So as of Jan 2, I am working on a new account that requires me to be in Columbus two days per week. It has been quite a while since I have been in Columbus so I was looking forward to walking around campus again, checking out the new Ohio Union, checking out the Arena District, Tommy's Pizza (Upper Arlington location where I used to work) and LaBamba.
Just this past Wednesday, 5:00 rolled around and I decided to make the trek to campus to walk around. Since I was working downtown, I drove straight up High Street. Wow - Short North has really changed. Holy cow, where did all of the shady bars go around South Campus (OK, I have known about the new South Campus and even seen it once, but it still looks foreign to me). Found a free parking spot off of Woodruff and walked to High Street with the anticipation of a Steak and Pork Fajita Burrito that I would ultimately bite into way too early and scorch my mouth on. And ohhhhhh that sauce (salsa?) that you pour on as you eat your burrito.
Needless to say that I was quite angry, upset, concerned, perplexed when I came across the building and there was a Qdoba with a NOW OPEN sign. What the f#@$#@!!!! And what made me even more upset was there were people coming in and out of said Qdoba as if they had enjoyed their chain-made pseudo-Mexican (OK - I am not really sure that LaBamba is any more or less Mexican than Qdoba, but...the emotions).
Anyway - the hell with the death of a fake girlfriend and it's effects on how much money a certain player from central Indiana will or won't make. Don't forget the real tragedy that is no more post OSU football Burritos as Big As Your Head.
RIP LaBamba. Looks like a memorial service is in order - in Indianapolis or Louisville...
Never went to Labamba in 7 years at OSU. It always seemed like a less desirable, way more sketchy option than just hitting up the Chipotle. Nevertheless, it's sad to see a High Street staple go.
I was at OSU pre-Chipotle/Qdoba/Moe's. LaBamba was the place for campus area Mexican.
Dude, no offense but some of the Mexican places around Columbus that look considerably more sketchy than La Bamba did are serving up much better food than Chipotle. And don't get me wrong, I like Chipotle.
This includes a number of very sketchy looking taco trucks. I think I'd be missing a lot if I was wasn't willing to be a little risky and instead just hit up Chipotle.
I misread. I thought Bama was gone. Rats!
That would have been GREAT news!
Cazuelas > Chipotle > Qdoba > LaBamba. IMO.
You dare say anything is better than Chipotle? BAN HIM!!
"YOLO" = I'm about to do something extremely ignorant/stupid & I need an excuse to do it.
Real Mexican is always better than Chipotle. Seriously guys, go to SoCal or Mexico and to the real stuff.
Mad Mex > All of your above
Ohio State's band SLAUGHTERED Michigan's band. If this were a football game, it would have been Florida State vs. Savannah State. - SB Nation following OSU vs. UM 2012
El Vaquero>Mad Mex>LaBamba>all the rest....I realize El Vaq is down olengrungy a bit, but worth the trek. Best mexican food in columbus by a long shot.
For you campus cats looking take your gal out to a nice affordable restaurant without seeming like you're going to an "affordable" place, you should take her to Giorgio in Clintonville, just a mile or two north of campus on high street and the atmosphere is awesome and the food is great, it's just north of Mamma Mimi's and Aladdins. If you pass Nancy's (another hidden gem) you've gone too far.
"I'm One Bad Buckeye, and I approve this message."
+1 El Vaquero - many good, off campus meals there. And binges on frozen margaritas, too.
I think El Vaq owns Cazuleas,that's what I've heard anyways. Can anyone confirm? I've been to both and the food is near identical.
I know this won't be a popular opinion, but El Vaquero is a watered down version of what real Mexican food is. I never could figure out how it became so popular. A little known place called Tres Potrillos (Hilliiard area) was always my favorite.
I loved Cazuelas when I was at OSU, but I've heard (through current grad student friends of mine) that it has taken a tumble for the worse.
35 hours to Pasadena! Go Bucks!
La Fogata & El Vaquero are much better options than Cazuelas. Check them out if you get a chance.
Don't give up... Don't ever give up.
"Burritos as big as your head."
great place to go after the bars.
LaBamba super nacho was the all time ultimate drunk food. I probably ate 2.4million nachos there...and never once sober.
I took a pitstop from my senior crawl there to get a burrito before hitting the bars on south campus.
"Because the rules won't let you go for three." - Woody Hayes
THE Ohio State University
Many drunken memories at LaBamba.....or lack there of.
RIP
No La Bamba
No Flying Tomato
:(
Flying tomato was the place too! Nothing better then a few pitchers on a nice day watching the sorority girls come down 15th
Damn.
"Don't put syrup on shit, and tell me it's pancakes"
No matter how sh*tty the tour is, it's always tough to leave.
LaBamba's hot sauce was amazing - I'd buy bottles of it if I could.
You had to be drunk to go there. No sober human being would subject their insides to that torture.
"As long as we're keeping score, we're gonna try to win this thing." - UFM
Agreed. Love their super nacho.
Wait until Baja Fresh, Freebird's World Burrito, or Rubio's Fresh Mexican eventually make their out to C-bus. They're making their way west to east. They will make you forget about Qdoba and Moe's fo sho.
Had a Baja Fresh open here south of Dayton and closed in about a year. I thought it was about the same a Qdoba.
After a night at the bar, LaBamba was amazing. There was always a huge line but it was well worth it. On one such night, me and a buddy got into a drunken burrito fight right in the middle of the restaurant. Man, sad to see that place go.
I was going to say, labamba is in Louisville still as far as I know. Wouldn't say the best but great for the price.
Is Ohio State pizza still good? I haven't had it since whenever Blade III came out on DVD/VHS.
"YOLO" = I'm about to do something extremely ignorant/stupid & I need an excuse to do it.
I shed a tear for LaBamba. You have a place in heaven next to Papa Joes.
I've had Baja Fresh, and it's... alright...
/Duff'd It
Yeah, have to agree Baja Fresh is nothing special
When I lived in Columbus there was a baja fresh on Bethel rd. Is that gone now?
I was informed by BuckNKY about this travesty last night and I almost drove through the front window of a Qdoba down here in Cincy after i got that text. Time for a trip to Louisville Bucknky, I'll be happy to pick you up on my way down.
I'll be waiting at the curb!
I went to LaBamba a few times around dinner time, and every single time my friends and I were the only ones in the place. I'm sure it got good business late at night, but I'm not surprised it's gone as it just never had any business during normal hours (at least that I saw).
I lived right by it last year (on 17th) and everytime my roommates and I would go the place was completely empty...I'm assuming they lost a lot of business when Chipotle moved in.
good news = less diarrhea
Is this place a Mexican eatery, by the way? (I don't know. I've never been there. It sucks though. I can just guess with a name like La Bamba that it's Mexican food. A.D. automatic diarrhea. That's why they call it Immodium AD)
Anyone remember Burrito Bego?
Oh yeah, completely forgot the Burrito Bago. Although given my state of mind whenever I partook, doesn't surprise me.
Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't you have to call them to find out where they were parked before heading out? Very early Internet days...
What about Used Kids? Is Used Kids still there? Do CDs still exist? World Records? What am I, like a hundred years old?
i went to used kids my freshman year a few times..i believe its still there now that im a 4th yr
I know it's not Columbus, but if you are ever in Zanesville the place to go is Tlaquepaque on Maple Ave. My wife works at the hospitals in Zanesville and has been telling me about this place for years. About a month ago we went on a date and she suggested we go there. It was well worth the drive from Newark, and I look forward to my next trip down that way.
The best taco/mexican place in Columbus is Los Guachos on Bethel.
I never had LaBamba, it was too far North to go for food for when I lived on campus. (12th and high, W 9th/Neil).
Help is on the way.
Whew! I'm so relieved...seeing your title, I thought Lou Diamond Phillips had died!
http://images.moviepostershop.com/la-bamba-movie-poster-1987-1020232349.jpg
What about Flying Pizza?
"Don't put syrup on shit, and tell me it's pancakes"
No matter how sh*tty the tour is, it's always tough to leave.
It's A Slice of New York nowadays. Pretty sure someone purchased the two Columbus locations. Personally, I don't taste a difference in the pie, but some swear that it's different. The locations in Dayton are still Fly Pie. They still have the holy "two slices plus a free drink" lunch special; one of my favorite lunches on campus, miss the hell outta that joint.
It's always been infinitely better than Adriatico's, in my humble opinion. Second only to Hounddog's in the area.
From Mexican food to Pizza
#1 Adriatico's - Random story. When I was in school, I got lunch with a friend and he was treating. We moved our seats so a much larger party could come in and sit and eat. When we ask for the bill, they said the party we moved for paid for it. A $23 pizza which for a college student is a lot of money.
#2 Tommy's on Lane Ave.
#3 Fly Pie/Slice of New York (I always thought it was the same name)
#4 Hounddog's
#1000 Dewey's on 5th in Grandview.
# 1001 NYPD Pizza on High and Chit across from Eddie George's. Closed down.
I won't eat at the last two places ever again...
Ohio State's band SLAUGHTERED Michigan's band. If this were a football game, it would have been Florida State vs. Savannah State. - SB Nation following OSU vs. UM 2012
See, I always liked Dewey's. Their mushroom pizza is amongst my favorite pies of all time.
Never understood Adriatico's; way overrated,in my opinion. Crust is okay, but the sauce isn't to my liking, their pepperoni is bland, and the pizza is just unexciting.
If you're in Columbus still, check Yellow Brick Pizza, in Olde Towne East. Best joint in the city, and a magnificent draft list, to boot.
Sicilia's next to Out r' Inn is freaking delicious. Better than Fly Pie in my opinion (although still good).
35 hours to Pasadena! Go Bucks!
Catfish Biff's and Hounddog's are the only two pizza places I truly miss. Adriatico's was always more sentimental (my TBDBITL alumni friends like to have reunion dinners there during the weekend of the alumni game).
Flying Pizza aka Fly Pie is still on campus across from Sullivant Library. They did rearrange the store though so it looks kinda new when you walk in there. I like how they change the restaurant.
Ohio State's band SLAUGHTERED Michigan's band. If this were a football game, it would have been Florida State vs. Savannah State. - SB Nation following OSU vs. UM 2012
ill never forget their mural of the ohio state football player who im pretty sure had a taco for a head that was mauling michigan football players on their wall to the left as you walked in. i am healthy enough today to tell you all that i have had labamba sober, if only for the fact that my roommate thought it was the greatest thing in the world.
rip
I like football
Yea, this happened some time back and Labamba was very good and great when drunk, stripped down basic/simple Mexicanish food and kick ass sauces and to even try to compare Chipotle to it is tantamount to saying or comparing Mark Pis to any Chinese Restaurant.
Many listings of really good mexican places and Labamba could not be compared, but for what it was, it was the best. Burritos, tacos and chips from a cafeteria style chow line were infinitely better than the competitions.
And Labamba was an Ohio State Buckeye football tradition, while not as old as Carmen, Ohio, it was not only the last stop after the bars closed for home games, but a familiar and even neutral venue for OSU road games. Road victories were celebrated like the home ones at Labamba's in Bloomington, West Lafayette, Champaign, Madison and even Chicago. However, must have been a corporate thing, because a lot of those are now closed too.
Wonder what Urban can do about it?
hated that place tbh...
Sad that LaBamba's is gone. I too had only been there late night but I especially enjoyed the paintings on the wall. We used to go to Alcatraz which some of our friends still called Quarters. Now it's Buffalo Wild Wings. Time and change will surely show...
There were 2 BW3's on campus when I left (1996).
"Don't put syrup on shit, and tell me it's pancakes"
No matter how sh*tty the tour is, it's always tough to leave.
Are they going to keep the Chic Harley relief up outside the building?
"Don't put syrup on shit, and tell me it's pancakes"
No matter how sh*tty the tour is, it's always tough to leave.
Qdoba > Chipotle > Mad Mex > Fiesta Mariachi > El Vaquero > Burrito Noches > Dog crap > La Bamba. Sorry :\ just my opinion.
Class of 2010.
Seriously guys... If Chipolte and Qdobe is at the top of your Mexican food list you've never left Ohio...
I believe it's due to two reasons: accessibility and flexibility. The "best" authentic Mexican on campus is cazuelas, and I don't think it's all that great. Also, even with the ridiculously long lines at Chipotle, it's a lot faster than going to any sit down Mexican restaurant.
Just my view on people calling them "the best." I LOVE Chipotle, but El Vaquero or La Fogata are the best authentic mexican in Columbus. Los Gallos is great if any of you are by chance in Youngstown.
Don't give up... Don't ever give up.
My pet peeve related to Mexican food/restaurants is when people get totally fixated on "authenticity." I've been to truly "authentic" mom & pop Mexican restaurants that were phenomenal, but also been to restaurants/taquerias that were supposedly "100 percent authentic" that were just garbage. It's not enough that some traditional chef is back in the kitchen making everything from scratch, according to the old traditions, etc.; the chef also has to be a talented cook using high-quality ingredients.
I've also eaten amazingly delicious food at restaurants that were despised by the authentico-nazis because they were "fusion" places. But, sorry, they combined high-quality ingredients with cutting-edge recipes and the result was divine!
A buddy of mine from east L.A. used to lecture me about how fusion was a scourge and about how the only true Mexican food was what his mom and grandmother cooked when he was growing up. When we were back in L.A., he invited me over to his mom's for dinner and I was saddened to discover that his mom's food was kinda yucky. Authentic, but not tasty at all.
We can agree that bad food is bad food no matter how "authentic." I actually love fusion food and think it is great in it's own right. But I can find 10 shops in the little town I lived in in Carpinteria, CA that made better burritos than Chipotle because they stuck more to traditional mexican food styles. They simply took the time with good ingredients and their own twist that to me turns out MUCH better than the chain Chipolte type restaurants. They are just more flavorful and well rounded. To me, the chain restaurants cut back the flavor to meet American taste buds (not too hot). I like hot, I like spicy, I like it to burn a little.
But we can agree, if it is bad food, it is bad food. Doesn't matter how authentic it is.
I agree that Chipotle is nothing special. However, it's consistently pretty good quality, and inasmuch as it doesn't live up to awesome Mexican food, the problem stems less from lack of authenticity than from fast food requirements.
Take the carnitas. I'm guessing that Chipotle uses regional "kitchen" facilities to "braise" (boil?) the pork and then send it frozen/packaged to the various stores. Then, they heat up the meat and keep it warm in those trays, for easy access. The carnitas is just okay, but it's satisfying enough.
The best, truly authentic carnitas is slow-cooked in copious amounts of lard and then served on warm homemade corn tortillas straight off the griddle. The meat is so mouthwateringly succulent and rich, and the tortillas so sweet and flaky, you don't need to load it up with cheese or other fixings - just maybe a little tomatilla salsa and fresh cilantro.
Problem is, a lot of supposedly "authentic" places do not make the carnitas the traditional way, or they screw it up somehow. For one thing, they probably can't make enough money hand-making and slow-cooking everything from scratch the right way. So, they take shortcuts, which end up being worse than Chipotle's shortcuts - e.g., you get a day-old (or formerly frozen) tortilla with just some mediocre carnitas and okay salsa on it and then you're thinking, "hell, I could actually use some cheese, beans and lettuce on this thing . . ." They'll call it "authentic" and customers will play along.
On the other hand, other places that are not trying to be "authentic" at all find ingenious shortcuts to serving products like carnitas - maybe they braise/roast first, rest overnight, and then fry the next day right before serving. It's not quite as good as the best authentic carnitas, but it's damn good. And then they find new creative ways to use this A-minus canitas. The result is A+ even though the carnitas is not quite perfect, by itself. But they'll also charge you $23 for a plate of Mexican food.
Chipotle will charge you $6 for a pretty good, giant burrito.
And I lived in California. Sure, they were lots of places much better than Chipotle, but many others were not. And, of course, fans of some of the bad places would try to convince me that they were "authentic."
I am with you 100%. I still eat Chipotle, I still eat Taco Bell. I just prefer more authentic style, of course done well, if I can get it. I can't get that now that I am back in Ohio, it's a bummer. I just want to point out, if we are talking about "great" mexican food, I can't put Chipotle in that catagory no matter where I am. It is good for what it is, I still eat it and am happy with it. But I have to point out that it is not "great" by any means. To me, it is like rating any fast food burger over a well made hamburger at most restaurants. They are usually good and servicable, but I can never put them on top of a good local burger place that hand makes their burgers each day from fresh meat.
All and all, I think we agree.
I've heard that Los Guachos Taqueria in NW C-bus is pretty good, but I haven't made it there.
I'm in NW Ohio, any suggestions? There is a place in Wauseon that was pretty good my dad took me to one Christmas we came home.
True story. Was holed up at Morrison Tower one summer, and got the craving after a night of drinking in my dorm room. I was like, "Guys, I need some Bamba's nachos right about now." They go, "Don't go, it's a hurricane out there." Me: "You're right, I'll just stay here," and I went back to my room. My friends get a call from me when I got to the Union, after I started freaking out that I might die by lightning bolt. I kept going, though. That was a long-ass walk. But mission accomplished.
Never had LaBamba. Just had Cazuela's recently and didn't think it was that amazing, I'd rather eat El Vaquero than either of those. There are also a couple good ones in the Hilliard area, Fiesta Mariachi and La Famosa. I like Chipotle, regardless of how inauthentic it may be, although I'm not a big fan of Qdoba.
...and Michigan still sucks.
So, a little off topic, but I haven't lived in Cbus for a while and I think its relevant to the the authentic/quality question: The Fly Pie comments above made me think of shoo-fly pie, which is a traditional Amish pie made with molasses. I saw this on the menu of a restaurant in Lancaster PA, and was intrigued enough to try it. I have no doubt that it was an authentic PA Dutch recipe based on the other Amish food I ate there (been to Amish country enough to know the real thing).
Well, it may have been authentic, but it wasn't much to speak of. Basically just a sweet pile of goo that may in fact have appealed to a swarm of flies, but otherwise had little to redeem it, especially considering the multitude of other dessert options offered. So put me in the quality>authenticity club.