I don't see any reason to come here vs. Tin Roof. I think Tin Roof has much better food, better drink prices and an easier layout. The chicken sandwich tasted pre-cooked. Soup and salad combo was just average. The only real benefit to this place are the beer coolers at the entrance, which can make it easier to get a beer before a crowded reds game.
Review Source:Other than the Banks location, I'm not sure what all of the fuss is about this place. I came here for dinner and drinks a few months back and was surprised by how packed this place was. It took about an hour to get a table! Both the food and drinks were just meh! I would only come back as a starting or ending point when attending a game or concert.
Review Source:It's ok. One of those places where I would go to meet up with others if they suggested it but wouldn't pick if I was making the decision. I'd be more likely to go in the summer when they have the garage doors up. When they're closed it lacks atmosphere besides the generic sports bar vibe, plus it feels crowded and loud. Food is alright, beer is fine, servers are standard. 2.5 stars
Review Source:Every time I've been here, it's been super busy. Â Service is always on the slow side, but they're really nice and friendly (which in my opinion, makes up for the slow).
Nothing fancy about the food, it's a bar, enough said.
Great place for watching games, so many tv's you won't miss your favorite teams.
We had a group of 11 and at the last minute wanted to find a place to seat us after an evening on the square and ice skating. We got right in at the Holy Grail. It was a fun atmosphere. The service was excellent and the food was pretty good too. There were lots of TVs with games on them, which we weren't there for but all decided it would be a fantastic place for March Madness! Â We were attended to promptly and professionally and the staff was able to answer all our questions! (Finding this to be more rare every outing). The staff was friendly and it was a great evening for all of us because of it.
Will definitely go back!
I have been to this location before but it was ages ago when they were just opening up and yesterday I decided to give it whirl again and let me tell you it did not let me down! The food was excellent, service was excellent, and prices were friendly! It wasn't too crowded it was a little noisy but that was only because they had several sports games going on and it is a sports bar so I expected it. I highly recommend it!
Review Source:I like listing things, so I'll take that approach for my review of Holy Grail.
1. I was there for lunch, so the service was fairly quick.
2. I like that there are taps at the tables, though I did not take the opportunity.
3. The food was definitely meh- so so. I had the buffalo chicken wrap. It needs lettuce and a choice between crispy or grilled. There wasn't much to it, but the fries were not bad.
4. The bathroom was not really that clean. It's a friday at lunch. The bathroom should look good. It's different when it's saturday night or something.
5. Parking: it's downtown. brink cash for the garage or street parking if you can find it.
6. There are dozens. DOZENS of televisions. I had the only spot in the house without a view. ARG!
I'm not hating on HG, but I think there is room for improvement here, food wise.
Go somewhere else. This place has tons of TVs but the food sucked. The wings were dry and lacked spice. The chili came out cold! How do you f## up chili in Ohio?
My sister had the fried fish sandwich and my brother had the burger, both said they were good.
Oh = no happy hour = no bueno
I've never been able to eat or drink at the Grail because it's just too crowded. This is a big meeting place after a Red's game and serves that purpose well. They do check ID's and seem to be adept at managing the crowd that often gathers after a game.
I wish I could state otherwise but this is a typical bar although not nearly as bad as Toby Keith when it comes to crowds. Very mainstream and I'm never one for liking mainstream, crowded, loud spaces so this probably isn't a thorough or fair review. Someday maybe I will be able to get lunch and comment on the food.
SOOOOOOOOOO, I remember when the Holy Grail was a small hole in the wall bar on a side street in Clifton that made their own root beer and the best BBQ Chicken Pizza you could ever have.
I am glad that they have "made it" and are in a great location and hopefully raking in the dough.
BUT, this place is now lack luster. It is just another typical bar, with typical bar food with typical drinks.
I love any place that serves Yuengling. And at reasonable prices so this is the place for me. Â We went in on a beautiful, warm Saturday afternoon to find the place filling up with college football fans. Â I love how the televisions are labeled with the games that will be shown on them so you can figure out where you want to sit. Â
I ordered the reuben roll which was fantastic. Â The standard reuben ingredients were wrapped in a wonton and deep fried to perfection. It was so good. Â I also ordered tbe black and blue burger which turned out ok. Â It was spicy enough but the burger was not of the quality I like and it was a little overcooked. Â My husband had the club sandwich which was good - it's hard to get that wrong. Mine came with fries and my husband's came with chips. Â Both were just average bar fare not bad but nothing special.
I liked the ambiance of the place and the energy, it was just like a sports bar should be.
Made a little pit stop here seeking shelter and shade from the blistering sun while at the reds game. we had a couple of beers, which their tap selection was pretty good. the apps were typical bar food. In my opinion may taste good after you've thrown back a couple but overall was lacking in flavor. Overall, it had a pretty cool vibe which I'm sure attracts the locals as the after work watering hole.
Review Source:We decided to head downtown on a Saturday afternoon to run some errands and were hungry for lunch. It was around 2 pm, we were by Great American Ballpark and thought we would try the Holy Grail. It was packed, surprised at this time of day but knowing there was a 7pm game I figured people start drinking early. The crowd was loud, college football games on every TV, cheering and beer drinking all around! We were just here for lunch and did not know what to expect. No disappointments here! My burger was juicy and cooked to perfection. The slaw was fresh and light. My husband enjoyed his grilled chicken and Saratoga chips. We will return.
Review Source:This was a typical sports bar that served a need....being 50 yards away from the Red's ball park. We were able to go have some moderately priced beers....before we went to drink much higher priced beverages in the park.
I am probably only giving this 3 stars because I was in Cincy to see the Reds play the Twins. If it was a Twins bar in Minneapolis....I would probably give it 4-5.
finally, the hype dies down, and you see a place for what it is, a great spot to be in the heart of the action during sports seasons, otherwise a rather bland beer spot the rest of the time. Â Plenty of room to mill about, catch a beer, stand on the sidewalk, to see and be seen. Â But again, not really a fantastic place to hang out at, just a good spot at a good location. Â Now that there's competition on the block, Holy Grail might need to unleash the holy hand grenade and step its game up.
Review Source:We went to the Banks to have dinner on Sunday evening, and since the Holy Grail has received good reviews, we stopped in to eat there. Things went down hill from there, unfortunately. For some reason, we were not allowed to order dinner, although it was nearly 7 pm. The only menu we were allowed to order from was the lunch menu. This was pretty surprising, since the restaurant was mostly empty and they definitely needed the business. The waitress told us that on Reds game days, only the lunch menu is available. The music was playing so loudly, the waitress needed to yell just to make herself heard. Outdoor seating wasn't an option since all of the tables were put away, although the weather was very nice. Needless to say, we left the restaurant after just a few minutes. Will I return? Â I really doubt it. Can I recommend that you eat there? No, I wouldn't recommend it.
Strike 1 - dinner menu not an option at 7 pm at night
Strike 2 - excessively loud music
Strike 3 - outdoor seating not available
My impression of Holy Grail was that of a sports bar, not a restaurant. Â However, I tried their food and was pleasantly surprised. They have a varied menu of burgers, sandwiches, salads, and pizzas, all served in generous portions. Â I had a salad with grilled chicken, and my friend had a burger. Â We were both thrilled with the food quality and speedy service. Â The place was packed yet we still got our food in a reasonable amount of time. Â
I will go back to Holy Grail - not just for drinks but for food too. Â Beware of large happy hour crowds...but give it a try!
I had the best time ever at this bar! We came here on Opening Day of the Reds game. The bar had a line to get and we were trying to talk ourselves out of actually standing in it. Â But by the time we made up our mind to get out of line we were at the door. Â
As we scanned the room we weren't actually convinced that this is where we wanted to celebrate Opening Day. Â As we grabbed our first beer we instantly bonded with a group of Reds fan and did not leave the bar until 4 hours later. We had a blast. Before we left this establishment, we had made friends with at least half of the bar. It was such a good time.
A few remarks on the establishment- -----While we were at the bar, the men's bathroom had flooded and the water had streamed its way into the hall way of the bathrooms. Â There was about 3 inches of water just standing there! It was super disgusting and gross. I was wearing flip flops and absolutely horrified that my feet were soaked in this mystery substance that was streaming from the men's room. Â I just wished that although management was super busy, it would have been nice to make sure the bar was clean and somewhat sanitary.
Also this space is cool because you do have the option to go outside. Their patio is great and it very cool that you are so close to the stadium and can be a part of the action even if you did not buy a ticket to the Reds Game.
We recently took our third - and I reckon final - visit to the Holy Grail. I think the owners have been watching the Monty Python film of the same name too much as the place does seem a bit of a joke.
And not a very good one.
Our first experience was immediately after a Reds game last season. The place was packed and NOISY. In this kind of environment, slow service can obviously be excused. What couldn't be excused was the strong aroma of both cigar and cigarette smoke wafting in from the outside patio. Truly horrible.
The second time we gave the place a whirl was during the baseball season but when the Reds were playing away. The place was reasonably busy with all eyes on one of the many flat screen TVs littered throughout. Ambiance was NOISY and service was distinctly lackluster.
Our final visit was more recently. A midweek afternoon in the middle of winter, towards the end of what could be called the lunchtime rush. Two things struck me - the first was that the it was far busier than I was expecting, it being out of season etc. (Not packed but at least a dozen or so tables with customers on them.) The second surprise was that IT WAS STILL NOISY. Incredibly incessant buzz from the mix of TVs, music playing on a separate system and a pair of tables featuring braying businessmen trying to outshout one another. All this noise then reverberates throughout the restaurant space, bouncing off the bare walls and open ceiling surfaces and comes back down to launch a massive assault on the ears.
We were forced to wait and wait at the front door whilst the hostess did her level best to ignore us, more interested in blabbing away with (presumably) a friend who was just leaving. We caught her eye twice and she still refused to even acknowledge us.
Then, after we were eventually shown to a tall table, it took a full 15 minutes or more for a server to come to us, bring water or inquire as to our drink and food needs. This involved us having to SHOUT LOUDLY at him because of the surrounding din. A ridiculous state of affairs.
The food came swiftly enough. My fish sandwich and fries were OK - assuming you were willing to ignore the limp bread and the lukewarm tasteless shoestring fries - whilst my wife's salad was disappointingly small, lacking in flavor and representing a real ripoff at almost $7!
The final coup de grace was still to come. If you have a mere hour for lunch you would be advised to give The Holy Grail a wide berth. It seems as if the servers don't recognize this requirement, preferring (certainly in our experience) to instead congregate with their fellow workers in one corner of the place, laughing, joking and generally ignoring their customers. It took a full 10 minutes to get anyone's attention to ring us up a bill, then the same again for them to collect and run our credit card. Naturally when the slips came back we were suddenly fawned over, realization maybe setting in that the service we had received during the rest of the visit had been less than stellar. (Needless to say our tip reflected our general disgust)
Why anyone would want to frequent this place is beyond belief. The service - from the very first impression - is terrible, the food is less than average - even for bar food - and the ambiance is akin to being in an empty aircraft hangar with a pair of floor standing speakers strapped to your head. If you like NOISE, SHOUTY people and SHOUTING yourself hoarse, then this is your place. For most normal people however this is somewhere that can easily be avoided, especially when the other new restaurant tenants at The Banks open their doors.
OK. In the winter I'm giving this place 2 stars, but in the warmer months, I'd bump it up to 3 since I like open windowed dining. The food I've had is around a 4, but then I've only had a salad and some drinks here. Â Service has been 3 stars. Geesh, how many separate things can I rate here? Should I rate parking? Ha ha, nope, I won't go there, except that if you like to park for free, you will certainly have to walk a block or more.
When the cold weather descends upon Cincinnati, places like this become overcrowded and downright stuffy and uncomfortable. The clientele is mostly 20 to 30 somethings with a few middle aged people on the periphery. So, if you are in the market for significant other, this place might be a good stop along your downtown dating adventures.
Some positives, there are reservable beer tap tables where you are charged by what you drink. (Their website has no info about this feature!) This could be dangerous for some people (heavy drinkers) or extremely convenient as this place can get packed and waiting for a server to bring your beer to you can take some time.
There are 31 HDTV's. So basically they are like a Best Buy and you will always have the game in your view, even when you are flirting with the bartender or someone more available (or desperate, ha!). They have NFL Ticket and NHL Center Ice, I am sure if you ask nicely the server can switch the tv to your favorite teams game.
The food: reasonably priced considering the location and quality. I've had the Reagan's Salad (large $9.99) and it was a great mix of sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, goat cheese, and Raspberry vinaigrette dressing. Yummy! Other low cal dressings include: fat free Ranch, ff Italian, ff French, and Balsamic vinaigrette.
So, until there are some more options in The Banks, this place is probably your best bet for post Reds, Bengals, and Cyclones partying. It's not the best, but it's not the worst either.
We booked an event at Holy Grail on a Wednesday, and were beyond impressed with the service. We worked with Mallory, who was easy to get in touch with and communicated well. They offered us great drink specials, and provided incredible service the whole night, even with a group of 50+ people.
The food is average, but the drinks are good and the atmosphere is fun. Worth a trip!
First I will disclose that this place is not my scene at all.
Next, I will say that even if it were, I expect more out of the staff and management. Wait staff is not professional at all, looking at their nails and walking away when we walked in the door. Management suffers from a lot of left-hand-doesn't-know-what-the-right-is-doing. Not impressed.
If you are a sports fan and want to be downtown, but can't get to the game, then I would suggest Holy Grail as your go-to spot. Â The service was decent, the food is like any sports bar food you could find elsewhere, and the atmosphere was VERY sports bar. All-in-all, everything I expect to find at a sports bar, but slightly better than those I have experienced first-hand.
I have been to this Holy Grail location a handful of times. Each time was A-OK. Only one of the times it was really packed, but we were still able to find a couple bar stools. I noticed they have a couple tables that have draft taps right at them so you can pour your own drinks and it keeps track of your pours so you pay at the end. A convenient way of not having to track down your server and spending more than you expected, it has its pros and cons, but convenient nonetheless.
The patio doesn't have as much seating as I had expected, but it does have some nice views of downtown and the Reds stadium, luckily we were able to find a seat a couple times.
The Blueberry Grail Ale is delicious! I tell everyone about it when the topic of beer comes up (which is often) and I have been known to drag people there to taste it...every one of them are now fans.
I'll start this review by saying that I wouldn't touch Holy Grail with a 10-foot pole on a Reds or Bengals Game Day. No bar, no matter how big or how good, can handle those kinds of crowds.
It's not surprising, then, that I didn't make my first trip to Holy Grail until mid-October. (And no, that's not a dig at the Reds.) Very skeptical going in, I expected to overpay and be underserved and just generally be unhappy with my experience. (This is often my expectation at any sort of big chain-like restaurant.)
Instead, I was pleasantly surprised. The food was tasty and reasonably priced, but the real winner was the Saturday night special - $10 bucket of beers. Seriously, who has beer specials on a Saturday night?!? I love this place already.
So, you might ask, why give the Holy Grail three stars? Well, partially it's a personal bias. The Grail's clientele is, how shall we say, not the kind of people I'd usually want to hang out with. (See my review of O'Malley's in the Alley for more details.) So for me, the Grail is just A-OK as an everyday, every time kind of place. On Saturday nights, though? It's the tops.
My first experience here was the night of the WEBN fireworks. Â My group and I walked in shortly before they were supposed to begin looking like a group of drowned rats. Â We joined the hundreds of other people avoiding the rain as well. Â Though the bar was incredibly crowded, there was plenty of places to stand (but not sit) and the bathrooms were clean.
I recently went back there before a Reds game. Â Though it was supposed to be a quick stop for one drink, we ended up staying for a while because of a rain delay. Â (Notice a theme in my visits to Holy Grail?) Â Though the bar was packed, we got drinks from the bar quickly. Â My friends got food from a waiter which came quickly. Â They enjoyed their food very much. Â We got our checks without incident. Â
So, here's the deal with this place. Â If you don't mind crowds, its really not very bad, surprisingly. Â They seem to always have enough staff on hand for big events. Â Service is quick despite the hoards. Â Just don't expect to get a seat right away.
I imagine on non-big event days, this place would be a great place to hang out. Â They have nice outdoor seating for good weather days. Â I would like to go back and see what it is like on a regular old Wednesday sometime.
My wife and I visited the Holy Grail on a Wednesday night to watch the taping of a Local 12 Bengal Nation television show. There was no game and the place was moderately full at 6:30. We found a metered parking spot close by.
We were greeted at the door by a helpful hostess who seated us near the stage where the taping would be taking place. We knew it would be loud so that was no surprise. Our waitress came to our table quickly with a smile and took a drink order. We saw the much talked about closed garage doors and multiple flat screens all seemed in place for a sports bar experience
We ordered a Saratoga Chip appetizer and a patty melt meal to split. Here is the reason for the 2 stars the food. The Saratoga chips were horrible. Seemed to be poured from a bag with a cup of sauce. This is the very first time in my life that I did not finish the saratoga chips. The patty melt was nothing to get excited about and the fries were horrible. This is the first time I have ever not finished our fries. $23 included soft drinks and tip could be called pricey but I understand we're paying for location.
Think about it two hungry adults 7P who split an appetizer & patty melt did not maintain our life time membership in the clean plate club something must be wrong. As we left my wife commented its been so long since we've been downtown. So we took a spin up by Fountain square to see the location of last weeks shooting. From the relative safety of our car before heading back 15 miles to suburbia.
.
In final fairness we'll be back in two weeks with 20 plus friends for another Local 12 Bengal nation taping I really hope it will be a MUCH better experience.
When you go to the ballpark, it's very likely that you'll wait in long lines for beer and be surrounded by lots of people. This i why I really don't understand people hating on Holy Grail that much. It's pretty much the same thing, and the beer is half price. If you don't mind Bud, Miller or Hudy you can get service really fast at a station set up by the door. I went there before a Yankee game (definitely the biggest crowd I've seen at GABP) and I still didn't have to wait that long for a beer.
I don't think it's a great bar if you want atmosphere. It is a great place for pre-gaming, however.
Location Location Location. Â That's a good thing thing, and a bad thing. Â
Great American Ballpark is where I spend most of my summers and having a place next to the ballpark where I can grab a beer is something I've been begging for since I found out I like beer and baseball. Â But I went there last night and was a bit disappointed. Â
Next door the mighty Reds were taking on the lowly Yankees in a makeup game from the previous night's rain delay. Â That being said, there were quite a few people here, but nothing I would say was overly packed with people.
After ordering, our beers were promptly brought to us. Â Our Appetizer (the quite tasty reuben rolls) however took a bit longer than I like for appetizers to arrive. Â And then the food took even longer.
I ordered the Pulled Pork Sandwich which boasted on the menu that it had 3 different styles of sauce to choose from. Â If you are a reader of my reviews, you should note that I do love me some BBQ, so to get to try a few different sauces, I was pretty excited when I ordered. Â
Upon delivery, the pork (albeit heaping over the bun and onto the plate) was cold to the touch and there wasn't any sauce at all accompanying it. Â
The waitress then waited 15 minutes (I timed it) to ask us if everything was OK, and when I mentioned that it was cold and w/o sauce, she took it back to the kitchen, brought the exact same sandwich out after running it in the microwave to scorching levels, and brought one ramiken of regular bbq sauce with it and took off to her other tables. Â At this point I was starving, my friends had already finished their meals, and the game was almost over. Â I finished the meal and left.
To top it all off and guarantee a solid 2 star rating, a friend of mine came over to me looking as though someone kicked him in the shins. Â He said that he had asked the DJ to play "The Roots" and the DJ denied him, stating that they played "Upbeat classy music here." Â That's just unexcusable!
They'll get their act together, I'm sure, and maybe I'm just spiteful because of my love for BBQ, but I'll stick to the beers there, those are hard to screw up.
I was pleasantly surprised with the new downtown Holy Grail. Â I had heard mixed reviews from people, especially saying it was too packed, so I wasn't sure what I'd think. Â It definitely was crowded. Â We went for some drinks before a sold out Reds game, so there were lots of people pre-partying inside. Â But they also have a fenced in outdoor area that still had plenty of room to move around.
It had a great pre-game atmosphere, with all the Reds fans getting pumped up for the game. Â The fact that you can stand outside and watch the ballpark and hear the game, fireworks, etc is also a great selling point.
When I saw how many people were at the bar I thought it might be hard to get drinks, but then we noticed that there were stations set up around the bar and outside with girls serving the big plastic bottles of domestics. Â So we never had to wait in line for a drink, even despite the huge crowd.
We didn't have a chance to eat, so I can't comment on the food really, but I did see a few plates carried to tables that looked and smelled delicious.
I'm not sure if I would like it there on a Saturday night or anything, but on an afternoon before a game, it's a great spot and I'm sure I'll be going back.
I visited for lunch, always eager for a new place to eat downtown. We chose a gorgeous, breezy day, so the Holy Grail had its large garage door walls open (think Parker Flats), and though it still smells of sawdust and sounds like construction, it really made the restaurant a great place to be.
The tavern is humongous, decked out with TVs (it's a sports bar) on mute (at least for lunch-- I'm reading other reviews saying noise was a problem but at least this non-game-day at lunch, it was pleasant with the TV sound off), long bars that could seat 20 people, reservable tables with private taps, and even bar seats right against the open windows. Large and fantastic.
The place was hummin' when we visited, but we had no problem getting a seat. Service was a little slow, but nothing unforgivable. The food was really great for bar food-- I had a turkey burger with swiss and it was juicy and delicious. (Food was a bit pricey-- check the posted menu.) The staff eventually rolled down the garage door because of some intense wind, but the room still felt airy and sunlit.
We had a big group go down on a recent Saturday night to check the place out as party of a birthday bar crawl - the manager was incredibly aggressive and rude - basically yelling down our special birthday guest and after they gave away our reserved table - he recommended we leave because he wouldn't find us an alternate solution. Half of our group has worked in service for a LOOONG time and we were all shocked about how they treated us.
This place maybe doing well because it's so new and right next to the Reds' stadium, but dont expect a quality experience. I was very disappointed.
Thank you, thank you, Holy Grail, for finally understanding the genius of the giant garage door/wall/window combo for restaurants and bars in cities with weather like we have in Cincinnati! Â I've been wondering for years why we don't have more businesses that take advantage of this set up. Â Think about it. Â We have gray cold winters, so when the weather is nice, everyone wants to take advantage of the chance to eat and drink outside. Â But restaurants with decks or patios can't use that space when it is cold or rainy. Â Holy Grail is a huge, practically square space without much structure. Â But two sides are entirely made of a series of giant, glass garage doors that can open up the whole space to the fresh air or at least let the sunshine in when it's cold outside. Â Perfect!
It's a sports bar. Â Beer, food, many people watching many tvs. Â I expect it will be really crowded whenever major sporting events are televised, and also before and after Reds' games because of the location directly across from the stadium. Â This is now the closest bar to the ballpark, so expect huge crowds during the season. Â
Unlike some of the other reviewers, I thought the staff handled its opening weekend/NCAA tournament well. Â I went on Saturday night, and knew the bar would be packed because UC played Saturday and the original location in Corryville is a UC hangout. Â It was crowded and really, really loud. Â But everyone got beers in a few minutes, and although the wait for a table was ridiculous, there were a lot of servers and bartenders on staff and people at tables looked like they were so happy with their food, beers and service that they were in no hurry to leave. Â
For me, 3 things set Holy Grail at the Banks apart from any other sports bar in America. Â The great location practically inside GABP, the open-air concept for sunny days, and Holy Grail's own Blueberry Grail Ale.
If I could give the Holy Grail's new location at the Banks 3.5 stars, I would. Â 3 does not seem like enough, but 4 would be overboard.
Oh those plastic cups! They are a monster turn off. All you're getting in those cups are cold, light and domestic beer, so it's whatever. I saw actual glasses behind the bar, maybe you have to request them, or maybe on regular weeknights when nothing is going on the break them out. Or maybe they're just saving them for when company is coming over, along with the good china?
A bar like this should be judged on 2 things: price and how easy is it to get a beer. Bottles are $3.25 which is just this side of acceptable (didnt get a draft beer so I'm not sure how much those cost, but if they're $4 or over its ridiculous) given the proximity to GABP, and on a busy Sunday during the NCAA tournament they were staffed appropriately making getting a beer or food at any point, easy.
The place was obviously rushed to be completed in time for St. Patrick's Day, as there is little to not atmosphere to speak of, just painted drywall, a weird wood paneled bar with really odd proportions and underthought storage and shelving, a few neon beer signs and plenty of big screen tv's.
Two unique features: the awesome garage doors that open up to the street and Tap Tables that you can reserve (i think) and just fill up your drinks from a tap right in the table. Could come in handy.
I'm ok with this place as long as the prices stay reasonable and it doesn't devolve into one of those shitty bars full of a-holes like in Wrigleyville.
Like Alex, I'm going to start this review by saying it was the first Friday night they were open AND the first weekend of the NCAA basketball tourney. Â I'll go back as well, but it left a bad first impression, so it might take a while before I go back. Â
My husband and I walked in, and there were two hostesses standing at a podium directly to the right. Â No, "hi how are you?" or "welcome to the Holy Grail", just blank stares from the hostesses. Â If you're new, why don't you greet your guests who have likely never been there before? Â So, I see the hostesses have a list of names in front of them, so I ask if they are taking names in order to wait for a table. Â The response...."no, nobody's getting up from the tables since they are watching basketball". Â OK, whatever, then what's your purpose for standing here if you're not going to greet me to explain the deal about this place or take names. Â And, there are 2 of you just standing here doing nothing. Â
The place was packed, but we proceeded to the bar to get a drink. Â I noticed they were serving in plastic cups. Â Another immediate turn off. Â We waited about 10 minutes and couldn't get a drink, so we left and went somewhere else. Â I'll eventually give them another shot, but first impressions go a long way. Â I don't understand why some businesses don't get that.
I'm going to start this review by saying it was opening night and I understand chaos happens. I will be back to write an updated review later on, once they get the kinks out, but the new Holy Grail is such a buzzed about place that I'm getting some words in as people look for new things to do downtown.
Holy Grail is the first spot to open on The Banks, the area in downtown right by the Ohio. It's next to Great American Ballpark (and directly across from The Reds Hall of Fame).
Above all, this is a sports bar - I wouldn't have really thought that from the name, but there it is. This place is massive - a giant open room that stretches in all directions. To your right after walking in the long, long bar and tables to sit at. To your left are more tables and chairs. They also have nice bars near the giant garage door-like windows which actually open up when the weather is nice, meaning you can basically sit outside.
And TVs everywhere. Everywhere everywhere. No matter where you are standing in the bar, you can see a TV. That was well done. If you're looking to come see a game and are worried about space and finding a great spot, this is the place to be. It was packed and my girlfriend and I still found a comfortable table with enough room for friends to join us and still see the game perfectly.
This is what I liked. But it was few and far between on everything else.
First of all, this place is loud. So. Damn. Loud. So loud my ears still hurt. Everyone is screaming above the TVs, which are already loud to begin with. And since there are so many people, the noise just keeps getting louder and louder. It was awful.
They are also horribly under-staffed for a new bar. I understand that you have to work out the dynamics but it took me over 20 minutes to get a drink, and I was standing there, right against the bar in a bright red shirt - I know I wasn't being missed, there were just so many people and so few people working. If I hadn't been meeting friends, I would have left.
The kitchen also closed at about 11 without them telling anyone. I saw a guy try to order food around the same time I was trying to get my drink. He waited and waited only to finally be told that they "just closed it." He stormed out - I would have been pretty pissed too (the menu does look like a nice collection of bar food though.)
Also, my beer came in a plastic cup. That wasn't cool, I'm not in college anymore. I'm not sure if that was just an opening night thing and they're still waiting on glasses, but if I order a $5 beer at a bar, I want it in a glass. Plastic cups, Holy Grail? Seriously?
And above all, it's FILLED with college kids. An overwhelming amount of them, much like the Holy Grail on Coryville. They were loud and drunk and obnoxious and not at all what I wanted.
This is not a place for me. Too loud, too annoying, and that's too bad because I was hoping this would be a great kickoff for The Banks. Still, I'm happy that there are new options downtown - any new business is good business for Cincinnati's redevelopment. Again, I'll come back again to give it another chance ... but maybe when more of the Banks opens so if it hasn't changed, I have somewhere close to run to.
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