Manifesto Tuscan Grato & Scotch Bar

Can’t recommend this. Ordered the New York strip and it was poorly cooked, oddly seasoned, and very sinewy. The mashed potatoes were not good either. Best part of the meal were the sautéed veggies although they were over salted. At least it was so dark in there that I didn’t have to see what I was eating.

Overall we were disappointed. The food was mediocre at best and the service was very subpar. The staff was nice, but with the type of price you pay for the food, you expect much better service.
Service: The server forgot to put in the Beef Cheek order, of which I had to remind her. When it was brought out, the manager said, «sorry about the wait, we had to heat up some more beef.» As if that was a satisfactory remark. We asked if they do anything for birthdays, and they asked the name of the birthday girl. They were supposed to write it but didn’t. And when it was brought, the sever just said, «happy birthday we don’t do birthdays here so you’ll have to blow out the table candle.» Lastly, there were constantly finished dishes and empty glasses on the table while the servers were walking by empty handed.
Restaurant/​Food: Manifesto is having an identity crisis. An Italian restaurant with a scotch bar with old presidents all over the décor. Very strange. And to be a scotch bar, you need to have many more selections. Very poor scotch menu. They don’t have the large single ice cubes for your drink and only use the small cubes which make it difficult to manage the melt. The food was not worth the price at all.

In the spirit of restaurant week, i decided to try Manifesto for the first time. Walking in the place looked lovely and had a great atmosphere but we were seated next to the door which offered a cold draft the entire meal. The booth we were sat in was so cheaply made that every time the guy in the booth behind me moved, it would shake my whole seat. The food had decent flavor but even with the discount, it was not worth the price. I was so disappointed plus the only view we had was of the host playing on his cell phone the entire time. When I walked through the restaurant to use the bathroom, the place was mostly empty and now I understand why. I will not be returning!!!

Well this was my first time there so maybe it was an off night for the food (restaurant week) while the food was good the entrée didn’t wow me. The appetizer and the dessert were the clear winners in that contest. The chicken carbonara was eh and the salmon and beet purée pairing was just not a great combo but take away the beets the salmon was quite good. And while this seems like a solid 3 star I went with 2 because of several reasons. There was the fact that place was cold I just could not warm up. Also, the place looks like it’s upscale but our booth which is shared with another table was like a loose tooth. Every time the guy behinds us moved the whole thing shook and made for an uncomfortable meal. L brackets at Home Depot cost about $ 5 on the high end it’s an easy fix. We were also seated next to the host stand where I got a great view of the guy texting the entire evening. I made it a point to stare at him to see if he would notice, spoiler he did not. Other than that waitstaff was pretty attentive for the most part I wasn’t stalked every moment and I wasn’t left searching for someone to take my money at the end. I was looking forward to some scotch but no one said anything about it, if there is a next time I’ll perhaps check that out.

Loved the location since we were going to the symphony. However, the service was just ok and the food was over priced. The special for a handful of pasta was $ 25. Not a very good special and was loaded with Salt. Someone burnt something so we had to sit through some bad smoke for about 15 minutes before it finally went out of the restaurant. One last thing — only one restroom and one stall. The special was more than any thing else on menu.

Eh, this was a weird happy hour. Their online menu shows that they have what looks to be a fantastic selection of happy hour items, including multiple kinds of tacos for $ 2, many dips, and several flatbreads. $ 5 jumbo margaritas, half off all beer, and $ 5 wines. Sounds great, right? Came here with a group of about six around 4:30 and we were promptly seated. This place looks awesome — black iron light fixtures, painted walls with literary and presidential quotes, and deep burgundy walls. It was like sitting in a gothic castle!
Here’s where things started falling apart. The menu was small, which is no problem, but just about everything on the online happy hour menu wasn’t listed on it. That’s fine, I can work with that — but we went from 6 kinds of taco to one — and about three other items left on discount We all ordered the margarita, because for $ 5 it was massive and a great deal. We had someone in our group arrive late, and when she went to order the same drink, they were already out of the tequila used for the happy hour marg. She could either step up to the next level of tequila for $ 9, or pick something else to drink. What? If you run out of what is arguably your most popular happy hour beverage, shouldn’t you offer something else comparable as a replacement? The beer selection was small with maybe 5 – 6 beers on draft, and there was one red and one white wine on the happy hour list. They ran out of the happy hour chardonnay, so they only had the red left (pinot noir). My fig and brie flatbread was okay, but it had so much brie that it mostly felt like eating cheese bread.
It seems like this place has some great deals if you are into scotch. I was initially really excited about this happy hour as their menu looked fantastic. I get it — maybe they forgot to update their online menu? Maybe it was an off day and they were waiting on a shipment? Either way, I felt duped. I might consider going back if someone invited me, but I wouldn’t make the effort on my own.

Good spot.
Came during my birthday weekend. The place was empty, but the ambiance here was everything…
Classy, smart, & comfortable.
Our bartender was quite the cool, cute guy. The drinks he made were well balanced, yet strong (my type of drink, hands down),
I want to go back. Much enjoyed.

We dined at Manifesto before seeing a show at Ohio Theatre and we were not disappointed! We were seated very quickly in a quiet corner booth. The walls were decorated with quotes from various Presidents and the Frank Sinatra music was on point. The drinks were great. My boyfriend tried a scotch flight which he really enjoyed and the knowledge of the server was very helpful for a scotch novice. Our waiter was outstanding and worked hard to make sure we had everything we needed. I had the ahi tuna steak and the chef modified it to work with my food allergies which was very appreciated. My boyfriend also tried a dessert that he found delicious. It was a great dining experience at a beautiful venue. We are looking forward to our next dinner there!

Went to Manifesto yesterday evening for dinner and drinks. We had the place pretty much to ourselves so it was nice and quiet. The food and drinks were very good and our server was attentive.

We visited Manifesto a couple weeks ago for a friend’s birthday. The bartenders and staff were very nice and were welcoming of our loud group which was great. We had the bars to ourselves for the most part, and the rest of the restaurant was just about empty. They have an upstairs that you can rent out, but apparently our party was too big for it, but based on looking at it, it seemed like it was bigger than the bar area. There was more table seating at least. Most of us didn’t sit, so it wasn’t a big deal.
They have a decent Scotch selection from the look of it and based off what my friends said, but I’m not a huge Scotch person. We were there on a Thursday night, and they seemed to be out of a lot of the drink choices. I think they only had a few beers on tap, because the kegs were out on the others, and they only had a handful of bottled beers. That’s fine, but they were also out of or didn’t carry quite of few of the Scotches people were looking for.
As for the starters we had, my girlfriend and I loved the beef cheeks as well as our friends’ tuna tartar. Both has great flavor and were worth the pricing which is high. For main dishes, I had the Italian Prime Rib Dip, and my girlfriend went with the Italian Hoagie. My sandwich was good, but I wouldn’t put it at $ 15. It was tasty but small, and I wasn’t a huge fan of the thicker au jus. The Italian sandwich was forgettable, and you could easily make one that was bigger and better for cheaper than $ 12.
My friend’s Tornadoes Manifesto was cooked perfectly, and the beef tasted fantastic, and I heard the gnocchi was some of the best they’d ever had, but it was such a small portion that the price point wasn’t worth it, and they were still hungry afterward.
Overall, there were a few ups and downs all over the place, but Manifesto definitely has its hits. Also, I wouldn’t go off the menu on the website, since it’s not entirely up to date and is kind of a mess when you get to the menu page. It could definitely use some cleaning up. I’m not sure when I’ll be back to Manifesto again, but it would most likely be by invitation to another event.

I can’t believe how rude the manager was when we asked him about a gluten free meal that came with bread that was not GF even though it was marked GF on the menu. His response was you should have said you didn’t want it. He also said he didn’t know how the bite got there but did not offer to replace it or remove it. He acknowledged that it looked like a bite. Very poor service and representation of the owner. I will never eat here again.

OMG, where do I start??? WE LOVE MANIFESTO!!!
LOVE the interior — truly one of the most interesting, quirky, unique spaces in all of Columbus downtown, and as always I LOVE Yvonne’s funky, cool, hip decorating style.
LOVE the Manifesto Margarita, which is tied in my book as THE VERY BEST MARGARITA in Columbus. (tied with Allegria Mexican Seafood for the best margarita in Columbus).
LOVE the food — especially the gnocchi, the beef tenderloin, and the ahi tuna. Really nice food.
LOVE the patio, right on the capital square.
Not inexpensive. Actually a little pricey, but great, authentic tapas and spectacular drinks in a really cool space right with a very cool vibe in the heart of downtown.
Absolutely loved it. Will return soon and happily spend my hard-​earned money. Loved it!

My friends and I were here a few weeks ago for dinner before a concert. Had never been before, and must say we were all so pleased we look forward to returning. We tried several of the drinks the Filibuster Mule, excellent, my friend had the Manifesto Old Fashion and claims its the best she ever had. Dinners were great, I had beef cheeks, so tender they melt in your mouth. Mushroom risotto was very tasty as well. Let me just say, you won’t be disappointed! We got to meet the Chef and Matt, our waiter was vey helpful with entrée selections and drink suggestions. Very good wine list as well. This is a must try, love the interior of the restaurant, warm and cozy!

Blueberry Mojito was excellent, great bar staff and dessert! Very friendly, clean and inviting.

The Walleye was wonderful and my wife’s tenderloin was so good I only got 1 bite. Wednesday evening and no one else in the place, kind of strange…

I’ve come here for lunch, but honestly, Manifesto’s not-​so-​secret-​but-​amazingly-​good deal happy hour is truly the star here. Great prices on scotches and apps, and every time I am here for lunch, I’m sad that I didn’t come for happy hour instead. However, the lunch is quite good too and thankfully, doesn’t suffer from overcrowding as other places do during the noon hour. On a recent visit, I had the sausage and kale soup (ok, little on the sour side); house salad (good); and fig and Brie flatbread (star of the meal). Everything was decent and service was quite attentive. No complaints and will likely come back!

Was there during a business trip and decided to venture out of my hotel room. This place was so delicious and I would recommend it to anyone. The only slight con was that the staff didn’t look happy to be there. Maybe that was my perception, but I was put off a little by it.

Pros: margaritas are fresh and delicious without any hint of a mix. I loathe sweet and sour mix.
Cons: seat in front of the bar is «not actually a seat» according to bartender. So we took our business to the patio. Drew promptly served us two of the aforementioned delicious margaritas, then patently disappeared. A female server (so sorry, forgot your name!) took our orders for a second round that was served in wine glasses instead of a margarita glass and an app that never appeared.
If you aren’t in a rush, I’d go for slowly served margaritas.

Called ahead for a reservation prior to this evening’s show. Was told that they weren’t taking any additional reservations, but if we showed up around 6:15 that we could get in for a walk in. We arrived at 6p.
To begin, they appeared shocked that we would attempt to walk in without a reservation. She was very wasn’t and attempted to seat us at the bar. The bar tender began spouting off that people shouldn’t show up at 6p for a 7:30 show. I very promptly put him in his place, explaining that if they weren’t willing to serve the customers that someone answering the phone shouldn’t be directing people to walk in at 6:15. The manager stood there and said nothing.
Further, if you depend on a wheelchair, take note. There are several steps to get down into the restaurant. There is an lift, but they evidently feel that a better use for it is for house plant storage and display.
I gave it one star, only because I couldn’t give it a zero.

The food was good. I especially like the spinach artichoke dip. The waiting staff was very friendly and the manager was especially nice and helpful. If you go there, try the «beef cheek» which I didn’t get but got to try. It was perfectly cooked and tasted like the best fancy pot roast (which I know can seem to contradict which is why you should try it) you will ever have.
The only thing I would steer away from is the ice tea. I think their ice tea maker either needs replaced or the type of tea they used needs re-​thought. It had a flavor more like the juice from a can of corn then tea.
In the kitchen they are big fans of bread crumbs and seem to put it on everything. If you are into this, welcome to the pleasure dome.
I like the location, setting, staff, and food choices. Oh. and round ice cubs if you choose to have a well aged lovely beverage.