We’ve been here a couple of times and every time the staff is so friendly and attentive. It’s the perfect atmosphere for a chill game night. We gathered some friends for a game night recently and everyone liked their drinks and it’s awesome that they have good mocktails and NA options. The food we chose was more snacky (pretzels and pizza) but it was good and perfect to snack on as a group while playing games. We brought some of our own games and also played one from the library. There’s a huge selection. I also love the decor - it feels like you’re in a medieval tavern. The Forge Taven is a Columbus gem.
Jennifer D.
This place is cool! They have board games and the space to play them with friends. They have a nice food menu. Several televisions with movies of multiple nerdy-fandoms. A good selection of beer, mead, cocktails and MOCK-tails. Great service and the atmosphere is warm, friendly, but very relaxed. I look forward to my next visit.
Rebecca Hanssen
This is a fun and unique place to make friends and try new things! I love that it’s local and you can get to know the staff. I am so happy we found it!
TheRgratton
This is such a fun place to go, play a game, do Trivia or whatever. Really great place to relax with a pint.
animefreak123ization
It's a great place to go to with some friends!!
Melissa Peloquin
We traveled from Indiana to meet friends here and what a great experience! I am jealous there is no place local to me like this. As soon as you walk in, you're happily greeted by many staff. There are many large tables for groups as well as several 4 top tables. The games... So many! Of course you can bring your own but their selection is incredible! We had cocktails, the blood witch was my favorite! We had food as well. I enjoyed the bacon jam flatbread. The staff was attentive throughout our stay. Much appreciated! Will definitely go back when we visit again!
Yosemite Yeti
Don’t make the mistake of showing up on an event night. Non-ticket holders are harassed at the door with drink and food orders prioritized towards the event rather than other customers. Our server all but disappeared after taking our order. Had to flag down a different employee to check on our food order that was literally not being processed. Great venue but the owners need to maintain awareness of all customers not just those attending special events.
William Stamper
Great place! Food and drinks are awesome. The games are free to play.
misty everard
What's not to love? Drinks. Food, and games galore!! Casual, warm, accepting environment.
A A
Sad that this use to be the Bethel Road Pub A great place for music and now its a lame games bar.
I share this a few months after my visit to forge because I’ve heard stories of how people share negative reviews and they get banned, and the people I was with at the time want to go back so I didn’t want to ruin it. I went to this place to play a game with some coworkers. It ended up being a long game, about 3.5 hours. We reserved a table ahead of time. I personally had not eaten all day but unfortunately have a gluten allergy so I was unable to get any food. Consequently, I did not want to drink as I was driving and had an empty stomach. My companions got a soft drink and burger each. By the time we were done and ready to leave, the owner had come up to our table to talk to us about essentially not spending enough. The owner had stated that he expects patrons of the establishment to “come hungry and thirsty and have big appetites.” He also went on a rant about how “unfortunately” his servers survive on tips and so in order for them to make a decent wage, people need to buy stuff. I put “unfortunately” in quotes here because American food service owners have put the responsibility on their customers to supplement their employees wages. He COULD pay his servers more, he just doesn’t want to and wants to put the responsibility on his patrons. So him saying that this is “unfortunately the culture in America” is nothing but a farce and a virtue signal. Anyway, it was incredibly disrespectful for my friends to spend money, me wanting to spend money but I can’t due to not having any reasonable accommodations, and then be told at the end that we should have spent more. This establishment clearly operates more as a restaurant than a board game store, which is completely fine to be clear, but they should be more upfront about their branding and what they expect. I would never go to a restaurant and sit for 3.5 hours without buying anything, but I also am not going to restaurants under the guise that I am able to reserve a table to play games with my companions for as long as I need/want. If they want a time-limit, that’s fine. If they want a cover charge, also fine. But be honest and upfront about it and don’t be disrespectful to your patrons because you didn’t set that expectation to begin with. AND I was guilted despite wanting to contribute and support but not having an option/reasonable accommodation. It was completely and utterly embarrassing and the only reason I didn’t say something right then and there was because I was with coworkers who would not have liked me to make a scene. I strongly discourage making reservations to play long games here, whether those are board games or TTRPG ones.
Andrew
An excellent and diverse selection of board games, with no cover charge to play—a huge plus! There was plenty of seating, both at the bar and in the larger food hall, making it easy to find a comfortable spot. The food and drinks were reasonably priced and surprisingly good for a venue like this. The overall atmosphere was enjoyable and inviting.
My only gripe was how they handled a particular situation. I understand the need for an outside food policy, but clearer communication and a more considerate approach would improve the experience. The policy wasn’t mentioned on their website or menu—only on a small sign at the entrance. When my friends surprised me with a cake, we were interrupted and charged a $30 fee. While we respected the rule and were willing to pay, a more transparent and thoughtful way of addressing it would have made the moment feel less disrupted.
That said, this wouldn’t stop me from coming back. We need more spaces like this!
Adam Householder
Place is super cool and staff is really nice. Food is fine and pricey, but that's what I expect because they don't make money off me sitting for hours playing games. Haha. Great drinks, atmosphere and staff. ♥️🥳
Meghan Scott
Interesting drinks, unique for sure. Hit or miss honestly, the coffee cocktail was not great but the lemonades are good. Our waiter was very kind and attentive, suggested a board game that was very fun for our group!
Lauren Damon
We had a great time playing games, drinking cider flights, and having a few smacks.
We’ve been here a couple of times and every time the staff is so friendly and attentive.
It’s the perfect atmosphere for a chill game night. We gathered some friends for a game night recently and everyone liked their drinks and it’s awesome that they have good mocktails and NA options. The food we chose was more snacky (pretzels and pizza) but it was good and perfect to snack on as a group while playing games. We brought some of our own games and also played one from the library. There’s a huge selection. I also love the decor - it feels like you’re in a medieval tavern. The Forge Taven is a Columbus gem.
This place is cool! They have board games and the space to play them with friends. They have a nice food menu. Several televisions with movies of multiple nerdy-fandoms. A good selection of beer, mead, cocktails and MOCK-tails. Great service and the atmosphere is warm, friendly, but very relaxed. I look forward to my next visit.
This is a fun and unique place to make friends and try new things! I love that it’s local and you can get to know the staff. I am so happy we found it!
This is such a fun place to go, play a game, do Trivia or whatever. Really great place to relax with a pint.
It's a great place to go to with some friends!!
We traveled from Indiana to meet friends here and what a great experience! I am jealous there is no place local to me like this.
As soon as you walk in, you're happily greeted by many staff.
There are many large tables for groups as well as several 4 top tables. The games... So many! Of course you can bring your own but their selection is incredible!
We had cocktails, the blood witch was my favorite! We had food as well. I enjoyed the bacon jam flatbread. The staff was attentive throughout our stay. Much appreciated!
Will definitely go back when we visit again!
Don’t make the mistake of showing up on an event night. Non-ticket holders are harassed at the door with drink and food orders prioritized towards the event rather than other customers. Our server all but disappeared after taking our order. Had to flag down a different employee to check on our food order that was literally not being processed. Great venue but the owners need to maintain awareness of all customers not just those attending special events.
Great place! Food and drinks are awesome. The games are free to play.
What's not to love? Drinks. Food, and games galore!! Casual, warm, accepting environment.
Sad that this use to be the Bethel Road Pub A great place for music and now its a lame games bar.
Restaurantji Recommends
I share this a few months after my visit to forge because I’ve heard stories of how people share negative reviews and they get banned, and the people I was with at the time want to go back so I didn’t want to ruin it. I went to this place to play a game with some coworkers. It ended up being a long game, about 3.5 hours. We reserved a table ahead of time. I personally had not eaten all day but unfortunately have a gluten allergy so I was unable to get any food. Consequently, I did not want to drink as I was driving and had an empty stomach. My companions got a soft drink and burger each. By the time we were done and ready to leave, the owner had come up to our table to talk to us about essentially not spending enough. The owner had stated that he expects patrons of the establishment to “come hungry and thirsty and have big appetites.” He also went on a rant about how “unfortunately” his servers survive on tips and so in order for them to make a decent wage, people need to buy stuff. I put “unfortunately” in quotes here because American food service owners have put the responsibility on their customers to supplement their employees wages. He COULD pay his servers more, he just doesn’t want to and wants to put the responsibility on his patrons. So him saying that this is “unfortunately the culture in America” is nothing but a farce and a virtue signal. Anyway, it was incredibly disrespectful for my friends to spend money, me wanting to spend money but I can’t due to not having any reasonable accommodations, and then be told at the end that we should have spent more. This establishment clearly operates more as a restaurant than a board game store, which is completely fine to be clear, but they should be more upfront about their branding and what they expect. I would never go to a restaurant and sit for 3.5 hours without buying anything, but I also am not going to restaurants under the guise that I am able to reserve a table to play games with my companions for as long as I need/want. If they want a time-limit, that’s fine. If they want a cover charge, also fine. But be honest and upfront about it and don’t be disrespectful to your patrons because you didn’t set that expectation to begin with. AND I was guilted despite wanting to contribute and support but not having an option/reasonable accommodation. It was completely and utterly embarrassing and the only reason I didn’t say something right then and there was because I was with coworkers who would not have liked me to make a scene. I strongly discourage making reservations to play long games here, whether those are board games or TTRPG ones.
An excellent and diverse selection of board games, with no cover charge to play—a huge plus! There was plenty of seating, both at the bar and in the larger food hall, making it easy to find a comfortable spot. The food and drinks were reasonably priced and surprisingly good for a venue like this. The overall atmosphere was enjoyable and inviting.
My only gripe was how they handled a particular situation. I understand the need for an outside food policy, but clearer communication and a more considerate approach would improve the experience. The policy wasn’t mentioned on their website or menu—only on a small sign at the entrance. When my friends surprised me with a cake, we were interrupted and charged a $30 fee. While we respected the rule and were willing to pay, a more transparent and thoughtful way of addressing it would have made the moment feel less disrupted.
That said, this wouldn’t stop me from coming back. We need more spaces like this!
Place is super cool and staff is really nice. Food is fine and pricey, but that's what I expect because they don't make money off me sitting for hours playing games. Haha. Great drinks, atmosphere and staff. ♥️🥳
Interesting drinks, unique for sure. Hit or miss honestly, the coffee cocktail was not great but the lemonades are good. Our waiter was very kind and attentive, suggested a board game that was very fun for our group!
We had a great time playing games, drinking cider flights, and having a few smacks.
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