Food - the food here is just ok. I had the kabob combo and though the steak and lamb were pretty good, the chicken was really dry and weirdly sour tasting.
Recommend - coming here Friday and Saturday nights for the bellydancers who dance around the restaurant.
In the summer - The terrace has hookah.
Parking - there is none. The area is a little sketchy at night so find street parking in a lit area.
I hadn't been to Andy's in several years, and even back then, only for lunch. After reading several negative reviews, I was hesitant, but in hindsight I'm glad I had my birthday dinner here. The menu isn't mind-blowing, but the dishes are simple, tasty, and fresh, and there are lots of vegetarian options. Between the six of us, we enjoyed a really nice appetizer platter (with hummus, baba, grape leaves, falafel, etc.) 3-4 bottles of wine, individual entrees ranging from shish tawook to grilled veggies, and an after-dinner double-apple hookah. The prices were very reasonable; I believe our entire bill split five ways came out to $50 per person - which seemed more than fair considering all the indulgences. Everyone seemed really pleased with the food, and the atmosphere was cozy and fun on a Thursday night. Andy even came out with a cream puff and sang "Happy Birthday" at our table. Maybe we caught them on a good night, but I'll definitely be returning soon to find out.
Review Source:First, I'll say the food at Andy's is good. But that's it. Here's what you probably don't know about Andy's...
-management/owner drop food on the floor, pick it up, place it on the plate and serve it to customers
-management/owner eat off of plates before serving said plates to customers
-management/owner and family have changed babies on the dining tables, and never wiped the tables down - instead of cleaning the tables, they sat customers there.
If you had a great waitress, I recommend paying your tip in cash...management/owner don't let the waitresses keep their tips. They're required to hand them over at the end of each shift.
Bottom line...the food is not good enough to make up how they treat their employees or customers. Go elsewhere!!
I've tried Andy's about 6 times in the past 2 years. Â I keep hoping for a better experience but have to admit that hasn't happened. Â The food is just OK, the wine glasses are small, the service isn't very good. Â The front table in the window is often being used by the family that runs the place, complete with little one playing and just hanging out watching kid shows on TV. Â The manager was taking inventory of liquor on the shelf...come on, can't you do that after or before hours?? The combination of the above doesn't lend itself to a fun or romantic dining experience. Â I've only gone on weeknights and one time we were the only diners and generally we are one of only a few tables inhabited.
Review Source:Went last weekend with 7. Â Let me start with the positives....very good food, great ambiance, especially the belly dancer. Â No one complained at all about the food and we all left full. Â In fact, the review would be a 5, if not for the following.
The service was a joke. Â It is a Saturday night, have more than 2-3 servers. Â While I said the food was very good, it was not worth the prices. 14 dollars for two lamb sliders and fries is /was a joke. Â I also had two glasses of wine for $8. Â This wasn't the problem, the problem was each glass was a different size and I even saw a third size glass. Â When I mentioned that to the waitress she just said that just happens sometime. Â Really??????
I want to go back, but not until the pricing and servicing improve.
I'm quite confused on how another poster said he had horrible service here. Â I am super careful about the food I eat due to a heart healthy diet. Â Originally, we found Andy's from the Christ hospital website, since Christ Hospital had tested many entrees and deemed them "Heart Healthy". As in, low salt, low fat, not just low calorie!
I have never, ever, ever, in going at least 2 times a month for over a year, had bad service or bad food! Â Andy always comes out to say hi, and the first time we actually met him, he brought other tastes of different entrees to us! Â Our friends eat here and love it - and yes, we are pretty good "foodies" as well, although not from super fancy LA.
When you arrive, ask questions about the menu, engage your waitstaff! Â And be adventurous - everything here is fabulous!
Took a group of friends there and was embarrassed that I did! Â The food was good, but the service was so terrible that I will most likely never go back. Took over 15 min for the 9 of us to get drinks then when we wanted our bill it took them 30 min to get it figured out. I was so frustrated when. Left that it didn't matter that my dinner was good :(
Review Source:Despite living a 5 min walk from this place, I haven't been for the year I've lived here. Â I haven't heard much hype about Andy's, and I was waiting for the right occasion to spend a little bit more than normal on a meal. Â I dropped in for a takeout order. Â I appreciate that they served up my meal very quickly, and the total quantity of food was great. Â The giant, fresh Greek salad was great - dressed perfectly. Â But when it comes down to it, the entree was lacking. Â It was one of the bigger meals on the menu, and there was very little meat on the plate. Â Plenty of rice, salad, bread - the cheap stuff, but the meat was lacking. Â And what meat they had given me was overwhelmingly lemony. Â The meat was also very dry, but I tend to think that of most Mediterranean food. Â And it was expensive. Â I paid $24 for 3 skewers of meat that weren't that good. Â I wanted to like Andy's simply because of its proximity, but unfortunately, I have higher expectations for the taste and quantity of a $24 lunch.
Bottom Line: Despite being just blocks away from Andy's, I won't be back.
We have been to Andy's 3 times since moving to Cincinnati. The food is OK, although we don't care for the falafel. It seems that every time it tastes slightly burnt. On two of the three visits the server neglected to serve our bread until we asked for it.
In our latest visit, we were using a AAA Member Deal where we paid $10 for $20 of food. The stipulation was that it was for full entrees only. I ordered the ShishTawook and companion ordered a pizza for an entree. We also ordered 3 beers, an appetizer and a dessert, so we weren't being cheap by any means. When it came time to pay the bill, the manager sent the waitress to tell us that the pizza is not a full entree, so he wouldn't honor the full price of the coupon. Instead of $20 he gave us only $15 toward the dinner. Nowhere on the menu or the coupon did it say that the pizza was not considered a full entree. Â And on top of that, he did not even have the courtesy to speak to us directly. The server seemed very embarrassed.
Upon returning home, I notified AAA Member Deals of the situation. They followed up by speaking with the manager, who finally consented to let us come in for a free appetizer if we contact him. Frankly, I don't think it's worth the trouble.
Decent service, bad food. Â Although tender and moist, the lamb shank was covered in ketchup, which ruined it for me. Â My wife's dish was a sort of ground meat kebob described as chopped steak on the menu, which was admittedly nothing to complain - or rave about. Â I wouldn't have cared so much if the dishes hadn't been so expensive - at $24 and $16, respectively.
Review Source:I went to Andy's with my boyfriend and his friend on Saturday night. The resturant was not that busy which I was surprised by because of how much people say that they like this place.
Despite the lack of the crowd I was still excited to eat here...until I saw the prices! I have never seen any Mediterranean restaurant have such high prices before. Though the prices were high that made me place high expectations on the food. I ordered the lamb gyro with rice instead of fries and a house salad. My boyfriend and his friend ordered the same thing which was  Hashweh which is ground lamb in rice with lamb slices on top with Greek yogurt on the side.
So first my salad came out which I was really happy with because it came with this really good dressing on top. Then our meals came out afterwards. The rice with my meal was really good, it had a lot of flavor and there was a good amount of it. The gyro was good but it was way too Americanize for me, they put french fries on the gyro...ewww!!! For $15 I was expecting this meal to taste authentic. I tried some of the meal that my boyfriend and his friend ordered and I was kind of disappointed once again. The ground lamb in the rice was super chewy and fatty and the portion size was pretty small and it didn't even come with a salad or anything, deffinitley not worth the price of $18!!!
I have been to quite a few Mediterranean restaurants and I have never been to one that isn't decorated like a Mediterranean restaurant. This place to me looks like an old Cracker Barrel or something it is so country looking.
Overall the only saving factors were the salad, rice and our waitress was very friendly and attentive to our table.
The only way I would ever come back here would be if someone else were paying and if I would order something different. I'm sorry Andy's but I had high hopes and they were ruined. One can't just live on salad, rice and good service alone.
Awful awful AWFUL service!!! Seriously, Â unbelievable. Â I'm a foodie from LA and my friends in Cincinnati warned me that the food was good, but the service was iffy. And how!
First, ignored by the hostess despite a reservation. Then we were sat and ignored. Then a loud waiter came and yelled loudly - informing us that because it was New Years Eve, we had to order a $30 prix-fix special. I was just planning on drinking, our whole group wasn't very hungry, and so we complained.
THE OWNER CAME OUT AND YELLED AT US! Yeah, she was blaming us and said we should just leave because she needed the table. Most of the table was so embarrassed that we decided to stay. However, the vegetarian was even forced to order the all-meat special!!! Â Absurd!!
I ordered my food to be boxed up because I wasnt hungry. I will NEVER go back. I will also be informing the owner.
Literally, Â I'm sitting here listening to the awful music and getting madder and madder. We're out of water...
OK I'm signing. For the sake of justice, eat elsewhere.
My family is Lebanese and I grew up eating authentic Lebanese food cooked by grandparents and other relatives. Â It's probably my favorite type of cuisine. Â I adore Andy's because their food is authentic. Â Everything from their hummus and tabouleh to their kibbe and kufta is all delicious and it reminds me of what I grew up eating. Â It is comfort food to me. Â I am happy that there is a place in Cincinnati where I can find this kind of food and happier that it is so good. Â I also enjoy that they feature Lebanese wine and beer as well as other global beers and wines. Â It's always a great experience at Andy's and I will continue to go there, especially when my family visits!
Review Source:Last Wednesday my wife and I met at Andy's Mediterranean Grille for dinner. I had a coupon from LivingSocial that was basically a $40 gift card after paying $20 for it months ago. I had made a reservation online, but found the restaurant mostly empty upon arrival. My wife actually arrived first and was seated a table in a secondary dining area that may have once been an outdoor area. There were two other occupied tables nearby, and just a couple of other people in the first main room of the restaurant and bar area.
To get things started we ordered the Mediterranean Sampler ($12) of hummus, baba ghannouj, labneh, tabouli & olives (though we asked to substitute the olives for an additional serving of hummus. Looking at the plate we were served I do think we got the double serving of hummus, but I didn't realize it until now that we didn't get any baba ghannouj. Bummer! The dish was served with a large basket of warm pita bread. I though that the hummus was pretty standard, still good, but the tabouli was better than any I've had before.
For dinner I ordered the Shish Tawook ($16), four skewers of marinated & charbroiled chicken breast served on a bed of rice. The chicken had a lot of lemon flavor, which must be a big component of the marinade. Fortunately I had some of the appetizer left to balance the flavor better. The chicken itself was well cooked, juicy and charred on the outside. Four skewers is more than I could eat in on sitting, but the price still seemed a little high for what was served.
My wife ordered the Falafel Platter ($16) which provided a large serving of falafel along with a vegetable salad and some yogurt sauce. I stole more than a couple of bites and liked the falafel flavors more than the chicken spice blend. The falafel itself is disc shaped rather than more commonly seen ball. Again we could not eat the entire plate of food, but the price seems very high for a dish that is typically very cheap to prepare.
We both enjoyed the food and were happy to finally find a Mediterranean spot in Cincinnati, but with the high prices I don't know that we will be back. Or if we do I'm sure it will be with a coupon of some sort. I never though of Mediterranean to be an expensive meal, but Andy's proves that it can be. Had the prices been lower I would have had very few things to complain about. But as is I find it hard to recommend to anyone even if it was a tasty meal.
Four stars for the lunch specials. An excellent lunch for two was just 17 dollars. Very tasty. The service was fine. Would try it immediately if you haven't yet. Â
I can't comment of dinner, but they have two bars, boat loads of wine, and, I hear, belly dancers. Could be pretty cool I imagine.
Andy's is a  great place for lunch.....the 3-course special offers the best of the regular menu at a very affordable price.  The hummus is incredible and the pita warm and fresh.  I have not been here for dinner yet, but can't wait to give it a try.
You really don't have to be a fan of Mediterranean food to love this place!
I have been dying to try Andy's since having a gyro at the Taste of Cincinnati and finally got to go last night. Â It was all that I hoped for and more. The place is a hidden gem in Cincinnati & I do mean hidden. Â It's about 5 mins north of downtown on Nassau off of Gilbert, perfect for lunch or dinner after work. Â
The party I was with ordered 4 appetizers: hummus, baba ghannouj, labneh, & falafel. Â They all came with delicious warm homemade pita bread. Â Hummus was good, kinda middle of the road but the Labneh was out of this world! Â It's a must when coming here. Â
As we were munching on our appetizers, Andy came over, took a seat and introduced himself. Â Where else in Cincinnati does that happen?? Â We chatted about why he started the restaurant, his childhood in Lebanon & his favorite menu items. Â The guy is charming to say the least. Â It honestly was like having dinner with a family member you haven't seen in a while.
Our party ordered kabobs, a gyro & the lamb shank. Â The lamb shank fell off the bone and melted in your mouth. If you get nothing else, get the lamb shank!
The prices were reasonable (we were there during HH & the appetizers were 1/2 off) and the service was great. Â Our server was very attentive when it came to drink refills and bussing the table.
I'm sure this was the first of many trips to Andy's!
Ok, I'm torn right down the middle on this review. Because the food was the delicious (and Cincinnati needs as much good Mediterranean food as possible.) But the service was just so bad. So bad! Hence my confliction.
We came in as a big group try a bunch of their different items. I had called ahead and asked if they could seat 10, and they said they could, but when we got there, we found that they had two tables of five next to each other. Not a big complaint, mind you, but that gap in the middle of the tables makes it even harder to talk to someone at the other end. Just a little awkward.
The table ordered a ton of everything to share. We started with the Baba Ghannouj, the Labneh (a Greek Yogurt) and humus. Each was amazing! Seriously delicious. I was psyched we had all three at the table because each was different in it's own way.
And the pita they brought with it. Fresh baked and warm, right out of the oven. Dear god it was good.
We then moved onto our entrees which were equally as surprisingly delicious. I had no idea why the falafel platter was $16 (as falafel is usually relatively cheap food), until it came out. There had to be at least 15 pieces of falafel on my plate! Hot damn. And with tons of fresh vegetables and amazing sauce. It's a platter for two for sure (or for one with leftovers for the next day.)
I ended with the baklava which was sweet and delicious. Very happy with everything I ate.
Now, the issues...
When we got there, the restaurant was nearly empty on a Wednesday night, and it never got much more full. However, we were treated like it was the busiest night of the year. Since we were at two different tables, we actually has two different servers, which made everything confusing right from the start. They two of them kept forgetting which table they had and bumped into it each other a few times, literally.
Because of this confusion, items were forgotten, the wrong items were brought and there were wrong things on the check at the end. And even though we had two different waiters, it was often times hard to get either of their attention for something like a soda refill or more pita to go with the entree. It became more and more frustrating as the night went on.
At the end of the night, the table to the left got their check and was even able to pay before our table got ours! Our friends could have paid and left before we even saw our bill, and they had no real explanation for why. Just that our server was "coming."
I know we were a big group, but honestly, it should not have happened like that. If it was one waiter with issues, I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt. But two, each semi-failing in their own way? Not great...
However, I still like this spot a lot. I love the atmosphere (great real wood everywhere. I even enjoy the silly cheesy things like painting clouds on the ceiling.) And the food. Hot damn the food.
I will be back ... but maybe I'll take to go next time.
I went here for Yelp's eats and was disappointed, I will give it another chance, because I always think once in a while a place may have an off night, so I not fully judge it on one visit. Â The food was decent, but I think I would have liked it better if I was not ordering off the lmited Yelp menu. Â The starters were really good though and the portions were very large (too large). Â The service was not too great at least the night that I was there. Â I have heard good things about here so I hope I was just there on an off night.
Review Source:I was eager to try Andy's after seeing the television commercials, and was glad to have the chance to sample it during Yelp Eats. Upon arriving, we were greeted warmly by Andy. It was humbling to see the owner mingling in the restaurant.
My order:
- Lebanese Blonde (gin and mango juice over ice)
- Baba Ghannouj
- Falafel Platter
My drink arrived 10 minutes after the rest of our table's beverages, looking and tasting more like a lemonade slushie than gin and mango. It wasn't bad, just not what I anticipated while ordering.
The appetizers arrived, and our table shared the Baba Ghannouj, Hummus, and Labneh. Although eggplant is my favorite vegetable, I didn't like the Baba Ghannouj. It was too saturated in olive oil and lemon and I couldn't taste any eggplant. The Hummus and Labneh were delicious. We went through several baskets of pita bread devouring the dips. The appetizer portions were huge: a table of five could easily make due with one bowl of dip, much less everyone ordering an individual helping.
The Falafel platter was gigantic! Fifteen falafels with yogurt sauce and vegetable fixins. I devoured about half of the plate, and boxed the rest up to take home. Most everyone at our table left with take away boxes. Leftovers are always welcome in my refrigerator; especially leftovers from a great Yelp deal.
My only complaint: the service. We were seated by a waiter who was brash and came off as annoyed with our presence. He took our orders. The other half of the meal was serviced by a waitress who was ridiculously slow. As in, half of our meals were delivered and the rest of our group waited an extra 10 minutes for food. Then half of our table received their checks and paid. The other half was waiting an additional 15 minutes just to receive the bill. The half that paid actually left ahead of the rest because it was taking so long.
With some improvements with the service, Andy's selection of Mediterranean fare and portion sizes will become a staple in Cincinnati.
This is the hardest review I've ever had to write.
I mean, seriously. I'm trying to hold back tears here. When I left Andy's, the owner's (presumably) daughter was playing on the floor while he was working the books. I love mom and pop operations like Andy's. And it's not like Cincy is overflowing with Mediterranean joints. So it is with the utmost regret I say I did not like Andy's.
I ordered the chicken skewers, and I thought the chicken was plain, and even a little overdone to the point of tasting slightly bitter. It may not be Mediterranean, but I felt like they needed some sort of sauce on them. The rice also was pretty bland. The humus wasn't too bad, but then again I'm not a fan of humus, so I'm hardly qualified to judge it - the others seemed to really dig it.
To top it off, they divided our table in half, each getting their own waiter. Ours was pretty slow, as the others had paid and gotten their cards back by the time we got our desert.
Even with the Yelp Eats being 50% off, my tab was close to 18 bucks with tip. If I had to pay full price, I'd feel like I got a raw deal.
I've thrown out 2 and less stars before, and had no qualms doing so. Not this time. I just feel terrible about not giving this place a better review. I'm so sorry, Andy.
Oh Andy's. Â So much potential, but tonight's dining experience just had a few too many missteps to earn anything more than two stars. Â A friend had made reservations for us at 7:30, but when I arrived, the reservation wasn't in their books. Â Didn't matter, the place was pretty much empty, but I guess they need to do something to connect their paper version of the reservations book with the OpenTable option that my friend used.
The first thing I noticed when I was waiting for my friend to arrive was that the woman behind the bar was snacking on something, licking her fingers clean, and then wiping and putting away the wine glasses. Â I don't mean for this to sound more dramatic than it was... she was using a cloth of some type to clean the glasses, and I don't think her bare fingers actually touched the wine glasses, but even so, it was kind of gross.
When my friend arrived, we were seated promptly and offered a drink. Â Trying to forget what I had just seen at the bar, we both ordered a glass of wine and browsed the menu. Â We ordered the labneh with pita for an appetizer, and it was quite tasty. Â Great garlic flavor throughout, but not overwhelming. Â
We were both in the mood for lamb, so I went for the lamb sliders, and my friend ordered the Hashweh, described as "a mix of ground lamb & rice topped with slices of lamb served with yogurt." Â My sliders were incredibly rare, but since lamb is supposed to be served closer to the rare side, they were actually quite good. Â Unfortunately, the hashweh wasn't... at all. Â My friend and I both agreed that the ground lamb just looked off-putting, and the lamb slices were very dry and lacked flavor. Â Too bad.
We saved room for dessert, and since my friend had tried Andy's baklava before, we went for the tiramisu. Â Poor choice. Â It was frozen and was definitely not homemade. Â We probably should have known better since it's more of a traditional Italian dessert, but it was still very disappointing. Â We only took a few bites, and when our server offered us a box to take it home in, we just told him it wasn't good and asked him to bring us the baklava instead. Â My friend said that it's usually very sweet and full of honey, but tonight must have been an off night. Â This baklava was dry and very difficult to cut through. Â Again, we only had a few bites, and at this point, it was just time to call it a night. Â
Sorry Andy's. Â I want to be a fan-- I really appreciate that it's a local family-owned place, and the service (except for the incident behind the bar) is decent. Â However, a lot of the food just really missed the mark tonight.
Cincinnati isn't know for its diversity in culture. I mean look at the last census there....90+% white anglo saxton families with 2.5 kids.....YUCK! Â And that chili.....ugh! Â I give the Nasty Nati 1 star, but Andy's gets 5!
But Andy's is that little oasis in a land of White Castles and Skyline Chili that puts a bright spot in the world of dining in the Nasty Nati.
The place has a great outdoor patio, so if you read this review now it is probably a great time to check it out.
The food is authentic as it pertains to the Mediterranean and servers are top notch. Â
They have live music some nights and the bar is cute to have a drink and catch up with friends. Â Hookah's use to be here, but I cannot speak to that now.
If you need a change of pace in eating out, Andy's is the place for you!
Authentic Mediterranean food? Â Check. Â Cool atmosphere? Â Check. Â Always packed to the gills because the food is great? Â Check. Â And even a jovial owner who makes the rounds and aims to please everyone? Â You betcha.
That's why this is the best Mediterranean food place in town.
Only reason I didn't knock it up to a 5-star is because the seating can be very tight, especially when the wait staff has to come down the aisles (I use that term loosely).
And the men's room? Â Uh, we won't go there. Â Haven't seen a restroom that small since I took my last plane ride.
But those things are minor once you take the food. Â Trust me.
Andy's is a cozy restaurant tucked away on a cute little side street with a homey atmosphere and many rooms and seating. I love the atmosphere and the staff.
The food... well, I'm torn. It is fresh and for the most part quite tasty. The salad, though, while fresh, was not. Whatever the dressing was, it was just bitter. There was no other taste to describe it. I would have been happier just to have raw vegetables. I also sampled one of the chicken kabobs, and it was really lemony and that was about all I could taste.
HOWEVER. The other kabobs I tasted, as well as my gyro wrap, were all delicious. So was the giant cream puff that I got (though I wish the pastry part weren't so cold and a little fresher). Andy's has a large menu, so I suppose it should be expected that there might be a few misses among the hits.
Normally, good atmosphere + some delicious food would be 4 stars for me, and this brings me to my biggest problem with Andy's: it is probably priced at least 5 dollars more than I would expect for the dishes, and while it is mostly good food, it isn't the type of goodness that I would willingly shell out on any semi-regular basis. Perhaps the lunch deals would make it more worth it, but as it stands, while it is a nice dining experience, Andy's is unfortunately not going to be one of my go-to restaurants. I've had better Mediterranean for less.
I would have loved to have eaten here tonight but the fates were not with me.
I did everything right. Or so I thought. I made a reservation on <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2FOpenTable.com&s=c91bdbc3a0ec574526e58696cba3aeccf3c9f0bf51b27a302b229c80b40f42ac" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://OpenTable.com</a> for 9:30 on a Sunday (they took reservations past 9:30pm - they close at 10), I arrived on time and what happened next was no short of shocking and infuriating.
We arrived and got great street parking in front of the door. We were greeted at the door (which had to be unlocked, hmm) by a woman holding a baby. Was she a patron, employee? Did the baby work there? Who knows? I told another woman that had to be summoned that I had a reservation on <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fopentable.com&s=897c359bd752b4f5407d5ea86453c82be2d1913c8d0b51b18d81fc58f52a6497" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://opentable.com</a>. She then asked me which table I had reserved. I tried to clarify that I needed her to check my reservation off so that I could get my points. She never made any attempt to do so.
She seated us at a bar table and when we placed our order for iced tea she immediately said that "we may not have enough for all of you". What the hell? So somehow she "found" some iced tea and while we waited about 10 minutes for the tea the woman with the baby actually did work there and was placing clean glasses on a glass shelf. Re-read she was sliding glasses across a glass shelf. It was the same noise as nails on a chalk board or some other cringe-worthy noise. I very politely asked her if she could not do that while we were there.
When the server arrived with our 3 glasses of tea she immediately said that they were out of straws and gave us bar straws. She told us that it had been a slow day, they hadn't had a table in over an hour and were wanting to close early. I asked her if we should go and she told me that she stopped everyone from leaving and it would be fine. We just left.
I have never in my life been treated so poorly at a restaurant. I was wanting to go because I had a $25 gift certificate but I can assure you I won't be back, not for discount and not for free. I'm giving my certificates to some vegans who somehow love this place. I wish that I'd had the opportunity to sample their food to offer an opinion on it but I didn't want to risk it since I was so badly inconveniencing them.
I went on New Year's Eve, but not for their New Year's Special which began at 9 PM. Â We went at 7 PM, but made a reservation. Â The hostess was excellent and made sure that a server waited on us timely - it was a busy night. Â I appreciated the fact that she seemed to care. Â I'm going to guess that Andy's is family-run, because the employees that looked like they could be family really seemed to be concerned that we had a good dining experience.
I would like to go back on a less-busy night and enjoy the comfort of a booth rather than a table for two.
The food was good, no complaints in that area. Â Their wine by the glass is pricey at $8. Â I think in total we spent $70 for two which included an appetizer, two entrees, and three glasses of wine.
When you go to a restaurant, how much does the environment matter? Â For most, it makes a big difference so before I talk about the food at Andy's, I have to talk about the ambiance.
This is a place that is constantly improving their space. Â Every season it seems like Andy has a new addition or renovated dining area to accommodate more people and make their experience better. Â The place is family run and if you stop in more than a couple times, there is a good chance you will actually get to know the owner Andy in the process. Â I have had several conversations with him and find him to be an "old school" restaurant owner that will actually sit down with you and recommend a new dish or help keep the hookah going.
The food is exceptional as well of course. Â With the highlight being the Shish Tawook. Â With so few good Mediterranean options in the area, this dish really stands out. Â Andy's signature sauce and always enjoyable chicken are hard to not order every time I'm here! Â But if you must wander a bit, the hummus, tabouli and Baba Ghannouj are all recommended as well.
And the hookah, well, the Lebanese pipe takes any meal and turns it into a 3 hours social event if you are willing. Â I'm a big fan of the relaxed environment and menu here, a Cincinnati favorite for years and certainly for years to come.
When we first moved to Cincinnati a couple of years back, we immediately noticed that there weren't too many Middle Eastern/Med options around. Â It's too bad, because the cuisine, even when prepared properly with fresh ingredients, can be inexpensive, healthier than most, and delicious. Â The lighter fare and cool, bright flavors are especially welcome during warmer months.
For some reason, Andy's seems to get the most attention among the meager collection of Middle Eastern/Med places in the Cincinnati area. Â
But Andy's is only OK. Â
The menu is way too expensive for fare that can be so simple to prepare. Â The focus of a restaurant like this is grilled meat: Â chicken and lamb, especially. Â As anybody who's operated a backyard grill knows, these items aren't that difficult to prepare competently. Â And Andy's prepares these things competently, but not brilliantly. Â Although Andy's much-renowned shish tawook (chicken kabob) is really tasty, it's not a very good value at $17 when paired up as an entree with only some bland rice. Â Salads at Med places can be fantastic, but Andy's aren't all that special and even side salads cost 6 or 7 dollars extra. Â
Generally, the menu is uneven. Â We asked for spanikopita, which appears on the current menu, but the waitress told us they now have only a Greek or Lebanese "pizza" instead. Â We settled for this, but the "pizza" brought to our table had what seemed like DiGiorno's frozen-pizza crust with the spanikopita filling as topping. Â A pretty dreary appetizer.
Andy's does have some very good hummus and felafel.
Andy's 8-dollar lunch special--you get to choose three items from a short list--is a great deal. Â
The vibe and atmosphere at Andy's feels pretty hip by Cincinnati standards. Â The rather odd decor in the main dining area--sort of Middle-Eastern-mural-meets-ski-lodge--is charming, and the rooms are pleasantly lit. Â (The restaurant is actually chopped up into two or three different areas, including a bar dining area, and up a flight of stairs, a dark rustic area.) Music volume is kept pleasantly low. Â Although the almost entirely non-Middle Eastern waitstaff is not always on top of things, they are friendly enough. Â
But the bottom line is that Andy's is a casual restaurant, and casual restaurants shouldn't be charging 20 to 30 dollars (assuming you're ordering an entree and appetizer or salad) a person, at least not when they're serving only decent, but not great, food. Â
Andy's needs competition.
Andy's is a place that works equally well as a family restaurant or a place to kick back with some old friends. It has been continually remodeled and you can tell as soon as you walk in the front door. It is decorated well and has a great atmosphere. There are a number of rooms and patios, all offering a differing amount of privacy or social interaction, depending on your mood.
The staff is friendly and family run. You will most likely get a chance to chat with the owner and his family during your visit.
They have a good selection of both foreign and domestic beers, from Anchor Steam to Chimay. They have a little something from many different places. The wine list is respectable and they have a nice selection of specialty drinks, including some Lebanese favorites.
They offer Lebanese water pipes if you have an hour to enjoy it with  friends.
They have a lot of vegetarian selections, and as picky as I tend to be with Mediterranean food, I was very happy with everything I ordered. The food arrived quickly and the portion sizes were generous.
The food is good, but don't try to get takeout for lunch. I called 15 minutes ahead of time, went to pick it up and then waited there for another 30 minutes. When I went for dinner, the music was so loud that we couldn't talk. Again, good food, but the atmosphere is a bit awkward.
Also, so many stairs that if you are on crutches or in a wheelchair, you should probably forget it as the bathroom is up the stairs and no ramp is in sight.
I'm crazy about a few things at Andy's and totally meh about the rest.
Labneh, hummus, baba ganoush, falafel, kibbeh, all amazing! love, love, love.
I'm not much of a wrap person, so I ordered the shawarma over rice, but regretted it once it came out. It would have been very tasty with the chicken, rice, tahini, pickles, etc all jumbled up in a wrap, but having all the items individually scattered on my plate was not as yummy.
The kibbeh, wrapped or not, is also very good. I've gotten the falafel platter before, and really enjoyed it.
I'm not huge on Mediterranean food, and am not sure I've ever been to a really top notch Mediterranean restaurant, so I don't have a lot of basis for comparison.
The vibe at Andy's is nice, and now that I've found a few things I really dig, I'll probably just keep ordering those.
The down side is that the bathrooms and much of the seating are up some stairs, so if you had any type of mobility issue, this would be a terribly inconvenient place to go. Maybe there are some bathrooms downstairs too, but I didn't see any.
I went a few times in high school and my Dad and Step Mom had their rehearsal dinner there - my step mother's family knows Andy. Â I definitely love their hummus and pita; so good! Â I am not a Mediterranean connoisseur, but I definitely genuinely have enjoyed their food over the years (and im not just saying that because my family knows the owners!). Â The back patio is great and I love how seating is multi-leveled.
Know your countries? Â I believe they still have a daily board by the bar and if you can guess the three countries correctly you get a free appetizer or meal special. Â Trust me, it is hard!
Don't miss the belly dancers, either!
If you're going to call your Mediterranean place "Andy's", you have to be confident that the food will make up for a name that doesn't exactly inspire authenticity. Â And its streak of "Best Mediterranean Food" awards shows that the menu overcomes the bland Americana of the name.
Anything that's grilled is really grilled; lots of charred spots, especially on the excellent various shish kebobs (I suggest the Kharouf, which is lamb). Â There are the staples: hummus, falafel, baklava, and rice with everything. Â They have a nice stable of beers and wines, including a house wine from Lebanon (the real one, not the one north of the city).
Prices are certainly higher than most other Middle Eastern restaurants in the area, but the quality and presentation show why Andy's is a step above the rest. Â They've become so popular that you can now buy Andy's marinade and dressing bottled.
Sadly, the real reason for going has passed on thanks to Smoke Free Ohio. Â You'll have to find your hookah elsewhere. Â (And please tell me where that is.)
I really liked this place. It might be the pretty waitresses, it could be the oasis of relaxed rustic decor in this area or it could be may amazing shish tawook (as described as "Winner of the Best Entre Award - Taste of Cincinnati") which was juicy and tender and marinated in a lemony herb baste. The only thing I would add would be yogurt sauce to give the chicken a contrasting bite.
Eva was efficient and attentive on a Sat night so I disagree about the earlier review about poor service. We sat upstairs and weren't left alone for long, including company from the bellydancer ;)
Come here if you like Mediterranean style food. I've never been to Cincinnati before but with the help of Yelp I felt like a local and also considered Bistro Jean Ro and Pomilio's for dinner on Sat night.
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