Who knew there was such royalty in Downtown Columbus? Little Palace and Dirty Frank’s Hot Dog Palace are two old-fashioned restaurant-bars just west of Franklin University. In operation since 1985, Little Palace is reminiscent of a 50’s diner, replete with a vintage neon sign that informs passersby of the restaurant. Original decorative and architectural features of the building have breen preserved, such as the Boomtown façade and entablature that lines the top of the building, as well as the the booth dividers and the bar inside the diner. Even some menu items have remained the same since the diner’s opening: ingredients for the Little Palace gyro—including the secret Tzatsiki sauce recipe—have not changed in the past 30 years.
Two doors down from little Palace is Dirty Frank’s, a favorite of meateaters and vegetarians alike. With over 30 varieties of hotdogs, Dirty Frank’s is a Columbus icon and has been nationally recognized for its Vienna All-Beef franks and veggie dogs. The work of Philadelphia-based graphic artist Hawk Krall adorns the walls, depicting such customer favorites as the Sonoran and the Tijuana Dog.
Next door, 16-Bit Bar+Arcade takes its name from the computer architecture that many of its decades-old arcade games were built on. With more than 40 classic arcade games on the floor, this venue caters to the nostalgic and playful. Enjoy a drink and play games for free to re-live, or explore, the video games of the 1980s and 90s.
This area flourished in the 19th and early 20th century as part of the Central Market district along North Fourth—with both an inside market—City Hall being on the second floor—and outside stalls. Many of the buildings that now house trendy restaurants were part of the Jewish commercial neighborhood that sold pots, pans, shoes, and other necessities for the area now known as German Village, but people came from all over to shop here. Tiled front entrances to buildings, decorative cornices, and overhangs show the area was part of the old commercial neighborhood known as The Hub. Central Market was demolished during urban renewal in the 1960s with funding from the federal government.