Woodlands Tavern

Definitely a neighborhood setup - feels right in Grandview. We went late evening on a Friday night and it was crowded on the patio and sparse inside. There were two kids rocking out on the tiny stage with their grandma and family watching. Bartender was terse, but nice enough. Solid selection of crafts, though no ticks. No idea what this place is like later at night, but earlier on it’s a fun loud tavern.

Small strip mall location. I parked on a side street as parking in front of the building is very limited. Nice rotating tap selection, good happy hour prices. But I didn’t care for the loud, obnoxious "bro country" band that started before 7:00 PM for some idiotic reason, making conversation impossible inside the bar, prompting my Columbus friend and I to leave earlier than planned. Only the friendly bartender keeps me from giving a 1 for ambiance. I’m not likely to return unless it’s well before the noise from the stage starts.

Great draft selection and perhaps the best happy hour around. $2 pints of up to 30 different beers ranging from PBR to Three Floyds. Awesome music venue and comfortable patio. The pizza of the week and tots make staying there for a while a real possibility.

(Visited 10/2005): Woodlands Tavern (formerly Thirsty Ear) is located in the Grandview area on 3rd, right down the street from Byrne’s. There is a small lot in front (be careful not to park in front of one of the other businesses during restricted hours) with additional parking in the rear.

The inside is somehow smaller than it looks from outside. There is a small stage right next to the front door. The bar is on the right and there is seating on the left. Interesting breweriana and blues-themed decorations. There are a couple TVs over the bar too if you feel like snubbing whatever act is performing on stage.

The beer selection is pretty good. There are 18 taps with CBC Pale, Hoster’s, Harpoon and even Monty Python’s Holy Grail. The bottled selection is around 100 with notables from GLBC, CBC, Sierra Nevada etc. Unfortunately the beer didn’t seem as fresh as it should have.

Service was good on a Weds evening.

Food can be ordered from Mikey’s Late Night Slice.

Overall this is a cool little spot, especially if you’re in the mood for beer and live music.