Downtown Columbus just gained a massive new attraction called The Kee that is a little bit of everything: restaurant, bar, coffee shop, art gallery, arcade, event space, and much more. I attended a special media preview event, so take a look at all The Kee has to offer!
Clocking in at 30,000 square feet, The Kee sits in the Warehouse District, an under-utilized part of downtown bordered roughly by Spring Street on the south, Fourth Street on the west, 670 on the north, and Cleveland Avenue on the east. In addition to actual warehouse spaces and (too many) surface parking lots, it’s the site of BalletMet’s studios, Abbot Labs, the bygone Platform Beer taproom.
The owners of The Kee say it draws its name from its location on McKee Alley, as well as its role in hopefully “unlocking” the potential of that downtown district.
You can see a full map here. When you enter the building, you’re faced with a large welcome desk. Heading to the right you’ll run into their art gallery.
The gallery features Columbus-area artists and curators; they love to have local artists curate their own shows, and The Kee doesn’t take a commission on sales.
If you head to the left from the entrance you’ll run into the first of many gaming rooms. This one is lined with cornhole and tables.
Beyond that is a space simply called the Cafe that’s open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. It features a full coffee bar, creative toasts, pastries from local bakeries, brunch, and cocktails.
The second dining area is dubbed the Foodbar.
It features a collection of salads and shareable items like hummus, wrapped dates, fried calamari, nachos.
They also serve handheld sandwiches like walking tacos with lamb schwarma, a schnitzel parm sandwich (pictured above), and a fried eggplant pita with hard boiled eggs (below).
The menu surprised me. They could have phoned it in with generic bar snacks or pub grub, but instead they draw on the owners’ backgrounds to craft a menu with heavy Mediterranean and Middle Eastern inspiration. It’s enough to make The Kee a dining destination all on its own.
The main dining area, and certainly the flashiest, is called the Lounge. It features a full bar with cocktails, the same salads and handhelds as the Foodbar, plus bigger entrees like curry smashburgers, roasted half chicken, roasted eggplant, short rib pot roast.
You could easily spend a full evening at The Kee, going from dinner and drinks to the various gaming rooms. You can get a rechargeable card to play skee-ball and other games.
Or try out large-format games like chess.
Or hit up one of the virtual golf rooms.
As if that wasn’t big enough, the space includes an event venue that can hold up to 700 people standing.
The Kee also features covered patios and a converted alleyway with garden lights, tables, and firepits.
There’s plenty of street parking and surface lots all 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
Web: thekeecolumbus.com
FB: The Kee Columbus
IG: @thekeecolumbus
