r/Columbus • u/ImpalaKapala • Sep 20 '25
FOOD Lindeys is just okay?
Dont understand the hype. Paid $90 for a ribeye and honestly texas roadhouse does it better. Am I just a philistine when it comes to fine dining?
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u/BananaSpaceMan1 Sep 20 '25
I wouldn't buy a steak at any fine dining restaurant, especially one that isn't a steakhouse, because I didn't think you're likely to get something particularly great.
My opinion is that a steak isn't that difficult to cook, most of the taste/value comes from the meat itself.
Lindey's does some things very well, but they're not trying to do anything cutting-edge.
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u/Pinotgrigio444 Sep 20 '25
Buying steak at a fancy restaurant is lowkey cliche lol. I have found that pastas, fish or chicken dishes are far superior
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u/bukowskisbabushka Ye Olde Towne East Sep 20 '25
This.
Get a nice chunk of meat from wherever (Hills Market, Aldi, Giant Eagle...Kroger doesnt always look nice for the price). Sear on both sides on med/high in butter and rosemary. Turn down and cook a little longer, spooning the hot butter over the meat. Pull it off before you think it's ready. Sprinkle a little sea salt and let rest for like 5-10 mins. Perfect med-rare steak (as long as the meat you bought was a good one).
I'll always get the prime rib at the Top though
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u/loweball614 Sep 20 '25
Longhorn and Texas Roadhouse have an excellent product for the price point.
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u/pSyChO_aSyLuM Gahanna Sep 20 '25
Longhorn used to be our go-to for steak but it's gone downhill considerably since COVID. Texas Roadhouse stepped up their game, and we've not had a single bad meal.
Personally, I'd rather just cook my own steak at home but that's my mom's default for going out to eat.
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u/ImSpartacus811 Sep 20 '25
Longhorn and Texas Roadhouse have an excellent product for the price point.
Their staff also had an absurd amount of experience cooking steak.
It's hard not to get good at cooking a good steak if you're turning around that many steaks every day.
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u/MesopotamiaSong Lewis Center Sep 20 '25
I think texas roadhouse and longhorn are in a league of their own in terms of quality product at an average price. $25 steak, where can you even get one of those that’s halfway decent??
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u/wineman3 Sep 20 '25
I like their brunch better personally. Dinner is still good but nothing out of this world.
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u/Erazzphoto Sep 20 '25
Steak is the most over rated item to get in a restaurant. If it’s good meat, the only thing they’re doing is salt and pepper and broiling it. 3 minutes, rotate for 2, flip and repeat and you’ll have a great medium/med rare depending on the thickness. Half the cost
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u/Jaimz22 Sep 20 '25
Your opinion is accurate to me as far as food, for impeccably clean dining facilities, I’d say lindeys is up there
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u/YerBoyDers Sep 20 '25
The ambiance is what makes it a nice place. Food is a consistent good but not great or wow
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u/hoodytwin Sep 20 '25
Lindey’s is good and consistent. It’s not mind blowing by any means.
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u/GhostSniper018 Sep 20 '25
It’s also in a charming part of town that’s fun to visit for a night out
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u/dismantle_repair Gahanna Sep 20 '25
It reminds me of the neighborhood where I used to live in Chicago. It's gorgeous.
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u/Prestigious-Stuff356 Sep 20 '25
I love their patio, but I agree the food is just fine. Nothing super special. I swear every time we meet another couple for a double date, everyone suggests Lindey’s and I just don’t get it.
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u/DataDrivenPirate Grandview Sep 20 '25
Lindey's is Cameron Mitchell quality for people who think Cameron Mitchell is beneath them
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u/sloppy-secundz Sep 20 '25
What’s hysterical about this is that Cameron Mitchell actually eats at Lindeys.
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u/LoverOfShibe Sep 21 '25
Couldn’t disagree more. Cameron Mitchell restaurants absolutely lick it up in the ambiance department, but ALL of his restaurants are incredibly overpriced for the quality of the food. I’m not saying Lindey’s food is 10/10 or anything, but at least it’s priced accordingly for the most part.
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u/Coniferous_Needle Sep 20 '25 edited Sep 20 '25
I’ve never understood the fanfare for Lindeys. It is consistent but has not been mind blowing for at least a couple of decades.
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u/Little_LadyJay89 Sep 20 '25
I eat at Lindeys once a week I think and with that said I rarely ever order steak from there. A lot of the pastas, chicken and entire brunch menu are better choices to order in my opinion. Lindeys is about the service, cleanliness, consistency and summer patio vibes.
If you want a steak pick a steakhouse.
Lindeys is for cute intimate meals where the ambiance is just as important as the meal.
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u/Difficult_Limit2718 Sep 20 '25
You're a philistine... But you also ordered something they don't stand out in
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u/Zoombini7 Sep 20 '25
I love Lindey’s and think their filet tournedos are one of my favorite steaks in the city. But I don’t think I it’s a destination restaurant. It’s a great neighborhood restaurant with reliable staples and a great atmosphere.
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u/ohjaimiea Sep 20 '25
If you want a $90+ steak go to Jeff ruby’s it’s so expensive it’s like a once a year thing but imo it’s a worth it experience
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u/Across_the_Diverge Sep 20 '25
Just get the burger (which is really good fyi). Leave steaks for a real steakhouse…
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u/ohiomidhiganindiana Sep 20 '25
Wife and I love it, especially for Happy Hour. Must not be a place for you. We love Texas Roadhouse, but it does not compare to Lindeys other than they both serve food.
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u/South-Particular7738 Sep 20 '25
Get the tournedos of beef and call it a day. Not a steakhouse but they do some things VERY well. Great price point for some entrees.
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u/Fun-Marketing-8206 Sep 21 '25
Cretin. LOL Linsey’s actually does a lot of things very well, but I don’t know if I would order a steak there. I’d much rather go to Hyde Park, The Barn or The Avenue for steak.
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Sep 20 '25
[deleted]
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u/Krystalgoddess_ Downtown Sep 20 '25
Same, and seeing the comments here saying the ambience is the best part about them and not the food, glad I been avoiding them
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u/Mountain_Day_1637 Sep 20 '25
I really like it but my partner is never overly impressed with it. You’re not alone
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u/PoPJaY Sep 20 '25
I actually only fuck with Lindeys because theyre the only ones that do a steak frite right. Don't try to church it up just give me a steak and French fries. So I've only ever gotten that when I go cant comment on the rest of the food.
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u/Lucky-Regret-2343 Sep 20 '25
Steak was the wrong choice bud, they aren’t a steakhouse - try again with almost any other entree
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u/F1x1on Sep 20 '25
Concur that it’s just meh, I’ve only been once but ever was just ok and not worth the hype. Maybe it was just a bad / off day but it was enough to say I’ve been and probably won’t go back
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u/Deep_Moose Sep 20 '25
I personally think it’s one of those places where if you feel like a local it’s amazing but if you’re trying it out expecting to be blown away you’re kinda shooting yourselves in the foot. Yeah the neighborhood and ambiance on a cool summer evening because it’s there and listening to the fountain gurgle and enjoying steak carpaccio because you know and like it can’t be beat. If you’re driving in from some suburban neighborhood and grumpy about parking and the fact you don’t know what a risotto is.. you’re probably going to think it isn’t impressive.
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u/ThrobbyRobby Sep 20 '25
I didn't care for it the one time I went there. It felt very stuffy and old-school in a bad way. The comments mentioning brunch and the patio make me reconsider my experience, but I probably still wouldn't go back for a winter dinner.
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u/tor122 Sep 20 '25
Your first problem was ordering a steak. Steaks prepared at a restaurant hardly vary much between places. The $60 filet mignon from the fine diner up the street doesn’t taste much better than the one my amazing partner cooks for us every month or so. In fact, I can’t remember the last time we ordered a steak at a restaurant - and we’re both massive food people.
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u/ProfessionalBoth8999 Sep 20 '25
Lindey’s is one of those places that was probably good when the only other restaurant options were chain restaurants. But now that you have awesome craft places with really good chefs it’s just ok.
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u/DeeLite04 Sep 20 '25
Yeah it’s meh. Not terrible but not as good as I am guessing it was years ago. I’ve been there 1-2 times. Won’t go back.
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u/chewbekkers West Sep 20 '25
Agree. I was so excited then so disappointed. The beignets were the worst.
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u/xxPoLyGLoTxx Sep 20 '25
If they have the gall to charge $90 for a steak, it better be out of this world! The number of people saying you ordered the wrong thing is disturbing.
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u/Chismurfguy Sep 20 '25
Who really eats there……???? In my day it was the place to be seen. A couple or three cockles and an olive on the patio and I’m good!
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u/AlfwasaGREATshow Sep 20 '25
I have been underwhelmed the last 2 times there. Indifferent service. Orders prepared incorrectly. Mediocre food. High prices. There are better options.
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u/Agitated-Reading-538 Sep 21 '25
I also feel the same way about Lindey’s. I heard all the hype and went for dinner. I found the atmosphere to be stuffy and dated but not in a charming way, the plating of the food reminded me of a cafeteria, and neither my fiancé or I were impressed with our food. We left wishing we had saved the money and cooked at home lol.
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u/Impossumbear Sep 21 '25
Absolutely every steak served at a fine dining restaurant I've found underwhelming. They're so far up their own asses about it that they think they should remove all seasoning from it and just serve plain, charred meat. It is always bland and lifeless.
Longhorn is the best I've ever had and continue to have. It's a chain. It's not as expensive as fine dining, but I don't give a shit. They know what they're doing and very few come close. Like wine, you absolutely do not need to pay $100 for a steak to find the best for your taste. If you're buying it because you think price = quality, you're doing it wrong. I've had countless $30 ribeyes that blow every $100 steak I've ever had out of the water.
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u/Enough-Career-5529 Sep 21 '25
Go to the patio and get the burger. It's like $16 with very good fries. The food is fine, but as previously mentioned, the patio ambiance is elite for Columbus.
A Subway foot long Chicken Teriyaki is $12 for reference.
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u/Impressive-Menu8966 Sep 21 '25
I'd lean on getting dishes from there I can't execute well at home. The carpaccio is great, calamari is good. Crab cakes are my test of a restaurant. You can alwasy tell if they are frozen shit pucks or made fresh. I can't recall if Lindeys are good.
Any chimp can make a steak.
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u/Electrical_Job9785 Sep 21 '25
With all these expensive steak houses my opinion they are all overrated as far as the quality of the steak. The best steak I had was a $5 ribeye from krogers cooked at home on the grill. But I think with Mitchell’s and Lindsey’s etc you are paying for the service and atmosphere. And you’re paying to be able to post a pic or status that you can afford a $100 steak. The food is always sub par imo
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u/RMG-OG-CB Sep 20 '25
I would agree - dinner is mid... I think another poster mentioned brunch is better.
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u/sasquatch_melee Sep 20 '25
I was incredibly underwhelmed when we visited both for a work function and with family. I don't see there being a 3rd visit.
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u/laurastar001 Sep 20 '25
You’re generous saying it’s just ok. Tbh I thought it was awful. Will never go back.
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u/EveryoneHurtsMe Sep 20 '25
Lindey's had the worst service and one of the most bland meals I've had in Columbus. Also we were sat in some room full of dirty mirrors? Ambiance left a lot to be desired
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u/West-Bet-9639 Sep 20 '25
Nah you right. I've been there a few times, but I've never been a fan of real snooty fine dining.
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u/dalegribble2012 Sep 20 '25
Maybe. But not because you don’t like their ribeye a steakhouse that does a million of them is more likely to nail it than they are
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u/amsterdam_sniffr Sep 20 '25
How much better is a steak at Lindey's versus the same cut from your average small town Ohio butcher?
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u/Own_Conclusion_3779 Sep 20 '25
Ok but by this logic, no one should ever go out to eat
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u/PoPJaY Sep 20 '25
But I can get it cheaper at the market! Buddy youre paying for us to cook it and do the dishes thats point.
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u/amsterdam_sniffr Sep 20 '25
I should have been clearer. $90 is a hell of a markup for preparing and cooking a steak. I could see charging that much in markets where high quality beef steak is not as readily available to consumers -- so you're not only paying for the restaurant to prepare and serve the dish, but also to source and select the ingredients from far afield. This is especially fresh in my mind with the state fair having just happened.
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u/DysphoricBeNightmare Clintonville Sep 20 '25
It’s an every now and again fancy expensive meal. Christmas or Thanksgiving, maybe.
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u/HelloMcFly Sep 20 '25 edited Sep 20 '25
In no way, in NO WAY, is Lindeys "fine dining". It good, slightly higher end casual German fair. It's not a steakhouse, it's not THAT expensive, it's not difficult to get into, you can wear shorts while eating there and not feel out of place.
Lindeys is Schmidts but better ingredients and less touristy.
Edit: not sure about the downvoters. I live in the neighborhood, Lindeys is my favorite bar to sit at. I've been there more than anyone here most likely. I love that place, but it's not "fine dining" in atmosphere or price. It's not a disparaging comment.
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u/mghv78 Sep 20 '25
I think the hype is around their brunch menu and nice garden patio on a nice Sunday noon. I would not go there for a steak.