Market & Boar
59 Spruce StreetThe North Market in Columbus, OH has so many options when it comes to prepared food.
We met some friends who now live in Dublin at the Market for lunch while we were in Columbus for a trip to the Zoo.
We sort of split up to get our food with the plan of meeting in the dining area on the second floor of the market. We had already gotten the kids pizza from Serafino’s Pizzeria & Italian Deli, but I had passed a BBQ place while walking around and you know I’m not going to pass up BBQ.
Market & Boar is the North Market’s resident BBQ shop. It’s located on Park Street side of the market right near the middle entrance.
Market & Boar is part of the larger Barrel & Boar restaurant group which has two full service restaurants in the Columbus area specializing in “scratch food” and craft beer.
The North Market location has been around since early 2009. They were known as Holy Smokes BBQ at the time, but rebranded to Market and Boar when the rest of the restaurants underwent a transformation to become Barrel and Boar.
The stand at the Market has all the BBQ meats you could want. Brisket, chicken, ribs, pork, wings, turkey, kielbasa…..and they lay it all out in front of you in a warmer case right next to the order area.
When I walked up to order, I was just planning on ordering for myself. J had gotten herself a slice of pizza and a bubble tea, but once she saw the BBQ, she changed her mind.
She wanted the pulled chicken. She got it with two sides so we could share with the kids. I got the brisket and also did two sides. I got mac & cheese and chips while J got mac & cheese and beans.
Our bill was a little over $24 before tip. I paid for it with my card then headed around the corner to fill up my Coke and get some BBQ sauce. My name was called before I could even get my Coke filled, so I grabbed the bag with two Styrofoam containers of food then worked on the little cups of sauce and stuck them in J’s meal.
I started right in on my brisket when we got ourselves situated in the upstairs. I didn’t read the menu very well because I was just expecting the meat. I didn’t see that the meats were served on a white Italian roll. This was actually a pleasant surprise. The meat was so tender and so juicy that it didn’t need any sauce. As I’ve mentioned in other blog posts recently, I really like my brisket salty and this wasn’t really there, but it was still so tasty.
The Barrel BBQ Chips were also somewhat of a surprise. I could see stacks of them behind the counter, but I didn’t know how good they were going to be until I bit into one. These home made chips are dusted with a BBQ seasoning. They’re really crispy and the seasoning is generously applied.
J and I each got Mac & Cheese for sides so we could share with the kids. They also had an option for a Spicy Bacon Mac & Cheese which I would have gotten if I wasn’t sharing. The regular Mac & Cheese was good and cheesy, but also unremarkable. It’s a solid side dish…it just doesn’t stand out as anything more than an average Mac & Cheese.
The pulled chicken is chicken from Gerber Farms in Ohio. It’s smoked until it pulls apart then it’s mixed with a thick, sweet BBQ sauce. The sandwich came on the same white Italian roll that the brisket did. It didn’t take long for J to realize she made the right choice by passing on the pizza she already bought to get BBQ. The chicken was so tender and the sweet BBQ sauce is just the way she likes smoked meats served.
I was a little surprised she ordered the baked beans because they come with brisket. The beans are swimming in BBQ sauce and left over chunks of beef brisket. She and B both devoured these beans despite the presence of cow in them.
Market and Boar was such a great choice for lunch. I love these market BBQ shops where you can quickly get delicious BBQ on a consistent basis.
SW Michigan Dining 