great place to relax with friends while shooting pool or enjoying some decent live music.

*Editor's Note: There is another Oldfield's located in one of the worst neighborhoods in Columbus, so be advised that if your friends tell you to meet them at one of these two bars, there's a 90% chance that this is the one they're referring to. I had to find this out the hard way, which is completely different story for another day.