The atmosphere is great and feels like a vacation; however, the food is not the attraction and is very overpriced. Â Four of us went for the first time and we loved the whole tiki-like setting, our server was amazing, and the music was very good. Â The grouper tacos were good, but the other order sandwiches were not tasty. The fruit plate had a few pieces of fruit, watery cottage cheese and not tasty at all. Â But, we'd definately return just for appetizers and the location.
Review Source:I'll get the positive out of the way first: this place absolutely has a Florida feel. Not quite Key West, too inauthentic for that, but it would not be out of place near almost any beach in Florida. It's not tiki, as some reviewers say. Tiki is Polynesian, and awesome, and full of amazing drinks like Zombies, and Cincinnati is wholly lacking in tiki. This is Florida. If you want a tiki bar you'll be more disappointed than anyone else (and everyone will be disappointed.)
That's the good, now how about the bad? Let's start with the atmosphere, since that's what everyone rates highly. Yes, you're on the water, but it's a marina so that water is the inky, oily kind motorboats create. And yes, you're surrounded by some cool boats, but there's a locked gate between you and them, which is good for owners but bad for you - most ocean marinas I've been to aren't locked, allowing you can view the boats. There are giant spiders everywhere, which is understandable to a point and it's interesting to watch them spin webs as you drink beer but they're absolutely everywhere, and I saw at least two mummified baby birds in the place that had clearly been dead for years. That was disturbing. One was at foot level, and my eyes had been going over it for at least half an hour before I noticed the beak and put together what it was, and once I saw it I couldn't stop seeing it.
How about the food? In a word: terrible. First time I went (Summer 2011) I had a chicken fajita wrap. The chicken had no flavor, the rice in the wrap had no flavor, the cheese (I think there was cheese) had no flavor, etc. The only part of the wrap with flavor was the wrap itself, which was problematic because it was one of those herb wraps made for chicken ceaser wraps, not for something southwest/mexican. It was entirely the wrong flavor, and it was the strongest flavor. A terrible waste of calories. The next time I had a burger and, well, it wasn't any better.
Then there are the prices. Everything is at least 25% too expensive. Sure, sandwiches top out at $15, but they're terrible sandwiches.
Lastly, the beer selection is ok (don't expect anything less mainstream than Bud, but it's an adequate selection of all the major beers), the margaritas are sweet (like, sugary sweet), and there's no drink menu with specials to inspire you.
No reason to go here.
The food here is way overpriced and it is not quality ingredients for what you are paying for which sucks, however if you want a $12 turkey club and an amazing atmosphere on a weeknight this is your place. They do have drinks specials which is nice also.
I have always enjoyed myself here, but the menu is lacking and so is the execution.
This place's service is terrible.
The atmosphere (the marina/river) is great. The food is pretty good. Â It's unfortunate that the wait staff can't be bothered to notice that you've sat in their section (first problem is a restaurant this big being seat yourself), bring you a menu, and ask if you'd like to order. Also unfortunate that the bar tender can't be bothered to ask if you'd like a drink (when you've been sitting at the bar for 10 minutes), or cash out your tab in a timely manner (or at all actually).....especially when they are not busy.
Once we went up to the server station and asked if we could have a waiter and order food...the waitress we did have did a great job...the best she could I guess. Probably won't be going here again. Bummed that it was so disappointing.
Yea, the view is nice, but the beer is average and the food is passable. Â I only drop in if I'm playing at the Sandbar and have a long layover in between games. Â So the evening weeknight scene is slow at best. Â Not the kind of place to go out of your way to, but a decent place to enjoy a beer or two.
Review Source:This place is pretty unique in Cincinnati: very laid-back, relaxed feel with a large patio right on the marina. You don't come here necessarily for great food, although the blackened tilapia sandwich I had was pretty darn good, but it makes for a highly enjoyable weekend afternoon hang-out spot.
There is smoking allowed on the patio, which is a negative, but it's pretty well spaced out so not terrible. Service is a bit scattered, so don't go when you're in a hurry, but that's really the while point of this place anyway, to just kick back and enjoy the river breeze. Mediocre draft beer selection, primarily the standard domestics, but a larger selection in bottles. Pretty varied menu. The aforementioned blackened tilapia was very tasty, but the white, mushy hoagy bun could use an upgrade. The small side of coleslaw was sweet and creamy and the fries were a solid average.
Despite having a dive-y feel, it's actually not that cheap, Nonetheless, a fun, chill location for a summertime beer and casual meal right on the river.
We were intrigued by the marina setting. Â The atmosphere is fun and tropical, right on the water surrounded by boats. Â They had live music on a Tuesday night, a nice surprise. Â But...
The food was disappointing and overpriced. Â The service was sub-par at best. Â I ordered a mediocre basket of sweet potato fries that were overcooked and greasy. Â We also ordered an Italian hoagie which was OK, but not great. Â It took a long time to get served, and we were ignored for drink refills. Â We almost went up to the bar to get our own drinks.
Overall, I won't go back and wouldn't recommend this place unless you want to sit at the bar and enjoy the view of the water and boats.
It's a cool place, neat view and all. I enjoyed my beer at the bar while waiting for my group to arrive, and that was as good as can be expected. However, once we sat down, I was not impressed. The service was not particularly great, and my food was a big disappointment. My fried fish sandwich was more fried breading than fish. I couldn't stay that long, so I didn't bother sending it back or anything.
Take this review with a grain of salt, though - I had really high expectations for this place. One of my friends described it as a "pirate tiki bar" ... which sounds super awesome. It was alright, a fine enough place to go and chill if you're in the neighborhood, I would say. But not worth the trip to an area I never go.
Also, it was kind of tough to find. If you do decide to check it out, as you're going down Kellogg, look for the Four Seasons Marina sign in the picture posted here. Turn there, then go allllll the way down. My Garmin did not take me to the right place when I entered the address, so I had to stop and ask someone.
The view is super. Â You think if a person starts out a review of a restaurant talking about the view it doesn't say much about the food. Â Umm...yeah...you'd pretty much be right.
The food isn't bad. Â But, for the price...it's really not that good. Â I got a burger and fries with a diet coke. Â The wife got some quesidilla appetizer (that we got for half price) an order of sweet potato fries and a water. Â The total bill was $30...really? Â I know $30 isn't a crazy amount for food...but, for what we ate..Blah.
The service was good. We got our food quickly. Â The view of the marina was very pretty. Â But, for what it was...it's not really worth the price.
I recommend you go at least once because it is pretty. Â But, I wouldn't be a regular.
4 stars? Well sure, if you take it for what it is, the place is very enjoyable. If you expect it to be something it isn't, you will, most likely be disappointed.
This is a casual joint that serves inexpensive drinks, has a Margaritaville feel to it, and some decent music to go along with the good people.
They won't have your snooty drinks, the food comes in plastic baskets, but from the responses around me, it appeared to be satisfying. Don't expect a lot from the servers. You have to grab their attention to both order and cash out. The band that was playing when I went was a lot of fun and had a blues vibe even though they were singing the usual crowd-pleasing, easily recognizable, popular songs.
The older crowd arrives early and the younger crowd starts to show up when the sun goes down from what I could tell. It's technically on the water and with the pier look and boats all around, it's easy to conjure up those warm feelings of lazy Summer weekends gone by, spent with old friends. It can get a bit humid though, so don't plan to wear a ton of clothing. A good bit of people were coaxed into dancing and a good time appeared to be had by all.
After seeing the reviews of Pirate's Cove come up on Yelp (thanks, previous reviewers!) I knew that the restaurant would be a place that my boyfriend would absolutely love.
So, yesterday, after he had a particularly bad day at work, we headed over to Kellogg Ave and found the Four Season's Marina with a little help of my GPS. Â I was wholly unfamiliar with the area and we were astounded by the number of marinas we passed on the way!
We easily found Pirate's Cove by following signs that are installed throughout the marina's grounds after laughing at the driving range where golfers drive directly into the water. Â It is a really casual restaurant, "seat yourself," so we grabbed a table facing the yacht yard and took a look at the menus.
It was incredibly humid last night so neither of us was in the mood to drink, opting for Iced Teas instead. Â This was a mistake on our part. Â Never order Iced Tea in a bar-you end up with the Nestea kind instead of fresh brewed. Â Yuck.
We ordered dinner (Crab cakes and a side tossed salad for me, Grouper Fingers with fries and salad for him) and within minutes our food was brought to our table. Â The restaurant wasn't very crowded at 6pm so our service was quick. Â
My crab cakes were fried, which was a little disappointing, but this joint is all casual so I should have expected it. Â They were still good, though I found shells in the second one...not fun to chew. Â My guy loved his Grouper Fingers and said his fries tasted "Just like Wendy's" which, for him, is a good thing.
We said no to dessert in favor of getting back into the air-conditioned bar but did listen to the live music that had started at 6:30pm for a bit. Â
Atmosphere is really what you're paying for here...it is a Tiki Bar and you do feel incredibly removed from the city. Â Relatively good and cheap eats.
Drinking a nice cold beer and chowing on seafood dip at Pirate's Cove, I can almost smell the ocean. Too bad it's hundreds of miles away and the Ohio River is a sad replacement. Nonetheless, Pirate's Cove is a great substitute for those tropical bars and eateries usually only found along the coastline.
The tiki bar really captures the essence of nautical themed bars, replete with bartenders in Hawaiian shirts and ceilings decorated with flotation devices. The cover band was not at all annoying (because to me most of them are), playing cool blues jams at an enjoyable volume.
Because Pirate's Cove is located at the Four Season's marina complex, don't be surprised if you see people docking their boat and stopping in for a drink. I saw so many boats (yachts, actually) that I'd love to cruise around in, but then I realized where I was and took it back. Me no swimmo in the Ohio (nor should anyone else for that matter).
The clientele ranged from well-shoed regulars to volleyball players, who'd finished their game at Sandbar up the hill from Pirate's Cove. Dress is definitely Key West casual.
We tried the Island Seafood dip, which was described as "a blend of shrimp, fish, and lump crab in a mild Wasabi cream cheese." The appetizer was served with flatbread crackers (think the Crispini kind). Though we were pleased with the amount of seafood in the dip, overall the dish was a bit bland. Could easily have added more Wasabi for a zestier taste. At $10.95, I wasn't overly impressed.
Pirate's Cove is so unlike any other bar in Cincinnati, because it pulls off its imitation of a distant, exotic locale while addin its own regional flair.
Overall: 4 1/2 stars
A tiki bar in Southwest Ohio?! Yes, the Pirate's Cove is just that...you'll feel like you're in Key West (if the weather cooperates). On a recent, cool Sunday afternoon, the bar/restaurant area was moderately crowded, with plenty of staff to attend to the customers. Some folks were enjoying a drink and the live band, while others were enjoying an early dinner/late lunch. It's a relaxed atmosphere with a great view of the marina and lots of nice boats.
On another visit we tried some appetizers along with our beers. The grouper fingers were excellent. The lump crab meat cocktail was good, not great.
The place opens at 11 a.m. each day, weather permitting, from May to October. Most days have a drink special; on Sundays it is $4 Bloody Mary's after 1 p.m. Pirate's Cove serves appetizers, sandwiches, salads, burgers and more. The bartenders and servers are friendly and there's plenty of parking. It would be a great location for a summer birthday or just to meet friends.
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