'Lower Clintonville' has emerged as a go-to spot for delicious burgers
Mention Clintonville to denizens of Greater Columbus, and opinions will gush out like spilled bourbon barrel-aged craft beer. Some descriptive words about Clintonville you might hear are “hip,” “up and coming” and “overpriced housing."
Walking about four blocks along High Street from Duncan Avenue to Crestview Road in my Old North/South Clintonville stomping grounds last week, though, brought different descriptors to mind like “Burger Boulevard,” “Hamburger Hotbed” and "Patty Lane."
Yes, “Lower Clintonville” has become the epicenter of a burger boom.
This isn't due to a proliferation of mass-produced fast fooders. Actually, it’s the opposite of that: There's a wealth now of top-end burgers in Lower Clintonville, enhanced by a recent growth of locally owned eateries making serious burgers. This movement was boosted when Preston’s: A Burger Joint — the local standard-bearer for smash burgers — relocated to 2973 N. High St. (near Crestview) in February.
The special-sauced upshot of all this: Just a 10-minute stroll through Old North/South Clintonville these days leads to a glorious glut of delicious burgers. In addition to beloved Preston's sensations — like its pastrami bacon burger and “spicy boi” (with house pimento cheese and chile jam) — the alluring neighborhood burger lineup currently includes the following standouts.
Burger-cue
Smoked burger from Ray Ray’s Hog Pit, 2619 N. High St., at Ace of Cups, 614-753-1191, rayrayshogpit.com
If you’re wondering why the king of “Hog Pit” barbecue is in a burger story, maybe you haven’t visited Ray Ray’s on a Friday lately. Or maybe you haven’t arrived before Ray Ray’s ran out of its Friday-only smoked burger special ($13) — which the excellent crew running the Ace of Cups branch told me often happens by mid-afternoon.
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Offered at all company outlets for about a half year, Ray Ray’s smoked burger is essentially an “unsmash” burger that stars one of the more distinct patties around: 6 ounces of ground beef given a steak-like treatment that results in smoky, grill-marked, medium-rare, juicy meat. Enhancing this deliciousness is melted white American cheese, a sort of barbecue sauce aioli, good pickles, a Martin’s potato bun, plus a big side of puffy-crisp waffle fries kicked up by seasoned salt and a spicy-rich dipping sauce.
Doggone good burgers
Jetpack’s Classic from Jetpack’s Burger Truck, 2634 N. High Street (in the parking lot across from Ace of Cups), facebook.com
When Jetpack’s Burger Truck premiered in April, neighbors began raving about its smash burgers. I realized my neighbors were onto something while visiting this cool-looking, dog-themed, blue and red food truck usually stationed in the parking lot across High Street from Ace of Cups.
Named after the smiling pooch depicted on ridiculously cute decals adorning this wheeled eatery — the four-legged Jetpack lives with Christian Wilsbach, the truck’s burger-smashing master — this operation, which is weekend-oriented, serves late on Fridays (11 a.m. to 1 a.m.) and Saturdays (same hours), and is also open on Sundays (11 a.m. to 5 p.m.).
Its small menu of two-fisted, double-pattied smash burgers includes the thoroughly lovable Jetpack’s Classic ($10): lacy-edged and audibly crinkly patties, grilled onions, melted American, tangy-zippy “Tony sauce” (a condiment-athon involving ketchup, mustard, mayo and pickle relish) plus a toasted sweet bun.
School lunch
Hudson Street Burger from Emmett’s Cafe at Open Air, 2571 Neil Ave., 614-670-7702, emmettscafe.com
Emmett’s Cafe at Open Air launched last year, but the beautiful brick building it inhabits is a former school erected in 1927 and designed by the architect of Ohio Stadium, Howard Dwight Smith.
Emmett’s Hudson Street burger ($17; served with good tots) coheres with the fashionable, upscale cafe’s aesthetic, and features a sizable patty of Ohio-raised beef enhanced by house “special sauce” (includes mayo, ketchup and Worcestershire), richness-mitigating shaved onions and sweet-tart pickles, loads of American cheese, plus a toasted good roll. (Side note: Emmett’s neighbor in the Open Air building — likewise fashionable Understory — recently offered its first burger special. I'll be looking to try that sounded-great-online sandwich when it’s offered again.)
Grass-Fed and High
Rosie burger from Harvest Pizzeria, 2885 N. High St., 614-947-7133, harvestpizzeria.com
Only the Clintonville branch of Harvest Pizzeria offers the Rosie burger ($15), which honors the stylish local chain’s pasture-evoking name by featuring grass-fed Ohio beef. The mild, clean-tasting meat is cooked smash burger-style and partnered with shredded lettuce piled way high into a tall, sesame-seeded, superior, toasted bun. Also on board: aged white cheddar, bacon and caramelized onion jam whose sweetness plays off a dressing of mayo and chopped pickles, plus a hefty side of crunchy and fantastic fried Yukon potatoes. If you’re wondering why a small chain famed for terrific Neapolitan-style pizzas devotes so much attention to a burger dish, well, that’s just how enlightened Harvest operates.
Beer buddies
Smash Burger from Derive Brewing Co., 2808 N. High St., 614-732-4186, derivebeer.com
Open since 2020 in a lively space that celebrates art, nature and irony in a manner befitting contemporary Clintonville, Derive Brewing Co. reflects the taste of the community’s newer inhabitants. As its name relates, Derive makes beer, and its thirst-quenching stuff is skillfully brewed in styles that include saisons, sours, IPAs, Belgian wit and coffee cream ale.
Arrive midweek for the “Wednesday Burger Night” special — loads of in-the-know people do — and you can pair a Derive brew with a fine Derive smash burger for just $12 (the burger alone is regularly $14). Derive’s inhalable smasher features a crisp-edged, good-tasting patty that overlaps its toasted bun and is amped up by ”Smack Sauce” (think zippy Thousand Island-style dressing), melted American and shredded lettuce.
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Sgt. Pepper
Pepper Burger from O’Reilly’s Pub, 2822 N. High St, 614-262-6343
O’Reilly’s Pub — a wood-bedecked, old-school watering hole — stands out in a neighborhood rife with newer businesses. The cozy haunt with sports-and-Irish-themed tchotchkes and great bartenders regularly attracts a large and eclectic crowd for its no-nonsense, good-timing ambience and beloved pub grub.
O’Reilly’s pepper burger ($12, served with chips) — it's the “OG'' Clintonville burger star — attracts a lot of those customers. Fittingly for a place that predates the smash burger craze, the pepper burger features a half-pound mound of griddled beef. The meat receives punch and style from an intense coating of cracked peppercorns, a la steak au poivre, plus embellishments of bacon, provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, good pickles and a nice toasted bun.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 'Lower Clintonville' has become the epicenter of a burger boom
