Food and Drinks and Whatnot in downtown Columbus.
Barley's Alehouse is across the street from the convention center. Like 50' or so...
OUTSTANDING micro brewery with many different styles. Growlers to go if you want. Food is pretty damn good too but this place gets packed at lunch during conferences.
http://www.barleysbrewing.com
Since Barley's is ass to elbows at lunch consider going to Bare Burger which is right next door instead.
http://bareburger.com
Organic burger joint with a bar that you can also get different burgers such as elk, bison, and boar at. Great place.
The North Market is the large building just west of Barley's/Bare Burger and is pretty cool to check out.
http://www.northmarket.com
Theres a ton of stuff going on in there so check out the merchants section on the website. Last time I was there I found a Polish place with great kolbas, pierogis, stuffed cabbage etc.
Pull up a map of the convention center on your phone for other food options for lunch. You'll be right downtown so options abound and cabs and Uber are easily gotten. The Arena District is a couple blocks west with many food and drink options in it's own right. Good night time lication as well. The Blue Jackets may be in town so catching a game is an option as well.
http://arenadistrict.com/food-and-drink/
http://www.nationwidearena.com/tickets/
Lets talk dinner now.
If you want to check out the "Man Versus Food" places you saw on TV...I can't argue with that.
Thurman Cafe is absolutely outstanding.
https://thethurmancafe.com
Epic huge burgers. I've eaten the Thurmanator 3 times but the Thurman Burger is my go-to. Hint: they have hand cut fries but ask for them to be a bit more well-done as they tend to under-cook them IMO. All other food like wings and subs are great but this is a BURGER joint. Highly recommended but this place is TINY so go during off peak hours to get a seat. Plan on waiting in the lobby and drinking beer otherwise while you wait.
Schmidt's is the German food place. I recommend the Autobahn all you can eat buffet and a cream puff for dessert. Cream puffs are HUGE and since you'll be in Cbus, get a chocolate/peanut butter "Buckeye."
http://www.schmidthaus.com
The Ohio Deli burned so Katzinger's is the deli to go to. Ridiculously huge menu of sandwich options and free pickles. Very good place.
http://www.katzingers.com
All 3 of these places are in German Village where the streets are narrow and parking is dreadful. Plan on parking in the vicinity and walking to the actual restaurant.
Steak: Ala-carte, dry aged, and expensive.
Hyde Park is my personal favorite. Located caddy-corner from the Convo. Highly recommend the ribeye with some lobster mac n cheese.
http://www.hydeparkrestaurants.com/maps/hp-cap/index.htm
Other options include:
http://www.mortons.com/mobilev2/locations.php
And
http://www.mitchellssteakhouse.com
Or any Cameron Mitchell restaurant truth be told. Martini's is across from the Convo.
https://www.cameronmitchell.com
Since Im a good beer guy, heres a couple more micro options with outstanding food as well...
http://www.smokehousebrewing.com
This is the other Barley's location with smoked BBQ.
http://www.elevatorbrewing.com
Cool cool place but food is pricey but higher-end.
http://www.dinecbccolumbus.com
CBC is great with wonderful food but has one of the more convoluted and hard to find locations in downtown.
Here's an add-on for downtown food and drinks.
http://tiptopcolumbus.com
Platform brewery just expanded here from Cleveland. Outstanding with many, many styles.
https://platformbeer.co
