Clintonville Spotlight

Subourbon brings Southern flair, flavors to Linworth



The term “fine dining” typically refers to a unique and sophisticated restaurant experience, complete with delicious foods and beverages.

This aptly applies to Subourbon Southern Kitchen & Spirits, a Southern style eatery featuring high end whiskey, bourbon and spirits that opened on June 27 at 2234 W. Dublin-Granville Road.

Nestled in the booming Linworth area of Worthington, Subourbon highlights heavy Southern influences in its dishes such as seafood gumbo, fried green tomatoes, shrimp and grits and catfish po’boy sandwiches.

An impressive selection of whiskeys helps set the mood at Subourbon. (Spotlight photo by Cliff Wiltshire)

The restaurant aims to bring flavors of the South to Worthington, treating guests to locally sourced foods, drinks and a relaxed, inviting setting.

“It is all about being made to feel welcome when you’re here,” said Patrick Marker, a co-owner of Subourbon.

“We just want to be a place that the community can come to, get a great meal and a great drink and just really feel welcome.”

Marker is a graduate of the Johnson & Wales University culinary school in Charleston, SC. He also owns Alqueria, a farmhouse-style restaurant at 247 King Ave., with partner Jacob Hough, who graduated from the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute. The two met while working together at Barcelona, a Spanish-style restaurant and bar located in German Village.

It was out of Marker’s experience in culinary school down South, and Hough’s background at Universal Studios in Florida, that a deep love of Southern food was born.

“Southern food is pretty near and dear to my heart,” Marker said. “It’s one of our favorite cuisines to eat, as well.”

What makes Subourbon distinctive, however, is its pairing of Southern food and whiskey to bring a modern twist to their menu, emphasizing the, “uniqueness of different flavors” of the various whiskeys and bourbons offered. A rich and diverse drink menu enhances the cuisine, creating an atmosphere unique to this part of the region.

Whether a patron is a newbie to the whiskey scene, or a longtime aficionado of Southern spirits, there is something to pique one’s interest here.

“During the pandemic, we were thinking, ‘What can we do next?’ ” Hough said. “Pat was already getting into the bourbons, and we knew it was becoming very trendy, so we started collecting while we were there,” at Alqueria.

Hough and Marker also wanted to take advantage of the re-emerging popularity for whiskey, and worked with Tommy Householder, a brand ambassador from Watershed Distillery, to design a cocktail menu emphasizing their concentration toward it.

“The bourbon industry kind of had gone through a lull and now it’s kind of become like a younger, fashionable drink again,” Marker said.

“90 to 95 percent of what we’re offering is like American whiskey, whether it be bourbon, rye or blended.

“We wanted to do some fun seasonal stuff, but then we also wanted to do traditional whiskey cocktails, because that’s really our focus here.”

Marker’s current favorite whiskey offered at Subourbon is Lost Monarch, bourbon-rye blend that is spicy and a little sweet.

Hough prefers the smoothness of Eagle Rare bourbon or tequila.

Subourbon is located in the building that most recently was home to Crafty Pint.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *