George’s Beechwold Diner (Facebook)
4408 Indianola Ave. (map it!)
Columbus, OH 43214
(614) 447-0944
Open Mon-Sat, 6:30a-3p; Sun, 7a-3p
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten free? Y/N/N
Kid-friendly? Y
It’s been almost exactly seven years since I last wrote about Beechwold Diner (although not seven years since our last visit), and now that the diner has established itself as a neighborhood dive, I thought it was worth highlighting again. The diner was briefly minted as Suzzie’s Beechwold Diner, but has now settled in as George’s Beechwold Diner, named after owner George Cela, who came to own the diner in 2010 after working at Tommy’s.
The site of the Beechwold Diner used to be a place called Rube’s. I never made it to Rube’s before it closed in 2005, but everyone I asked said it was a greasy spoon with an emphasis on the greasy. The place had lots of character, let’s say.
Now I’m happy to see that the place has all the character of a true neighborhood diner: inexpensive plates of comfort food, established groups of regulars, 1950’s memorabilia hung on the walls. I’m proud that Columbus has taken care of its diners, from the addition of Beechwold Diner, to the community support behind Nancy’s, to both Jack & Benny’s and Fitzy’s expanding.
I’ve been back to the diner a few times with the boys recently, and we’re reminded how lucky we are to have it in the neighborhood. Is the food complicated? Certainly not. It’s a diner! Is it hearty and fun to eat? Absolutely.
We’ve started by splitting a cinnamon roll, which comes out sweet and cut-with-a-fork soft.
The boys are fans of the French toast in particular. It’s divvied into four custardy slices, heavily dusted with powdered sugar and topped with a generous dollop of soft butter. Honestly, it’s a lot of butter, so we usually scoop it off. Enough melts by the time the dish arrives that you won’t be wanting for butter.
On my last visit I tried a breakfast sandwich with a side of home fries. Again, simple: white toast, bacon, a fried egg, American cheese. Perfect for the time and place.
You can order variations of the pancakes and French toast with blueberries, chocolate chips, or the buckeye version with peanut butter and chocolate chips.
They regularly have a breakfast burrito on special, a grilled pocket of scrambled eggs, cheese, peppers, onions, and your choice of meat.
And more French toast. Because our boys love it so much.
Long live the diner! It brings a smile to my face when I walk into the Beechwold Diner – or any diner, for that matter – and see it humming with activity. These institutions are so vitally important, and I’m happy to see the Beechwold Diner serving its neighborhood so well.
