Windward Passage Restaurant

You will absolutely love this place as long as you know what to expect. It is super old school, which means most of the diners are 60 and over, as well as families who have been coming every Saturday since the dawn of time. Their dinner rush appears to be at around 5:30. Low lighting and kitschy sailing artifacts adorn the walls. Your dinner salad will be the classic iceberg and the side vegetables will not be described at local, or farm-​to-​table, or anything else like that.
What makes this place stand out is the quality of the seafood, the very reasonable prices, and the waitstaff which sincerely makes you feel welcome. My mouth is just watering thinking of the fried oyster plate. Yum.

Windward, a place with an overwhelming smell of Old Navy, has a particular crowd of regulars every Friday afternoon. The conversations are of the crazy traffic in Atlanta, the back streets from Orlando to Gainesville, Florida, who they dated after Korea and before marriage, the entire background story of the baseball pitcher seen on the TV, and a thousand word explanation of why TV remotes stop functioning.
If you couldn’t guess – it’s a gaggle of elderly men. Kind and garrulous, they come to down «gin-​a-​tonics,» cheep wines, and beer.
The place is total throwback. The staff looks at you funny for zoning out at a cell phone. The beer selection here when I asked my Pall Mall voiced bartender is «Bud on tap. Bottles are Budweiser, Bud Lite, Miller, Miller Lite, Coors…» Yeah, yeah. I get the drift.
The place is known for seafood, which sixty percent should be called ‘lake food’ because walleye and catfish hardly qualifies the same as crab and lobster. (though the freshwater fish is decent here.) The place in my opinion is overrated. Having visited Windward many times through the years I feel they do not measure up to the expectation brought by many who suggest it, a lofty rating reflected by Unilocalers. Then again I may be a tough nut to crack with my dislike of Columbus seafood due to experiencing many places in Miami, Key Largo, Nagshead.
Still, the place is good, for a landlocked city. Treat my rating as high 3 bleeding into a low four. They do make wonderful oysters of which is featured on several dishes here. The plater ordered by the gent beside me made me regret my selection of cod. I haven’t had oysters here in some time, but they looked scrumptious.
My cod came with a soup and roll course of which I picked chowder. The chowder was nothing special. It was too watery, as if they pored to much water into a can of Campbell’s. The roll and cinnamon bun were good. My Cod was excellently cooked; made in white wine and garlic, it was hot all they way through without a burn. I enjoyed devouring the tender, buttery meat.
The décor of the place is cool. The place is dark. The walls look like old shipwood. The windows are oval cutouts to simulate that on fishing boat. Above had wooden boxes suggesting lobster traps. The left hand of the bar is risen; you walk up a step to sit there. I love that as I like to sit high.
The service is old fashion, blue collar. It couldn’t be more different than the cosmo professionalism of say Barley’s, the last place I visited, without falling into unacceptability. They work hard and do a good job, just don’t expect anything more than Rhea Perlman and Woody Harrelson.
Parking here is easy as it is in the mall next to Sunny Side behind Starbucks. If you come for dinner shift on Friday beware, a line builds fast. It may be overrated in my view, but it is still a good place to have lakefood or oysters, in a great environment beside talkative foogies.

This is THE hidden gem of Columbus. From the servers to the cocktails to the amazing ribs and seafood, there is nothing like it. One of my favorite places to eat in Columbus. And nothing has changed about this place since the 70’s! How cool?!

This place is a hidden gem! The food is
Delicious. Our server, Deb was super friendly, fast, and efficient.

A dear friend texted me last week with a message that read: «Have you been to Windward?». «No, what’s that?» She told me she read an article saying this is one of the best seafood places in Ohio. Skeptical, because I had never heard of it, I went directly to Unilocal and was intrigued by the reviews. I told my friend that we must go, so we went this past Friday night. I must say that I knew what to expect due to the Unilocal reviews. If I hadn’t, I might have turned right around when we pulled up the restaurant. The restaurant is very unassuming. It’s at the end of a strip mall on Reed and Henderson, and although the name of the restaurant is Windward Passage, the sign on the outside of the restaurant just says «WINDWARD» in huge red, all cap, illuminated letters (stop yelling!). If I didn’t know it was a restaurant I would have taken it to be a discount retailer of some kind. Anyway, walking through the doors you are taken back in time. To a time that I don’t remember… haha. The inside of the restaurant is decorated like the inside of a ship. It’s dimly lit and wooden. Windward doesn’t take reservations, so we put our name in at 8:00 (this is what the nice man on the phone suggested as a time for me to come since this is when the majority of the crowd clears out when I called previously to see if they took reservations). There is a small circular bar in the lounge area. Everyone sitting at the bar had to be 80+ in age and dressed to the nines. So adorable and everyone we met (including the bartender) was very friendly. We only waited about 10 minutes for our table. Our waitress was very friendly, attentive, and had an energetic personality. She also called us all «kiddo» which I guess by comparison was true :) My husband and I ordered a bottle of wine, 5 oysters on the half shell, the prime rib and crab surf and turf, and the stuffed flounder dinner. All entrees come with a salad, bread and cinnamon rolls, a potato, and a vegetable. The prime rib was so good and cooked (or not cooked) to perfection, the flounder was tender and flaky, the crab had huge chunks of leg meat (the kind where you get a whole crab leg muscle out unscathed and in one piece and you feel like the king of the world), and the oysters were chilled and delicious (minus one star for the oyster meat not being completely unattached from the shell and also there weren’t enough cloth napkins to go around since they were being washed. After a couple of glasses of wine we were all looking under the table for the cloth napkins we never had because we each thought they had slipped off of our laps at some point… haha). We rolled out of there stuffed and happy. Our bill was $ 80. What a deal! I’ll be going back for sure and we’ll probably take some parents, aunts, or uncles with us the next time :)

I have to say the majority of the previous reviewers have it right. This restaurant is quite an experience. DH and I grew up in Florida during the 70s. Although he and I never knew each other as children, we had the same flashback experiences of eating at a Florida seafood restaurant as a child in the 1970s.
In fact, there was a restaurant in Clearwater, Florida that is now long gone called the Oyster Bar. It had dark wood, no windows, and décor that wasn’t too far off from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney: wall lamps shaped like ship lanterns, rigging from ships separating the booths. One might feel he or she is sitting at a table in the hold of an old ship, but for the lack of the rolling and pitching one might expect to feel if one were truly sitting at a table in the hold of an old ship.
The Oyster Bar in Clearwater was one of many such type of seafood restaurants in the 70s. When my DH and I walked in the door with our 12yo daughters, I had to stop and center myself. For just a moment, I felt I was back at the Oyster Bar in Florida. I wondered how far this feeling would go. I came here due to my fellow Unilocalers’ reviews. Would the food continue the nostalgic sensation and cause me to visit the restaurant again and again?
We visited for lunch. The vast majority of the clientele were senior citizens, although there were a few younger people here and there. The menu selection was what I expected and the prices were decent. I got the scallops. I almost got them broiled, but at the last minute ordered fried. (Who didn’t eat primarily fried food in the 70s?) DH got fried shrimp. The girls who normally enjoy seafood wanted to split the half pound burger. One DD got a side of applesauce. The other a garden salad.
The salad was a typical old school salad: A plate of mostly lettuce, a wedge of tomato, and some sliced carrot. The only thing missing were the Captain Wafers. DDs’ burger was nicely charred. The bun was grilled as well (bonus!). It was served with chips. DH’s shrimp were large and not overly breaded. The seasoning was exactly as I remembered, er. imagined, it would be. My scallops were also large and nicely breaded. Both meals came with tasty fries and a vegetable medley of green beans and carrots. The fries and veggies did need some salt and pepper, but I expected that so I had no problem adding a bit of my own.
Overall we did enjoy ourselves and will return. The worst that I can say is that the seasoning was light on the sides. I assume the owner is catering to the majority of his clientele and is toning the seasoning down for those who are likely watching their sodium intake. Of course so much of what we eat in restaurants today is overly salted. Our palettes have become oversaturated with heavily salted food, especially in the chain restaurants. I don’t mind being given the choice to salt and pepper my own food rather than receiving a plate of food which will likely lead to a stroke.
As I said, we tried it out for lunch and will go again in the near future for dinner. Next time, I plan to try a prime rib or steak previous Unilocalers have raved about.

I don’t know how this place isn’t ranked higher. The people who didn’t give this five stars should stay at home (or learn to navigate the city without a iThingy). If you love seafood/​comfort food or have lost an elderly person then this is your place. I like to sit in the bar area as its seat yourself. Everything is good, must haves are the house dressing (homemade ranch), any seafood dish, and the after dinner cakes (which come with an entrée, usually before to tease you).

I have procrastinated reviewing this place, because I’m just not sure I can do it justice here. Where to begin? It’s in a completely generic strip mall in Upper Arlington… and has been for many many years… barely noticeable… and if you do notice it, you will likely dismiss it.
Upon walking in, you will find a very surprisingly inviting place with a 1970s era nautical theme (excellent!)…
Indeed, the clientele skews older (is there a problem with that?) But it is a very welcoming, convivial place. Sean the bartender is amazing, making drinks not just for the bar, but for the perpetually packed restaurant as well… he is indeed the Batman of bartenders!
I’ve noticed also that a younger crowd is starting to discover this legendary hole in the wall… and for good reason. The menu is dirt, dirt, dirt cheap… and everything is delicious, fresh and lovingly prepared. Seafood is utterly impeccable… from the best shrimp scampi ever… the marvelous walleye and perch… perfect king crab legs… and even a delightful prime rib. Plus during happy hour they often have a generous free mini buffet. One of my favorite restaurants ever… anywhere.

The food here is so good — especially the fried oysters. The service is always reliable, and the prices (like the décor) haven’t changed since the 70s! We are usually the youngest people in the place, but you can always depend on a good meal here!

This place is a pleasant surprise — we’ve driven past it for years and never thought to dine here. The décor is nautical — you’re really feel like you’re inside of a dark ship! We always enjoy the food — the salads are fresh and the ranch dressing is really good! Seafood dishes are well prepared and prices are reasonable. Plenty of parking as you are in a shopping center.

This was by far one of the craziest dining experiences ever but definitely a good one! We decided to try this place based on the reviews on Unilocal.As many have stated, if you are 40s or younger, you will be at least half the age of the majority of the other clientele in the restaurant. Don’t let this scare you away! It actually adds to the ambiance! We asked our server about this, and she said the nickname of the restaurant is «Heaven’s Waiting Room!» These «experienced» diners provided quite the entertainment for us as they have to speak loudly to hear each other, and it was pretty comical! Add to that the fact than many of them were drinking cocktails so they were a bit tipsy!
But, I regress! Let’s get on to the food! The menu has so many wonderful choices that we were torn as we both love seafood and steak. So we opted for peel and eat shrimp and prime rib. The shrimp was cooked perfectly! Sometimes shrimp can be rubbery because of overcooking. Not the case here! It was nice and firm. What I appreciated most was when they brought it out, there was cocktail sauce and a side of horseradish. Their cocktail sauce is mild so this provided the opportunity to doctor it a bit if you prefer a spicier cocktail sauce. Our salads arrived next, and they were a simple garden salad, but the homemade ranch dressing rocked! Because we dined on a weekend, cinnamon rolls came with our meal. They were pretty tasty as well.
Then, little did we know, our world was about to be rocked! Our prime rib dinners came out, and the portion size and cooking temperature were 100% spot on! They were, hands down, the best prime rib we have ever eaten! We are from Indianapolis which is home to St. Elmo’s Steakhouse. Our steaks at Windward had theirs beat all the way around. They were tender and delicious! Hubby had the baked potato while I ordered red skin potatoes. Both were cooked perfectly! Both were served with about a half a stalk of broccoli which was just steamed. Nothing special there.
All in all, we had a delightful experience! Our server was very attentive even though the bar area where we sat filled up all at once! She was quick with refills and brought our courses out in perfect timing. We would finish one thing, and the next arrived shortly after! We will definitely return to Windward when we are visiting Columbus again! The icing on the cake was as we were leaving the restaurant, and one of the elderly customers that we know had had a few cocktails flirted with me on the way out the door! LOL!

Yum.
The wait was long, but so worth it. Everyone was very kind. Service was pretty good. We had Devils on Horseback for an appetizer, they were okay. With that being said, the crab legs and fish sandwiches (cod and walleye) were fantastic.

We found this place randomly on our phones search engine after being told there was a 2 – 3 hour wait at most other restaurants we called. With less than a 20 minute late we gave it a try. I was not optimistic about the food quality in such a small, dark restaurant hidden in a shopping plaza. However, the staff was extremely friendly and accommodating to our party of 8 with 2 toddlers.
The ranch dressing was made in house and was amazing. Two of the meals came with a cinnamon roll which was also delicious. The toddlers both had grilled cheese sandwiches, which were made on thick bread and so good. We had 3 cheeseburgers with fries, a fried chicken sandwich with a baked potato, a full slab of ribs, and a stuffed salmon meal. Out of 8 people we did not have 1 complaint. The food came pretty quickly for the amount of people we had, and the portion sizes were really good. The food was amazing. I would definitely return if in the area!

This was nice. Entering was a little like a secret hideaway. Lunch was delicious. I had the corned beef Reuben. My husband had the fried catfish sub. The food was fresh and delicious. Creamy cheesecake for dessert was so good too. We will return if we are in the area again.

Pleasant surprise! A hidden gem for sure since I’ve driven by this place a thousand times and never noticed it.
Our friends suggested we meet here for dinner. It’s in a shopping plaza and upon entering its like jumping back 60 years and like you’re inside of a ship. Very dark! Sadly, they don’t take reservations but the bar area is almost just as big as the dining room so we snagged a booth there and avoided the 45 minute wait on a Saturday night. In the end, the bar is way more «hoppin» than the dining room anyways so I was happy!
We are in our early thirties and were the youngest people in there by at least 20 – 30 years BUT who cares! It was really fun to change it up for once. We were probably a bit louder than the clientele cared for though :-) The only weird part was they don’t play any background music which drives me crazy.
The prices are SOO cheap. they have a full bar (bottles for beers) and the seafood is surprisingly good! Very fresh and cooked very well! Our waitress was nice too.
The cinnamon rolls came with our salads and WOW took us back 20 years! Loved the rolls! Kinda wish they came after dinner but still delicious!
Salad was just Iceberg lettuce with one quarter of a tomato but they had old school thousand island dressing so I can’t knock em.
I had the fried walleye and french fries. Huge portions and not over fried. I will definitely be returning for dinner again!

A staple in the community, I’ve been coming here since I was a toddler. Food is great prices are better and the drinks are on the heavy pour but not over powering. Sometimes the rolls they give with dinner aren’t the greatest but it’s a hit or miss on the rolls. They take reservations however, if your whole party is not there they will not seat you. The bar area is the best place to eat, a little cramped but it’s only because they are always busy.

Like stepping back into the past. Unique décor straight out of the 1960s and 70s… but dark and cozy inside. The crabcake special on Fridays is delightful. And very reasonably priced!

Fantastic food! The cooking of my rib eye was perfect. Service was also fast and efficient. I’ll definitively come back.

Good food and nice people~!!!
Very fresh ingrediants!!!
And everything is perfectly prepared and served!!!

Holy crap, this place is crazy. Did you know there is a seafood restaurant equivalent of a dive bar? It’s old, covered in wood paneling, with the typical ropes and portholes and whatnot you’d expect. Our group is 36, 36, 35, and 32, and we were by at least a generation the youngest people in the restaurant. The men’s room sign is written in rope and says, «mates.» Our server was a crotchety old woman who was annoyed when we weren’t ready to order… as she handed us menus. The man at the next table, who looked like Hans Moleman, belched incredibly loudly on three different occasions throughout our meal. It’s dark and windowless enough that you can’t tell if you were there for 45 minutes or three hours if you don’t have a watch. That pretty much sets the scene. If you like quirky restaurants, you’ll probably want to check it out just for the atmosphere. The food was good too. Not amazing fancy restaurant food, but better than Red Lobster, and a bit cheaper too. Worth a try.

Went here for dinner last night after reading some reviews. Still a little torn about our experience.
First, we drive up. The sign just says «Windward,» which is probably unclear to many people who have never been here before. We walk in and generally like what we see. The ambiance is really nice; dark, with some lighting throughout. We could see that there were literally trash bags covering the windows to the outside, though, which may have killed it a little for us. I thought the darkness was really nice, but a little ruined for me by the 2 TVs in the dining room. We were definitely the youngest people in there by at least 30 years, which isn’t necessarily bad, but it’s noteworthy.
We’re told that there’s a wait but we can sit at the bar. We agree that the bar is fine. The same person tells us that there aren’t seats at the bar, but wait, some people are leaving; we should go sit at a table before it’s been cleaned off, because the waitresses are used to that. Not the best start to our experience.
We had quite a bit of time to figure out what we wanted, and even that experience was a little strange. Our menus were on the table and our place mats were put opposite of us on the other side of the table. When our actual waitress came, she was like «hm, something’s wrong about this picture.» While our waitress was nice and funny, the other woman was a little more abrasive.
We got an appetizer of oysters wrapped in bacon. We figured it was a safe bet, right? Somehow no. For a little over $ 8, we got 6 or 7 little bites. The bites themselves weren’t good; the bacon didn’t really taste like bacon. I was expecting salty bacon with a hint of oyster, but I didn’t taste much of the bacon at all. The oyster was okay, but the green bites were off-​putting for me. We also got cinnamon rolls and regular rolls. The regular rolls were just not good; a little stale, and generally flavorless. The cinnamon rolls were good, but given at a weird time, before our entrees.
I got the 10 oz Alaskan snow crab with a baked potato, broccoli, and clam chowder. My boyfriend got the broiled shrimp with butter and garlic with a baked potato, broccoli, and clam chowder.
I was impressed with the quality of the crab; if I were to order a pound of crab legs at Red Lobster, I usually get an amount that seems to be less than the 10 oz I got here, and some legs would be empty. I felt like it was a better value, as well as a better price. It also came with melted butter heated by a candle, which was a cute touch. The clam chowder was fine, no complaints there. The broccoli was inedible; it was super hard, almost to the point of being uncooked. The baked potato was good.
My boyfriend’s shrimp wasn’t the greatest, mostly because it didn’t taste like the sauce it was in at all. The sauce taste was very faint. He said his broccoli wasn’t hard, unlike mine, so at least there’s that. The potato and clam chowder were good.
Overall, our meal was fine, but not the greatest. There were a few things that were a little off for us. I would try it again, but for $ 50, I bet we would enjoy ourselves more elsewhere.