Tried and True: Matt the Miller's Tavern

Matt the Miller's Tavern has ended up to be a tried and true
group-oriented meetup place over our time here

There are many players on the market in the what you might call the "Upscale American Causal" category, with the Columbus metro sporting its fair share. As time has gone on, there seems to be one place that my spouse and I have ended up at that has met the following general broad criteria:

• Initially was suggested by other members of the meetup group (we have suggested it as well as time has gone on)
• Sports a nicer atmosphere than your typical pub and grub
• Able to handle larger groups (with many from far-flung places outside of Columbus) at a moment's notice
• Offers a menu of mostly familiar favorites with a subset of slightly more adventurous as well as gluten-friendly menu options
• Covers a wide range of price points and more casual/formal cuisine depending on your mood and economic considerations
• Proffers a bevy of adult beverage choices, including locally-brewed craft beer options
• Is not one of the major nationwide chain places that we would prefer not to visit save for select circumstances
• Have found our experiences uniformly solid and enjoyable

This detailed criteria list refers to the locally-based mini-chain Matt The Miller's Tavern.

Started in 2008, Matt The Miller's Tavern original location was established by Craig Barnum in the city of Dublin, with subsequent locally-based branches going up in Grandview and Polaris (a fourth location exists out of state in Carmel, Indiana.) Barnum himself has been a visible presence in the local restaurant scene for nearly two decades now, starting with his purchase of Oscar's in Dublin in 1995 and involvement with other familiar eateries like Tucci's (still owned by his CLB Restaurant Group) as well as the Brazenhead Irish Pub locations in Grandview and Dublin.

For us, our experiences have come at both their Dublin and Polaris locations. While there are architectural differences between the two roughly same-sized locations (neither will truly evoke the image of a traditional old-style tavern at first exterior glance for most) the Dublin location definitely gives you more of that cozy tavern feel once inside,  Both locations sport two fairly distinct main areas geared toward a more traditional restaurant seating area and an area centered around a central bar; I imagine much of this is to allow for a more kid-friendly atmosphere for families who don't want to deal with the hubbub that a bar can bring.

Matt The Miller's caters to all ages and types of diners by offering
distinct traditional dining as well as a bar-oriented areas

As previously alluded to above, Matt The Miller's menu items have been generally solid creations, with enough of a "unique twist" (to borrow from the CLB Restaurants website) on some items to make dining a small but pleasant notch above the usual. Almost all of our group outings have involved ordering some combination of their appetizers, sandwiches and flatbreads, and we have found most of them to be fairly tasty. Favorites of ours include the Matt's Sliders (served with bleu cheese and red onion marmalade on brioche buns) and Bavarian-Style Pretzels from the appetizer menu, the various flatbreads (especially the Pear and Gorgonzola and Black and Bleu,) the Peppercorn Burger, and the Fish and Chips (especially with the malt vinegar; just ask your server.)

While Matt The Miller's offers more elegant dinner options such as steak
and fish entrees, we have done perfectly well with their repertoire of
appetizers, sandwiches and flatbreads...and don't forget the local beer

True to the tavern name, Matt the Miller's offers a line of craft beer, cocktails, and a line of top-shelf scotches for the diner.  We've had pints from local Ohio brewers such as Columbus, Four String, Jackie O's and Seventh Son, among others. In addition, the eatery offers fairly special nights (such as Wine Down Wednesday, where wine is offered at state minimum pricing) as well as budget-friendly menu options (such as the $10.99 combo plates, which gives you a 1/2 sandwich or flatbread along with a soup or salad.)

Matt the Miller's Tavern (locations visited)
6725 Avery-Muirfield Dr.
Dublin, OH 43016
(614) 799-9100
- and -
1436 Gemini Place
Columbus, OH 43240
(614) 841-4430

Also located at
1400 Grandview Avenue
Columbus, OH 43212
(614) 754-1026
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