Incompetent, inattentive bartender... maybe he was new. For a gastro pub I was surprised by his inability to recommend a brew based on my request for a tasty IPA. However the food, excellent - I haven't given the place a second chance, if I do I certainly won't see inept dude at the bar.
Review Source:Glad to have something similar to a real gastropub in Cincinnati. Â They do have good beer and food all in one place.
I like that the menu has a Cajun/Louisiana flare to it. Â I've been twice and the food has been hit or miss. Â My friend thought the burger was very good. Â The oyster po-boy isn't bad, but the fries are good. Â I'm wan't a big fan of the homemade ketchup though. Â Chicken liver pate was pretty good if you're into that kind of stuff, with a decent size portion. Â Steamed mussels were only mediocre, without a ton of flavor and a little overcooked. Â I'm a from Louisiana and a big fan of New Orleans-style BBQ shrimp. Â Their's had a pretty authentic flavor, but the shrimp were overcooked. Â Real authentic BBQ shrimp comes with shell on, theirs were de-shelled, which keeps your hands clean, but may have contributed to the shrimp being overcooked.
Service has been good each time i've been. Â Parking is free on the street. Â There's a nice patio which is probably great in the summer. Â It's also very casual. Â Prices are also reasonable, with most things under $20.
Overall, I tink it's something different that CIncinnati doesn't have, so I will definitely be back.
Very small and intimate pub with great selection of beer and wines. When I first walked in, I really liked the atmosphere and the coziness. Â We went on a Sunday for Brunch and thought that they had a great selection to choose from. Â I got the Trout with mashed potatoes and asparagus. Â The food was hot, fresh and delicious.
They have beer flights as well. Â Which I enjoyed. Â
Service was great and restaurant very clean. Â I would definately come back and try more foods on the menus and try more of their beers.
Ok. I was dead set on giving this place a piece of my mind.... I had been in twice and sat at the bar and straight up had TERRIBLE service -like, nearly had to flap my arms to get the bartenders attention- It was one bartender in particular, and just so happened he was working on the two occasions I went in and both times he was just rude. Another bartender seemed much more pleasant, alas, he was on the other side of the bar. Both times I'd intended to eat but left because he was so bad.
Ok, so the beer that I had was yummy and the food did look good so despite my immediate hatered, thanks to Dufus behind the bar, I decided to return for dinner with a girlfriend and we ate upstairs in the dining room. I am glad I did. Our server was wonderful (dang-it-all-to-heck I can't remember his name.... but he was great). His beer recommendations for paring w/ our food was on pointe (their selection is wide and they have plenty to suit any palate). We started with the pate which was good but the highlight were the sweet carmelized onions that came along side, we got seconds of those bad boys. My friend ordered the salmon which was good -though a little dry- but the cauliflower mash it came with was delish. I had the fish and chips which were tempura-like and flakey. I would order that again.
So, with all considered, I'm glad I waited to write my review until I sat down and had a great time with excellent service. Dufus could have really ruined it.... Also, he may not work there anymore as I've seen him bartending at another one of my absolute favorite bars (GASP!!!) Let's hope he gets his act together.
Fantastic! I have nothing but good things to say. Excellent food, beer selection and service. The truffle Mac n cheese was definitely the star on our table, so get that. Actually get all of the appetizers... Just go ahead and fill your table with them. The sides, sauces and appetizers seemed to be better than the main entrees, not that the entrees were bad. They don't take reservations and the place was packed. Lucky for us there were a bunch of big parties in line so the lone table for 2 was sitting there waiting for us.
Review Source:Great experience in a different atmosphere/location and cool building. The service here is amazing, with more than just one server attending your needs constantly, but not in an overbearing way. Great date place.
We had the meat and cheese platter for an appetizer (with a fancier name). Very good, with just enough spin to make it unique. I had the burger, which was very good, especially because of the bun. The fries are the type that are very crunchy on the outside and soft inside. And the homemade catsup is awesome! My husband used a lot of it to mix in with his roasted root vegetable dinner, which he said was good too.
We did find it odd that the appetizer was most expensive, followed by the vegetable dinner,and my burger was the least expensive item. Seemed backwards, but that's okay. The pricing was still reasonable. We will definitely go back!
People seem to be loving on the beer selection, I'm not. Their house beers are affordable, but not really that good. The guest beers are overpriced, $7-8 a pint for pretty standard stuff. The food was better than average for pub type fare but is nothing special. The environment seemed pretty family friendly, our waiter was very helpful and the service was very good.
Review Source:I'm not even a fan of beer but the beers served here are great. I tried one of their stouts and one of their traditional Belgian beers and both were delicious.
The mussels were so so, a little bland. The mussels were fresh but I couldn't help but think they needed some garlic... The fish and chips were tasty.
The service at the bar was excellent.
I have to go back to Cincy several times over the next two months to do work at the new Horseshoe so I will definitely be back.
How could I have possibly waited this long to bring you news on this most delicious restaurant on the river?
Brew River Gastro Pub is truly a food and beer lover's paradise.
It's partnered up Great Crescent Brewery in Auroa, Ind., to provide it's house beer and they do not disappoint. The beers are on point, full of flavor and ready to kick your palate up a notch or too.
Then bring on the appetizers. I'm actually more of a fan of their poutine than any other place in the city. It's got some Thai spice to it and it brings the heat. The truffle fries do the trick too.
Moving on to the main course, I am in flipping LOVE with the BLT. This isn't your momma's BLT boy.
This is a beer-brined pork belly work art sent here by the gods to blow your freaking mind.
And those right there are just my favs. There is plenty more where that came from, including a dessert menu that's so rich it's probably sinful.
So, I'd tell you to come but you shouldn't. If only because I don't want to wait to get a seat.
We love the BrewRiver GastroPub -- and I don't even like beer! We were feeling adventurous last fall so I searched yelp for a restaurant with a good beer assortment (for my husband) and great food (for me). We found it in BrewRiver. Not only that, we found fantastic people, too.
My favorite thing is how welcome they make us feel each time we have visited (three times now). The servers, manager, hostess and chef are all personable, friendly and just a treat to be around. The service is fantastic.
Each time we've eaten here we have enjoyed the standards on the menu but have also found a wonderful array of specials. Last night my husband and son especially enjoyed the mashed potato popper appetizers.
As another reviewer mentioned, I also rarely order chicken out. However, I can't resist BrewRiver's Amish chicken. It is really finger-licking good (sorry, Col. Sanders). It's got honey and a little bit of a kick to it. Mmmm. I wish I had brought home leftovers. My husband had the bison meatloaf and loved it.
I have just two very minor wishes: (1) that the rooms weren't so acoustically live. Normally we enjoy the ambiance of our fellow diners. Unfortunately last night the center of the room was taken up by a table of three self-important young men, one of whom felt that his views needed to be shared with the rest of us. They just radiated bad vibes.
The other minor wish is that the dinner wasn't so good and so filling! Â I don't remember if I've been able to get dessert yet. We certainly couldn't fit it in last night. Sometime I will have to come here just for dessert after one of my own lame home-made dinners.
congratulations, BrewRiver, you've earned two more regulars.
my wife and i first heard about the GastroPub through yelp. Â once my wife heard about the Truffle Mac n' Cheese, it immediately went on "the list." Â we checked out the pub on our date night this weekend (friday).
+1 for free street parking
+1 for greeting us immediately after walking in. Â it wasn't even the hostess, just a waitress who happened to be walking by. Â she made sure to seat us right away. Â we were given the choice of seating downstairs with the large bar area, or upstrais. Â my wife opted for the upstrais since there is no vestibule (and it's cold outside!).
-1 for tight quarters. Â not a lot of space to move around once we were seated. Â my wife had to move her elbow every time the wait staff passed by.
+1 for decor. Â fairly typical ... americana. Â but it did to serve to add some flavor.
+1 for a great waitor. Â he was humble, moderately quick, and took good care of us.
+1 for neat menu concept. Â you'll have to visit to see what i mean.
+1 for great Truffle Mac n' Cheese, at least according to my wife. Â she opted for the large, which is truly large. Â we took a good bulk of it home with us. Â (tip: Â according to my wife, it's better the next day!)
+1 for good BLT. Â the bread was fantastic, and the lettuce/tomato were local. Â my only beef (pun intended) was that the bacon could have been more crispy. Â it was still tasty, and i'd get it again.
+1 for *great* french fries. Â nice amount of salt, but not too much. Â i'd go back just for the fries. Â but the kicker...
+1 for *fantastic* homemade ketchup. Â i don't know the recipe, but it tasted like pureed tomatoes with brown sugar and perhaps a hint of applesauce. Â i could have eaten a lot of that ketchup.
+1 for extensive beer list. Â i tried the RiverWater Dark Lager, and it lived up to its description ... hints of nuts, chocolate, and caramel. Â recommended.
+0 the desserts looked good, but we were both too full to try something.
-1 for volume. Â it was loud upstairs when we were seated, and it only got louder as the evening progressed.
+1 for attentive manager. Â she was nice as could be, and i observed her doing all kinds of work for her employees--even bussing tables.
+1 for reasonable prices.
+1 for clean restroom.
+1 for great side patio. Â it was too cold this weekend, but i could see us enjoying it once it's warmer.
my wife and i agree, this restaurant is a repeat. Â you might see us there next time. Â i'll be the one eating fries with way too much ketchup.
As you can tell, I don't write many reviews, but I had to drop a note on this one. Thus is without a doubt my favorite new restaurant in town.  We had the truffle fries, pâté, gumbo, and chicken. All of it was prepared perfectly. I'm already craving more truffle fries. The gumbo is fantastic. I almost never order chicken out, but I will get this one again. And I haven't even mentioned the beer yet. The house brews are good, but the have a great selection of craft brews on tap. You of course can get a beer flight and sample anything on tap.
These guys get it and this one is well worth the trip. Â I can't wait to try the burger and get some more truffle fries.
I have come here twice for some drinks and appetizers and I have been impressed both times.
So far I've had their fries (normal hand cut and truffle) which are quite good. Â The best part about them is their different homemade dipping sauces. Â The other app I've had is their bbq shrimp. Â These aren't your normal grilled shrimp with some tomato based bbq sauce dumped on. Â They use their own homemade bbq sauce (of course). Â The sauce is a vinegar base that has brown sugar and some spices mixed in. Â The base of it is similar to a balsamic vinaigrette, but so much better and it works so well with the shrimp. Â The menu suggests having a dark beer with it which I would highly recommend.
The other great part of BrewRIver is their beer selection. Â They have their house made beers plus about 15-20 other beers on tap. Â They also have a lot of other bottled beers. Â The servers are very knowledgeable of the food and the current beers and have made great suggestions for what to try.
Great food, great beer, and great service brings me back to try more of their menu.
Had the pleasure of grabbing lunch here and was surprised by the Cincinnati style chili. It had all the flavorings and unique characteristics that many are accustomed to: cinnamon and chocolate hints and overall good flavor. I can't wait to come back and at least try one of the adult desserts. Our server was attentive and the food eventually made its way to our table. So, definitely swing by this place and at least order the mac and cheese (tip: order the $10 full size and take most of it home, it's HUGE). And don't get me started on their beer list, wow!
*If you've never had poutine or want to compare it to Senate's, this is one of the few places that offer this item.
*Once the weather warms up their patio is going to be a great place to chill and enjoy a pleasant evening.
This place is top notch. Â The food is dynamite and many of the beers they brew are quite good. Â Coconut Porter and Maker's Stout are where it is at. Â I've been twice and both times have had the "special." Â First was a Lamb Shank where the meat fell off the bone and was complimented by Arugula and a side of Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes - yeah, holy crap! Â Second was a Prime Rib that was perfectly prepared. Â
Anyway, do yourself a favor and get your grub on at the gastropub!
I'm planning on checking out their brunch this weekend.
We had dinner here the other night. Â There were 7 adults and 2 babies. Â We called (Saturday night) and were told they do not take reservations on Friday or Saturdays, but to give a call before we were headed over and they would see what they could do. Â They had a table not reserved but "in mind for us" and we got there just in time to snag it. Â Also, I was very impressed that the hostess handled what could have been a very sticky situation. Â While waiting in line for a table a woman came in and despite clearly acknowledging the line walked over to where the hostess was seating someone else and tried to get her party of 6 put on the list ahead of us. Â The hostess was nice, but fair and put her back in line. Â We started with beers. Â Selection is great. Â Recommendation #1 would be that their guest brews need to be printed out. Â It was WAY too much to take in all the options. Â A simple print out would make picking and browsing more enjoyable. Â Our waiter was great! Â They made us feel really welcome and were really nice about the babies. Â Appetizers were good. Â We had salt and vinegar chips, Pickles, and stuffed mushrooms. Â My husband and I started with a caesar salad that was great (very flavorful) and came a two small hearts of romaine with dressing, anchovies, and shaved Parm. Â For meals most of us went with the burger and fish and chips which looked so good going by. Â There was also a roasted vegetable dish ordered that was good and an oyster po boy that disappeared pretty quickly. Â One thing that was unanimous among our group was that we were not fans of the fresh house made ketchup. Â Sorry, I am sure someone really likes it that way and that is the unprocessed way it was made at some point but it really took things down a notch. Â As one person put it "it is like dipping your fries in salsa" Â They need to offer it as an option but should have regular ketchup available. Â Everyone was pretty unhappy with that. Â We did have dessert and it was good although the cake was a tad dry (tres leche and chocolate stout cake) Â I have had the apple betty before and that was good. Â Overall, it is a great space with even more potential for the summer with the awesome patio. Â We loved the timing of dinner and ended up staying for close to 2.5 hours (long after we paid) women upstairs just chatting with the men downstairs trying new beers and entertaining the babies. Â It was relaxing and a great experience. Â We will be back but hopefully will have some regular ketchup next time. Â Probably my favorite new restaurant of 2012!
Review Source:Came here a few weekends ago with my dad for dinner. We arrived around 745 on a Friday night and it was packed especially downstairs by the door. Not seeing a hostess and waiting around we decided to sit at the bar and chat up the bartenders Aaron and Becca and also enjoy some beers. Â The bartenders are very nice and really know the beer and also the menu.
We split the large BBQ shrimp and mac and cheese since a lot of reviews mention it. Both were good, the mac and cheese had an overwhelming flavor of truffle oil, but it was fine. Â
For the next course I told Aaron what I wanted and asked him to pair a beer and so he did, I ordered the fish and chips and they were good, but the fries were limp and the portion size of the fish was kind of small.
Then for dessert I had the baked apple Betty and it was very good as the rogue hazelnut nectar gelato made the dish. One tip though, serve with a spoon and not a fork..
3.5,but rounding up to 4 for the great bartenders Aaron and Becca!
Small little place, (converted house with deck) but don't let that fool ya. Came here alone on a Thursday nite. Unfortunately, due to high winds, the power in the entire neighborhood went off just after I placed my order. So I dined and drank by the light of the emergency lights and candles on the bar (and my trusty little pocket LED lite.allowed me to even read a magazine) Hardly anyone who was there left, tho, even tho the power wasn't scheduled to come back on for about 3 more hours. So that should tell you something. Originally was going to order a BLT, but that was not an option now that the cooker was inoperative. Hostess/server was most helpful and friendly suggesting some good options. I got the prime rib over mashed potatoes with brussel sprouts on her recommendation. OMG, I generally don't like brussel sprouts fixed plainly, but these were semi-crunchy, spiced well and were awesome! Had no idea what I've been missing all these years. I even complimented the chef (Michael) when he walked out and talked to some of the patrons--he was impressed that his brussel sprouts were the first ones I had in 30 years! Had 2 soups--gumbo with Andouille sausage and butternut squash soup--both were excellent. Portion size on some items was a little on the small side, but the quality makes up for it IMHO.
As for the beer, they had a lighted sign next to the bar with their house beers that were on tap--about 15 or 16 altogether. Chose a few before the power went out to have on a 6 beer sampler (4 oz each)--let my knowledgeable server select the other two for me--several were really super. I always get samplers in a place like this to try as many different things as possible. Dessert was some sort of decadent browniw with caramel sauce on it and a side of hazelnut gelato.
I have to say in all honesty that (in the absence of my picky wife) I had an excellent experience here despite the limiting conditions and greatly admire them staying open despite the power outage and being as nice as they were. They were thrown a curve and hit a home run. I will definitely return to try some other menu items and brews.
I'm going to go ahead and say that Brew River is my favorite new restaurant of 2012. The atmosphere is relaxed but nice, the staff is friendly, and everything I've ordered has been excellent. One of my favorite items is the poutine made with curried beef ribs. There are other places that have some excellent poutine, but this is different enough to be in it's own category.
The beer is excellent. In addition to a large selection of guest beers on draught, Brew River makes beer that stands shoulder to shoulder with some of the best breweries in the US. The Maker's Scream and Stout is one of the best beers I've ever had, and the Coconut Porter is top notch.
The only thing I would be wary of, Â is that the food and beer are higher quality, and therefore higher priced than your typical pub. That being said, Brew River is a great restaurant, and well worth the money.
P.S. The front room area on the second floor has an awesome view of the river. I just sat up there for the first time last night. During the summer, the deck is the place to be though.
I have not been disappointed by a single thing on their menu and I have brought several friends here that have claimed it was the best meal/dish they had in their life. I keep editing this review trying to make it more substantive, witty, or edgy (aka more useful, funny, or cool (: ) but really all I can say is go here.
And when you do:
The beer selection is wide and varying, and many of the servers can tell you all about the different options.
The burger is delicious. The mac and cheese is great. The truffle fries are life changing. The soups are hearty. The BLT made me hate all other BLTs.
The upstairs and downstairs environments are very different - downstairs has definitely more of a bar/pub feel and upstairs has more of a restaurant feel.
Don't go expecting bar food prices. This is quality food - and comes at a somewhat higher cost. It's totally worth it.
Oh. My. Deliciousness.
A gastropub, as our waiter kindly explained, means a marriage between alcohol and food. This place is an amazing marriage. It was crowded and they unfortunately only take reservations for parties over 8 but it was absolutely worth the wait. You can order from a great selection of craft beers from the beautiful bar (like my husband's much loved Great Divide Yeti) while you wait, or maybe try a flight of the house brews.
Food: awesome. I could probably just live off the appetizer menu- the belgian beer braised mussels were exquisite, the Amish chicken liver pate amazing, and I actually ordered the short rib poutine for my entree. It was rich, juicy, beef smothering house cut fries with more than a hint of curry. I sampled most of my group's orders and everything was great: Buttermilk friend Amish chicken, root vegetables in goat cheese, and muffaletta. I just wish I had room left to try the delicious sounding desserts. (Raspberry Lambic Framboise float with raspberry lambic gelato? YES!)
I thought service was great and the staff was very friendly. This won't be a quick dinner on a weekend night but a great place to spent a couple of hours. The restaurant is close to the river located at the old Maribelle's in a cute, cozy, two story house with a nice patio. This is a great place for the beer enthusiast, but the foodies in your group won't be disappointed either. Added bonus, while it isn't exactly cheap, it won't break the bank, either.
We decided to try out the BrewRiver last night for a late dinner; we wanted to try someplace new and I was intrigued after reading the numerous positive reviews. Â I also have a particular affection for Riverside and I'm excited to see so much growth in this part of town.
We didn't arrive until after 10pm so it wasn't too busy but there was still a decent-sized crowd, at least for the size of the place. Â The overall feel is sort of eclectic/cozy. Â Our waitress was very helpful and knowledgeable about the menu, Â The beer list was impressive as well. Â I had heard the truffle mac and cheese was great, so we started out with a large portion. Â And it was large. Â I think I'll be eating it for lunch for the next 3 days. Â Thankfully, it was pretty delicious so I won't be complaining. Â After the enormous appetizer (and after reading about the homemade desserts), we decided to split the hamburger and fries, which was also very good. Â All of their desserts are homemade and include some type of beer in the recipe in some way. Â We had some chocolate mousse that was one of three dessert specials for the night. Â My overall experience here was a positive one, and I'd definitely come back again.
I am overjoyed that I have stumbled onto this jewel in Cincinnati. Â Now, I especially love the casual patio in the summer, however the building has such a unique character that is has a cool vibe inside as well. Â They have built a really cool bar with lots of neat touches around the building as well.
The food is fabulous and beer selection is great. Â I would recommend this place to anyone looking for something new that is casual, but unique.
Great selection of beers, including self labelled beers produced by a brewery in Indiana with a plan to eventually brew their own beer in house. Â Limited menu but has something for everyone including beer and wine pairings for everything on the menu, which is a nice touch. Friendly service. Outdoor patio. Good place for dinner or drinks.
Review Source:Friday afternoon my wife and I decided to head somewhere new (both for us and Cincinnati) for lunch, BrewRiver GastroPub. BrewRiver opened in mid August on Riverside Avenue in the former Maribelle's space. Though it is less than three miles to downtown Cincinnati down Riverside, the restaurant isn't very easy to get to from certain directions. The other main route is a couple of miles on Riverside from Delta in Columbia-Tusculum, as we did on our visit.
Though it was sunny outside the day of our visit, it was still a little too chilly to enjoy the really nice looking outdoor patio. Upon entering the main side door to the first floor dining area and bar, we quickly saw how crowded the space already was. I was expecting to have to wait for a table or decide to come back again another time. Fortunately the host/server who greeted us just moments later led us to a table on their spacious second floor. Normally this space isn't open during the day, but the staff was more than accommodating for us as needed.
Having a completely empty second floor to ourselves was actually nice in a few ways. First, we brought our toddler aged son along with us, so he had room to run around when sitting for lunch was no longer fun. But even more importantly we were able to have extended conversations with the chef and hear the cooperative effort coming from the upstairs kitchen.
There is a large selection of beer available, including some house beers which are brewed by the Great Crescent Brewery in Aurora, Indiana. I sampled the Calliope India Pale Ale, which is a British style IPA meaning that it is more balanced than the more hop forward West Coast style. The beer was quite good and I wish it weren't lunch so I could have sampled more than one of their offerings.
After placing our drink orders we were told the soups of the day, one of which was a chicken and sausage gumbo. Being that the chef spent 6 years working under Emeril Lagasse in New Orléans and Atlanta, we were excited to try this dish. As our server pointed out, the gumbo isn't as spicy as what you might find in New Orléans, but it was still very good and full of large chunks of chicken and andouille sausage.
For lunch I selected the B.L.T. sandwich served with fries and house made catsup ($10). Our server was quick to point out that the bacon is actually pork belly that is ale-brined and cured in-house. And while it still looked a lot like bacon, the taste wasn't as smoky, which I missed. With that said the sandwich was still pretty good and I like that it was served with local lettuce and tomatoes on toasted farmhouse bread. The fries were hand cut and fried to perfection. The serving size was more than enough and I found the plantain based catsup very interesting and a refreshing change from the normal tomato based.
My wife went with the fish and chips ($16). The fish is an ale-battered cod and it came served with a house-made kimchi tartar sauce. Again this dish was served with plenty of fries and the same catsup as before. I tried a couple of small bites of the fish and it was very fresh and tasted great, especially with the tartar sauce. My wife proclaimed this as the best fish she has had in quite some time, and that includes a recent trip to San Francisco, so you know this is the real deal.
Even though it may not be the easiest place to get to, BrewRiver GastroPub is definitely worthy of a visit for great food and an awesome beer list.
We were quite excited to try Brew River, if only because Cincinnati hasn't really had a genuine "gastropub" (notwithstanding Nicholson's silly re-christening itself as one recently), and the pedigree of the folks opening Brew River seemed promising (chef who cooked under Emeril, etc.--say what you will about Emeril, but the guy's flagship restaurant in N.O. is actually excellent)). Â Plus, we like our good beer, even if we don't consider ourselves qualified to be beer snobs per se.
The location in the old Maribelle's, a restaurant we regrettably never got to try, is very nice, with a pleasant patio with some glimpses of the river. Â But everything else was a bit underwhelming. Â The ale-steamed mussels weren't bad, but using beer as a base doesn't give them the same punch wine might have, and a few too many shells came out of the kitchen closed. Â Pork rillettes were all right, but lacking the bold, balanced porkiness I've had in rillettes elsewhere and also the rich creaminess you get with some rillettes. Â And I know fresh oysters are expensive up here, and that you don't really want to go higher than $12 on a po-boy, but perhaps you ought to when you put only FIVE oysters on the damn thing. Â (To the kitchen's credit, the oysters that were on there were nicely fried and tasty.) Â The wife ordered the curried beef short-rib poutine as an entree, which she said was rich and flavorful but that the beef was not merely tender but almost mushy and macerated.
A flight of the house beer was a good deal for the quantity, but some seemed subaverage (e.g., an IPA that tasted more like a sour-ish weissbier, etc.) and were a bit flat. Â Brew River does offer a good selection of outside beers, too, though, with many on draft.
Brew River's prices are very fair. Â The two of us ordered a ton of food and the equivalent of a couple of beers each and got out for under $80, tax and tip included. Â And service was professional and efficient.
The crowd at Brew River on a Saturday night was a bit surprising to us: Â Straight Boomer all the way and, despite Brew River's in-town location, very suburban-looking, for better or for worse: Â A mix of folks who looked like they just stepped off of the golf course and white-collar, wannabe-badass Harley-riding types. Â
I definitely want to give Brew River another chance, but my enthusiasm is diminished somewhat.
Brew River Gastropub is fresh and exciting. The chef and most of the owners are from Louisiana and they bring a different feel and flavor that most of Cincinnati hasn't experienced.
To start off the building is very beautiful. It is an old Victorian style house that is converted into a restaurant. The patio is incredible! In fact, I don't think I have ever sat inside this place. It is a beautiful, large stone patio perfectly for en evening out with friends.
Ok so let's talk about the beer. Oh the beer! I love beer. hah. No, but besides loving beer, this is a place for people who are beer connoisseurs. I thought The Party Source had ever kind of beer I would ever be interested. That is not the case. This place has a craft beer list that will rock your world. Mind you, the prices will definitely show it. However worth it just to try some, hey that's right they have sampler beers! You can pick and choose down to the ounce of how many beers, and what kind you would like to sample. This will keep the cost down, and let's admit everyone loves a good beer sampling adventure.
The food here is made fresh daily. The server went on with a list of specials forever saying the chef was feeling "inspired" tonight. Which I love! We had a bowl of the gumbeaux, the pesto mushroom fried popper things, the truffle mac, and the poutine. We went another couple and kind of sampled everything.
My favorite of the night was probably the poutine. It is green chili short rib, cheese curds, and big salty french fries! How could you not love it. All in all, this is a solid place, but you are going to pay for it. I think our bill was $50 and we split some appetizers, but I promise, the beer alone is worth it!
Took a risk on a new venue for a 2nd date and came away impressed with the food and beer, but the service was so-so.
This place was on my radar for a couple months. After noticing the development sign over the Summer, I grew excited to try a new place in an up n coming neighborhood.
I stopped by Brew River Gastropub on a Friday night for a second date. We immediately were impressed by the nice beer garden on the side which features 15-20 tables with good ambiance from over-head string lights. We were quickly met by some sort of manager who was very friendly and showed us to a table. The weather was perfect for sitting outside and the noise level allowed you to have a nice conversation without feeling  the awkwardness of some library-level-quiet restaurants.
Our server quickly showed up, suggested some beers and we ordered the mac n cheese and truffle fries. I wish I had room for the poutine, but I didn't want to have the belly of a rhinoceros after dinner. The mac n cheese lived up to to its reputation. First off, it passes the rule of truffle oil. Like fried foods and bacon, everything tastes better with truffle oil. In this case, the truffle oil brings the blend of  gruyere, fontina, and parmesan over the top. I hardly touched the truffle fries while eating, drinking my BrewRiver Calliope IPA and chatting with my date. The IPA was a perfect compliment to the mac - good suggestion! Our server did seem to be anxious to grab our order, so we eventually settled on the soup of the day (andouille sausage and chicken gumbo) and the amish chicken.
The food came out after a reasonable amount of time and looked delicious. This is when the service became decidedly so-so. Our server stopped by to ask how everything was before we even had a first bite. Granted, we were taking our time, chatting and having fun while not in a hurry to stuff our faces. It quickly became clear that he wanted to close us out. We later learned he was finishing a near 12-hr shift and it probably was past 10p at that time. I gave him some empathy. My date, a former server, thought he could have approached the situation differently.
The food was delicious. Gumbo was meaty and flavorful and I'd order it again. If I could make a suggest, the dish could use a little more heat. And I mean spicy heat, not temperature. The amish chicken was quite good, although more herby and less crsipy than we envisioned when reading the menu. Not a bad thing. Just different than expected.
Upon paying our bill, the remaining waitstaff watched over us without interrupting as we chatted, laughed and finished our beers. Upon leaving, a different server thanked us for coming in and wished us a good night.
All in all, a good meal with spotty service. I think the service was a one-time event and would definitely try it again. The food, beer and ambiance are all cool/chic. Oh, and I scored a 3rd date. ;-) Brew on Gastropub, Brew on!
I'm really happy with this place. They appear to still be working out a few kinks, but the people are very friendly and inviting.
The waiter we had on one visit really knew the beer and picked a flight for us which was great.
The food was really well done.
My biggest down sides are the following:
We were seated at a table immediately adjacent to the door the waitstaff uses to access the patio - this table should just go away. (We moved and it wasn't a big deal)
There was a piano player at a subsequent lunch we attended. I realize that there is a novelty to the idea of having a piano player at a riverboat themed place. . . but on a Sunday afternoon while there are two or three tvs showing sports to a room with two tables full a piano just isn't what I need.
Overall - worth a few visits. Great food and very friendly folks.
My husband and I were searching for a great lunch spot on our last day of summer vacation together. We chose the perfect place: Brew River. Not only did we get amazing food and delicious beer, but we also got a great food education from our waiter.
Situated near the banks of the Ohio River (with a view of the river through some trees across the street), Brew River has one of the best patios around. Despite the fact that we arrived 30 minutes before they closed for the between-lunch-and-dinner break, we were greeted with smiles and warm greetings from the hostess and servers. After seating ourselves outside we took to perusing the menu. Everything looked absolutely delicious!
Brew River has their own line of beer and also stocks many  many craft brews from around the country on ever-rotating taps. I'm not a beer drinker, but I could sip on their Blond Ale all day long. Honestly one of the best light beers I've ever tasted, if not the best.
We decided to share a few things from the menu: their truffle mac'n'cheese, poutine, and their signature burger. My favorite BY FAR was the mac'n'cheese! Honestly the best mac'n'cheese I've ever tasted. You can order it in a small or large portion, but the small portion was plenty for me! Although I will admit that I was left scraping the extra cheese out of the bowl once all the macaroni was gone!
The service rivals the delicious food and great view as one of my favorite parts of this new restaurant. Our server, JP, was the most knowledgeable server I've ever had, hands down. He heard us discussing the fact that their house-made bacon wasn't crispy and chimed in that bacon only crisps due to the nitrates added for preservation. Since they make theirs in house, there are no nitrates and thus no crisp. I had no idea! When asked if he was a manager (we thought surely that was the only reason why he would be so knowledgable), he replied simply with "No, I just love food." I've spoken with another friend who has been here who had similar experience with a different server. Clearly Brew River's hiring manager was doing something right!
Brew River is quickly becoming one of my new favorite places. Â Their beer selection is impressive and the food is delicious. Â Combine that with a friendly, knowledgable staff and you have a winner! Â
I have tried several of their beers, as well as guest druaghts, and have yet to be disappointed. Â Yay beer! Â They offer beer flights so you can try any of their beers before committing to an entire glass. Â To give you an idea of how good their beer is, let's just say that our table has been covered in glasses each time!
Their menus are really cool looking and offer a variety of food. Â I have tried their poutine and truffle mac and cheese. Â Both were great and worth ordering again! Â They add curry to their poutine, which was good but different than what I am used to. Â Kudos to them though for having an all-beef, pork-free poutine. Â I ordered the small size of the truffle mac and cheese and it was the perfect size.
Brew River has a very nice patio that is ideal for a warm day. Â The walls inside are decorated with old photographs of the Ohio River and Cincinnati, which is pretty cool. Â The atmosphere is nice but still comfortable. Â The service has generally been great, but I will say I had an odd server once. Â No big deal though! We went twice in one day last weekend and our server from earlier remembered us, which made us feel welcome and appreciated.
I do wish that they listed all of their guest draughts somewhere. Â They list the breweries in the menu but not the actual beers. Â Maybe a chalkboard inside and outside that can be easily changed as they rotate the taps? Â Maybe it's just me, but I sometimes feel bad asking the server to list all of their beers on tap. Â The good news is that the servers at Brew River really know all of the beers well, not even hesitating to share the lengthy list of them from memory. Â Â
I have a feeling I will be spending a lot of time at Brew River in the future and am perfectly okay with that!
I went to BRG with my wife for dinner. Â She had been there with her friends and enjoyed it and I had been there by myself, sat at the bar and enjoyed it. Â Less so for dinner tonight.
We chose to eat at a table in the bar area. Â The pluses didn't quite nullify the minuses. Â Being a party of two we were seated at a high-top....which was barely big enough for bar food much less dinner. Â However, that can be worked around with great service. Â Alas, that wasn't there either.
Our server, who knows food - you can tell by the way he speaks of it and describes it - was good but not great. Â He was there for our drink order but lacked punctuality in the delivery of the drinks. Â He was there to take our food orders but we were waiting about 10 minutes between when he said he'd be back and when he came back.
The problem isn't the capability of the servers, at least from our estimation. Â It's the fact that they have both inside tables and outside tables to contend with. Â A delay in them working their tables outside means that the tables inside get ignored. Â And vice versa.
Nevertheless, the delay between our first drink and our second was way too long. Â I sat without a beer for over 10 minutes. Â Same for my wife's second diet coke. Â That's unacceptable.
Also unacceptable is that we were passed by several, actually, numerous times by the manager/hostess, servers, bussers and owner while we sat there with empty plates, empty soft drink glasses and an empty beer glass. Â Not only is that not good service but that's money out of their pocket. Â I easily could have had at least one more, if not two more, beers this evening.
The food...fortunately, that's another story. Â We started with the Truffle Mac&Cheese and the Mussels in their beer broth. Â The M&C was outstanding! Â The mussels weren't my cup of tea, though. Â Not that they were bad. I'm just not a fan of the broth. Too much citrus and lingering flavor from their beer. Â That is NOT to say that their beer is bad or that the dish is bad. Â It's just not MY style.
The Indian Lintel Soup was described as being somewhat "typical" of the style but the homemade bacon was added! Â My wife got the salad which was mainly seasonal/local tomatoes and mozzarella sourced from Italy. Â The soup had a very subtle flavor to it....which I enjoyed. Â However, there was no part of that flavor that was bacon! Â Too bad...it would have added to what was still a really nice soup. Â The T&M salad though...WOW! Â That mozzarella was everything and more that our server had promised! Â And the tomatoes, while not quite the juciest & reddest I've seen this season were still really nice. Â That was a plate worthy of high praise.
For our main course my wife ordered the BLT which comes with their fries and in-house made catsup. Â I ordered the catch-of-the-day, a trout on a bed of mashed-cauliflower, asparagus and a spicy little sauce that surrounded it all. Â (sorry...my taste buds aren't good enough to note what was in the dabbles of spicy sauce!)
My wife really enjoyed her BLT, though she was only able to finish half of it. Â The fries really pleased her - and she's a connoisseur of fries! Â However, as in her first visit, she's not a big fan of the sweet potato catsup. Â Though this is supposedly the original way catsup was made it's not to her palate. She's a traditionalist and wants her ketchup, tomato-based and normal. Â The sweet potato is definitely an acquired taste. Â I didn't mind it, with it's sweetness and nutmeg and cinnamon. Â But like many specialty beers you can get, it's good for one or two passes and then you're done with it. Â It's too much in the end.
But my trout! Â Wow. Â Yeah, that's right...WOW again! Â The fish was really good. Â A bit dry at both ends but the center was out-damn-standing. Â And the flavor was great. Â The mashed cauliflower base...admittedly not my favorite vegetable...was made very pleasant by the spicy sauce that surrounded the plate. Â And the asparagus was just short of perfect. Â A little too under-done but still good.
That leaves the beer. Â And let's not forget the beer. Â That would make or break a place for me. I could have a kick-ass dinner (and we were just short of that) but if the beer blew I wouldn't come back. Â Well, tonight I focused on just one beer. Â A seasonal called the BrewRiver Imperial Red. Â I'm not a big fan of reds or ambers. They typically lack much depth or character. Â This was not typical! Â It had a great depth of flavor. Â Great malt up front and a friendly helping of hop in the back. Â Really a great little beer!
I've been long-winded but to sum up...the beer=great...the food=very good...the service=okay. Â Our server would be great with a better managed restaurant, as, I think, the rest of the staff would be. Â But the management of the floor, bar & staff needs to be turned over to a seasoned professional. Â That's the one thing that's lacking from making this an outstanding destiny.
First of all, get down here ASAP, they are pretty new, but they are doing a bang up job with the food.
Our Server was J.P and he was as well schooled as any foodie blogger or restaurant manager I've met, if you want an education, have a seat with him.
So their house beer is contract brewed by a local brewery in Indiana, their blonde ale was one of the best beers I've had in a while, the other beers were pretty good too.
The best dish, you MUST try is their mac and cheese. Â Decent poutine, and a great burger. Â I would order all the dishes again. Â They cure their bacon on site, and most of their produce is very local, which is great.
They charged 3$ for the bacon on my burger, and got one strip, worth it because I wanted to try it, but I wouldn't do it again. Â
They have big expectation, and now, so do I. Â a great addition to the riverside drive restaurant scene.
I recently visited Brew River with some friends and I am pretty pleased with the experience. Â Food was delicious and the beer selection abundant. Â I tried the truffle fries and tasted the truffle mac and cheese appetizers. Â The fries alone are fan-freakin-tastic and the truffle aiole was ok. Â The mac and cheese is worth eating again. The Muffelata was pretty tasty as well.
Service was fast and friendly and our waiter had a sound knowledge of the beers, which is important to me and my friends anyway. Â We dined out on the patio and other than the insects, it was pretty comfortable.
If Cincinnati Magazine would get off it's duff and do another Best Burgers edition - Brew River would be in the top 3. Â Top 3!
We got the opportunity to try out Chef Michael Shields new venture on his official 8th day in. Â It was awesome. Â It makes me proud to have a place like this in Cincinnati.
For starters we had the house made pickles. Â The menu said that "whatever fell in" was included - so we had pickled green beans, cauliflower, onions, and what Sue told me were turnips. Â They were all great.
Oh - drinks. Â Sue had an organic Cabernet ... and I can't remember which one exactly. Â I had a local blond brew that was wonderful. Â We both had two of our chosen beverage.
Our wonderful server then told us that Chef Michael had prepared a special salad - local heirloom tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, a 15 year old balsamic vinegar, and drizzled with a light oil. Â I devoured that thing. Â I mean seriously - Sue barely got a few bites and I got the rest. Â Very good.
And since it's the weekend and Sue and I are always on the look out for a good burger - we had to have the pub burger. Â It was a good choice. Â It comes on a challah bun (which is soft happy sweetness), with tomato, lettuce, a slab of melted aged white cheddar, and portobello chips. Â I'm a burger snob ... and this is in my top 5 all time - top 3 in Cincinnati. Â Chef Michael is rotating his homemade catsup and tonight we had a sweet potato catsup. Â MMM mmm good. Â I mean, really. Â The hand-cut pub fries were perfect - a wonderful blend of soggy and crisp ... just like I like them.
There were amazing desserts for purchase ... but we were literally satiated. Â I could not have eaten another thing. Â Not even a wafer thin mint.
I applaud you, Chef Michael Shields. Â Well done. Â We will be back - many, many times. Â I cannot wait to try all the other goodness on your amazing menu.
I had the great opportunity to try Brew River before it is officially open on the 13th at the East End meet and greet.
They had a selection of appetizers there for us try. Cajun shrimp, a chicken liver pâté, homemade potato chips, and fish and chips. All of the food was outstanding. I was partial to the fish and chips and the shrimp. The shrimp had quite complex favors going on, and was just spicy enough. The sauce was perfectly seasoned, and to die for.  The chicken liver pâté was slightly under seasoned, and it needed some other garnish to add a bit more depth.
They also had two of their beers available, I had a Belgian Wit. The beer was good. Light, a great summer beer.
If this meal was a representation of what Brew River has to come, they will be very successful. I know I'll be there often.
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