I decided to finally visit the casino this weekend. Being from Cinci I am very excited to have this new addition to our town. Pulling up to the casino the first thing that caught my eye was the Margaritaville neon lights. I decided right away we would dine there before our gambling experience.
Approaching Margaritaville from inside the casino I instantly saw a women dressed in Hawaiian attire on stilts, she was making funny balloon hats for the people inside.
My husband and I were greeted right away and told it was going to be an hour wait. We were given a buzzer and decided to go to the bar for a drink.
The bar was very crowded but we were able to sit at a table at the bar.
The waitress came came over very quickly and asked if we would like her to turn our buzzer in! We were just gonna sit and wait on our table but were very happy to learn you can have full service at the bar tables.
Our waitress gave us her favorites and also told us what the popular things in the menu were among guests.
She talked me into the blue fin drink in a souvineer cup that looked like a blender and my husband got the guest favorite "uptown" margarita.
We both loved our drinks and decided the uptown was one of the best Margaritas we had ever had.
For our appetizer we got the fried pickles (also our servers favorite) and conch fritters.
The pickles were crunchy and delicious as well as the fritters.
We were so full already but couldn't pass up the Nacho burger. This is not usually on the menu but she said she had eaten it 3 times in the week they were testing it.
This burger was the messy, big and full of delicious flavor! I never thought sour cream on a burger would taste so good!
I give Margaritaville a 5 out of 5 stars!
I was so surprised to see the negative comments on here and had to share my wonderful experience.
We loved it so much that after gambling for a few hours we went back for 2 more uptown's and enjoyed the live band.
We will be back!!
Margaritaville is thoroughly mediocre. Â We joined some friends for dinner at Margaritaville on a Friday night because we really were in the mood for you guessed it, margaritas. Â They have oodles of margarita-type drinks on their menu and we all ordered different ones. Â The drinks weren't very good and overpriced. Â All of the drinks were way too sweet with not enough alcohol. Â We ordered some appetizers and the only one that stood out was the nachos and that's because one order was enough to feed all 8 people at the table with some leftover. Â No one had anything spectacular to say about the food. Â A couple people ordered burgers and wish they would have not wasted the calories on them. Â I had the fish tacos and they were just okay. Â Overall no one was impressed with the food or drinks. Â Service was good though. Â There are too many other decent restaurants in Cincinnati to whom I would rather give my money.
Review Source:Great! It's new because of the Casino, but the service was great! Alisha treated my boyfriend and I well, making great drink and food suggestions. There's a Mango Rita with a sugar rim which is great if you like sweet and the uptown is definitely decent on a day of hard work. I had the nachos... I should have invited more friends because its definitely a meal for four or five. My boyfriend had the BBQ bacon cheese burger and onion rings and he said it was pretty good and filling. There was also a live band that sang great covers, unfortunately I can't remember the bands name and the restaurant rotates bands throughout the week.
Review Source:So I read some of the reviews below - I think that where they seat you might have a big part of it. We dont gamble but decided to check out the Casino for restaurants. After checking everything out, we decided on Margaritaville. We do intend to check out all the other places too! :)
The atmosphere was lively. We chose to sit outside; there was a musician playing live (acoustic guitar +vocals) who wasnt great but at least it was not loud and we could have a decent conversation.
The service was terrible. We werent waited on for at least 15 minutes, then they forgot the flatware (we had to wait 5 minutes after food was served for the flatware to arrive).
The food, however wasnt bad! I ordered the turkey burger which was pretty good. My wife was happy with her chicken teriyaki (and she loves asian food, having spent 4 yrs in Japan) .My buddy enjoyed his hamburger. Definitely not gourmet but thats not what you are expecting going in anyway. Not bad for a relatively inexpensive meal at the Casino.
I'd love to be able to review the food but we didn't even get that far so this is only a review of the customer service we experienced. My friend picked this place to celebrate her 30th birthday because she thought it would be a fun atmosphere and I volunteered to be in charge of planning. Â We had a group of about 10 people (including a small child) and I called to see if I could make reservations. Â The woman on the phone said they don't take reservations but assured me we "should be fine" if we got there by 5PM. I made sure to arrive even before then to get a table for everyone and as soon as I got there, I saw a very long line in front of the hostess stand. Â By the time I got to the front, I was told it would be a 2.5 hour wait. Â The hostess was the same person I had talked to on the phone. Â I said "but you told me as long as we got here by 5 we wouldn't have to wait." Â She replied very rudely, "Well obviously not." Then she tried to argue with me over what time it actually was and explained how this was really my fault, despite what I had been told on the phone. So I had to scramble at the last minute to find a new place to have the party and then contact everyone who had not already arrived to reroute them to a different restaurant. (see my positive review of Maggiano's). Â So Margaritaville nearly ruined my friends party. Why they don't have a hostess with any customer service skills or basic manners I can't understand. None of us will be returning.
Review Source:I'd give it a (5), but I don't want to spoil them. Â Fun place. Â My (4) year old niece loved the "balloon" dogs! Â The tall, tall people where a treat to. Â Only negative was the bright sun coming through that BIG window! Â Gotta a little hot & very bright to my old eyes! Â Could use some shades on the windows, Jimmy. Â But, other than that the place is COOL. Â Thanks for coming to our new casino!
I'll celebrate my next Birthday @ Margaritaville!
Scott Hogg
I had high hopes for Margaritaville when it was announced to open at Horseshoe Cassino. I visited the bar on opening night and the restaurant about a month later. Opening night was, as a previous rater described, "swirling chaos" at Margaritaville and my blue fin margarita was messy and overpriced. The bartenders weren't entirely sure how to make the drinks yet, so that was awkward to witness. When I ate at the restaurant a month later, things were still swirling chaos at the bar. However, I was expecting some good old Jimmy Buffet music and cheesy decorations while I ate. The music was 80's jazz and the food was disgusting. (I ordered a turkey burger but ended up snacking on volcano nachos because it was nearly inedible.) Sorry, Jimmy, I won't be returning.
Review Source:Love it! First the wait was long but it was Friday night it, we were out for our sons birthday , When we were seated our funny informative waitress...(Stacey) sold us loaded landshark and the 2 and 2 as she called it...and the appiterzer that she said would be great for a party of 7, the nachos,,, Yummmm they were layered with goodness, And they had Monk Fish...we had it blackened and added some butter that was perfect! We will be back .
Review Source:First off, we are HUGE Buffett fans and HUGE fans of the Margaritaville in Myrtle Beach!!! We were over the moon when it was announced they'd be opening one here in Cincinnati! Anyhoo, we wanted to go there for my birthday, with about ten people. We'd read the reviews and heard from other Parrottheads that the wait on a Saturday night was 3+ hours; so we ate someplace else, and just showed up for the band & drinks. We got there around 8pm. There was no line, the place looked fairly empty; yet the host at the door (a rude young fellow who apparently has control issues) told us all to wait behind the rope, he'd seat us when he could. We were told there was a wait... why? Tons of empty tables! So we told him, we'll just take those two tables next to all the OTHER empty tables at the bar area! Our waitress was the ONLY saving grace to this place. She was prompt and friendly (yet she seemed rather unhappy with her coworkers). And the drinks......... Â be prepared to lose your wallet over these. Hubby got his standard tall Captain & Diet, and it was basically a Diet Coke with a pindrop of Captain Morgan in it. For $9.00 per glass. After about 6 of of those, he's still sober, getting hyper from all the caffeine, and ticked that even though he asked for DOUBLE SHOTS, he couldn't taste ANY rum in the drink! This place is a FAR CRY from the one in Myrtle Beach, I guess they have some catching up to do. Or maybe they just don't care. Pretty sad, considering, this is where the phrase 'Parrotthead' was born. The only way we'll go back is if it's late summer, after they've worked out the kinks, and hope to the gods that they hire happier, friendlier people to work those front ropes. As a bar... it just sucked.
Review Source:We went to this restaurant with a group of about 10. They are not yet taking reservations, but we just put our name in & continued to gamble in the area while waiting for our table. The menu has just about something for everyone. I personally ordered the jerk chicken & it was great, not too hot. I also had some of the breaded chicken bites appetizer & they were so tender. A couple of the other "hits" based on other diners in my group were the club sandwich and the spinach & artichoke appetizer. Our waiter was amazing. His name was EG or EJ and it was some of the best service I have ever had, especially with a group this large. Not once did anyone in our group run out of their drink & he was constantly checking on us. I would definitely go back to this restaurant.
Review Source:Well...Margaritaville was really about what I expected. Over priced food and drinks with cheesy decor and bad music. I mean it is inside of a casino after all.
If you are trapped inside of the Horseshoe Casino like I found myself last weekend...I'd advise passing on Margaritaville and perhaps going to the buffet instead. I ordered the veggie burger which is made in house (which sounded promising). It was a patty of mush and corn that fell completely a part after my first bite. It was bland and I ended up putting a ton of ketchup and mustard on it and still waws
The atmosphere...is strange. First off they seated us ON the dance floor. It was so loud I couldn't hear myself think let alone try and have a conversation with my friends. I was afraid to move my chair at all due to the drunk people dancing around me.
Do yourself a favor and save your money. This place is not worth the cost AT ALL!
jimmy buffet margaritaville was a real reason we went after walking by it in Las Vegas we were so excited to have that same atmosphere nearby. We were very very very disappointed what a travesty we didn't even go up to the hostess. The place was small and It didn't have the same feel as the other locations it reminded me of those  Airport restaurants that are the express versions. I did not hear buffet music as well. And it was pricy for the experience. We chose to eat off property due to this.
Review Source:For whatever reason, Jimmy Buffet is something of an iconic figure in Cincinnati. His yearly concerts at Riverbend sell out in double-quick time, the day of the gig itself almost treated like some kind of unofficial local public holiday. I have no idea why. I don't think there's enough wild horses on the entire planet to drag me to one of his shows, but maybe that's because I have a modicum of good taste?
So, it was with a sense of some trepidation that we tried out his Margaritaville concept restaurant inside downtown's swanky Horseshoe Casino. The theme is some kind of Caribbean/Key West/Floridian/beach hybrid, with a sea plane hanging from the ceiling and palm trees in abundance. I have to say its very well appointed indeed, everything looks right and big money has evidently been spent on the surroundings, comfort and vibe.
We dined on a Thursday afternoon, just before the end of the working day. As such we were seated quickly and efficiently and received immediate attention from our bubbly server. She was very personable, but possibly a little bit too personal in her patter, asking me all kinds of questions about my accent, how I got to America, what I thought of America, what is that case I had on my phone... and lots more besides. During one of her absences I joked with my wife that she will come back and maybe ask how big my wiener was. My wife responded with "Well if she does make sure you lie, I don't want her to feel sorry for me" What the what now?
The food came out promptly. My wife ordered the handmade Veggie Burger and declared it a Veggie Burger in Paradise. (See what I did there?) I had the BBQ Bacon Burger which, unfortunately came from a different part of paradise where they serve up overcooked dry burgers devoid of any moisture or real taste. Having to add ketchup and mustard to kick it up a notch made it no better than fast food in my opinion. I did mention this to the server who said "the kitchen is still in a learning curve". Honest, but maybe too revealing. Given the prestige of this restaurant I would have thought the kitchen would have its act together WELL before its opening in early March, let alone still suffering growing pains several weeks later.
It was OK. Nothing spectacular to drag me back there at all. Overpriced  bar food in a nice setting just about sums it up for me. My wife was more abrupt... "the worst thing about this Jimmy Buffett restaurant is having to hear his crappy music all the time". Succinct. Honest. Truthful. It's why I married her.
I went there on Friday 3/15, the whole experience was HORRIBLE! I had a party of 8, and I was told it was going to be a 60-90 minute wait. Which was fine, so we all went to the bar to have a drink. The bar staff was great, they got us our drinks pretty quickly and the drinks were good. A person out of my party went to go check on our table and she was informed to gather the party together because our name was about to be called. So we did as we were told, and gathered at the front, only to find out that we were going to be standing there for almost 20 minutes waiting for a table. (There were 4 tables open for big parties, they just didn't seat us). When we were finally seated, it literally took the waitress twenty minutes to greet us at our table and take our drink orders. When we finally got our drinks, she left us again and did not return for another 25 minutes. Mind you it was not that busy, she only had 3 parties. (I counted). When she came back to take our food orders, we asked for recommendations she really didn't say anything was good except the Seafood Mac & Cheese. So one of my friends and I ordered the Mac & Cheese thinking it was going to be awesome. 30 minutes later......we finally got our food. DISGUSTING! The seafood mac & cheese was advertised to have shrimp, lump crab meat, and a cheese sauce. What I got was overcooked noodles, shrimp, no crab meat, and a sheet (literally a sheet) of cheese on top. After trying to find my crab meat, I asked my waitress to send it back to the kitchen. She asked what was wrong with my meal and I proceeded to tell her that there was no lump crab meat in my dish. She said that it wasn't included in the dish, only shrimp. When I told her that the menu states differently, she reluctantly took my meal back. After 15 more minutes of waiting, I finally received my meal again, only to find out that they put SHREDDED crab meat, instead of the advertised lump crab meat. As the night went on, we couldn't find our waitress for drink refills, we had to ask another waitress for refills. Our waitress didn't come back and check on us to see if our meals were okay, and if we needed anything. We basically had to hunt her down for our checks and boxes for the lack luster food that they serve. I wouldn't have given her a tip, but it was already included because I had a party of 8.
Oh, and don't get me started on the band. TOOOOOOOOO LOUDDDDDDD. You could barely hear the person next to you.
All in all, I would only go back to get drinks. NOT TO EAT. I just wish they hired better wait staff because the waitress I had was NOT good.
Atmosphere great! Food not so much..... Let's just say for the prices you pay it's like eating at Applebees for the quality of food you are eating. Sure it is chain restaurant I get that but at the same time I should expect a little more quality food because after all it is supposed to be better than a normal chain restaurant. Â The atmosphere is great if you want to kick back and enjoy some drinks but save your money and eat at another chain restaurant because trust me it tastes exactly the same and the wallet will thank you.
Review Source:I visited on the first Saturday evening of open service. Woah, they were packed and busting butt! Our wait for a table was 2+hours and after walking up to check the status of our wait the host said they were having issues with the buzzer and our table suddenly came available, interesting. Sat upstairs and our waitress was friendly and quick to get us drinks and take our order. For the amount of people jammed in the house, the wait for food was quite quick! The cuban was pretty tasty and the pasta looked good. You are definitely visiting and paying for the branded experience and they did a good job in the design, but restrooms could be improved...2 stalls for all those tipsy margarita girls just wasn't cutting it! Might give it another go once things die down.
Review Source:I'll start this review by saying that I did not eat at this particular location of the Margaritaville chain.
I am reviewing it as a bar. And as a bar, I can safely give it 3 stars, much like Linsey G. says, I can't justify 4, but it's a little better than the 3.
We went on the first Saturday night that the casino was open to the public for a bachelorette party. So already, I have to cut them some slack for the wait times. We actually were able to walk right in since we weren't being seated for dinner. That really impressed me. I figured we were going to have to stand in some kind of line.
Well we did, for drinks, but again, I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly the bartenders were working and how friendly and professional they remained despite teh chaos swirling around that place on a Saturday night- no less the first Saturday night they were open.
They had a great cover band playing and we were able to kind of take over the dance floor at first. Slowly but surely, it started to fill up, but the Parrot Head vibe prevailed- and it was peaceful and fun.
A couple of our drunken friends even spilled drinks and a polite staff member appeared quickly to clean it up. I was really impressed.
I went into this experience expecting the worst, and I was pleasantly surprised. I'll have to go back sometime!
So my fiance and I decided to check out the casino and grab a late lunch Saturday afternoon. Ok, yes I know it was the first weekend it was open...we were expecting a crowd. We found Margaritaville being the only restaurant that had visibly open tables, so we stopped and put our name in. The young girls at the front said it would be a 35-45 minute wait. I kind of chuckled and said "Even with all these empty tables?" and they just kinda said .... "Yeah...we know".
So, we smiled and confusingly took our little buzzer thing and tried to get a drink at the bar (which was impossible...they had 2 bartenders). Somehow two seats opened up at the bar and we snagged those quickly. We needed a drink. The big margaritas served in the blender looking cups caught my eye. The price (I believe 14.25) is quite steep...but they looked big and awesome....and well, we were in Margaritaville, so why not. We ordered two of those. We watched the bartender pour it out of some premade mix. It tasted great!.....for a non alcoholic drink. Over 14 dollars and you couldn't even taste any alcohol, if I am spending that much on 1 drink, I need to taste something. We had to get 2 more shots of tequila to even make it worth it. So the drinks ended up being $22+ a person. Sort of ridiculous....
We're waiting for our table...and waiting....and waiting. We are watching around us people coming in and seemingly getting sat right away, and still a bunch of empty tables all around the restaurant. After about 45 minutes, I had my fiance check our name on the list. They told us we were 2nd in line. About 30 minutes later, we gave up and just decided to eat at the bar. It was ridiculous....there were tons of servers around....so I don't think staffing was the issue. And if it was the kitchen that was the issue, hire more cooks.
From the bartender we ordered the nachos and the Conch fritters. I was hoping for at least some mediocre food....and it was meh.... The nachos are piled so high with what seems like a whole bag of tortilla chips, but only toppings on the very top. Not to mention it is piled so high, toppings and stuff were flying all over the table when we would try to grab a chip. Kinda silly if you ask me. I'd rather have half the chips and enjoy my nachos instead of giving me a whole bag that falls all over the place. The Conch fritters literally tasted like crab-flavored bread that was fried. It is not like the Conch fritters you get by the beach. I took a couple bites and was done with those.
So, our bill was a total of about 60 bucks. For 2 ridiculously overpriced (yet good) margaritas and 2 crappy appetizers. I'd rather spend my money elsewhere. We won't be back. Hopefully within the next month, they get their kinks work out, hire more workers, or something....
I was at Margaritavilles for the Casino's soft opening. Â They served a buffet that night instead of ordering off the menu. Â The buffet was pretty good. Â Margaritaville is a good addition for the city because of our connect with Jimmy Buffet. Â Also, I think it is a good addition to the Casino. Â A restaurant of that types belongs in a Casino, lower price than some and one that has a party atmosphere which fits into a Casino vibe. Â We were halfway through our entrees before the appetizer was brought out (which was delivered by a server instead of buffet style. Â The entrees and desserts were buffet style. So I really cannot say what the service will be like or the menu. Â I went to a Margaritaville in Vegas and the food was decent. Â
I think in the warmer weather being able to grad a bite outside would be nice. Â
I would go back willing, but probably not often, but I do not tend to go to Friday's/Olive Gardens/Bahama Breeze or other chains. like that. Â However I do think it was a good choice for the Casino.
I've seen, heard, and read some hater-like thoughts and opinions. I've also seen, heard, and read some praise. (Okay fine, full on strokage of the place.) It's all personal preference, and that's how I'll leave it. So just try it out before forming you own opinion. That's what I'll say.
Also this:
I'm an advocate for Cincinnati and--seeing as I'm a lifelong resident of this great city--I have its best interest in mind, and my hopes for its thriving up close and personally within the throngs of my heart. I also love everything organic and architectural about this city, and sometimes take offense to its spaces being compromised. A block-sized concrete eyesore can be considered just that. Instead, I don't think of Horseshoe Casino and, more specifically, Margaritaville to be such a bad thing. At all.
This particular restaurant is one of 20+ franchises within the chain, which is located in multiple countries in North America and even one in Australia. I'm largely opposed to chain restaurants, but I don't consider Margaritaville to be such a bad thing. Reminiscent to Hard Rock Café and Planet Hollywood, this restaurant boasts middle of the road casual dining, some entertainment, and live music. (Also money to our thriving city. I digress.)
The biggest difference from those places? The all-around experience. Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville is all about fun. If you're going to this place for anything other than entertainment, you're doing it wrong. You want great food? This experience is not for you. But if you're looking for a mid-casino break from the dinging of the slot machines, this is absolutely your place. If you're looking for a really good time and to share it with as many other people as possible? This is absolutely your place. For a moderate price, you can enjoy some drinks, appetizers, or something from its pretty extensive menu. Or you could, y'know, do all of the above.
Parrotheads are some of the friendliest, most fun traveling pack of loyal music fans. I was fortunate enough to have attended a VIP pre-opening of "Fincinnati's" Margaritaville, and particularly enjoyed how much fun everyone was genuinely having. You don't find this kind of elation many places and by so many people in one place, so it was a special experience--one that I hope happens again and again as long as this place is open.
I may not frequent Margaritaville downtown a ton in the future, but I genuinely liked the place for precisely what it was: a decent restaurant with good appetizers, drinks, live (but not oppressively loud) music, and fun. And lots of the latter. Also Jimmy Buffett tunes.
(If I could give it 3.5 stars, I would, but I don't think it warrants a 4. So 3 it is.)
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