Kee Downtown is an all-in-one stop for food, drinks, coffee, art, games and events

by admin

Downtown Columbus just got a massive new attraction called The Kee that’s a little bit of everything: restaurant, bar, coffee shop, art gallery, arcade, event space and more. I attended a special media preview event, so check out all that The Kee has to offer!

At 30,000 square feet, The Kee is located in the Warehouse District, an underutilized part of downtown roughly bounded by Spring Street to the south, Fourth Street to the west, 670 to the north and Cleveland Avenue to the east. In addition to actual warehouse spaces and (too much) surface parking, it’s the site of BalletMet’s studios, Abbot Labs, the old Tap Room of Platform Beer.

The Kee’s owners say it takes its name from its McKee Alley location, as well as its role in “unlocking” the potential of this downtown district.

You can see a full map here. When you enter the building, you are greeted by a large welcome desk. Going to the right, you will find his art gallery.

The gallery has artists and curators from the Columbus area; they love local artists curating their own shows and The Kee takes no commission on sales.

If you head left from the entrance, you’ll find the first of many game rooms. This is lined with cornhole and boards.

Beyond that, there is a space called simply the Cafe which is open from 7 am to 2 pm every day. It offers a full coffee shop, creative toasts, pastries from local bakeries, brunch and cocktails.

The second dining area is called the Foodbar.

It features a collection of salads and sharing items like hummus, wrapped dates, fried calamari and nachos.

They also serve hand sandwiches, including lamb schwarma tacos, a schnitzel parm sandwich (pictured above), and a fried eggplant pita with hard-boiled eggs (below).

The menu surprised me. They could have dialed it up with generic bar snacks or pub food, but instead, they draw on the owners’ backgrounds to craft a menu with a strong Mediterranean and Middle Eastern influence. It’s enough to make The Kee a dining destination in its own right.

The main dining room, and undoubtedly the most striking, is called the Lounge. It offers a full cocktail bar, the same salads and laptops as the Foodbar, plus larger entrees like curry burgers, half roast chicken, roasted eggplant and short ribs.

You can easily spend a full evening at The Kee, from dinner and drinks to the various game rooms. You can get a reloadable card to play skee-ball and other games.

Or try large format games like chess.

Or visit one of the virtual golf rooms.

As if that wasn’t big enough, the space includes an event space that can accommodate up to 700 people standing.

The Kee also features covered patios and a converted alley with garden lights, tables and fire pits.

There is plenty of street parking and grounds around The Kee.

Disclaimer: This visit was part of an invited media night. Thoughts and photos are my own.

The Kee
225 Neilston St.
Columbus, OH 43215

Website: thekeecolumbus.com
FB: The Kee Columbus
IG: @thekeecolumbus



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