The Jury Room

I was very much digging this place though I only ate there twice. The atmosphere was great. The food smelled delicious. I loved the work staff. They always seemed to be having a good time. Guest could be seen outside on the patio all the time eating good food and laughing, listening to good music. Sad it had to go. It takes a big part of the fun around the area, though I know Dempsey’s Food and Spirits is more then capable of delivering delicious food and good times to be had, still miss these guys. Balls

Lessner doesn’t normally disappoint for cheap eats (I don’t walk into her restaurants expecting fine dining and high quality ingredients) but I walked away from here feeling «meh.» Even her normally eclectic décor didn’t wow me.

Living around the corner from the Jury Room it’s a place I frequent relatively often. By far my favorite is the Jury Burger and upgrading to truffle fries. It comes with a spicy mayo sauce that’s legit. It’s relatively pricey for a burger and so are their other dishes. I’ve had the eggplant parm which I was not a fan of, and the chicken parm which is so-​so. Really cool décor and environment though!

Great atmosphere, fast service, great beer list but I can’t drink at the moment. Had the Mac and cheese brisket sandwich. It was good although not great on the diet.

I’m on the fence about this place. I’ve been here twice and I feel like it’s going to grow on me (so look for review updates).
If you want to go cheap and just want to grab a drink, you have $ 2.50 PBR draughts and $ 3 Jury Juice (Rum, Lime Juice and 7Up). Can’t beat the prices.
As far as food, Prices are going to be around $ 10-​$ 12/​plate. I had the chicken/​artichoke Pesto. All of the flavors kinda took over each other. I wasn’t sure how I felt. The truffle fries are pretty delish though and they are great to get when just grabbing a drink.
I hear the Brisket Mac N Cheese is where it’s at… until my next visit… review adjourned…

I miss many of the old items that were on the menu — clams/​oysters, zucchini noodles as a sub for pasta, gnocchi… seems the menu’s been paired down quite a bit.
I ordered the eggplant parm and it was delicious! The Alfredo was great: rich and garlicky. The tomato sauce complimented the eggplant nicely. Spaghetti was perfectly al dente. it’s been a while since I’ve had pasta that wasn’t mushy. Kuddos!

Hear ye, hear ye! The honorable Jury Room has been found in contempt of going downhill, fast. I’m sorry to say it but recent changes have not been doing this place any favors.
I probably ate at the Jury Room two to three times a month, owing as it is literally around the corner from my office. My co-​workers and I made JR a very frequent after-​work happy hour destination, due to the coolness of the staff, the awesomeness of the appetizers, and the great happy hour specials. Two of the three of those are no more. Jury Room has made significant changes to its menu in recent months, changing the entire focus of the menu and halving the offerings in the process. The prices have increased accordingly, now with only one sandwich offering coming in under $ 10 and all drink prices increasing by at least a dollar during happy hour. My take-​out orders with my co-​workers during our last two visits have been disappointng at best. Today’s was the worst: top half of my pretzel bun was burned black and this is now the second time where the brisket on my sandwich has been so dry I needed to add mayo to it to get it down. Thankfully the truffle fries are still around but they aren’t reason enough to go to the Jury Room anymore. With amazing options like El Camino, 16-​Bit, Dempsey’s and Little Palace within walking distance, the Jury Room may soon find itself facing charges of letting its former customers down in a big way.

Apparently this place is under new management since the last time we went, which explains a lot.
I’ve never thought this place was the best, but it was always at least decent. I always knew that even if the rest of the food was just okay, that I could get the baked artichokes and be satisfied, which is why we went last night.
First, the menu changed, which I can deal with, but nothing on the new, pretty sparse menu even sounded good or interesting. It sounded like pretty standard bar food, but hey, standard bar food can be done right, so we weren’t concerned. At the very least, the beer cheese soup on the special bored sounded good, so we got that.
That was the first mistake. It was as if whomever made it took some beer and put it in a pot, heated it up, and added cheese, which didn’t completely melt. It came out watery and topped with an enormous amount of croutons. I was starving and I took a few bites, but couldn’t finish it. It was pretty abysmal, I must say.
Next was the spinach and artichoke dip, which was a far cry from the delicious baked artichokes that used to be on the menu. It was super creamy (and not in a good way; more like a gluey, too much mayo kind of way), topped with a bunch of cheese and tomatoes and tasted like it had pickles or relish in it. I’m pretty sure I’ve had better spinach artichoke dip at Applebee’s.
The truffle fries were fine, not the best I’ve ever had, but considering everything else, they were passable. It’s a good thing they had beer, or I’d have been sorely disappointed by everything.
All in all, we spent $ 50, and when we left, I actually wanted to go somewhere else to get some good food.

I had high hopes for this place, considering it’s an Elizabeth Lessner joint. We had brunch today and I was less then impressed.
Their website is not updated, so what I had planned on ordering wasn’t available. When I asked the server, she acted as if I had just spoken Martian. So I pieced together my breakfast and was charged over $ 10 for potatoes, eggs and bacon.
My significant other ordered the french toast. It was bland and burnt.
The server was pissy and really, the experience sucked.

I have to admit that I’d been avoiding The Jury Room for quite a while because of all the ho-​hum reviews. I mean, when I know how delish Surly Girl and Tip Top are, why would I even mess around with something subpar, right?
Well, a friend convinced me to give The Jury Room a try, and I’m so glad I did!
We met for lunch the day after Thanksgiving, and there was absolutely no wait for a table (y’all know how rare this is for a LL establishment). The folks were super friendly, and the environment was totally kitschy and chill.
Our original server was a laid-​back, nice guy who was helpful and attentive. Then he got busy, and a new server came out. And guess who it was… Liz Lessner herself! She said they were a little short-​handed and she came in to help. Whoa…
This was my first time meeting her and not quite sure what I expected, but I was blown away by how friendly she was. In fact, she was the best «server» I’d had at any of her restaurants!
I told her I wasn’t sure what to order, and she quickly told me to get the chicken parmesan. Good call, Ms. Lessner… good call. My friend had the brisket and mac ‘n cheese sandwich on a pretzel bun, and it was delicious too! I took the same sandwich home to the Mister, and he swooned as well. When it was time for our checks, I definitely did a double take at the $ 9 price tag.
So let’s sum up this experience: no wait + friendly servers + fast, comfort food + reasonable price = an awesome lunch.
But, y’all, take it for what it is so that you’re not disappointed. This isn’t Northstar with bright veggies and fresh carrot juice. It’s a hole in the wall with greasy deliciousness. It’s definitely not your everyday spot, but it’s a damn good way to treat yourself.

I go here at least twice a month. Hard to believe I haven’t reviewed it yet. I love this place, as I love all of Liz Lessner’s places. Admittedly, this place had a bit of a bumpy start and the food was inconsistent when they first opened. However, since that time I have consistently been impressed with the seasonally changing menu. The menu is small (as in number of options), but diverse, and they know what they are doing. Great options for vegetarians and vegans. And you will never go home hungry.
Like all of Lessner’s establishments, this place is small– but never as busy as Dirty Franks around the corner (I refuse to wait for half an hour for a hot dog!) Bartender know what they are doing. The wait staff is quirky (again common in her restaurants), but usually exceedingly pleasant and efficient. I will say they can get a bit short with you if you ask if you can have substitutions, but once you learn your lesson– you can avoid their wrath! Don’t ask if you can have the brussell sprouts as a side, you will regret it.
I will have to say it is quickly becoming my favorite CFL establishments. One of the most reliably pleasant places I frequent and I am never disappointed with the meal.

The Jury Room is pretty much a standard choice for me, despite not always living up to expectations.
The Good: I’ve always gotten immediate service and never had to wait for anything too long.
The atmosphere is really fun and cool — I’ve heard The Jury Room is Columbus’ oldest bar, and it really shows its character in the intricate ceiling, curtains, and other decorations.
The draft list is great, especially considering their selection of fall pumpkin beers (my favorite).
The food is mostly decent. Although the menu is somewhat quirky and unique, the quality is just pretty typical bar food (not a complaint).
The Bad: Often when I come here, something is off. For instance, I’ll receive something slightly different than I ordered, like a chicken sandwich instead of the entrée. Nothing worth making a big complaint about, but it’s happened on more than one occasion. When I ordered the dirty pepper bacon martini, it came with a maraschino cherry, which I thought was really weird and didn’t seem to fit at all.
Overall: When I stick to a beer and fish and chips, I really enjoy The Jury Room.

I adore the cocktails here. I could sip on those concoctions all day! Pepper-​Bacon vodka, pear & ginger manhattan… these are some tasty bevs. And they also sport some local libations as well, including those made from Middle West Spirits and Watershed.
The charm of the history of this place is preserved in all that Jury Room presents. From the walls, to the bar, to the bathroom. Many remember its «haunted history.»
I’ve been in quite a few times, but haven’t always been a big fan of the food. It’s affordable comfort food that’s for sure, but it’s never been something that made me want to come back and consume it again. I’ve tried the B.L.F.T. (bacon lettuce fried green tomato), the veggie melt and the former butternut squash bruschetta. None were my favorites.
Servers are always pretty lovely, and note that it can get crowded in there pretty quickly. Do take advantage of the patio in the spring, summer and fall though!

A return visit to the Jury Room to sit on the patio and enjoy some time with my friend Bre C.
Had to try the Mound Street Mule that Matt W. recommended from the talk threads. Cool, refreshing and gingery — Perfect for summer.
Had the steak and horseradish sandwich with truffle fries. Sandwich tasted very good but was very greasy from the puddle of grease from the not drained fries. Fries tasted alright but not great themselves. I had to dab off a lot of grease with a napkin as best i could. Could have been very good but as is, it’s OK.
Bartender was very nice and kept a good eye on us. 5 Stars for the bartender dude.

This is really my last time here — I’ve said that at least 4 times now, but this time will stick. Why? They fail to deliver on service, quality, taste and consistency.
I“ve gone since the new owners took over — back when they offered a Groupon and we loved it! We went there about twice a week. Now we’ve sworn it off for the last time.
Since they introduced half pasta dishes with zucchini strips instead of past, I’ve ordered the chicken parmesan every single time. They always cooked the fried chicken breast beautifully. I substitute the alfredo sauce for marinara and always have to ask for more parm. You need more parm to sop up the water left from the zucchini.
The dish always requires copious amounts of salt because they breading on the chicken is crispy, but tasteless. Seriously, tasteless. This time however, the chicken was awful. It was dried out and way past over cooked. Who in their right mind would serve this to a guest? Yuck.
Other final thoughts on Jury Room since we’ve eaten here sooooo often.
Don’t ask for scrambled egg whites because you’ll be told they don’t have them despite having fried eggs.
Don’t tell them what comes with a dish even if the menu states so, because the chef doesn’t read the menu.
The original break with whipped butter was awesome — so was complimentary bread service (even though I had a hair in my roll once, but that’s the local baker’s issue, not JR)
The original Moscow mule — with the delicious ginger beer from the bottles was what kept me returning. When they switched to cans, they messed up big time.
Where did the delicious dark cherries go?
Where is LIz? She was awesome and the best.
Why is there only one server who is also the bar tender for the entire restaurant?
Is there a problem with actually cooking beans through and serving hot soup?
Whose idea was it to stop putting fresh ground pepper on the Caesar’s salad — it was delicious with too much pepper. I hate when I have to ask for them to bring out the enormous pepper grinder.
Why is the fireplace only making very short winter appearances? That was cool.
That’s my say. Their second menu was probably my favorite, but everything about this place has consistency gone down hill in the last two years.
I’m not coming back.

The fries were mighty tasty and so was the Ohio Roasted Chicken. My spouse’s sandwich was also tasty— I couldn’t believe how soft he bread was on the reuben.
The staff was pretty nice. A litte inattentive but nice. For example: my meal was suppose to come with peas. they didn’t— I waited and waited and waited before I was able to get someone’s attention and request my missing peas. I would label that «inattentive» but maybe that’s me :). The bathroom was disgusting, which tends to scare me a bit. The parking, although on the street, was easy because there were a good number of spots.
I don’t know if this place is worth another visit. We were at the holiday fair nearby and needed dinner. I don’t think I would drive all the way downtown just for another experience here, however.
meh. i’ve experienced better.

I love the atmosphere of this place, and the fact that’s rarely super-​crowded after work or at lunch. And it’s an important location, keeping a little civility and hipster-​ishness on an otherwise lame block full of Subways and bail bondsmen.
But…
I’m not super sold on the food yet. My BBQ chicken pizza was heavy on tomatoes, light on actual BBQ flavor, with too much chicken. The crust got soft from the moistness of the toppings. Not a winner in my book.
On the good side: My date’s soup was good. Nothing to write home about, but a nice starter. The beer selection is great, particularly the drafts. The prices seem right for a downtown location.
I’m not sure I’d come back if this place were an Applebee’s. But it’s an establishment, so I’ll keep trying it, every so often, hoping it lives up to my expectations. Right now, though, I’m not sure I’d recommend it to others.

Oh MAN, What HAPPENED, Jury Room?
My last visit here was on my birthday weekend, and GOD, was it disappointing.
The service was probably the best part of the entire experience.
First off, a lot of my favorite mixed drinks were non-​existent anymore. I’m not sure if it was a seasonal thing, but what I ordered really sucked, and the rest of the drink menu sounded unappetizing to quenching my alcoholic thirst.
Next, I ordered some Italian sandwich, which was SOO salty I took a few bites and didn’t bother with the rest. They should have just placed a salt lick in front of me… same difference.
Their truffle fries? They were a cruel joke and a waste of money. I wouldn’t recommend them.
This place needs some minor interior upkeep as I noticed it’s looking slightly shabby. Even adorning fans have decided to rip off pictures that were glued on the bathroom walls. Just some simple repairs would help.
I’m not sure what happened within the lapse of the last time I have been here, but it’s not looking good. Hopefully this place can change for the better, because it would be sad to lose a cool place like this.