Whether or not you drink, happy hour after hours with co-workers can be a great time to destress, wind-back, and get out all the kinks of a hard day’s work along with some great food and atmosphere.

But what can put a damper on happy hour is a bad bar or restaurant, with bad service or bad drinks. 

In Gahanna, Ohio, there are a handful of bars and pubs to choose from as your happy hour of choice but there are a few standouts you and your coworkers should pay a visit to after hours.

• Gatsby’s 
• Barrel & Boar Creekside
• The Beeline
• Arezapo Tapas and Wine
• Creekside Local Cantina
• Jordan’s Pub
• Flanagan’s Pub
  

The options on this list widely vary in terms of atmosphere, food service, and drink service. Whether you’re looking for something more traditional like a sports bar or a place heavier on the food and margaritas, there’s a bar around Gahanna for you.

Gatsby’s 

151 N Hamilton Rd | Gahanna | gatsbys1977.com

A Gahanna staple, if you’re looking for a traditional Irish bar Gatsby’s is the place to be after work. Established in 1977, Gatsby’s has been in the area for over 40 years and has built up a reputation not only on its drinks but on its wings and pizza.

Classic American greasy foods can be all that you need when you’ve had a long day, and Gatsby’s provides, but they also usually have some form of live entertainment for you as well. Not just limited to local artists but even some games as well, music trivia or something similar.

Gatsby’s provides a familiar family-owned atmosphere of a traditional bar with enough twist and flair to keep you coming back, here are a few suggestions for food off their menu.

• Gatsby’s wings, jumbo-sized and deep-fried chicken wings, these are a must-have for the table. You can get them in a variety of different kinds of sauces but make sure to try Gatsby’s homemade barbeque bourbon sauce.
• Buckeye’s favorite pizza, appropriately named for Ohio, is Gatsby’s signature pizza. With pepperoni, sausage, capicola ham, hot peppers, and black olives.
• Gatsby’s sub is another classic option. This sub is loaded with ham, salami, capicola ham. and smoked provolone on an 8-inch Italian sub bun, then oven heated and topped with lettuce, tomato, hot peppers special dressing. 

“Incredible bar! Great staff. Affordable beer. I love this bar so much, I drove down from Cleveland the week of my wedding just to go here.” - Yelp Review

Barrel & Boar Creekside

121 Mill St | Gahanna | barrelboar.com

What’s better than drinks after work? Drinks and barbeque centered food. Barrel & Boar Creekside has elevated barbeque dishes to pair with local craft beers and craft cocktails.

It’s a nicer option for after work if you’re looking for a place to go that’s not just a bar but a restaurant with more atmosphere. The rustic feel adds to a comforting glow, that is guaranteed to help you wind down after a hard day.

Their bar happy hour goes from 3:00-6:00 pm Mondays through Fridays, but their specials for their food and drink almost every day of the week. Try their Burger and Beer Mondays with cheeseburgers for six dollars and draft beers for two. 

Here are some Southern-themed drink suggestions, as is Barrel & Boar’s specialty.

• A PB & J old-fashioned might not sound like something traditional, and it’s not but this spin on classic cocktail is one you have to try. With skrewball peanut butter whiskey, wye whiskey & angostura bitters, and garnished with a Luxardo cherry it does taste like the sandwich.
• You can’t go wrong with the buckeye hot chocolate, it’s both in the Ohio spirit and can keep you warm on a cold winter’s day. A mix of hot cocoa served with skrewball peanut butter whiskey and topped with whipped cream.
• The wild Ohio black cherry bourbon barrel tea beer, made in nearby Columbus is the beer you should have on your mind at the bar. And it's gluten-free!

“I HAVE to come back here...  The food was really tasty, nicely prepared and presented.  The service was great, and highly recommended.” - Yelp Review

The Beeline

3989 Merchants Row | Columbus | facebook.com/thebeelinebar

As much as food and drinks can tie up your day into a nice and neat bow, sometimes you want to forgo the dinner part and get straight into the bar. 

The Beeline might be located farther away from central Gahanna, and borders on the outskirts of Columbus but it is a hangout bar tried and true with expertly crafted cocktails and wine and beer to order by the bottle.

The Beeline is strictly drinks only, and happy hour with drinks at half price start at 4:00-7:00 pm Mondays through Thursdays and 3:00-7:00 pm on Fridays.

Their selection is, of course, catered to all kinds of tastes, whether you’re looking for something simple and familiar like a Budlight or one of their specialty sparkling wines.

Here are some favorite suggestions.

• The Paris to Moscow cocktail is made up of simple ingredients, but by no means is it boring. This drink concocted of raspberry vodka and champagne comes with edible flavored pearls that will leave your tastebuds singing. 
• The honey comb is the Beeline’s one and only house shot, and it’s worth its reputation. Made with old overholt rye whiskey, honey-infused simple syrup, fresh lemon juice, and orange blossom water.
• The Beeline also has a selection of hard seltzers, that have become more and more on-trend. They carry the typical Whiteclaws but also more off-brand seltzers like their high noon pineapple and high noon watermelon.,
  

“The happy hour is phenomenal! The drinks are spectacular and the service was good.” - Yelp Review

Arepazo Tapas & Wine

93 N High St | Gahanna | elarepazolatingrill.com

It’s not always easy to find a great place with Latin American food and a decently priced happy hour but Arepazo Tapas & Wine is the restaurant to visit if you’re looking for both and get bang for your buck.

Family-owned by Carlos and Carolina Gutierrez who are originally from Venezuela and Colombia, with multiple restaurants across the Ohio area for ten years, Arepazo is a reliable and tasty option. 

They’ve fused all kinds of Latin dishes and combined with their colorful and sweet drinks there’s nothing better to spend your money on.

Here are a few drink suggestions from their happy hour menu that’s Monday to Friday 5:00-7:00 pm.

• Pitchers of red and white sangria can often be so good and so refreshing it’s easy to forget they have liquor in them at all. Arepazo’s comes with Jumilla-Shania White and Juan Gil-Shania Monastrell Red wine, house-made. 
• On Mondays, all margaritas are five dollars all day long. Made with triple-sec, tequila, and lemon-lime orange juice, customizable to whatever special they have that day. 
• Yuca fritas a part of their happy hour food menu, are deep-fried tubers from the cassava plant native to South America. Made in the fashion of french fries and served with cilantro sauce. 

“I went to Arepazo with a friend for happy hour. I started with a pineapple martini. I'm not usually a fan of vodka drinks but I loved this drink (pineapple, vodka, and coconut rum), not too sweet and pineappley.” - Yelp Review

Local Cantina

101 Mill St | Gahanna | facebook.com/LocalCantinaCreekside

Another Latin option to the list but this time dealing strictly in Mexican cuisine, with tacos at the top of their list. 

Visit Local Cantina if you’re feeling like you want to dig in on a variety of Mexican food options with your drinks. 

Their tacos range from traditional carnitas or beef, with pineapple mango salsa and mint to more Americanized options that implement barbeque into the mix like the beef brisket taco with slaw and BBQ sauce. 

And if you’re not satisfied with that they have options for quesadillas, fajitas, nachos, and a self-serve chips and salsa bar. 

Or if you’re there only for a sweet treat with your drink try one of their desserts. A deep-fried chocolate chip cookie, with vanilla ice cream and a caramel drizzle, or sopapilla, a fried tortilla, cinnamon and sugar, vanilla ice cream, and caramel as well. 

“I stopped in here for happy hour on a taco Tuesday, probably one of the best decisions I've made in a while. They have a self-serve chip and salsa bar, instant win me over.” - Yelp Review

Jordan’s Pub

471 Morrison Rd | Gahanna | jordansdeli.com

The only bar on this list to double with a sister store right next door, Jordan’s Deli, Jordan’s Pub is a  two trip in one kind of outing.

Located right in the heart of Gahanna, if you want somewhere homey to stop by with your coworkers go to Jordan’s. You might not be looking to buy deli meats, but the option is there to add a unique twist to your night.

Either way, the pub, with its diehard sports bar atmosphere is a great palace to stop and grab some traditional bar grub. 

What Jordan’s is known for is their excellent sandwiches and burgers, no surprise with the deli next door. Their Macedonian burger made with roasted jalapenos and banana peppers, feta cheese, chipotle mayo, fried green beans, and more with a side of fries will give you that kick you’re looking for. 

Or try the spicy kielbasa sub with your beer, served with swiss cheese, onions, and bell peppers. No matter what you get to drink you’ll have the perfect meat-centered meal option to pair it with. 

“I love this little hidden gem in Gahanna and the food is good too. It doesn't hurt they provide amazing service on top of that.” - Yelp Review

Flanagan’s Pub

3001 Reynoldsburg New Albany Rd | Blacklick | flanaganspub57.com

Flanagan’s is a pub you might want to check out not just at happy hour but in the morning’s as well, they’re known to have a killer breakfast menu, but that doesn’t mean they’re slacking in the later hours.

Founded by Bob Flanagan in 1957, the pub is family-owned to this day, stepping into this bar is almost like you’re stepping into your home, the friendly atmosphere can’t be beat.

Almost as good as this is their food and drink, and Flannigan’s has live music from locals frequently as well.

If you’re going to Flannagan’s expect that homey bar food to go with your beer. Burgers and wings and sandwiches, all greasy and ready to go. They have a large selection of appetizers if you’re looking for something smaller to eat or to share with the table.

Try their fried Portobello mushrooms or fried green beans. Cheese curds are always a good option as well. There are plenty of french fries and sliders if you’re craving a burger but not hungry enough for the dinner special.

“I've been going to Flanagan's for 28 years now...hard to believe! They have amazing food, cold beer, great service, live music on weekends, and a newly renovated outdoor patio and bar.” - Yelp Review

Not everyone is going to agree on an after-work spot for happy hour. Sometimes one leg of the journey is deciding what bar you should go to, but in Gahanna, you have lots of options.

Gahanna is lucky enough to have a wide variety of restaurants and bars that can cater to your food and drink needs day by day. You’re not going to be craving the same thing every time you go out. Some days you need something casual some days you want to live a little more on the formal side.

There is something for you and your coworkers here, and hopefully, the drinks will set you in the mood for a fun night and a productive day tomorrow. 

Do you have a favorite bar spot for happy hour? Make sure to comment below and to like and share!