G & R Tavern

We drove out of our way tonight (Saturday) so I could finally try a famous G&R sandwich for the very first time. I’m visiting from out of town. We arrived at 11:10pm, but found the front door locked. The sign outside says open until 12am. The «Open» light was still turned on in the window and we could see a few people inside sitting at the end of the bar. When I knocked at the window, I could see someone look over, but he turned and ignored us. Someone was carrying a plate of food out from the back and others were moving a table around. Are these employees that shut things down early to hang out and wound up ignoring customers outside?
Unfortunate. People have been bragging to me about these sandwiches for months.

Are you looking for a unique Ohio experience? Check out G and R Tavern, known for Bologna sandwiches and cream pies as big as your head! There is nothing fancy about this place. It is a seat yourself bar where everyone seems to know everyone else. Beer selection is nothing fancy either. You won’t find the latest, local craft brew here, just Old Milwaukee (ONLY A DOLLAR) and other bar stand byes, all super cheap.
Lets get to what this place is know for. We ordered the Bologna sandwich, curly fries and a head size piece of peanut butter pie. Sandwich is served on a paper plate and consists of simple ingredients of thick sliced bologna, sweet sandwich pickles, onions and american cheese served on a hamburger bun. Again nothing fancy but really good. The pie is gigantic. When I say it is as big as your head, I am not exaggerating (well maybe a little, but not much) It is a super thick cream pie, ours came with peanuts in the inside that added a slight crunch. I liked the pie but you need about two or three people to eat one piece. Overall we walked out of the place with a full bellies for an unbelievably cheap price. If you are passing through Waldo check this place out!

I love this place! The friend bologna is as good as it gets. Add a slice of onion, some pickles and a little mustard and I am a happy girl! Usually the hubby and I each get a sandwich and then split an order of curly fries.
Did I mention the pie??? We usually split a pie of pie also. I haven’t had anything bad, but the chocolate peanut butter pie is crazy good!

Excellent! Famous fried bologna sandwich. Great fries, and cream pie bigger than your face! Biker friendly, with plenty of parking on-​street. Try the bologna for sure, but the Country Boy has a burger and fried bologna between the bun. Bologna salad is a nice deviation from the norm. Pizza is good. Easy to eat for less than $ 10, including one or two $ 1.00 beers! ##CASH ONLY##

I’ve just moved close to this place, and being told by every local to try the bologna sandwich had an effect on me. I had to give it a go.
I’m English. Bologna sandwiches happens to other people.
On entering I was greeted by two or three friendly staff and the place was busy. It was midday. Large age range of people — all seeming friendly and local if that makes sense. I felt immediately welcome.
I saw one of the bologna sandwiches arriving on a table. Thick, thick bologna. Once I was seated (I chose the bar) I asked the server about the sandwiches and if they had a thinner version — she recommended the «country boy» — which is two thinner pieces, with a beef patty and cheese. I agreed to this, with a side order of deep fried mushrooms (choice of ranch or horseradish sauce).
Selection of beer and spirits there, I had a yeungling — bottled.
The food arrived promptly despite how busy the place was — served on a simple paper plate.
I was overly impressed. It was as good as people say. The bologna was just salty enough, the patty and the lettuce I added, were fresh — and the bun just right. The mushrooms were still piping hot, and delicious.
I cannot recommend this place enough. I think it’s a permanent cash only affair, but with such a low cheque price (beer, sandwich, side — just over $ 10) it doesn’t matter at all.
Go there. If you’re within reach, you will not regret it.
Unless you’re looking for gluten free vegan options — but you wouldn’t be here. This is just what it should be.

Famous bologna sand which if you want some good comfort food and some good pies this is the place to go. Make sure you take cash they don’t use credit cards.

A fried bologna sandwich is not my idea of a good time, but I do understand why people love it. It’s not like anything else I have ever had before and that alone makes a good experience. The bologna has a perfectly cooked outside, caramelized and crisp. The sweet pickles and onions finish it off nicely. I also received a huge order of curly fries, crisp outside and a soft interior. To top it all off, I had a massive piece of banana cream pie. The filling was full of banana flavor and was very very rich. The cream tasted fresh with a nice fluffy consistency, plus the crust was perfect. If I ever have a bologna sandwich craving again I know where to go. But, the pie alone will get a return visit from me.

I’ve been going to the G&R since I was a child and 20 years later it still knocks it out of the park. This is one of those hidden gems of America that you would see on a food channel/​discovery channel show. You can’t go wrong with the Bologna sandwich. Also worth mentioning are the county boys (sandwich) and I haven’t found any cheese sticks like theirs. Their pizza is their own and you will never find another place that makes it quite like them. Their pies are home made and their serving sizes (of the pies) are good enough for two! I’ve never had a bad experience here and recommend it to everyone.

The Bologna sandwich will not disappoint. Thick Bologna with onion and sweet pickles chips. Their mile high pies we always get the coconut and chocolate and peanut butter. They are like a slice of heaven. The whole pie which we order for holidays must weigh 6 pounds. And absolutely delicious. You can’t pass this place up

Not the place that it used to be and I have been coming for 50 years. The service and bologna have taken a serious dive since being sold to the new owners.
I prefer a mug of beer across the street or the selection of sandwiches up the street at the Dairy Bar.

It’s an ohio classic! You can’t go wrong with the bologna sandwich! Great flavor and the rest is typical bar food. Great service and the pies are huge!

A friend took us there because the bologna sandwich is very famous. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t extraordinary. Besides they took a very long time after we ordered them. They also sat us by the restrooms. Don’t think, I’ll be back

Stopped in to try their very original fried bologna sandwich. Wow, it was good and HUGE! ¾ inch slice of bologna heaven, cheese, onion, and sweet pickles. Got it to go, but next time will stay for a bit.

First time ever for lunch and I was not disappointed. I’ve heard about this place for over ten years and people have claimed it was a must for anybody with a bucket list. Now I can cross this one off and I might have to erase it from the list and put it back on the bucket list. There is no way I could never go back. I’ll be making a special trip to Waldo again from Florida in the future. It was that good.

On a sunny Wednesday afternoon in April, the two of us took a ride from Whitehall to Waldo, Ohio. You might think that’s a long way to go for a Bologna Sandwhich. Then again, maybe you haven’t had this sandwich.
The G&R Tavern is, by all accounts, the only place to go for food in Waldo. It’s more of a pub than a tavern, but either name will work fine: it’s a place to get beer and food — in that order.
The atmosphere is standard pub: square two-​topper tables and stackable padded metal chairs. Any of the tavern staff asks you to «Have a seat — any one» and a waitress comes up and takes your order. The choices are as simple as pub food, although this place has its own specialties. Chief among them are the Cheese Plate, homemade desserts and pies, and the Grilled Bologna Sandwhich.
The Grilled Bologna Sandwhich. Of course — we traveled all this way for the Grilled Bologna Sandwhich.
Service was fast — the two bologna sandwiches, cheese plate, and two sodas came out in about 5 minutes. Both the Sandwich and Cheese Plate were exactly what we were looking for. The Bologna was a thick cut of whole beef bologna, grilled well, but not to a crisp. It was topped with red onions and bread and butter dills. The bun was a standard white sandwich bun. It was a quick eat, about as filling as a double cheeseburger at any fast food joint — but the taste — oh, so much better.
The whole deal — a large Cheese Plate, 2 sandwiches, and 3 sodas cost around 22. That may seem steep — but the quality of the meats and cheeses (as well as the quantity) easily made it a valuable meal — and filling, too.
The only reasons I didn’t give it 5 stars was the setting and the relative value of everyting included. The service was standard and the price was reasonable, but not a super value. However, this is a place everyone who’s in the area should go at least once.

I’ll start by saying I have been coming here since I was tiny with my dad. And I could rave about their food all night long, but I just stopped in here after a day of work with my boyfriend and we decided to sit at the bar and have a few drinks before meeting family.
We were greeted right away and enjoying ourselves but we both noticed the entire staff goofing off we didn’t really mind knowing how it goes because we both work in the industry. But after about 20 min with an empty drink I threw a few dollars on the bar and left pretty upset
All of the servers and bartenders walked by at least 4 times never offered another drink to myself or my boyfriend they all just kept getting on their phones and texting. The place wasn’t busy at all maybe 5 tables total.
I am very disappointed in the service. Great food but lacking on the service aspect. Pay attention to guests!!!

Stopped here years ago with my then young son on the way to a boys only camping trip to Niagara and points further north. Saw this on America’s Best Sandwiches or somesuch, and remembered it. Long way to go to get back on I-​71 north, but pretty farm country.
The sandwich has been reviewed lots so I will add a bit, it was good, sausage/​bologna had more chew to it than regular bologna does. The sweet pickles wouldn’t have been my choice but I went with it, regular style with Am. chez, pickles and mustard as I recall. Good stuff!
Travelers beware that Friday is Waldo Day for the office folks of northern Columbus and they will cause your wait time to increase with their phone in orders during lunchtime.

Been going here for years. Known for their TV featured bologna sandwich, this dive bar takes cash only.
The sammie is fried bologna, onion, sweet pickle, and I get mine with mustard and pepper jack cheese… served on a bun.
The bologna is more like a sausage, and the owner uses 2 different spice makers, so no one has the complete recipe.
Ive read of a successful business man, who now resides in California, but makes trips to the east coast, and always takes his lay over in Columbus, then taxis to Waldo for his fix. Now that dedication.
First timers are referred to as «virgins».
This is an absolute «must go» if you are even anywhere in Ohio.
Make it a day trip, and stop by Mom Wilson’s Country Sausage Mart for some great meats/​cheese just south of Waldo on 23, open October to May.

World famous dive! It’s a great local hangout without the «you are an outsider» feel. If you are expecting white tablecloths and linens, you aren’t going to like this place. If you want a good meal, cheap price and a good low key hangout, get here ASAP!
If you are willing to stray from a bologna sandwich, get the country boy. It’s a cheeseburger with a slice of bologna riding shotgun on a bun of deliciousness. The pies are homemade and cannot be overlooked.
Please bring cash — no plastic is accepted! It is clearly written on the paper plate hanging inside the main entrance…

Met some friends for lunch here. Been driving by it for years, so I was really looking forward to trying the bologna sandwich, and I was not disappointed.
The place is a typical small-​town bar, and that’s a good thing. There seem to be plenty of locals as well as a few people passing through. A fair beer selection, not very big.
The sandwich: not too huge, but with a side (in my case, excellent fried cauliflower) it’s plenty filling. The bologna is way better than anything you can buy in a store; I hear it’s made in Columbus, but I don’t know where. Fried just right, thick and meaty, and topped however you like. I had onion, mustard, and pickles.
The bologna salad is a good, different take on ham salad (I’ll admit when I first heard about it, I pictured sliced bologna on a green salad…)
Cash only, as mentioned, but not too pricey. My sandwich, cauliflower, and a pound of bologna salad to go came to less than $ 10.