Little Palace (Downtown)

It’s no secret that I love mid-century design, and Little Palace is one of the most pleasing examples of it anywhere.

There’s nothing theme park or kitschy about the place. Somehow you’ve stepped back in time without leaving the present.  Their take is decidedly the Danish modern version, as opposed to the atomic version, of mid-century, which is what makes it feel so effortless to me.

On this particular visit, it was night.  But even if you’re there during the day, it’s dark inside.  My photography skills being what they are, and me being limited to my camera phone, made it difficult to capture just now beautiful this place is.  No matter what, it’s dark there. I think it's intentional.

There is a sort of heaviness that comes over you when you enter.  I always think of a famous line from “It’s a Wonderful Life” when I'm there.  George Bailey and Clarance the angel go into a bar and Clarance orders a flaming rum punch. The bartender says “Hey look, mister. We serve hard drinks in here for men who want to get drunk fast, and we don't need any characters around to give the joint atmosphere."

That said, there’s nothing dangerous or scary about the place.  

Purely based on the throwback era aesthetics, my grandfather would have come to this place after a day of working at the steel mill, to sit at the bar. (Alas, no blue collar workers are frequenting this place - it’s all hipsters who know a good setting when they see one.)  Don Draper might be equally at home here.

A small blurb on the food:  the menu is small, and there doesn’t seem to be one single cuisine speciality (there is perhaps slightly more emphasis on Italian, with pizza and stromboli being part of their offerings).  They have wonderful Brussel sprouts and polenta fries (served with red pepper aioli).  I’ve been known on more than one occasion to have a steak there, which they do well.  

Let’s tour, shall we?

This gorgeous neon sign greets you from the street.  And then a small foyer awaits you just inside the door.  It feels like a home, rather than a business.

I don't know if this is Missoni fabric or not, or just chevron, but it is fabulous.  Here is a closeup of that great lamp and side table:

And on the other side of this small foyer, we see the obligatory plant in its perfect planter:

And can we forget the artwork?  Never!

There is a hostess stand of sorts, that's not manned, but it's perfect:

I've never had a wait there, even though they are always busy enough.  But if you did have to wait for a table, there is a little lounge that would be at home in any proper mid-century finished basement:

I hope smoking never comes back into fashion, but there is always a place for an awesome mid-century ashtray.  

I'm quite discouraged the picture of the floor lamp doesn't show the amazing details that it has.  Hopefully you get some idea.

So let's look at the restaurant seating. There are booths and tables.  The booths on the restaurant side share a very design-appropriate divider with the booths on the bar side.

I always find myself sitting in a booth against the back wall. I pretty much spend the whole meal staring at the iconic light fixtures that define this place for me:

I photograph these every time I'm here, even though I have nothing new to say about them.

It's really hard to see in this dark photo, but the artwork contains memorabilia from an old tiki restaurant in Hawaii, and above these things is very period-appropriate grasscloth wall covering.

This excellent hutch/sideboard is used for supplies and looks totally at home here. 

If you're just in for drinks (or casually eating), the bar is large and welcoming.

There is a wall decor piece I especially love at the right end of the bar:

Don't forget to visit the restrooms before you leave. I didn't take any photos inside but these signs are amazing.  They're so subtle, but, like everything else here,  they're the perfect choice for their function.  You never see anything here that looks like it's out of place; everything is so perfectly chosen you don't even notice it unless you make it a point to.

As you walk away, the classic neon Budweiser sign reminds you that alcohol is served.  You can see a line of those great lights and not much else from the street:

Every city restaurant should be below residential units with fire escapes, so don't forget to take a final glance at the place as you're walking away. 

Little Palace

240 S. 4th Street

Columbus, Ohio 43215

Monday-Friday 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 a.m.

Saturday-Sunday 12:00 p.m. - 2:30 a.m.