EAT LOCAL MEDIA
September 01
Owners Joshua Barkhurst (left) and Matthew Cochran (right) showing off their Buckeye pride. (Courtesy of 1801 Tavern / Facebook)
Football season means fantasy drafts, watch parties, and cleaning up empty beer cans on a Sunday night. Save yourself the hassle of hosting at home, and stop by 1801 Tavern in Powell, Ohio.
1801 Tavern brings a fresh face to the sports bar scene of Powell. Open for a little over a year, this casual, welcoming spot offers upscale eats perfect for any lowkey game day.
Owned by longtime friends Matthew Cochran & Joshua Barkhurst, we spoke to Cochran about where this year has taken them and the 1801 team. But first, we started where it all began.
A Sports Bar Is Born
“Josh and I bartended together in college, and we’ve been best friends for 25 years,” says Cochran. “COVID happened, and we couldn’t go out anymore. Josh found himself making a lot of craft cocktails, which were prettier and tasted better than a lot of the places you’d go and pay $25 for a drink.”
Like most friends would joke around, Barkhurst had thrown out the idea of making something out of these cocktails. Cochran couldn’t believe him at first, given that the two of them both had separate day jobs, but soon began a three-year search.
“I didn’t just want to be a cocktail restaurant. I wanted the concept to be a sports bar with craft cocktails that rotate.”
Cochran spoke about a bar he and Barkhurst frequented that had the same cocktail menu for years. He had wondered why they never updated their offerings, and wanted to make that a central feature of the drink menu.
They settled on a rotating cocktail menu that changed with the seasons, offering new, inventive flavors every few months.
But, cocktails were just the start. In their relentless search for a location, ideas began to adapt and change based on
“Initially, we only wanted to open a bar, and then we found this space with the garage doors and the patio, and we fell in love,” says Cochran. “It obviously has a large kitchen, so we embraced that, hired a kitchen manager, and came up with a menu that we were really excited about.”
Located on 9721 Sawmill Rd., the friends took over what used to be Shorty’s Pizza in December of 2023. Luckily, the previous owners were extremely helpful in the transition, helping connect the two friends with local community connections Shorty’s had previously established.
With their hands in every bit of the process, Cochran and Barkhurst spent four and a half months renovating every bit of the interior to cultivate a warm, welcoming dining experience. The menu was being worked on, cocktails were perfected, but the spot was without a name.
“(The name) was where we got stuck for a long time. We couldn’t think of a name for the place, and we were throwing around ideas,” says Cochran. “Once we finally found this location, we started doing research and went to the Historical Society. We found that 1801 was when Powell was settled.”
1801 Tavern opened its doors on April 11th, 2024.
A Look Into the Menu
“When you’re coming to watch the games, you obviously want to eat burgers, fries, pizza, and wings. We didn’t want to be a low-class version; we wanted to be higher end.”
If you’ve stopped into 1801 at any time in the last year, you’ve likely noticed several menu changes. With no kitchen experience themselves, Cochran and Barkhurst leaned on their kitchen team to innovate the menu. Like their cocktails, the food is ever-changing, but for good reason.
With the handful of official menu rollouts they’ve had, the 1801 staff have been able to adapt and innovate based on customer response. Oftentimes, they’ll try out a special, gauge its popularity, and add it to the menu if enough support backs it.
Though some items are on the menu for good, best-sellers like the mini burgers, caprese sliders, wings, and any of their specialty pizzas are here to stay.
Who could resist a spread like this?
Editor’s Eats
We love a good sports bar, especially one with a menu as fresh and fun as 1801 Tavern’s. Here are some of our recommendations, backed by co-owner Matthew Cochran.
Alongside the menu restructuring, the owners set out to find a kitchen manager to lead the staff. Their asks were simple: they wanted consistency, creativity, and someone properly trained. That’s where William Foos comes in.
“(Will) was in the corporate sector, but he’s had a lot of extensive experience running kitchens, so we sat down with him and told him our vision.”
Foos became the kitchen manager earlier this year and has since seen through several menu updates, and is constantly curating new dishes to make the menu.
“He has just completely embraced the role with a true passion for cooking,” says Cochran. “We’ll get text messages all night of new ideas he’s got, and then he’ll come in the next day to make it, take pictures of it, and we’ll taste test it. It’s exactly what we’ve been looking for, and he’s leading the way on our food consistency and innovation.”
Another Round, Please!
Local beer on draft, bottled big names, and buckets of seltzer are just a few ways you can enjoy watching the Buckeyes take on Big Ten rivals, but the 1801 Tavern cocktails are our winner for the drinks.
The menu is filled with classics that have a bit of a twist, like the old fashioned done two ways: Honey Hibiscus Old Fashioned, if you’re feeling sweet, or the 1801 Tavern Old Fashioned, for a more classic feel.
And, as the leaves turn and fall approaches, hold onto the warmth of summer with the seasonal specials before they go. Our personal favorites are the Bananas Foster, made of Bumbu rum, vanilla vodka, and banana liqueur, and the Orange Crush, which tastes deliciously similar to a spiked orange soda.
The seasonal cocktail menu, no matter the time of year, is integral to 1801 Tavern.
“We actually allow our bartenders to submit ideas each season for new cocktail recipes, and then we taste all of them and decide which ones are going on there.”
It began as the idea that started it all, and now everyone contributes to the rotating cocktail menu. We can certainly attest to these bartenders being flavor geniuses because we’re still thinking about the Miso Strawberry Sour we had.
And, Cochran let us know that the 1801 Tavern parking lot is a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA). Despite not being able to go far, Cochran and his team hope to capitalize on this permit and host outdoor events, such as farmers' markets or even OSU football watch parties.
Have no fear, though, as the inside space is free to rent for any party, accommodating 50 to 55 people with half of the space, or 115 at full capacity. Food can be served buffet style, and you’ll be free to control the TVs to play whatever game you’d like, with the sound on or off.
Run the Play
It’s taken some time, but it feels like the 1801 Tavern team has finally settled into their spot. Though many concepts have inhabited their very location, this one feels correct.
“We have a fantastic staff here, and that’s taken a while. In this industry, there’s a lot of turnover, but we’ve got really key pieces in place now that I think are going to carry us forward.”
Over the first year, 1801 Tavern has focused on becoming a beacon for Powell and the surrounding communities. As for our own experiences, we can certainly speak to the friendliness and skill of the staff.
“It’s a lot more than we had ever planned on, but also so exciting and rewarding. We’ve come to be involved in the community, Liberty schools especially, and we support a lot of the sports teams that come in with their families,” says Cochran. “We hope to deepen that relationship over the coming years.”
If you haven’t stopped into 1801 Tavern yet, mark your calendars for a busy football afternoon and come on by.
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Visit 1801 Tavern!
9721 Sawmill Rd, Powell
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