Warm up at a locally owned coffee shop in Columbus!

Yes, if you're a local and you love coffee you already know about these great coffee houses! But, think of it as doing a service for the new arrivals.

Mmmmm....coffee!

Coffee Houses in Columbus

The Short North - live, laugh, play...

Even though I'm a country girl, I have a certain affection for many of Columbus' neighborhoods. I don't know many people who have spent any time exploring the Short North and what it has to offer and then decide they don't want to go back.

Here's a quick snapshot of one of Columbus' best neighborhoods.

Short North - Neighborhood Profile

The Buckeyes and Good Beer...

The vacation season is over!

Personally, I think we've got it pretty good in Columbus. We've got a great NCAA football program (no matter how hard Mark May tries to argue against it!) and Columbus has a lot of options for beer geeks.

You know the ones - we like real beer. We like something that isn't mass produced by the billions of bottles. We want our beer to stand up and kick our ass! We want flavor, we want richness and we want it all the time.

I'm a beer geek and a Buckeye fan and I know I'm not alone. Two local places have the perfect setting for people like me - great beer and lots of TVs to catch all the action on Buckeye football Saturdays: Barley's Smokehouse & Brewpub and The Winking Lizard on Bethel Road. My Lizard preference swings on the patio, because the Crosswoods location is definitely closer to home. Although there's not a lot of street traffic in the Crosswoods area, you can't see the traffic at all at the Bethel Road location.

Here - my humble opinion as to the Best Craft Beer Bars for Buckeyes Fans!

Wikimedia Commons Public Domain: Binksternet

Real Beer, Local Beer

I freely admit to being a beer geek. I'm not "in the know" enough to explain all the fine nuances and determine by taste exactly where the hops were grown. All I know is I like real beer, microbrews.

Columbus has a great brewpub scene. Each of the locally-owned offerings also have great menus. For a summer night out on the town - eat local, drink local.

Columbus, Ohio Microbreweries

Now What?

The Ohio State Fair has ended...the animals are going home or heading to the slaughterhouse. The carnies have packed up the rides and could very well be gone. The lemon-shakeup vendors are counting their money.

Now what do you do?

How about a great summer date night on one of the awesome patios that Columbus restaurants have to offer? Seasonal menu options are the main reason I selected these five restaurants. Go local - not only are you supporting a locally-owned restaurant instead of a huge conglomerate cookie-cutter chain, you are also supporting local suppliers.

My list of the Five Best Summer Restaurants in Columbus.