[1][2] The restaurant has always been an attraction of politicians, lawyers, reporters, and lobbyists, given its proximity to the Ohio Statehouse, Columbus City Hall, and other government buildings.

[9][10] The bar was replaced by the Jolly Gargoyle on March 6, 1920,[11] serving as a tea house and antique shop while prohibition was a national law.

[3] One reporter claimed the tea house was named for stone gargoyles set over the doorway, which a truck knocked off the building.

In July 1933, Al Haft, a professional wrestling promoter, purchased the tavern with John McNamara and renamed it the Ringside.

In May 2020, the business planned to reopen its outdoor patio with tables spaced seven feet apart, and using disposable menus and utensils, without requiring the use of masks.

[18] Ringside delayed the plan in late May, when the George Floyd protests had a violent beginning in Downtown Columbus.

[3] It celebrated handmade works, and thus Ringside includes intricate tiled floors, some with mermaid depictions, storybook-style stained glass windows from Belgium, and dark wood carvings and features.

The room also has oak-paneled walls, a beamed ceiling made of tongue-and-groove hardwood, and three windows depicting a medieval feast.

The painting, called Stag at Sharkey's, by Columbus-born artist George Bellows, depicts boxer Jack Dempsey being thrown from the ring in a fight that he later won.

[14] Ringside Cafe was lauded in a 2019 article by 614 Magazine: "the burgers are juicy, the beers are cold, the lights are low, and the nostalgia runs deep.

[23] The restaurant has always been an attraction of politicians, lawyers, reporters, and lobbyists, given its proximity to the Ohio Statehouse, Columbus City Hall, and other government buildings.

[3][4][5] It has drawn in entry-level staffers up to governors, including Ted Strickland and John Kasich, as well as Columbus mayor Michael Coleman.