On Tap Pub

On Tap Pub just screams "A-OK" - it's a sports bar smack dab in the middle of a suburban strip mall, landlocked by a hockey equipment store and an Asian bakery.

Ambiance? Nah. The interior is drab and reminiscent of a bowling alley - the space is extremely narrow and extends way back to another larger room and the bathrooms. The walls are painted a boring gray and there isn't much in the way of memorabilia/signage to spruce the place up.

Service? Not so hot. I came in here on a Saturday night, and the place was packed, but exactly one bartender was working. She was predictably slow in taking my order, but jeez, she had a nearly impossible task with the number of customers - she even had to get her own keg out of the keg room and wheel it on the dolly back to the bar and hook it up! I threw a couple extra bucks onto her tip for this fact alone. Wonder if she also doubled (tripled?) as the bouncer?

Selection? Heh. I hope you like domestic drafts or drinking out of aluminum bottles.

All this being said, On Tap Pub is a fine destination to end an evening, or possibly set the wheels in motion for a late night drunken hook-up. Everyone in the Bethel Road corridor seems to end up here at the end of the night to play the jukebox (they have a good one), slur their words, take a shot of Three Wise Men, and puke in the parking lot.  This gives it a certain charm and a bit of character not found in the other cookie-cutter corporate chains in the area.

Another added bonus is that the bar is the official home of the Buckeye Packer Backers (Go Pack Go!) and you can find this group of drunken cheeseheads packing the place every Sunday afternoon. If you're a Packers fan, there's no other place in Columbus (or even Ohio) like On Tap for high-fiving, or commiserating with, like-minded fans.

Give this place a try after 1 a.m. if you've already imbibed a few, and you'll likely fall in love (with the bar, not the one night stand).