R Bar Arena

I had a great time during Pride here with friends. I felt bad for the poor waitress who was there all alone (What restaurant has one server on the floor for one of the busiest days of the year?). The food was OK and they didn’t have any fries, but they did have chips (not the same!).

We were her for the Blue Jackets /​Blackhawks game and the bartenders were fantastic!!! Constant making sure my beer was filled, our pizza was good, but the cheese sauce for the pretzel was disgusting. And the pretzel was either overcooked or super soggy in different sections.
Now as a hockey fanatic I love this bar bar for the atmosphere it exudes. As a single woman, I appreciated the clientele of the male species that came in.
I can’t wait to return to Columbus and the R Bar for another game

How have I never reviewed this place? I could have sworn I had done so after I read the review from 2011 from someone who complained about having to watch baseball on a smaller screen. In a hockey bar during hockey season.
But I digress. So as the décor indicates, this is a hockey bar, so it’s great for pregame and postgame hangouts. Or if you don’t have tickets, during the game as well. I don’t get here as often as I’d like anymore. It DOES get crowded… and it’s arguably better on non-​weekend nights when there are fewer students around. The pictures all along the walls are an homage to Columbus Blue Jackets history, and there’s some stuff from the sport’s history as well, of course.
They’ll typically open in the morning for special hockey events abroad, too (Sochi Olympics, for instance). If hockey’s your sport, this is your mecca. If not… your «other sport» will probably at least be along the wall somewhere when hockey’s in season.

The only hockey themed bar in Columbus that I know of! With service that’s well above average for the area and a selection of discounted drinks there isn’t that much to not like about this place.

I’m not gonna lie, I was kicked out of this bar two years ago. I took off my shirt… But the jackets won so what the hell right! Anyhow, since then I have changed my shirt wearing ways and have moved above said bar! Jackets fan thru and thru, this bar is by far my bar! Ha! Say that three times fast! Ok down to business! The food specials are great! For real Great! Beer specials are Great! Burly when not on special. Beer is par for the corse with other downtown locals! The staffers are the shit! Frisby runs the bar like a gman, Alexis is a saint and always has a smile on her face! MJ is great unless you’re an asshole. In which case I would sit somewhere else as she might put u on ur bum! And even the door guys don’t mind striking up a conversation, literally they have nothing else to do, I’ve never seen this place get «dangerously» outta hand. For all these reasons. My bar is the R Bar! Just remember to keep ur shirt on!!!

Food was al-​right. Typical American pub menu. Service was not that great but it was prior to a sold out event at the Arena and there was a radio station broadcasting.

The beer was cold that is about all we can say for this place. We were in Columbus at a convention for 5 days, we ate at the R Bar for lunch one day, was told we couldn’t get the daily special because we were with the convention, then our bills were rounded UP without consent or explanation. Sent an email to the address on the website and never got a response. We won’t be going back.

Terrible service. I sat at the bar and ordered a LaBatt while my friend decided on food. The LaBatt never came and when the bartender came back she told me because my friend was unable to make a decision on food fast enough, no drinks would be allowed, despite the fact that the bar was almost empty. Further, the bartender admitted that she may have missed my drink order, but that it didn’t matter because my friend was taking too long. I just moved down here and was looking for a good bluejackets bar, but if the bartender can’t handle a simple beer order in the summer, I see no reason to come back during a crowded hockey season.

Atmosphere is very relaxing and would tell ppl to check it out if they were downtown. Open patio and great for big groups. Good size bar inside. A lot of tvs for sports fanatics.

R Bar is my bar. Well, I don’t own it, but I am kind enough to make a small monetary contribution to their bottom line about once a week. It’s a hockey themed sports bar with plenty of TVs. There’s a pretty nice sized patio too where I like to chill with friends — when it’s slow. Something going on at the arena? Consider yourself forewarned that they get crushed with obnoxious bros and screechy drunk girls.
Their brew selection is alright, nothing much to note and their prices are typical for downtown. The main thing that brings me and my friends there are their food specials. The menu is bar food decent and it’s priced right too but go there for the specials.
I’m a fan.
Addendum:
Their Food and Drink specials (Doesn’t apply when there’s an Arena event):
Sunday: A pitcher of any draft beer and a one topping medium sized pizza for $ 14.00
Monday: ½ price burgers
Tuesday: $ 2.50 Corona and Corona Lights
Wednesday: $ 3.75 tall boys and $ 5.00 wraps with kettle chips
Thursday: ½ price pizzas
Friday: ½ price quesadillas
Saturday: You’re shit out of luck on Saturdays.- No specials

Lemon raddler CITRUS!!! Not my style. This little bar is fabulous for hockey game days. It seems like the theme they are going for.

Two signs said ½ off apps, wings were clearly under appetizers on menu but we were charged full price. When asked about it, we were told that wings weren’t part of the appetizers. No mention of this was ever told to us. No fine print or asterisks anywhere.

Whenever I’m checking out new bars, especially new bars that I can watch hockey in, I ask for a lot. I want the ambiance to be exciting with cool bartenders and patrons to talk to, I want an exciting menu full of delicious bar food to pair with a long list of draft beers. I knew prior to going to the R Bar I wasn’t going to be receiving all of that, so I lowered my expectations to receiving kick ass service in the Blue Jacket’s official bar.
The bar set up is a little strange; it’s not a square, not a line, triangle, etc. It’s a blob. A blob semi plopped into the middle of the room, awkwardly making enough room on one side for a pool table and some chairs on the other side. The patio is definitely the place to be on gameday. I’ve seen the bar fill up many times with the most fervent Blue Jackets fans standing on the patio ready to rile up any opposing team fans they see.
My dad and I sat at the bar in anticipation of the Stanley Cup final. The bar had a decent turnout for a Wednesday night, with quite a few Blackhawks fans abound. (Blackhawk fans are really good at travelling EVERYWHERE.) There was 1 ½ bartenders working… I say 1 ½ because 1 was actually decently attentive while the other one seemed more interested in how her hair looked than serving people. The poor bartender (who I also believed to be the manager) looked as though she was running around ragged trying to serve all these people.
The food we ordered took FOREVER to come out, almost to the point where we felt embarrassed that we ordered anything besides beer. When the food came out, it was subpar at best. The burger looked frozen and my buffalo chicken sandwich was literally tyson frozen strips with some Frank’s on a roll. They don’t have anything besides potato chips to serve with it either. I don’t like chips and beer. I didn’t eat chips with beer.
Actually, I didn’t even have any beer. The selection was so poor I opted for a water and decided to get a beer down the street.
All in all, this bar knows its clientele: hockey fans who want to pregame. However, there are so many options between the Arena District and the Arts District that it’d be a damn shame if this were a top choice for you.

Meh. That’s all there is to it. The bar is fine, but if you’re looking for a passable draft list or attentive wait staff, you won’t find it here. If you’re looking for a decent sports bar in the arena district, this is an okay bet, but that’s hardly high praise.

I understand this is a bar and food is not their main focus, but the food served was concession stand food. They no longer have queso (still on menu), nachos were bagged chips that were stale with that pump-​able nacho cheese and some jalapenos, pretzel and pizza also tasted frozen. I have a feeling their kitchen is comprised of a freezer and a microwave only.
There were also a ton of rules, no pushing tables together (even though we had a group of 10), no leaning on the pool table, and the waitress kept leaving without getting everyone’s drink order so ½ our group was constantly waiting to order. They looked at us like we were crazy when we tried to order PBR (they have numerous PBR bar lights on the wall so one would think they serve it).
There are better places nearby with better service and actual food!

I have mixed feelings about this place. I rarely frequent the arena district bars, but when I do, R Bar is my top choice. Most of the bars in the area can get really crowded with «bros», but R Bar at least has a hockey feel to it so it keeps some of the «bros» out. If you are going to watch hockey, it is a great place to go. You can typically get a table if you plan accordingly and the service is decent.
The food is just OK, but again, there isn’t a lot of options for hockey bars in this town so it is a give and take. It is nice because if you go for the duration of a game and stay for 2 – 3 hours, the servers get it and don’t rush you.
The prices are reasonable for both food and drink.
If you are looking for more of a «clubby» place in the arena district, this isn’t it and don’t try to change my hockey bar into one of those places! :O)

This is one of those depends on what you are looking for kind of places.
I’ve been before and after a few Blue Jackets games and its a lot of fun. Very energetic (although packed) crowd. Cheap drinks. Everyone around you basically in a good mood.
I’ve also been not at that time and… yeah… basically a large dive bar, but not one with much character. Food is horrible. Staff are meh. They do have a lot of TVs.
If you are looking for a sports bar its probably a 2 stars. If you are going as part of your Blue Jackets game day experience its an easy 4. So depending on what you want I averaged it to a 3. (If you are looking for anything other than a mediocre sports bar, do not come here!!!)

The best place to be before and after a Jackets game in the Arena district. Good drinks and service with a variety of food.

This place gets a 0 for food, a 2 for drinks, a 2 for value, and 4 for location. If this place weren’t in very close proximity to the Arena, I’d never go here. The food is awful. The drinks are weak and don’t even think about trying to order something like a vodka gimlet or a martini.

I rarely find myself in this part of the arena district unless (a) I’m with a VERY close friend for their birthday/​bachelor/​bachelorette party or (b) I’m headed to R Bar. Blue Jackets season is starting up again, and there’s no better place to watch them play.
I love the setup they have here. The décor is very sportssportssports but it also looks very well put-​together. The central bar is great in maximizing bar length, which can be really important when its crowded during games, and I’ve never had to wait long to get service at the bar. Beer selection isn’t too bad, but I’m all about the special CBJ tallboys of Labatt Blue. Bartenders are great, even when it’s crazy busy. Haven’t tried the food here yet, maybe if I get here early enough to get a table during a game I’ll try it out, although that might be unlikely…

Perfect sports bar for the Arena District. I would never usually enter a bar like this, but we wanted to stop in for a drink during the FMMF this past weekend without getting involved in the even bro-​yer bars on Park Street. It serves it’s purpose with televisions on every nook and cranny and memorabilia (especially BJ heavy – surprise!). On a Saturday night the inside was pretty packed so we chilled on the patio which was great for people watching! The food smelled good although we did not order any – just drinks. Bartender wasn’t carding which doesn’t set a good precedence since OSU just started the semester up again. If in the area again, I’d stop in for a drink, but would definitely never choose R Bar as a drinking or eating destination.

So this bar is definitely not nice. Nothing fancy. 100% sports bar. All of that being said, it’s not bad.
There is popcorn, which everyone loves. You can also get a big spout/​pitcher object for your Labatt. If you’re into that.
Big patio, magnetic ashtrays. Someone was yelling loudly about buying drugs and buying their freedom. Not awesome, but it’s that sort of crowd.
Most importantly there are plenty of televisions, and my drinks were cheap and arrived very quickly (despite the bar being VERY busy). Solid 3 stars.
I’ll be back.

I’ve came to R Bar since before they moved, in the ages of working downtown. The owners are awesome, the beer selection is okay (I mean, it’s a hockey bar, so they know their crowd), and the food is often fast, hot, and… typical bar food. I wouldn’t bring a date here or anything, but when you’re drinking and hungry and it’s right there… it’s good enough to go with a beer tube with a few friends!
It’s less douchey than other bars in the area (probably that whole, «no dance floor» thing), and it’s great to catch a game out if you want to be surrounded by hockey fans.