Carabar
115 Parsons Ave, Columbus, OH, 43215
Carabar Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Columbus for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
115 Parsons Ave
Columbus, OH, 43215 - Phone (614) 223-1010
- Website https://www.myspace.com/carabar
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :4:00 pm - 2:00pm
Specialities
- Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : No
Good for Kids : No
Good for Groups : Yes
Ambience : Hipster
Noise Level : Very Loud
Music : Live
Good For Dancing : Yes
Alcohol : Full Bar
Happy Hour : Yes
Best Nights : Wed, Fri, Sat
Coat Check : No
Smoking : No
Outdoor Seating : No
Has TV : Yes
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Amy B.
As bars go, this place seemed pretty typical. The food looked more interesting than standard bar fare, although I didn't try it. A girl in a Misfits shirt glared at me all night, but I knew I would probably not be hipster enough for this place. It's fine. I shop at J. Crew and I'm not ashamed. My problem: the location of the women's bathroom. Is that weird? Let me explain. The women's bathroom is in the back corner of the bar. If there's a show, you have to wade through the area where the bands are storing all their stuff to get there. Basically, you have to navigate this gauntlet of creepy drunk hipster dudes broing out just so you can pee. I think I would honestly rather piss my pants. PBR was pretty cheap, though. I'll give this place another chance, as long as my bodyguard escorts me to the potty.
(3)Jackie C.
Carabar where do I begin, I really like this place, it has great specials, especially on PBR, friendly bar staff and good live bands for free. But, perhaps I think am just not hip enough to be there, I listen/watch the music/movies that are considered hipster, possibly know more about them then most in attendence, but I just do not dress the part, so I felt out of place the entire time, well that and people even just staring at me for long periods of time like I was a cop or something. I gave Carabar 4 chances, all 4 I left feeling the same way, I would love to go back but the awkwardness is just too much.
(3)michael c.
This is my local bar and I've seen it packed full and absolutely dead. My advice? Go when it's dead.. Pick a Wednesday around 6pm or a Sunday night, grab a beer and get one of the veggie coney's (or two) or a bowl of Chili.. You'll be rewarded with some decent music from the sound system (local music natch), a good mix of friendly locals and some of the friendliest bartenders in town. Being close to downtown and CCAD brings in a heavy art school crowd, add to this the cheap beer and 0 cover for good bands and you have a place that gets packed. Not a scene for everyone, but If you do wanna see good local bands, this is the place.. It's kinda reminds me a little of Stache's in the old old days except cleaner. I've not really had a problem with 'tude from anyone, but it's not really my scene, and I'm not into crowds, so i just tend to show up for random shows or to see friends play. People watching here is a lot of fun day or night.
(4)Erin R.
Probably one of my top faves in Columbus. Carabar has great bar staff, popcorn, drink prices, and shows. If I can go to a show for free and stumble upon a great band, I feel like it's been a successful night. Plus, like I said, excellent popcorn. I just wish it were closer to me.
(4)Kris H.
Carabar is the perfect spot to see bands. There's no cover, you can show up in a big group, or swing in by yourself to check out a band that no one else is into. By the time I hit Carabar I'm usually drinking cheap beer, and it pours pretty steadily there. And yeah, I guess a lot of hipsters go there. But as far as I can tell, that's just a class of people who don't shop at Wal-Mart. I'm not bugged.
(4)erika s.
cheap. friendly.. not pretentious. good music and better drink specials. this is the place you go to run into people you know or those you should. live music often and never over crowded. i only wish this had been there when i lived in columbus.
(5)Jaclyn C.
Carabar is exactly as one should expect, and a little more. Free shows from local and national acts, so it definitely gets loud. Cheap drinks, cool staff/owners, and really decent food, with specials that kill it on the regular. It's an institution for the locals of OTE and others that enjoy this type of atmosphere. No, you're not going to be coddled here, and they don't take any shit from drunken disorderly folks. A haven for fans of good dives.
(5)Shyan Y.
The falafel tacos are good and the prices aren't bad at all. But I don't care how good a place is when the service is bad. You don't start off nice, get irritated and carry an attitude when a customer asks for a sample of beer first, and then try and make up later when the bill comes. Oh, so... you do want a good tip? I would have stayed and gave the bar more money for many more rounds of beer, but there are SO MANY bars in Columbus that have no squabbles with me making sure I pay for a beer I like. I'm sure 3 beers later very well pays for the .5 ounce taster.
(1)Christina A.
I went in with low expectations; fully expecting a hipster bar with only PBR available. Well, it was definitely hipster-y but the beer selection was pretty great. The staff was nice enough and I didn't feel COMPLETELY out of place, just kinda. The prices were pretty awesome- 3 Miller Lites and 2 Craft Beers(including CBC Bodhi) only ran us 10 bucks so this place automatically gets extra points in my (cheap ass) book:)
(3)Aaron C.
Not a bad place to go to when you want to grab a beer and some food. I stopped in there to grab a beer and the bartender was pretty nice. Had a beer and grilled cheese special going on so went with both. Cold beer and some great grilled cheese that is not made on a pinene press. I went on another night on a Thursday or something and it was pretty busy, didn't feel too welcomed on this night but I didn't care I like rock and heavy metal just like the next guy. Had a different bartender this time around who was treating his buddies great but less enthused with me. Good bar just depends on the day you go.
(3)Zach B.
What an excellent place. Great service, music, and the food/drink specials are fantastic! Free popcorn and a pool table along with a unique vibe makes this a favorite.
(5)Mitchell B.
Any time I go to Columbus I hit up the Carabar for the best happy hour ever.
(5)Heather H.
Went on a Friday night while exploring the Olde Towne East neighborhood. Great local bar. I could get comfortable here. Good beer and FREE popcorn. Yipee! The owner adds to the entertainment. Great guy!
(4)Eric F.
We caught the tail-end of the happy hour on a friday, after dining at another place nearby. Great atmosphere ! Its everything a classic neighborhood dive should be- Great drink specials. Great variety of local and national brews. Live music. A growing menu of food options. Free popcorn. What more could you ask for ? The owner was super cool and just added to the experience! We cant wait to go back !
(5)Pete S.
Food specials every night are pretty good. The burritos on Wednesday and Luna Burgers on Saturday, big fan of the gyro and Mediterranean platter too. Drink prices are reasonable. Place is exceptionally hipster, like it or leave it... I've never had a bad time. Music is hit or miss, sometimes decent sometimes terrible. Generally empty during happy hour, and gets busy after 10.
(3)Luke T.
So since parts of my review are way outdated after five years, I figured I'd write an update. First and foremost, Carabar has proven so important to OTE that it actually built a damn community around the bar, to such an extent that over the last five years, so many businesses have sprung up on the block with Carabar (upper cup coffee, old familiar barber shop, CS gallery, cap city tattoo, an antique shop and maybe another gallery or two) that the city had to delay the whole highway reroute that will suck up parts of Parsons, which is well underway by now. Let's not stop there. Where do the proprietors and staff of all the above, plus angry baker, yellow brick pizza and tavern old town (all owing part of their existence to Carabar) go when off the clock? Yes, Carabar. So successful has Carabar been at (sort of) revitalizing OTE, that some genius developer thought it would be a grand idea to build a monstrosity of an apartment complex the likes of which you find in Grandview and Polaris with absolutely no input from OTE and NES residents. Not surprisingly, we don't want it here. Yet despite efforts to fight it, it looks like it will go up. Our goal now is to at least get it redesigned to take the neighborhood's aesthetics into account and maybe actually reduce its size since it's footprint is way too big for the block. The owners of said businesses above, including Carabar, were all involved in that fight. Why wouldn't they want these new apts bringing more residents to the area? Because they know and ARE the neighborhood. They, unlike city council, know a good fit when they see it, and this isn't it. People need to get off this hipster bitching bullshit too. Literally all walks of life come to Carabar. Gay, straight...Asian, Middle Eastern and Latin...black, white, Carabar, you make it happen. (RIP MCA.) There is a much higher percentage of wannabe hipsters and their yuppie counterparts at any bar between nationwide and Hudson, and they'll make up 95% of patrons in those bars. Not so at Carabar, and never was the case. Come see for yourself. Thanks Carabar for being my bar for six years and counting. Still getting dinner here three nights a week. For under ten bucks. Total all week. Still never a cash show either. Win.
(5)Daniel O.
There are few places I would give such a poor review to. Five of my friends and I decided to stop in after work, one had. Passport in lieu of a state ID and was denied service. That's fine except for that the bartender then continued to rant about how "illegal" it is to not have a state ID (what about out of country friends?). While we understand that a bar can deny service to whomever they decide her execution was off. She could have left it at "sorry" but her annoyed expression and in-detail explanation about us "never watching Cops" means I'll never be back
(1)Jessica S.
As a former Clevelander, I've been looking for a great neighborhood bar to call home. For those that know, the Spitfire Saloon is my former home base. Enter Carabar. It took me a while to give it a chance, due to some negative feedback from locals. I ventured in anyway on a taco night, and I swear the sky opened up and angels sang! Atmosphere; dark and gritty but not gross Staff; friendly Crowd; super diverse, contrary to previous negative reviews And. .. if you like local music you should give it a shot. I am too old and crabby for that usually but others seem to love it A few pro tips: Don't run a tab. .. things get weird. Just pay cash as you go. Order food. .. you won't be disappointed. Get over yourself and just have fun
(5)Alexa A.
I have to finally write this review. If you like loud punk music and a drink special called the Hate Crime which is a shot that comes with a slap, this place probably has something to offer you. But as for me, I don't ever want to go there again. I have friends who love this bar. It's funky, it's gritty, the decor is pretty great, it's good that it exists where it does or else that part of town would have nothing. (I'm not sure what will happen when they do bulldoze it for the new highway ramp, as is proposed, because I've heard Carabar will not be reopening after that.) Here's the thing: I've been to Carabar a total of 5 times. Four out of the five times it was way, way, way too loud. It was like a punk show with a bar on one side. Just not what I was hoping for. But that's not the kicker. Three out of the five times that I've been to Carabar, they have tried to overcharge me. Once they charged me for a drink I didn't even order. I got that taken off. Another time they charged me a mixed drink price for a whiskey on the rocks. I didn't have time to deal with that one because my ears were bleeding and my whole party was miserable being in the bar and we had to leave, so they got the extra out of me that time: no big deal, except in my head I was like, "Dang, do they do this as a policy?" This last time, I had two ciders ($4) and one espresso vodka on ice ($5). They charged me in the reverse ($5 x 2) and even though it was a tiny little change, and even though there are bars where I intentionally pay $5 for a cider, their third time upping my bill made me really angry, like maybe it is their policy to try to overcharge everyone. I can't stand to feel swindled. I will probably not be going back.
(2)Keith B.
I've been here a few times - a long time ago, to more recently, always because of a band that was playing. I can't recall the first time I went, or who it was with, but the most recent was the Downtrodn show-holy hell, I love this place. From the bartenders leading me to a great drink choice, to their great service, no matter the crowd or the noise, the awesome clientele and the great sound for such a tiny venue. Plain and simple, it rocked. Oh, they may be "tragically hip" but I've never been hassled by the regulars at Carabar like some other "tragically hipper" divy-er bars, for not fitting the "un-official" dress code or appearance or sneer. Carabar rocks.
(4)Gwen W.
Any place that offers $1 tacos and refreshing air conditioning is a plus in my book (haha)!! I've actually been in Carabar twice before, but simply to hear a friend's band, never eat. It's a simple dive bar - a popular place for locals. The outside is nothing fantastic. A simple small sign indicating that its carabar. when you walk in, a bar occupies the left area of the big open room. A pool table and a few tables, along with a small stage, are to the left. A few friends and I decided it was a great nite outside, so why not eat out. We picked Carabar for their Tuesday night food special (unfortunately, they don't have a patio), which is $1 tacos. How where the tacos, you might ask? The beef had a light seasoning to it, and the corn and bean mix was an added bonus. For a dollar, I thought it was a good meal (I ate three!).
(4)Mike W.
Come check out Taco Tuesday. There is live bands all the time, probably some you've never heard of but it's a nice place to chill out of the way. Check it out one day.
(3)Jon G.
This place is the best!! Great bar service and love the live music. Definitely a new hang out spot.
(5)becca p.
Carabar is kind of a dive-y bar which is more my type of place, not really a fan of live music at the bar but i was already drunk apon arival so it didnt bother me too much. We went on a saturday night, got there pretty late tho, maybe half hour before last call so it wasnt too busy, but still enough people to have a good time. As for the bartenders, they were all very nice, fast, and super adorable =) And they definately knew how to make a drink which is always a HUGE plus! Smoking section is out in front of the bar which isnt very convenient because u have to either finish your drink then go out or leave your drink unattended. Also no cover! another HUGE plus!
(3)Alexandra S.
A little divey for me but the food was very good. (So was my amaretto sour actually - better than usual) We ordered all vegan and the mediterranean plate was my least favorite. I liked the black bean flafel in my quesadillas (weird but good) but not as hummus on the plate. The vegan mac n cheese was quite good - very authentic!
(4)Christina C.
$1 tacos on Tuesday!?! Awesome! Embarrassed to say that I JUST now discovered the coolness of Carabar. No, I wasn't there for a crazy, live rock show. But I bet my visit was better anyway. I'm talkin about freakin dollar taco Tuesday! There's an underground girls dive bar tour that's been hittin' up all the diveiest places around town for over a year. Carabar was our most recent stop, but it just might be our next as well! Besides the $1 tacos, I was also delighted with the happy hour. I had an Elevator IPA (2 actually) at only $2 a pop. Nice. There's a stage when bands play, a long bar with interesting art (you'll just have to see for yourself,) a pool table, and tables for dining/drinking as well. In fact, if you want to play cards, do that here too. We saw a big group of friends playing numerous games for the few hours we were there. For a buck, the tacos really couldn't be beat. Better than a Taco Bell taco - WAY better - so I happily scarfed down four. I'm not even ashamed. Get the red bean taco. Full of flavor and lots of delightful spiciness. Let's be clear. It's a total dive bar - more like a rock, indie, hipster bar - but I totally dig it. And it's very clear I'm not the only one. Everyone from neighborhood old folk to edgy hipsters to regular ol' beer drinkers there for the cheap tacos and happy hour drinks FILLED the place on a Tuesday night. Frankly, it was refreshing. I'm totally looking forward to going back! (Shout out to Luke T whom I saw at the bar also enjoying good beer and cheap tacos!)
(4)Cyrus S.
Fun times to be had by all. FREE POPCORN is the best thing after several mugs of cheap PBR. The other drink selections are great too- just a bit pricey as is usually the case on a college budget. I go here for the SHOWS to see skin-tearing punk rock and to dance and scream and crash around with my friends. This is the place to be.
(4)Jori G.
I love this place! Awesome, cosy little dive bar and they have dollar tacos on Tuesday. Yay!
(4)Monique P.
Just moved in around the corner, definitely a new fav. Impressive prices and portions at happy hour. Veg friendly. Good spot!
(5)Lia H.
Awesome place! Never a cover charge and the bartenders are hilarious! Great food menu too, I recommend their hamburgers or the Mediterranean plate. Hummus is delicious. Sometimes the bands in there are very loud making it not always the best place for a first date or to chat with your mates. Great place overall though!
(4)Gavin D.
Carabar has a bunch of great pieces that come together to create a solid bar that I would put in the "dive' category. They've got all this and more: - lots of local music - a free popcorn machine - a menu that's pretty interesting for a bar, including falafel and buffalo chicken tacos (that's 2 different kinds) that are surprisingly tasty (ask if they aren't written on the chalk board) - a TV (I caught a baseball playoff game) - roomy pool tables I'm not sure how frequently I'll go because, well, I'm getting older and lamer. Unfortunately, things like music that starts after 9pm sound exotic. It feels a bit grimy and punky for my taste, but to each his/her own.
(3)J.D. R.
The only reason I'm writing this is so it doesn't get too popular, keeps the dive feel. Carabar rawks.
(1)Matt H.
One of my favorite places in the city for cheap, good food and drinks. Sure, it's a bar for the Midwestern hipster, but they're relatively chill. Everyone I met there was nice enough.
(4)Craig L.
Carabar is a hole in the wall type of place, despite it being a decently sized venue. They have cheap drinks, 10 or so taps, easy, accessible parking, and lots of live music. Live bands play almost every night and they never, EVER, have a cover. This isn't some club to take your Prada wearing girlfriend, but it is the perfect place to take that cool hipster chick you want to know better/impress/take home. So yeah, good luck with that, and I hope this helped.
(4)Melanie B.
Without even looking at the date of my previous review, I knew it had been a year since I'd been to Carabar. Why, you ask? Well, one, I'm not a fan, but two, Matt K and I got his car stuck in a snowbank last year about this time in the parking lot across the street. D: I don't care if shows are free here, I still maintain that the tragically hip yay-hoos who hang out at Carabar ruin the musical experience. There is a difference between a scene and a music scene, and there are a lot of scene kids with $100 dollar meant-to-look $5 haircuts and inappropriate-for-winter-but-oh-so-appropriately-"subculture" outfits to make any experience I've had here meaningful. The scene at Carabar is a simulacrum, a joke - a hollow replication of a music scene enacted by kids who grew up on the Internet and never had to go flyering in their lives. Ugh. Contrary to Quenyn's review, I worry much more about these kids causing a stir than kids in a real musical subculture - at the metal show I was at last night, my friend (a very slight girl!) was pushed, deliberately and unwillingly, into the middle of the floor for no reason. Have some bloody integrity, you idiots. Now, this is a girl who can certainly hold her own, but there's no reason to try to put on airs because this is what you think you're supposed to do at a show. My friend was really annoyed, and had to grapple her way out of the floor and back to the side where she had purposefully placed herself to begin with. I guess this is my problem with this whole scene in general - irony lacks integrity. You'll notice you don't see many actual metalheads at metal shows at Carabar - just the same ole hipster mofos, and then those of us willing to take one for the team and come out to see our favourite bands when they happen to be playing at this silly, silly venue. If you can deal with all of that, though, you might like Carabar. They have decent food (vegan and vegetarian options - of course - it would be, like, so backward if they didn't *rolls eyes*), and good beer prices. The live music sound system, however, isn't great - but the dark, twinkly lights atmosphere is sort of romantic. Now, as soon as booties for men and shag haircuts with the sides shaved for women go out of style, this place might turn into a decent music venue. But word on the street is, this whole corridor is up for being gentrified anyway. :P I'll stick to real dive bars and music venues for my shows, thank ye.
(2)Briden S.
First time going, was not to busy, yet was so loud I couldn't hear myself. The food was nice, kind of surprised. I am not a huge fan of felafel's, but they had this one mini wraps and it was yummy, with a side of a cayenne hot dipping sauce. I would go again just for the food alone. The service was eh not crazy about, a little dickish I would say. I'll have to go a night were there is a more interesting event going on, and not the bad hip hop "karaoke" type of thing.
(4)Quentyn D.
I am a big fan of Carabar. As mentioned before, one of the best thing about the bar is they have no cover. Their food is good, and they have reasonable drink prices. The best thing about Carabar is their happy hour specials: $1 well drinks and $1 coneys on Wednesday, everything except the coneys every other day. People complain about the "scene" there, all I can say about that is chill out. I would rather hang out with a bunch of hipsters and emo-ish kids than worry about the slightest brush against the arm causing a fight. You can/will have a good time there, and will not bust the wallet.
(5)Matthew B.
Carabar is an interesting venue to see shows at. It's a very basic setup: bar, stage, some tables in the back. It's also got food, though, which is a neat touch for a bar; unfortunately I've never tried it. There's also local art on the walls, which is a tiny detail in the scheme of things but adds a nice flavor to the atmosphere. The real draw of Carabar, of course, is the lack of a cover charge: it's a bar where you can take a gamble on any band and be out nothing but time if you leave in disgust. A lot of ballyhoo has been raised about the scene at this bar but I've never had a problem with it. It's not my "crowd" as the saying goes, but they are not hostile or even rude. It's a far more heterogeneous crowd than it gets credit for sometimes (as any place that doesn't charge at the door will be) and in general, like any other venue, the crowd is a reflection of the band playing. It's the nature of the beast. Carabar is a nice little bar with a pretty good batting average on putting good talent on stage. But it's also not even a very great venue in the long run, and I rarely make the somewhat long trek down there- I'd rather be lazy and pay a cover closer to home.
(3)viv l.
good beer, good performance venue. went last night for the townes van zandt tribute. good sound, nice stage. but do yourself and your digestive system a favor: no matter the degree of your hunger, DO NOT eat a coney dog here. i did. suffice to say that i made it to the comfort of my own toilet seat in the nick of time. four star bar, but one star off for making my friends and i sick.
(3)Jennifer K.
Watched a friend's band there last year. Alright joint, I guess. They didn't throw us out after launching a full beer at our friend on stage, so it can't be all that bad, right?
(4)Pete C.
After doing more than my fair share of bar crawls up and down High Street and throughout the Arena district area, I always found myself wondering where all the art school hipster types go for a drink after a long hard day of trustfunding. After seeing a local show at Carabar a few weekends ago, it's now crystal clear to me: they go to Carabar. The minute you set foot in the door, it's not hard to see why. The aesthetic of this Olde Town East dive bar feels a little bit like that of Larry's, an OSU joint that boasts a similar clientele, but everything here is put together in a more thoughtful and artistic manner. Not to say that this is an art bar- the dark walls just happen to be adorned with a collection of works from various local artists that are most likely standing a few feet away from you. The main draw here is the free live music that can be seen a few nights a week. The sound isn't incredible, but at a price like that it's hard to go wrong. Where the money to pay the bands come from is anyone's guess. All I know is that they keep coming back and the place keeps getting packed. The draft selection here is decent, with my favorite option being Sierra Nevada pints for under $4. There's also cheap cans of PBR if you really feel like getting in to the gutter punk spirit that's frequently lingering in the air here. The bar can get crowded at times, but I've always seen at last three bartenders on duty for busy nights where there's a handful of bands playing in the next room over. Like I mentioned before, the crowd here can be a bit pretentious at times, but at the end of the day you just have to remind yourself that you're not in Brooklyn; you're in an average city in an average state in an average part of the country. No one is too cool to deal with at Carabar if you keep that in mind. It's worth noting that the neighborhood it's located ini can be incredibly dodgy at times, which is a huge minus due to the fact that walking here is ill-advised. Either way, it's a more than welcome change of pace from the scene around campus or downtown.
(4)Olivia S.
During Happy Hour, Carabar is pretty awesome. You can get very cheap well drinks ($1-$2) and some of the food is discounted. They have vegetarian/vegan options on the menu, and the food seems to be better than typical bar food. If you like reading the walls in bathrooms, this place will be perfect for you. You can find out some very inappropriate information about people you don't know. The toilets are usually pretty clean as well. If you like bars where many of the clientele have a chip on their shoulder, then this place is perfect. Have you ever wanted to go out, but you just don't feel like making conversation with anyone - or even saying anything? Carabar is pretty good for that. I don't always feel grumpy, but when I do, I choose to drink at Carabar.
(4)Rob T.
I love this eclectic bar. It's got an open, progressive non judgmental vibe to it. The owners are fantastic personable folks and will chat you up. The draft list is phenomenal as are the prices. This is the only place in town you can get Elevator brewing's special Olde Towne East brews like the OTE coffee IPA and the OTE coffee stout. Carabar scores culinary points as well due to the unbelievable Hellen Killer kitchen. The kitchen has burgers that top the Thurman cafe and they are about 30% less expensive which is a bonus. The venue also has live music that varies from metal to grunge to alt rock.
(5)Jonathan O.
They keep this place pretty clean even though it's a "dive." This place is pretty cool cause you can see decent bands here a lot of nights, and they don't charge a cover. The drinks are fairly priced, also. Cheap PBR.
(4)Johnathan B.
Wow! I was so stoked to find a Free metal show on NewYears, The music was awesome! And they have water on tap that you don't need to talk to the bartender to access. Unfortunately there were a couple of people that had never been to a metal show and took the circle pit personally. And thought for a second that it was a real fight, and dose the venue through out the drunk idiots who instigated the confrontation, no they toss the sober metal head for enjoying an awesome show! So this is a call to all the real metal heads out there, don't be afraid to go to see your artists at Carabar! Just bring your friends and have fun stomping som idiots!
(2)Aaron B.
I had to wait about an hour and a half after the stated show time before music began. This is apparently a trend. The band I went to see was just awful - spent too much time trying to look the part and not enough time practicing - to the point that it was just awkward hearing them. I would agree with one of the other reviewers - it's a "scene", not a real music scene. I think stuff like this actually hurts the Columbus music scene... The bartender mishandled my credit card. He got my drink order wrong. Also, the "pitcher" is really tiny - so don't be fooled into thinking its a great deal. He was friendly but really clumsy. I don't want to hear that you're sorry - I just want to be served. The other staff were.... chilly... it was a little unpleasant interacting with them. To be fair - I hear that there are some good rappers that go through there - and I did not meet the entire staff. This was just the staff that was working on that day. Some of the clientele seem nice (they were there to see a rapper who was going to perform later on that night). The food was okay - i can definitely say that it wasn't bad. Maybe another night i would give it a better review - but I can only judge it based on my experience this time. Just no service.
(1)Elaine L.
Cheap Booze/Crappy Service. The place to go if you want to catch a metal show that you wouldn't see elsewhere... but don't expect good service.
(2)Kenley M.
My impression of this place after several visits is that it's a good bar - good selection, fair prices, et al. The availability of chili dogs is a big plus, and they have a vegetarian hotdog option as well. The best way I can describe the clientele is to mention I have heard Misfits songs played every time I have been, on the jukebox and also live cover versions. If you've never heard of the Misfits, you might tend to stick out. I plan to write a fuller review at some point, but thought it worthwhile to bang this out to respond to my fellow yelpers: First, Olde Towne East, where Carabar is located, is so not the East Side of Columbus. Whitehall is East Side. Bexley, maybe. Not Olde Towne East. Second, I prefer this bar when it's a little more lively, so don't be afraid to go on a Friday or Saturday. You might even stumble into a great show on those nights.
(4)Lisa S.
Don't believe what you've read, especially if you've read it in The Other Paper. Yes, you will probably see some tragically hip people at Carabar, contrary to popular belief they will not eat you or suck out your soul. Carabar isn't that bad of a place, though located on the East Side of Columbus, I don't travel there that often. However, the free cover makes up for having to get in the car and drive over instead of walking anywhere on campus. And we're talking always free. No matter what band plays that night, you'll be getting in for free. That's always a plus in my book. The layout isn't anything special, the stage is separated from the bar area and the walls are painted communist red. Some how this fits perfectly with all the scene kids flooding the bar. Nothing stands out too much, though you get an overwhelming feeling that you're in a hip place. Maybe it's the really nice art hanging up on the walls. Maybe it's that really good band you just heard perform. Maybe it's all those really hip people surrounding you drinking their Pabst. Either way, Carabar is ranked average on my list of bars and music venues in Columbus. If your favorite band plays at the Carabar, it's worth going. Ignore The Other Paper, and if hip people offend you, ignore them too.
(3)Christopher B.
Great owners, great food, excellent live entertainment. Good location with tons of parking.
(5)