The Crest Gastropub

A few friends and I went in specifically for the flank steak and to our complete surprise it is off of the menu! How can a restaraunt take a completely successful dish and remove it?! in fact it was the only dish I thought was spot on and consistent. So I opted for last night’s special, a Korean style shank poutine. after a few attempts to describe the dish, the staff convinced me to try it. The waiter suggests I add an egg for an up charge of $ 3 for a total cost of $ 19! In fact, the chef added the egg when the staff tried it, yet they want to charge more for the «best» experience. I opted without the egg because I was upset that I would have to pay more. The plate came and ugh!!! It was a sloppy beef gravy over French fries. The way it was described to me was that it was their «version» of poutine so it wouldn’t be gravy and fries. What a artery clogging mess of a plate, better suited for the coldest of winter days, not summer. Please bring back the flank steak!

Overall ok. Service was good, food was what was expected. Can’t stay I’ll return, but I was just passing through town.

If you’ve never been, try Crest on a Sunday. Drafts are half-​off all day.
Crest is one of those restaurants that’s a crowd pleaser. They have a long list of beer options (something for everybody) and an impressive cocktail list. The menu is eclectic but not too far fetched for those of you nervous about ingredients you’ve never heard about.
I chose the Asparagus, Pea and Potato salad. It was delicious, but maybe order it with dressing on the side as it was a little heavily dressed. We also ordered a burger which was excellent. They have a lot of option in regards to burgers as well as some sides. I recommend the truffle fries.
Not the first place I mention to someone visiting Columbus, but always a good option.

Visiting my oldest friend who lives a block away. Her husband refused to come with us ‘due to the hipsters stealing his parking’ but I’ve eaten there 2 nights in a row & I think he should reconsider. Their beer selection is overwhelming but superb. Their ½ price Happy Hour is not to be missed for trying some of the exquisite culinary options. I would pay full price though. After seeing my leftovers, I think we have convinced my friends husband to give this spot a shot. There was a funny bartender who is also a comedian. Overall I can’t wait to come back to visit one of my oldest childhood friends AND to eat here again.

We dropped in here for lunch during a family visit to Columbus. The gastropub movement is lost on many baby-​boomers, including yours truly. I may sample a suggestion from my sons or other Millennial friends, but not necessarily go out of my way. The Crest changed all that. From the vegetables planted in pots adjacent to the parking lot, the exhaustive list of craft brews on tap to the enticing menu entries. Just off a red eye flight across the country, I chose meatloaf — the ultimate comfort food. The Crest version made my day. Excellent vegetable accompaniment, pureed sweet potato and the texture of meatloaf was all outstanding. I never rate 5 stars without a return trip, but I’ll be headed back soon or my on next visit to Columbus. Highly recommended.

I really enjoyed this place. The service just fine. Food was great and priced as I would expect for locally sourced items.
As I understood, they make everything in house down to the ketchup.
Between us we had a Moscow mile (fine but not great), beer flight, special cocktail of the cucumber persuasion (hubby loves it). For dinner, burger, lamb burger, gyro, bison burger, cream of jalapeño soup, sweet potato fries and truffle fries. We enjoyed everything. Split the bill and for myself and hubby it was 62 +tip. I felt it was reasonable.
I would definitely try this place again.

We have been to the Crest a bunch of times, for brunch, events, just for a drink, dinner before Crew games… It has that neighborhood casual hangout feel with real good, interesting food. The menu is always changing with the seasons and they grow some of their own vegetables and herbs. They also use local meats and have an assortment of local craft beers that they rotate. Prices are a tad on the higher end for a casual place. And the parking situation can be a little difficult (which is why they usually have ballet available). We keep coming back and you should too!

Came back for a quick bite at the bar during happy hour. The happy hour deals are very good, especially considering the sheer variety of what’s on tap.
My wife and I split a Mac and Cheese and a bison burger (thoughtfully divided for us on separate plates.). Both were quite good, though I did put some Frank’s Red Hot on the Mac and Cheese. My wife then pointed out that I do that all the time anyway.
Definitely going to add Crest back to our regular rotation.

My wife and I went to the Crest for the first time today and had their brunch.
Food: Very good. I had the chicken and waffles and my wife had The Crest breakfast, which is your standard egg breakfast. The house hot sauce was great, and the hash browns and sausage were fantastic.
Service: Also quite good. Very quick when needed and non obtrusive when they weren’t.
Environment: Looks like a beat up place from outside, but it’s quite nice inside. Music playing was in the vein of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, and Michael Jackson. There was one family and the rest were 20 – 40 year olds for the most part. Wife says the bathroom was «cute.»
Parking: Small parking lot, plenty of street parking if you want to hoof it. Pothole city over there.
Overall: Great all around experience. Five stars for me requires something to ‘wow’ me and that didn’t quite happen. There is no liquor license on Sunday, so no bloody Mary’s. We will definitely go back and I highly recommend it.

I like the crest. The vibe is great. Local, small and quaint.
The food quality is solid. And they have an awesome beer selection with which they do a great job. In fact I think their local Ohio draft beer special they offer at $ 4 a pint on Thursdays after 8:30 pm is perhaps the one of the best «specials» in town.
I have never had anything less than outstanding customer service, either from my sever or bartender. I have patronized this location about 12 times. In one instance, I had outstanding customer service.
I guess I could say– the crest suffers from «overhype». The food program does not meet my expectation level. I thought the food would be better. It’s good, but ultimately fails to break through what I anticipated.
I would recommend coming here. It’s a really good place. Just not great.

The Crest is a trendy place to grab a drink or grub. The covered and heated side patio is awesome and pup friendly.
Bar tenders are fun and knowledgable of the ample Brews, both local and national, on tap. Happy hour takes a buck off the brews which is nice.
Food is great though portions can be small. Plant of veg selection. Pub truffle chips for $ 5 is perfect with any libation.

This is Crest OG, great restaurant all around. Menu is unique, carries some local ingredients, & you can’t go wrong ordering — everything I’ve had has great flavor and value.
At happy hour, some days of the week appetizers are on discount. Try a variety and find your favorites. Support these guys they’re an anchor in Columbus.
Can’t say enough good things; also goat cheese ball appetizer, try that one. Yum, amazing! I’m gonna get back to my meal!

Atmosphere– Young + lively. They have really good live bands here.
Service– C. What happened to our waitress?
Food– bleh. Been here a couple of times and the consistency is just not there. I really want to like this place but I can’t right now. Improve your sweet potato fries and send me a message.

I love the atmosphere of the restaurant, especially the exposed brick. It is a great restaurant for a date night or small group. Due to the size of the restaurant, I would not recommend coming with a large group. Chances are your wait will be fairly long for tables to open up. There is also a patio. When we went it was set up with heaters for the winter months.
They have a nice draft selection. However, I was slightly disappointed that the only Winter/​Christmas beer was Great Lakes. I was hoping for more options for holiday beers. Our server at our most recent experience was very nice and personable.
As for food, most recently, I ordered the Wild Boar burger which was ok. I was slightly disappointed that there was hardly any apple compote on the burger. The sourdough bun was bland and didn’t really taste anything like sourdough. My sweet potato fries were good despite being lukewarm upon arrival. The sweet potato fries are served with a dipping sauce that was pretty good!
I would go again based on the unique menu offerings and the atmosphere. If not to eat, I would at least go back for a happy hour.
The parking lot is super small! You will most likely have to park on the street. When we went there was complimentary valet parking. However, I am not sure if this service is always available.

AH yes, The Crest.
That beloved ‘All local’ institution that hipsters rave about, and Ohioans rejoice about.
I don’t know what else could be said, as the 300+ review probably have it covered.
Good and Bad things that caught my attention during my visit:
*Lots of local breweries. Lots-​and-​lots-​and-​lots. You won’t be thirsty.
*Bison burger was a letdown. One very dry and overly cooked burger… even when I requested ‘Medium’ cooked.
*Fries– Great natural cut, but really dang greasy.
*House Chips– One of the better deals on the menu, and perfect for those looking to grab drinks, but not a full on meal.
I came on a REALLY dead day. Pretty much all of the place was open, and parking was plentiful, which I know is never the case during rush times.
Service was good, and the place was quirky. It’s a run of the mill hipster gastropub… edgy, raw and exposed. I like how it’s amidst the neighborhood, all neatly tucked in like some sort of hidden gem, but in all honestly… Not so hidden and blatantly in your face.
The Crest brings a great concept to other restaurant entrepreneurs. Source local, be local. I like it.
The food IMO was not rave worthy, but the concept and vision is clear and worth standing behind.
I’ll be back.

Yeah, we’re fans. We went for lunch the day after Thanksgiving and, blissfully, it was anything but packed. Our server, Derek, was a fantastic server. Friendly, attentive, helpful, but not too in-​your-​face.
I got the falafel sandwich which, while okay, was different from what I’ve had there before. And, eh, it was better before! This time it was much smaller (and more expensive), in a generic pita pocket, and the falafel was pancake flat. Just so-​so. My mother-​in-​law got the bison burger, which was a bit gamey, but, it’s bison. So we’ll roll with it. Derek did have good advice that, because it’s bison, the best way to serve it was rare. I had a bit and thought it was pretty good. But I pretty much smothered it in the chile aioli (ahhh, so tasty!). The sweet potato fries were good, but anything friend and salted can be pretty damn good. They were. My husband got the special (chicken sandwich with ghost pepper jack cheese and raspberry compote). He liked it. I also had a bit of that and concurred — mmm mmm good. We like heat, though.
The topper? Because it was my husband’s birthday and I told Derek about it (much to the chagrin of my husband who hates all things attention on him …) hooked us up with a complimentary cheesecake. Not just any cheesecake. And worlds better than jank ol’ Cheesecake Factory. This divine dessert was a Great Lakes Brewing Co. stout cheesecake. And I think it was the best dessert I’ve ever eaten. Definitely snag a piece if it’s on the menu; I guess they have varying flavors daily (weekly?).

This is another one of those places that I’ve avoided because of the hype. So many people saying it is awesome, plus a neighborhood and lot that are already cramped? I’ll pass. But I kept wanting to try the food, having heard so much about it. Today I had the chance. Friends wanted to meet for brunch and picked it, a fave of theirs. So, off we went. I was concerned about craziness, at 1230 on a Sunday. However, there were a couple of spots open in the lot, and the place was only about half full so we were seated immediately.
Sweetie got a yogurt parfait and shared my House burger and fries. Our friends had very specific dietary requests which were met with patience and knowledge; they ended up with one of the salads and the breakfast taco special.
I had to start with a Rambling House ginger beer, having had some of their other stuff. It was very good, clearly made from scratch. Small, but with one free refill. I added a Pataskala Red Ale later, thinking it might be like a scotch ale. Way more hoppy though, and it was in fact described as an IPA, and it turned out pretty good.
The House burger was a solid burger. Not very big, honestly, but with the fries it filled me up. Good bun, good meat, good toppings, but nothing particularly outstanding. The fries were very good– crispy and salty, but with lots of potato still shining through.
I am torn between 3 and 4 stars. The food was good, but not amazing. I like that they grow a lot of their stuff and go as local as they can in other ways. The service was outstanding– friendly, helpful, not intrusive but always there when needed. The décor is nice. We were lucky that it wasn’t super busy, though it filled up while we were there. Prices are reasonable for what you get.
But I am not convinced that it deserves the hype. There is so much good food around that we’re spoiled. In the north campus/​Clintonville of twenty years ago, it would have been a miracle. Now, it’s just one more good place to eat. And the crowds can clearly overwhelm it quickly. Plus, that damn band: there was a smooth jazz trio playing off and on. If that’s your thing, cool. It is not mine. I hate that style, they kept repeating songs, and for a «soft» style of music they played so loud that they drowned out conversation at our table. We would have sat outside, but when we got there everyone else was out there. Enjoying the weather? Or escaping the band?
We’ll be back. There are a lot of interesting things on the menu, and if we can avoid the rush and the music it will be another enjoyable experience. I’m giving 4 stars because most of the experience this time was so good. But I am not convinced that it is worth the annoyances.

So this is the common wisdom about The Crest: great beer selection, good food, questionable service. On our recent visit it held true except for one thing. The service was fantastic. And not just good because we had low expectations. Honest to God great service.
Maybe they’ve made a concerted effort to improve. Maybe our waiter was just really good. Maybe both. But whatever it was, it was top notch.
That’s not to say the food or beer suffered either. The beer selection was really great. And, having gone during happy hour (goes till 7) was half off. Our server (back to the service again) even went out of his way to ensure that we got one last discounted beer in under the wire. He also did a great job of managing expectations and told us that the beer one of us ordered was pouring slowly that day and might take a while to come out.
The food was also delicious. I had a burger, which is what I’ve usually had when I have been to the Crest to eat. But our server made it even better by suggesting that we make sure to get it with the house made boursin cheese. It was a great recommendation.
All in all I walked away impressed. I’ve been to the Crest a few times before and have remained skeptical. This time won me over.

I definitely like the atmosphere and décor. The wood tables. Stools. Can’t miss the bar! We got here after the lunch rush, so we were able to pick wherever we wanted to sit. We decided on the patio. Fantastic space, by the way. Has an airy feeling, customers are not «confined».
Our waitress was great. Attentive but did not bug us. Gave us time to scan the menu after explaining the daily specials. My friend and I decided to share our plates, Bison Burger and Sweet Potato Fries, and the Lamb Burger and Side Salad. We asked for our burgers to be cut in half, and they did one better. They cut the burgers, put them on separate plates, and included the sides on each plate; a definite plus, because we got more food for the price!
Tastes? The sauce on the lamb cake was different. A tad tarty. But the lamb burger was quite good. Excellent taste! I’ve always been a fan for bison — it’s a much healthier protein than most hamburger. Anywho, that sandwich was really good too. Neither of em where over spaced or too much sauce.
The sweet potato fries were ok. Not very sweet. But, then again, sometimes sweet potatoes aren’t full of flavor. To each tot, their own. The fries were perfectly cooked, however (yay): soft inside, slightly crunchy on the corners. Perfect bold orange color!

I’d been wanting to try The Crest for quite some time, and finally got the chance when my friend suggested we meet up there for lunch last Thursday. I really enjoyed the airy interior, super friendly service, solid selection of craft beers, and their delicious lamb burger with a side of sweet potato fries.
While I generally say that it’s much better to have a small menu where everything on it is really good as opposed to have a huge menu full of mediocre items, I did feel that The Crest’s menu might be a little too limited. There are a fair selection of sandwiches (most of which are burgers of some sort) and salad, but they only have 4 entrée items to choose from. This is probably the only thing keep me from giving them a full 5 star rating.
They apparently do a happy hour M-​F 3−7pm where their draft beers are half off. This in my opinion is a killer deal, since their draft beers are pretty reasonably price already at around $ 6 per pint. So $ 3 pints of craft beers during happy hour? If that’s true, I may be coming here every week from now on…