An interior view of Out-R-Inn, located at 20 Frambes Ave. Credit: Helena Hennessy | Managing Arts & Life Editor
North High Street is home to a variety of campus bars, each offering a unique atmosphere for students, but just off the main road lives Out-R-Inn — a dive bar that has upheld tradition for more than 50 years.
The bar, located at 20 Frambes Ave., opened in 1969, said Steve Valentino, the bar’s general manager, and won best campus bar in The Lantern’s 2026 Best of OSU special edition, continuing its 5-year-long winning streak, receiving a total of 480 votes from Ohio State students and community members. Valentino said the bar’s staff operates like a family, and that many of its employees have worked there for 10 to 20 years.
“A lot of us have also been here a long time,” Valentino said. “I know we do kind of have an older staff, but we kind of feel like we want the experience we want. Like we’re going out to a bar, and we’ve been doing bar business for a long time. We know how we want to be treated. We want to try and provide that kind of service for everybody.”
When it comes to operating a business, Valentino said he prioritizes timely service and curating a welcoming atmosphere.
“We want to provide the service that we want to get when we’re out,” Valentino said. “We want to get drinks out fast. We want people to enjoy their time here. We take pride in playing music. Everybody’s kind of got their own different vibes, so, whichever night it is, you’re gonna know who’s playing music based on what it is.”
Within the University District, Valentino said North campus bars often share a specific aesthetic tailored to the traditional dive bar.
This resemblance allows Valentino to embrace a sense of community with his neighbors, he said, including Threes Above High, located at 2203 N. High St., The Library Bar, located at 2169 N. High St. and, formerly, The Little Bar, located at 2195 N. High St., which closed March 31, according to prior Lantern reporting, and has since been demolished.
“It’s your prototypical dive bar, and we like it that way,” Valentino said. “North campus kind of has a vibe, and we try and stick to it. We speak, as our staff, as family. A lot of these bars up on the North end are like family to us as well.”
Billy Parrott, assistant general manager of Out-R-Inn, said that the community that has formed between the North campus bar owners allows them to support one another.
“It’s more of a family than anything, especially with the owners and the management.” Parrott said. “We’ve known each other for so long. We visit each other constantly, and it’s one of those: we come in, sit down [and] speak. We like to pick each other’s brains on what’s working, what isn’t.”
Within his community, Valentino said he is saddened to see the recent closures of many local businesses, including The Little Bar and PJ’s Grill, located at 15 Frambes Ave., which closed ahead of University District development plans, according to prior Lantern reporting.
“PJ’s is still tough,” Valentino said. “I’m so used to looking out and seeing their lights on, and you can always tell when something’s off or like something’s out of place where you’re working. It took me a while to figure out it’s because the lights are off over there, and it’s just one thing after another.”
In light of recent local business closures, Valentino said he wants students to be reminded of the college town charm that exists in the University District.
“We take it very seriously with how the landscape’s changing with more and more corporate spots popping up on High Street and stuff closing down,” Valentino said. “They can’t hold their spots on High Street, and we’re doing everything in our power that we can to, as well as the other bars, to still provide that non-commercialized experience for students that are spending their time here in Columbus.”
Parrott said Out-R-Inn has maintained its popularity since he was an undergraduate student at Ohio State.
“There’s like a lot of history in that bar, and when I was in undergrad at Ohio State, it was honestly just as popular as it is now,” Parrott said. “It just kind of shows that we’re not messing anything up, and we’re just kind of keeping that bar high to get people that want to stay and come back.”
Beyond his managerial responsibilities, Parrott said he also enjoys bar- tending, as it allows him to stay connected with Ohio State’s students and the campus community.
“I’m a big talker, and I just enjoy asking, ‘Hey, how are things going,’” Parrott said. “I’m getting older, and I feel like I’m just aging myself out, but it feels like I never really left the university. It feels like I really have my finger on the pulse of what’s going on in the community here on campus, and it’s just fantastic.”
In addition to regular service hours, Valentino said he enjoys opportunities to host special events and guests at the bar. He said Miles Teller’s visit to Ohio State with canned cocktail company The Finnish Long Drink was a standout, as the “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Whiplash” actor appeared at Out-R- Inn and The Library Bar as a celebrity bartender, according to prior Lantern reporting.
Despite being a part of a large community of bars, Valentino said Out- R-Inn separates itself, as it has been around for decades.
“A lot of it is students — their parents came here and they hear all the time, ‘It’s harder to get into here,’” Valentino said. “The upperclassmen crowd, they come in here saying, ‘Oh, my parents met here. I’ve been hearing about this place for so long. I finally can come here.’”
Valentino said the bar’s sense of community is reflected in the familiar faces of returning customers and longtime staff members.
“It’s just generations that come here,” Valentino said. “We’ve got a couple employees that their parents, their dad worked here, their mom worked here, and that all comes full circle.”
