Understory, their GM TJ and staff were AMAZING. They accommodated our huge group of lacrosse parents last minute with smiles and grace. The food, drinks and space (The Commons) were great. Thank you Understory!
Taylor M.
sooooo immediately the place was exciting and the host was very friendly and helpful. but then.....our server was unbelievably rude and acted as if we had the plague. he had literally nothing to say and treated us as if we were so undeserving of even being in his presence. we ordered no less than 70+ dollars worth of food and cocktails and were still barely acknowledged. the food was good enough but the cocktails were god awful with no real option for anything enjoyable. we didnt even get our order taken by our waiter, the bartender came over to get it which was wildly confusing. just no.
Acacia M.
When dining with Understory, you can choose the Lounge or the Commons. My husband and I made a reservation for the Lounge. We were coming from Indiana and arrived earlier than expected. The staff was nice and allowed us to be seated earlier than our reservation since we were there early. This was wonderful as we were eating before checking into our hotel and going to a concert. The service was great and the staff were nice. The Lounge has a swanky, cocktail lounge vibe which made it feel more upscale without making you feel out of place. For drinks; my husband ordered an espresso martini that he was very happy with. I had the Uncle Boon's cocktail. It wasn't my favorite, but I'm also annoyingly picky There was a carafe of water and two cups on the table which was a nice touch. Food: The goat cheese croquette was wonderful. Excellently breaded. Creamy and delicious. The fruit compote added a great sweetness while the curry aioli cut the sweetness beautifully. I paid extra to have crostini on the side to eat with it. I do wish that there were two croquettes instead of only one. My husband had the Understory burger and seemed pleased with it. I ordered the grilled cheese. The bread was amazing. It was a soft and delicious brioche. However, the bread to cheese ratio was definitely off in my opinion. Even though the bread was great, there needed to be more cheese! Dessert: We shared the banana pudding. It was so good! The pudding definitely seemed homemade. The caramelized bananas were top tier and really added something special to the dish. There was a layer of brûlée marshmallow fluff over top and yum! Overall, we would definitely visit again if we were in the area.
Da H.
Food was really weird - after having wanted to go there for so long, strange menu selections
Gabriel Faria
Cute vibe but extremely overpriced. For $16+ drinks I'd expect them to be fresh but they use a pre-mix that seems to be prepared in-house. Very few food options that are just okay (but also $18+).
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
Porter Yelton
We had a really bizarre experience at Understory. A friend was visiting from out of town, so I made a reservation for a greenhouse table a month in advance to be safe. When we arrived (first of all, it was VERY confusing and difficult to find the correct entrance - the signage needs to be updated to be more clear), the person working at the counter told us that they were not providing full table service and they were soon doing away with the greenhouses. As such, there were tables in the greenhouses, but no place settings and no others dining in them. The staff claimed to have sent me an email notifying me of this in advance, but I got no such email. When I expressed this, the worker argued with me and was very persistent that they had emailed me; they even asked me to check my spam folder right there. Unsurprisingly, there was no email in any folder. No one contacted me - and since this was a special visit of a friend, I absolutely would have chosen somewhere else had I known. I understand that things change, but communication was sorely lacking, and rather than apologizing, the staff continued to insist I had been emailed when I hadn't. They did give us some free donuts for the inconvenience, which was nice, but we were all rubbed the wrong way and will not be back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 2
Kyle Ratajczak
Loved everything about this place. The atmosphere, the food and service was all wonderful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kelsey Graf
Lots of great food and lots of cool cocktails! Plenty of local beers and cool vibes in the lounge.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Smoked Salmon Dip
Jordan Griffith
An absolute gem of a restaurant in Columbus! The location is super unique, and the food is incredible. I really enjoyed the shrimp and grits.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Agnes I.
I visited the Understory on Saturday, 30 December 2023 with two friends. We went straight to the basement where the restaurant "The Commons" is located. We arrived just as they were getting ready to open for brunch at 11am. On the main level is a bar called "The Lounge". When my friend Veronica and I arrived, we sat outside in their patio where each seating area has a fire pit for warmt. It was a sunny day and it wasn't too cold but eventually after my second friend, Anne, arrived, we moved inside since we started to get a little cold. Be careful with the fire pit outside because the flames had sparks that were landing on my friends and I so that is partly the reason why we moved inside to sit. THE COMMONS (Brunch) -- I will need to come back to try their menu offerings from sandwiches to salads. I didn't want to spend much money so my friend Veronica ordered the sharable mini donuts ($8) and I ordered a cup of hot green tea ($5). The donuts were delicious but slightly too sweet for me. There are 4 different donut flavours - salted caramel, apple compote, whipped cream, and cinnamon sugar. I think I had the salted caramel or the cinnamon sugar but I can't remember. Once you get the donuts, you won't be able to tell what the flavours are because they look the same on the outside. The green tea was a typical green tea which was definitely expensive at $5 because I just got a tea cup with a small cup and a very small jug of hot water. After we left, we took a nice 20-30 minute walk along the Olentangy River trail which is located right behind the Understory building. I'd love to visit again to try actual food instead of just donuts and tea plus it's so warm and inviting inside. **** GOAL of 150 reviews in 2024 - 14/150 total reviews in 2024 - 664 total overall Yelp reviews - Reviewed on 16 March 2024
Really liked the ambiance and the drinks were good, but I was disappointed with the quality of my service. I work in the food service industry, so I have a lot of patience when it comes to servers but the guy we had just didn't seem to be at all happy we were there. It seemed like when we asked him questions about the drinks, he was annoyed. We got our first round, then he never came back to check up on us. Maybe he was having an off night, which I totally get, but that doesn't mean you get to ignore a table entirely. Thankfully a very nice girl caught my eye and came to get us our second round but if not for her I doubt we would've got any further service. I've been here once before and really enjoyed the food and the service was great last time, but this one guy really ruined my experience. Was really disappointed with my experience, especially because I was on a first date.
Jason Bryant
This place is amazing. Great location. Easy parking. The hamburger was delicious. Sat in the heated green houses.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chelsey Scheele
Understory was the perfect setting for a 50-person surprise engagement party! Debi and her team came to the rescue when the venue we were going to use fell through. In less than a week we were able to pull off something really special!The bar staff we had at our event were attentive, super friendly, and made some really amazing cocktails! The appetizer bites of food were delicious as well!I can't thank Debi and her team enough for their responsiveness and attentiveness. Such a great group to work with!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Arielle Salse
So great, I loved the “commons” lower level space. Chill vibe where you can hang out and even play a game but also can order food and drinks at the window. The appetizers are all incredible!!Also it’s so cool that it connects to the Olentangy trail!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bev S.
First time in the lounge. Lovely atmosphere, appreciated there wasn't screens everywhere. Service was great, food was delicious, especially the shrimp. Thoroughly enjoyable, despite the high price point.
Understory, their GM TJ and staff were AMAZING. They accommodated our huge group of lacrosse parents last minute with smiles and grace. The food, drinks and space (The Commons) were great. Thank you Understory!
sooooo immediately the place was exciting and the host was very friendly and helpful. but then.....our server was unbelievably rude and acted as if we had the plague. he had literally nothing to say and treated us as if we were so undeserving of even being in his presence. we ordered no less than 70+ dollars worth of food and cocktails and were still barely acknowledged. the food was good enough but the cocktails were god awful with no real option for anything enjoyable. we didnt even get our order taken by our waiter, the bartender came over to get it which was wildly confusing. just no.
When dining with Understory, you can choose the Lounge or the Commons. My husband and I made a reservation for the Lounge. We were coming from Indiana and arrived earlier than expected. The staff was nice and allowed us to be seated earlier than our reservation since we were there early. This was wonderful as we were eating before checking into our hotel and going to a concert. The service was great and the staff were nice. The Lounge has a swanky, cocktail lounge vibe which made it feel more upscale without making you feel out of place. For drinks; my husband ordered an espresso martini that he was very happy with. I had the Uncle Boon's cocktail. It wasn't my favorite, but I'm also annoyingly picky There was a carafe of water and two cups on the table which was a nice touch. Food: The goat cheese croquette was wonderful. Excellently breaded. Creamy and delicious. The fruit compote added a great sweetness while the curry aioli cut the sweetness beautifully. I paid extra to have crostini on the side to eat with it. I do wish that there were two croquettes instead of only one. My husband had the Understory burger and seemed pleased with it. I ordered the grilled cheese. The bread was amazing. It was a soft and delicious brioche. However, the bread to cheese ratio was definitely off in my opinion. Even though the bread was great, there needed to be more cheese! Dessert: We shared the banana pudding. It was so good! The pudding definitely seemed homemade. The caramelized bananas were top tier and really added something special to the dish. There was a layer of brûlée marshmallow fluff over top and yum! Overall, we would definitely visit again if we were in the area.
Food was really weird - after having wanted to go there for so long, strange menu selections
Cute vibe but extremely overpriced. For $16+ drinks I'd expect them to be fresh but they use a pre-mix that seems to be prepared in-house. Very few food options that are just okay (but also $18+).
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
We had a really bizarre experience at Understory. A friend was visiting from out of town, so I made a reservation for a greenhouse table a month in advance to be safe. When we arrived (first of all, it was VERY confusing and difficult to find the correct entrance - the signage needs to be updated to be more clear), the person working at the counter told us that they were not providing full table service and they were soon doing away with the greenhouses. As such, there were tables in the greenhouses, but no place settings and no others dining in them. The staff claimed to have sent me an email notifying me of this in advance, but I got no such email. When I expressed this, the worker argued with me and was very persistent that they had emailed me; they even asked me to check my spam folder right there. Unsurprisingly, there was no email in any folder. No one contacted me - and since this was a special visit of a friend, I absolutely would have chosen somewhere else had I known. I understand that things change, but communication was sorely lacking, and rather than apologizing, the staff continued to insist I had been emailed when I hadn't. They did give us some free donuts for the inconvenience, which was nice, but we were all rubbed the wrong way and will not be back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 2
Loved everything about this place. The atmosphere, the food and service was all wonderful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lots of great food and lots of cool cocktails! Plenty of local beers and cool vibes in the lounge.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Smoked Salmon Dip
An absolute gem of a restaurant in Columbus! The location is super unique, and the food is incredible. I really enjoyed the shrimp and grits.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I visited the Understory on Saturday, 30 December 2023 with two friends. We went straight to the basement where the restaurant "The Commons" is located. We arrived just as they were getting ready to open for brunch at 11am. On the main level is a bar called "The Lounge". When my friend Veronica and I arrived, we sat outside in their patio where each seating area has a fire pit for warmt. It was a sunny day and it wasn't too cold but eventually after my second friend, Anne, arrived, we moved inside since we started to get a little cold. Be careful with the fire pit outside because the flames had sparks that were landing on my friends and I so that is partly the reason why we moved inside to sit. THE COMMONS (Brunch) -- I will need to come back to try their menu offerings from sandwiches to salads. I didn't want to spend much money so my friend Veronica ordered the sharable mini donuts ($8) and I ordered a cup of hot green tea ($5). The donuts were delicious but slightly too sweet for me. There are 4 different donut flavours - salted caramel, apple compote, whipped cream, and cinnamon sugar. I think I had the salted caramel or the cinnamon sugar but I can't remember. Once you get the donuts, you won't be able to tell what the flavours are because they look the same on the outside. The green tea was a typical green tea which was definitely expensive at $5 because I just got a tea cup with a small cup and a very small jug of hot water. After we left, we took a nice 20-30 minute walk along the Olentangy River trail which is located right behind the Understory building. I'd love to visit again to try actual food instead of just donuts and tea plus it's so warm and inviting inside. **** GOAL of 150 reviews in 2024 - 14/150 total reviews in 2024 - 664 total overall Yelp reviews - Reviewed on 16 March 2024
Restaurantji Recommends
Really liked the ambiance and the drinks were good, but I was disappointed with the quality of my service. I work in the food service industry, so I have a lot of patience when it comes to servers but the guy we had just didn't seem to be at all happy we were there. It seemed like when we asked him questions about the drinks, he was annoyed. We got our first round, then he never came back to check up on us. Maybe he was having an off night, which I totally get, but that doesn't mean you get to ignore a table entirely. Thankfully a very nice girl caught my eye and came to get us our second round but if not for her I doubt we would've got any further service. I've been here once before and really enjoyed the food and the service was great last time, but this one guy really ruined my experience. Was really disappointed with my experience, especially because I was on a first date.
This place is amazing. Great location. Easy parking. The hamburger was delicious. Sat in the heated green houses.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Understory was the perfect setting for a 50-person surprise engagement party! Debi and her team came to the rescue when the venue we were going to use fell through. In less than a week we were able to pull off something really special!The bar staff we had at our event were attentive, super friendly, and made some really amazing cocktails! The appetizer bites of food were delicious as well!I can't thank Debi and her team enough for their responsiveness and attentiveness. Such a great group to work with!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
So great, I loved the “commons” lower level space. Chill vibe where you can hang out and even play a game but also can order food and drinks at the window. The appetizers are all incredible!!Also it’s so cool that it connects to the Olentangy trail!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
First time in the lounge. Lovely atmosphere, appreciated there wasn't screens everywhere. Service was great, food was delicious, especially the shrimp. Thoroughly enjoyable, despite the high price point.