I was so confused about what to expect for the decor after reading previous reviews. No one was specific but all seemed to agree it was odd. Here are the specifics: You will feel like you are dining in your grandparents basement. Wood-paneled walls, mounted deer heads, strange pink-ish lights. You will ALSO feel like you are supposed to be seated at a summer garden party with the white wooden chairs with yellow cushions. Also, there were large curved lamps which made it feel like we were an entree under a warming lamp. Decor aside, the food was good. I started with the daily choice of meat skewers--luckily for me they were swordfish that evening and cooked well and served with a little slaw and sauce. The other diners each enjoyed the Potatoes Raclette, chicken wing flats, and the baby back ribs and had nothing but good things to say about them. I sampled the potato dish which was melty cheese on potato spears on a cutting board. You really can't go wrong with that. All of my dining companions had variations on steak, and said they all were cooked perfectly. For my main I ordered the pan-roasted wahoo. The waitress said they weren't able to get any wahoo in fresh that day so they were subbing tile fish and was that OK. I think it's more than OK that a restaurant makes changes based on what's available! My tile fish was delish! For sides we had the macaroni and cheese and the four fat fries. Both were great. We were too full for dessert and/or nothing tempted us so we left off there. Only one of us was drinking but the drinks came out from the bar quickly and were generous. Overall, I will be back. But if I were taking a newcomer I would feel the need to warn them about the decor!
(4)
Stacey L.
My husband and I are going to fight over who gets to write this review because we loved this place so much. I am going to let him cover the food, which is INCREDIBLE! I am going to talk about the service and atmosphere. I was the first of our party to arrive at the restaurant and planned to sit in the bar while waiting for the rest of the party. I was greeted immediately at the door and was asked if I had a reservation. I told him I planned to sit at the bar and wait for my party, but needed to go to the restroom first. He actually led me to the restroom! Then, as I walked in to the bathroom, he asked me if I would like to order a drink to be waiting for me at the bar when I came out. Really! Does service like this exist anywhere!!! Service at this restaurant just got better as the night went on. I found all of the servers and bartenders to be cute, funny, and friendly. They were willing to engage in conversation and banter as they served us. Drinks were always filled and food came out quickly. We couldn't have been happier. Decor is definitely the low point of this restaurant. They clearly had completely renovated the bar area with a sleek modern look. But, the rest of the restaurant all had the essence of the cheap Chinese restaurant it was in the previous life. Tables and chairs did not match the elevated cost of the food. This is a restaurant that is trying to be hip and upper-crust, but the decor just didn't match. It just looks like they ran out of money to pay for tables and renovated bathrooms. But, that just doesn't matter the moment the food hits your mouth. Definitely find a time when you want to have a special, and pretty expensive meal, and go to Jimmy G's.
(5)
Louise D.
I have only been to Jimmy G's for a Yelp event, to the bar section. Jimmy G's is just a 5 minutes walk from work yet I had never noticed it being there. I was curious to find out what it would look like and as I walked down the stairs, I ended up in a fancy looking bar, both the interior and the staff looked high end. I had a cocktail that was supposed to be made with raspberries but as they were out of them they replaced them with blueberries. Somehow I don't think this really made my cocktail better but it was still ok; pretty strong as well. This is not my typical kind of place, I would probably come here before or after a fancy party, as it feels like the place where you would feel more comfortable being dressed up. The main reason why I am giving 4 stars is the terayaki steak - amazing, amazing, amazing. I didn't care about the other skewers, that were a bit too spicy to my taste. But this steak on skewers, mmmmm, definitely a reason to come back and actually try out the other side of the bar, where the restaurant is!
(4)
Denver L.
What a neat little bar located in a fun district. After having drinks at Mynt Martini Beth and I walked on down to the Yelp Event at Jimmy G's. We were greeted by the coat check at the bottom of the stairwell. Then walked into the very trendy and well light bar area. Luckily for us we found a few seats at the bar before it got crowded. We asked if anything was on special only to find out that no drinks were. Didn't stop us from having a few. I had my standard of dragonberry and club soda, Beth went for her vodka with sprite and cranberry. Both drinks were nice but could of used a but more alcohol, esp for the price. Some lovely tasting items came out, terayaki steak, makers mark bbq chicken, and sausage and pesto skewers. They terayaki was our favorite. The steak was well seasoned and cooked to perfection, nice little char on the outside. The makers mark chicken lacked some flavor, the bbq sauce wasn't my favorite. The pesto was chocked full of garlic which made it a little hard to taste the pork. The entertainment was nice, nothing better then some local music playing live while your talking with friends. We parked at the fountain square and the walk was a breeze. All in all this was a fun ending to a nice evening, can't wait to try this place for real.
(3)
Will M.
This is a tough one to review. To start, the service is fantastic. Phenomenal. I greatly enjoyed our server and let him know this. Attentive, knowledgeable and friendly. The decor is odd. The bar area is impressively modern. Other parts are distinctly not modern. The chairs, though... who thought these were a good idea? They look like they're out of a retirement home. Our appetizer was the Potatoes Raclette. Heavy, but great taste and great presentation. I'd return for these. Both of us ordered the filet for dinner. The cut was fantastic - you couldn't ask for better beef. It was cooked well, too. The seasoning, though? I'm not sold on it. It was good, but I'm not sure it was great. This is a nice addition to downtown and one I'll frequent regularly. Much, much better atmosphere than Jeff Ruby's (not a difficult thing - what's with those creepy murals), I'm just not sure the steaks were quite as good. I'll update when I return.
(4)
Zak R.
Pleasantly surprised with dinner here, b/c the decor of this restaurant is all over the place & really doesn't have a consistent theme. Food & service was excellent but their drink menu needs help, even more since the drinks are highly overpriced. With a group of 4 people, I got to taste several items: -- These items were excellent (Carpaccio, Fat French Fries, Warm Brussels Sprouts Kimchee, Mac n Cheese, Smoked Brick Chicken) -- This item was Mediocre (Filet of Beef Tenderloin) nothing special about this Filet, I could have done it better at home, myself. But it was a great cut of meat. -- These items were not worth it & wouldn't order it again (Potato Raclette- it tasted no better than Potatoes Au Gratin) ( Charcoal Grilled Asparagus - nothing special about the asparagus & had a bit too much charcoal flavor to it.)
(4)
Christopher W.
To start - this review is more of a 3.5 star review. Atmosphere - I actually kind of dug the whole in a basement/lodgey/new age steakhouse type decor. There were great pictures on the walls and in the restrooms. Wait staff was also dressed very well. Most of the guys were even wearing bow ties! The chairs were a bit of a turnoff. Looked a little like an 80s garden party. We didn't hang out at the bar area but it looked pretty cool! Food - My fiancee and I ordered the Tiradito of Yellowtail & Bluefin Tuna for our appetizer. The flavors were great and fresh! The only let down is the fact that there were only a few thin strips of tuna actually in the dish. Still, very well executed! Next, came the entrees. I ordered the Beef Shortribs and my fiancee ordered the Lamb Shank. The presentation on both were excellent. I have one major gripe with my Short Ribs though. There were about 3-4 long fat lines through the meat. In addition, there was also a gigantic layer of fat topping the cut. I understand marbling in meat. The amount of fat in this meat was unbelievable. I can easily estimate that I threw out 1/4 of the entree due to the fat content. I have had short ribs that have been less fatty, with better marbling, for much cheaper than this. I don't think its unreasonable to ask that for $26 dollars of short ribs, it should all be edible. My fiancee only had one complaint about her lamb shank. She and I both thought there was way too much gravy/braising liquid served with the final product. There was no need to have such a beautiful and tenderly prepared shank sitting in a pool of gravy. The shank could have stood on its own. Our two sides, the macaroni and cheese and the french fries were both spectacular. The two sides were more than enough for the two of us. Not sure if I would go back in the near future. You are definitely paying for the atmosphere here, not the overall quality of the entrees.
Entrance stairwell and foyer are lovely, but the actual restaurant decor is conflicting. Dark, paneled walls look like a grandparent's basement in Norwood or a VFW hall, with bright, colored overhead lights - and white coastal-style bamboo furniture with bright yellow sticky pleather seats that belong in Palm Beach. There were extension cords coming out of the back of the fireplace over a massive alligator leather black chair - again, did not fit with anything else in the place - and the leg of the chair was broken and rolled under our table. Tacky, all around. Initially seated right next to the kitchen door under a bright lamp, when many other more intimate tables were open at 7:30 on a Friday night. The hostess noted another couple asked to be moved from there, too. But she continued to try to seat people there through the evening, as the rest of the dining remained fairly empty. We waited over 5 minutes until we were greeted and served water. We were told they were under-staffed but the Manager on Duty wasn't stepping up to help serve and greet as one would expect. Entrees (steak and lamb chop), bread and mac and cheese were good; shrimp appetizer was dry and just had a little swipe of sauce - would've enjoyed enough to use for dipping.Our server was nice and passionate but was obviously overwhelmed which compromised the service. Every course was served to the gentleman before the lady, which really aggravated us - and was served from the wrong side. Overall, not worth the price you pay for the dining experience. It's completely missing Ruby's "high touch" which Jimmy should know all about.
(2)
Lisa V.
Want a great steak ? And not the usual choices. Well here you go. Food amazing, staff attentive and fun and NOT STUFFY! We even got a chance to chat with Jimmy, thanks again for a GREAT supper.
(4)
Sam B.
Thrilled with the experience we just had at Jimmy G's! Took a chance on this place as that other steakhouse in town didn't have any reservations that fit our schedule and we couldn't have been happier. Jimmy G's really did a tremendous job across the board: 1) Service: all of the staff from the hostess, the bussers, our server Virgil, and Ross (who appeared to be a manager), couldn't have been more appreciative that we were dining with them. They genuinely wanted to make sure that we were enjoying the Jimmy G's experience. This definitely wasn't that cookie cutter vibe you get from other places that just treat you as another table coming in the door. 2) Decor: What a cool place! As soon as we opened the door on Elm St. and looked down the staircase, we knew we made an excellent choice for dinner. It had the classy touches of a nice steakhouse but didn't go overboard with the stodgy vibe that I get at a Morton's for example. It had a very relaxing vibe with warm colors. Towards the end of our meal we could hear the live music coming from the bar area. It was a nice touch that we could hear it but it wasn't overpowering at all. 3) Food: I saved the best for last. Everything we had was top notch and with good portions. For an appetizer we had Potatoes Raclette which was their take on a fondue type of app. Tasted great and the presentation was fantastic. We also had the "Gribbles" which I think change regularly based on what the chef's whimsy is that night, but I'm sure it'll be a pleasant surprise no matter what it is. Ours was a asian fusion steak skewer and was excellent. Another great presentation here. For entrees, we had a filet and the lamb shank. I didn't try the lamb shank but it got high marks at the table. The presentation on the lamb was one of the best I've seen. Clearly they take a lot of pride in the presentation. My filet was expertly prepared and while I ordered it medium rare, it was very nicely seasoned and tasted great. I highly recommend that you get to Jimmy G's ASAP before this place get too tough to get a good reservation at!
(5)
Elizabeth W.
When you are looking for a bar where you can have a real conversation, but you're stuck downtown, descend into this hidden gem tucked behind a nondescript facade. When you're lucky, a local band will be playing unobtrusively in the back of the swanky bar. If you find yourself in need of some serious grub, don't let the 60's pornstyle scare you away from the dining room. The food is serious, serious meat-lovers meat. Great wine, serious meat, and classy backdrop - this is a can't miss.
(4)
Kristi A.
I was in town for business and my hotel suggested this restaurant and it exceeded all expectations. I live in NYC and have been to my fair share of upscale restaurants but this had a small town feel (i was dining alone but felt like I was dining with a group of friends). Thats how i was treated the entire time. Five people stopped by in a non obnoxious way to see how my meal was and if i needed anything. My waiter Joey was awesome we had a laugh over movie quotes and the owner and chef Jimmy stopped by to see how my meal was. Then to top it all off he comped me a dessert of my choosing which was Creme Brulee and was PERFECT. Every tap of my spoon resulted in the crackling sound of sugar breaking. Needless to say I would go back in a heart beat and am finding myself looking for a reason to travel back to Cincy just to dine here again.
(5)
Sam Z.
Went to jimmy Gs on a Saturday evening. Arrived at around 7 right at our reservation time. It is a strange entrance as you need to walk down steps to get to the bar and restaurant level. Was a bit worried as it was real quiet and the bar was empty. We were greeted warmly and brought to our reserved booth. We booked a booth as past commenters stated that it was the better option. I will offer a different opinion...get a table. The booth was very uncomfortable in our opinion. The table could not be moved and we felt like we were too far from the table as well as too upright. But this could just be preference. We liked the atmosphere and while it is in the eclectic side it was fine with us. Seem to have a good mix of regulars and newbies in there as well. Jimmy made himself known in the dining room paying special attention to his regulars. Makes perfect sense and it was good to see the owner and chef around and asking how the food was. Shows pride in what he is doing. We started with the potatoes raclette appetizer. Very different and amazing. Seasoned potatoes with an egg and au gratin on top with onions. Excellent dish! I wanted the lamb but unfortunately they were out of it this evening. My wife ordered the strip steak and I ordered the Halibut. First the steak...cooked perfectly to a medium rare and same temperature throughout. Seasoned outstanding. A perfect steak! Now for the halibut. The dish came and I almost said "where the beef?". It was extremely small and for 29 bucks I expected more. The taste was very good but a bit over cooked for my liking. Was not flaky and was actually tough to cut with a fork. I actually needed a knife to get through the crust. Now for the dessert. We had the key lime tart. One word. Amazing. But small to share. We shared it and we were full from dinner so it was fine. But if you like dessert order 1 for each of you. We ordered drinks with dinner that were fine as well. If I was rating on the fish alone I would give it a 2 or 3. I gave a 4 for the overall meal. We will be back again but will stick with the outstanding steak. Hope this review helps you all.
(4)
Sophie M.
Dined alone on a Tuesday eve at 9pm. Only 2 other parties, more peeps at the bar. I liked the decor, which I found interesting. The only rub-the metal faux bamboo garden party chairs, attractive but uncomfortable for a petite person. Service was quick and attentive. Aaron was very knowledgeable, friendly and attentive. The three large Sea Scallops over asparagus and Asian butternut-like squash with apricots, toasted hazelnuts and little green sprouts was beautiful and delicious. I'd return with friends so we could sample and share!
(4)
Jeremy B.
Best meal of my life! Traditional steakhouses have forever been ruined for me.
(5)
Heather B.
I absolutely LOVE this restaurant! The food is excellent and the staff very personable and friendly!I'm here on business and I would honestly make the 3 hour drive from where I live to come back just for JImmy G's. Jimmy is a great guy and knows how to cook :)
(5)
George K.
Returned for a great meal last evening. The food and the service were outstanding. Many thanks to Jimmy, J.D. and our server for a fine meal.
(4)
Susan L.
I went to Jimmy Gs for a Yelp event, the appetizers which were a variety of their Gribbles which were all very good. Also with all the good reviews it had been getting I had to go back. I just stayed in the bar, but got their Carpaccio which was excellent. I am not a big steak person, so I do not know if I would go there for a dinner, but I loved the bar area. It was comfortable, but nice, the type of place that would be great to go to after work. I would like to try some more of their smaller dishes most sounded really good. The Bartender, Aaron who was their on Friday's made an excellent original cocktail for the Friday martini special happy hour. I would love to see what he makes another night. It is pricey, but sitting in the bar with just some of the smaller dishes is reasonable and is enough food for me.
(4)
Jack R.
This is a neat place. It is below street level. You walk in and descend down a flight a steps. The first thing you see is their huge wine cellar behind big glass windows. We were there just for an event. Just for drinks and bar food. The drinks were a little pricey but not overly. the food was amazing. They brought out kabobs. Three different types steak, chicken, and sausage. The steak ones were the best. The only reason it isn't a five star is because we didn't have dinner there. At the event i won a $50 gift card to come back. So once i have been back I will update.
(4)
Nabeel T.
great spot, great food, you feel like you got what you paid for when leaving. we actually sat at a bar table on a saturday night to watch the football games. Had a great dinner, drinks and wine. short ribs & tuna were amazing. steak was solid. decor in the dining room is....odd... but still feels nice. will definately come back.
(4)
Robert M.
What to expect. It is in the basement so kind of hidden. The interior is still kind of like Wah Mah Chinese that was there before. The Best part is the steak. No surprise since Jimmy spent some much time working for Ruby. The sides also where all great (Mac and Cheese, Mash Potato, Cauliflower). The salads had a cool presentation. However the apps where kind of meh. Had the carpaccio which the waiter talked up but not great. Had the Gribbles. also kind of boring. The service was excellent.
(4)
Emily M.
Went to Jimmy G's having purchased the Living Social deal A few months back for a pre-fixe 4 course menu for two. The decor was encouraging as we entered and went downstairs but once you enter the dining room it all goes wrong. Odd wood panelling with some neon inlays and chairs that reminded me of my grandmothers kitchen table from 30 years ago. Drop ceiling did not help this basement dining room at all. The service on this Saturday night (7:15 reservation) was very slow. The place was at maybe 65% occupancy so either the servers are slow or just waaaayyyy under staffed. The food was just slightly above average. If graded on a curve by cost, I would say it is below par and overpriced. Since I don't eat pork, I didn't try the black bean and pork belly soup which my partner did enjoy very much. The salad was nice as was the main course (for me the filet of ribeye and her the fried chicken dinner). It wasn't bad food but if I were paying full price I would have been disappointed. Desert was promised to be an eagerly awaited creme brule ice cream. After waiting well over 30 minutes for the server, who had already acknowledged we were finished with our maiin course, to clear our plates... We were brought out incredibly salty Strawberry Sorbet. Really gross. I asked about the promised desert for the night and was told they ran out. What bothered me here was that no one asked if we would like something else (even if it cost extra $) they just brought us this sorbet. I managed to get my waiter's attention and he said he would get us something different and about 10 minutes later he brought a creme brule out with two spoons. We ate that (delicious) and waited what seemed like another eternity to get settled up and go. All in all, I was underwhelmed. If I want to spend $150-200+ on dinner for two, there are better options in this city for food/ambience.
(2)
Sneha D.
Went to Jimmy G 's for Cincinnati EATS event. The first course was cous cous with shrimp, which was a bit of a let down as there wasn't enough cous cous and too much extremely salty shrimp. The second course was pork, which very good but the sides were disappointing. All in all probably wont pay $46 for a meal here.
(2)
Sierra I.
Coming from chicago, we have a ton of fantastic restaurants and steakhouses.. I think right out of the gates the staff is super friendly and the service is perfect! The food was very good.. Not excellent but very good. The sides were supposed to be portioned to share but I thought the asparagus was definitely small. My filet was good, cooked just the way I liked it.. Not the best I've ever had but pretty good. I'm just a little confused with what they are going for.. Are they going for steakhouse? Trendy? The bar is super cool but the main dining room is a mix between grandmas cottage and a trendy lighting store. I'm sure they will make some tweaks and be very successful. Worth coming to for sure! Oh and they only offer two desserts! What?
(4)
Lee B.
I came here for a Yelp event and was pleasantly surprised. The restaurant has a mysterious entry which leads you down into a basement without windows. However, instead of feeling the usual bummed out basement vibe, it felt like a trendy underground party. The band was playing good music, and not so loud that it prevented good conversation. The free food that was offered was delicious. Sausage, chicken and steak on skewers. I have a feeling that this restaurant is a place I should only go for special occassions due to the price, but I'm looking forward to trying out the full menu sometime when I want a treat.
I purchased the Living Social deal for the restaurant and was glad that I did! You get a lot of great food choices for an incredibly low price. The ribeye was very good and the mashed potatoes were excellent. As others have mentioned, the decor is pretty strange and creates a weird environment. Not 100% sure I would return and pay full price... Although the food was very good, there are other restaurants in Cincinnati that are better.
(3)
John M.
The food was excellent, as was our server, Virgil. We got off to a rough start when they had our reservation for two and it should have been for four. When we informed them the reservation was for 4, they moved us to a table that was prepared for four. Unfortunately, we were seated by the door to the bar, which was a bit noisy and not conducive to conversation. I asked if we could just add two chairs to the table they were originally going to seat us at and the hostess said that would not be a problem. Once seated at our new table, we waited a few minutes for the waiter to come over. He realized we had not been given water yet and immediately sent over the server assistant. We then ordered drinks - two wines and two whiskeys - and in tern waited 15 to 20 minutes without receiving the drinks. I went back to the hostess an expressed that I understand it's busy and our server seems to be very busy, but 15 minutes for two drinks you just pour into glasses is a bit much. Within three minutes, the waiter was at our table with the drinks and upgraded our scotches to MaCallen 25 year on the house - certainly a nice way to grease the wheel. From that point on, the dinner was enjoyable. The food was excellent; we got the shrimp and crab bisque which was fantastic. Additionally, for entrees we got the scallops, yellowfin tuna, and two of the special reserve aged strips and split several sides (they are good for two). The steaks were excellent, but I'll say I'm not sure they were $60 excellent (Market Price). The rest of the food was a bit more reasonably priced for what it was and equally tasty. Finally, after dinner, I ordered two ports for me and my friend - these were additionally comped by the house. This was a fine gesture and appreciated, but unnecessary. All in all a good place and I would consider going again. Virgil is knowledgeable and attentive. I attribute our rough start to being the night after Valentines day and most likely simple miscommunication amongst the staff.
(4)
Calliope O.
We went for dinner on 3/29/14. The ambiance is surreal. Looks like something out of the movie BOOGIE NIGHTS. We were seated at a table that was under a huge hole in the ceiling. When we asked to be moved to a booth, they said "No". I took a picture of the ceiling with my phone. Strange because the restaurant was not busy on a Saturday night & never became busy. We ordered drinks & apps. Our server, who I think was new, hustled us to order entrees immediately. We ordered entrees and salads. The salads were brought out like a minute after we got our appetizers. Then, our entrees came. We had not even finished our appetizers or touched our salads yet! The server had no idea about timing or pacing the courses for the table. He made us feel rushed and we KNOW he was not expecting another turn. He even was grabbing half finished drinks off the table. He never brought us bread. We had to ask another female server, who was very nice, for a bread basket. We got the bill and the server added a drink we did not order on it. He did take care of it when brought to his attention. We went into the bar area for a drink. My husband got a beer from bartender and she would not give him back his coin change. If the beer was 4.50. She just gave him a 5 back. He never told her to keep the change. We sent our friend up and bartender did the same to him! Food was mediocre. Our server rushed us so, we could not even enjoy the food. Also, the server needed more training. We should have NEVER been seated under a HUGE hole in the ceiling. Plus, management should take a good look at the female bartender that evening. Overpriced and weird experience.
(2)
Lindsey O.
My husband and I were going downtown to see a show at Music Hall on a Thursday night, and we decided to treat ourselves to a nice meal. He had heard Jimmy G's advertised on WLW and thought we should check it out. We called about an hour before we were to get there to see if they had a wait. She was able to take our reservation for 2 at 6pm without an issue. When we arrived, there was almost NO ONE there. I think there were two girls at the bar and one other couple in the dining room. I thought, "This can't be a good sign." We were seated at a very nice, big booth and the hostess could not have been more pleasant. Our waitress Tiffany was very helpful and friendly. We immediately had waters and she took our wine orders very quickly. She was very helpful navigating the menu and describing our options. I ordered the lamb shank and my husband the New York strip. She brought a bread basket that included the most amazing rosemary naan I've ever had. I honestly could have just eaten that and been satisfied. Our entrees were not as noteworthy. The lamb shank lacked the complexity of flavor and spices that I was expecting based on the menu description. It was covered in so much sauce that you really couldn't taste anything else. However, it was very tender and juicy. It is even wrapped in lamb bacon! My husband liked his steak, but he wasn't over the moon. As far as steaks go, it depends what you like. I personally do not like my steaks wood-fired and charred on the outside, but some people do and that's okay. Thursdays are "Hersday" or Ladies' Night at Jimmy G's, and I know they were running specials at the bar on drinks. That would probably be the only reason I would return - with a bunch of girlfriends to drink martinis! Otherwise, considering the price, I would probably spend my money on dinner at another establishment. Not bad at all, but not anything to write home about.
This place can be easy to miss. Its storefront occupies no more than a dozen feet of curb space. Once you've located the entry (a couple doors south of Lunar), descend into the swankiest dungeon in town. Coat check was a much appreciated touch that you can't find in many other places in the city, though at times it is hard to find a person who is actually working the coat check. The bar is at left and restaurant to the right. I've only spent time in the bar area, which is complete with a stage. The duo that played on Tuesday night, Artemis and the Hunt, did a fine job executing timeless rock hits that we all know and love. The wait staff is friendly, attentive, and easy on the eyes. The food is yum. I recently enjoyed some chicken and steak on skewers. Delectable. --but beware. You can drop some major bills at this place. Over the course of two hours I spent sixty dollars on drinks alone. Yikes! Great atmosphere, great food, but unless you want your wallet to float away you wouldn't make yourself a regular.
(4)
Tara S.
This place is fabulous. Our server was so helpful and recommended a very reasonable wine which we proceeded to have 2 bottles of. :) You absolutely cannot go wrong with these steaks, they are smoky and amazing and the potatoes raclette (sp?) starter is heaven... Fried potatoes with cheese and an egg? Hell yes. The decor is my only negative, it's just so weird and has no flow.
(5)
Lizz R.
Went on a Thursday at 7:00. There was live music and it wasn't very crowded. We had great service and some awesome food. I was with a group of 9 people for a private event which gave me the chance to try the following menu items: Octopus, Four Fat Fries, Mashed Potatoes, Ribs, T-Bone, Tuna, Lamb (holy goodness, the lamb!), NY strip, and brussel sprouts. We also ordered the gribbles which were apparently delicious but I did not try them. Minus the brussel sprouts being a bit too spicy for my liking (but I'm a weakling when it comes to spice, so don't trust my judgement), everything was amazing.
(5)
Ellen H.
The food was very good, but there service, not so much. Don't get me wrong, the waiter was very polite and good, but there were 2 waiters for over 20 tables so there was definitely more wait time in between needing a drink refilled or placing an order that I would have liked.
(2)
Terry K.
Ok first, the food was "delish!" The pork tenderloin was amazing and full flavored. My girlfriend loved the filet. And to top it all off, the brussel sprouts were spectacular! Wine selection is up for debate. For a 4 star restaurant our server should have been more knowledgeable about the wine list. And to be honest, our server was sub-par for this establishment. However, another server - Virgil - was fantastic. He noticed we had been waiting for awhile and made himself available to us, checking in on us throughout the evening, even though he wasn't assigned to our table. Definitely request him as a server - knowledgeable and entertaining! The GM, Roberto, was very attentive to the needs of the floor. He was polite and courteous. He made sure our experience was a true "Jimmy-G's" experience. I would say that overall, job well done. I will definitely recommend people dine here.
(4)
Bill E.
Came to the Yelp event here last week and it was just A-OK. I arrived early and found a free spot on Elm street and entered into the restaurant and came down the winding stairs past the wine cellar and more. The hostess was very nice and checked my coat as I entered in and checked in with Cindy and filled out a Yelp name tag. The bar is very neat and super clean and just has an aura about it, plus the girls working behind the bar were super cute and friendly. I ordered a river town and it was $6.00, I am not used to spending that for a beer so I was kind of turned off by that. For the "Tasting" it was a tasting of skewered meats the first one was the beef tenderloin with lemon grass and was def the winner of the bunch. The second skewer was chicken with a makers mark BBQ sauce the sauce was bland and I and my companions couldn't taste the makers mark or any distinct flavor. The third skewer was sausage with pesto and was just OK as the pesto had an overwhelming garlic flavor. The "tasting" of the food was setup at the end of the bar and only had about 15 skewers on each plate, thus the servers had to keep refilling the plates. I saw more than a few people order salads or an app off the menu as the "tasting" didn't satisfy their craving. The band rocked, and that was one of the highlights of the night. I would love to hear them play at some future Yelp events.
(3)
Lauren R.
Made reservations here for New Years Eve. The hostess wasnt that friendly. Maybe she was mad she had to work on NYE, but that doesnt mean take it out on the customers. Anyway, they sat the two of us in a huge booth which was kind of awkward. I really hate sitting next to my date at dinner, but they left us with no option. There was also this weird spotlight lamp hanging down on us. We joked that we felt like we were on stage for everyone. Both our cocktails were good. I ordered the filet and my date ordered the New York Strip. I'm honestly giving this place three stars because the steak was awesome. It was cooked perfectly (medium rare). I have been to a lot of steak houses around the country, now live in a city with some of the best restaurants in the US, and this meal was damn good. It wasn't over cooked and it was seasoned perfectly. The mashed potatoes and asparagus were on par as well. I had to ask for a steak knife three times and ended up having to share my dates knife. That was kind of annoying. The decor is really strange. I no longer live in the area, but from what I heard this place is pretty new. I was expecting something a little more modern and swanky. It honestly looked like it had been there for 70 years. I get you're going for old italian mob thing or whatever, but you could do it better. It's boring inside. Anyway, I would probably go back next time when I'm in town just to get my hands on that steak again. I wish they could get friendlier and more attentive staff.. and maybe update the drab decor. But if you like good food, you should go.
(3)
Mike M.
nice. overrated. steack was way undercooked. good, but way undercooked. salad was terrific. bread was decent. mac & cheese was fine. overall, when kt m. heated up my steak and mac & cheese 2 days later it was better than it was the first time i had it. i will be back and try this place again, because it was really nice and friendly. however, for $140 for 2 people, i would rather go to jeff ruby's.
(3)
David K.
Went here on New Year eve. Had a late 9:30 seating was normal busy for this evening. There was just something not clicking about this place. 1st we got seated and waited for our server. And waited. Finally we got our drinks and we asked for sweetener for our tea. "Will do said the waiter." Would you like to place a order? Yes but can we have our sweetener? Oh yes. Placed our order. Waiting for the sweetener? Salad delivered no sweetener? CAN WE HAVE THE SWEETENER? Finally we got it! Ok moving on to the food I would say it was good had the pork shank and my wife had the fillet. Both were tasty. We had mac and cheese. The table next to us had also ordered mac and cheese and we herd the waiter say sorry we are out. We got ours but found it to be very dry!!! We were thinking we got the bottom of the pan since ours wes the last order of the night! I mentioned about the dryness to our waiter and he gladly said he would take it off our bill. Got the bill and it was not taken off. So had to inform him and it was then taken off. A lot of different workers doing different things hostess cleaning tables, Jimmy G lighting candles with a blow torch. I guess it was ok but just odd. So to sum up food good would give 4 and service not good would give 1. For the kind of place they have service should never be a problem. Have a great 2014.
(3)
Sara J.
BUSINESSES THINK TWICE BEFORE CHOOSING JIMMMY G'S! We were so excited about the idea of having our Business Holiday Party at Jimmy G's, but after this experience we would not return. Had to chase the establishement down to get the date confirmed. had to call back multiple times to get the menu and pricing right. Asked for appetizers to be passed during dinner, they forgot and had to be reminded. Then we received multiple additional charges to our bill and when it took three weeks and multiple phone calls from me, trying to get this corrected, the staff there told me "no one cares" and hung up on me. There are lots of fun places down town that are easier to work with and actually care about their business and the customer. We will go to those and recommend you do the same, these folks not worth the hassle.
My husband and I found this restaurant courtesy of Yelp. I was driving as my hubby found the reviews. We were in Cincinnati for the day and we were ready for a nice steak to end our Anniversary with. We could not have been happier! Decor All the other reviews have mentioned it.. A little odd. They have changed out the white bamboo chairs though. I was not impressed with the decor, but was not bothered by it either. Food Everyone else has hit the nail on the head. GREAT! we both ordered a Filet and they were both cooked perfectly. He likes his well done, why I have yet to figure out, but they were able to get it to his liking without having to butterfly it! Hard task on a steak that thick. We also had brussel sprouts and potato agilo (I think that is what it was called) and liked them both a lot. Service Impressive to say the least. The server was very knowledgeable and even able to help us stay within our dietary restrictions of no pork products. He even noted our restrictions without us having to tell him. We originally ordered the 4 fries, but the server immediately told us that they were cooked in 4 different animal fats, one of which was pork and offered another suggestion for us which was the afore mentioned potatoes. The manager came around to see how everything was and even stayed to chat a bit about the city, business, and what was happening around town that weekend. He even wished us a safe trip home and a happy anniversary as he saw us leaving. I would highly recommend it, and hope to return again myself in the future.
My husband and I had dinner here for our anniversary. It was amazing! His steak was perfection and the Halibut was wonderful. Best Mac and cheese ever. Can't wait to go back
(5)
Mark R.
Worst $100 meal I ever had. The service was amateurish and the food was mediocre. I won't be back.
(1)
Westley D.
What an amazing venue jimmy g's is. Lovely atmosphere and ambience. And lovely service for that matter, top shelf to be certain. Excellent menu, simple, handcrafted; everything you could want in a dining experience. Amazing spare rib appetizer, wonderful mashed potato side. Mac and cheese seemed a bit of a complex flavor for me to grasp, but I respect the effort (which most people seem to quite enjoy.) Unfortunately the steak was just burnt and the only flavor I could experience was bitterness. Such a dissapointment after a wonderful build up from the service, to the cocktails, to the starter. The book is not closed on jimmy g's although a perfect steak after everything would have been perfect, and to have a less than perfect steak was sorely dissapointing after the impressive build up. What seemed to be enjoyable entrees were served to the rest of my party (tuna and lamb) however the other steak at our table appeared dreadfully over seared which must have added a horrible biterness to the taste. Unfortunately impossible to overcome is the taste of burnt flesh. My next visit I will be sure to enjoy the beverages appetizers and sides just as much and order my steak rare to properly judge the flavor and preparation.
(4)
Steve K.
I have to wonder, in what universe are all of the five star reviewers living in? I've lost any faith in yelp. My experience at Jimmy G's was an unmitigated disaster. While I measure everything against Jeff Ruby establishments, there really is no comparison. For my money, locally, The Precinct is peerless in terms of service, food quality and value for money. Along with that preface, I must also point out that my party of five were all well paid professionals with experience dining in finer establishments. The first thing that you'll notice upon arriving is that the restaurant is located in a basement, which has been shoddily decorated in a 1970's motif, replete with a eight foot drop ceiling and wood panelling. It is abundantly that the owners were going for a chic, sleek, retro vibe, but these seemed to cut every possible corner to save a dollar. Perhaps when you are charging $34 for a run of the mill New York Strip, you should spend the extra few dollars on decor. Perhaps when restauranteurs charge prices on par with top notch steakhouses, they should provide service that is slightly better than Applebees. Perhaps when serving a la carte sides, roughly two cups of macaroni should not cost $9, or $8 for mashed potatoes. Perhaps when serving the aforementioned New York Strip, management should serve something slightly better than I could buy myself at a below average Kroger. Perhaps when serving me a $10 old fashioned, it should be not be made with Compari rather than Angostura bitters. Additionally, there was a live band in the bar area, which had four patrons.The band made dinner conversation nearly impossible. All in all, the whole experience left me feeling ripped off and dissatisfied. I don't mind spending money on fancy dinners, but I'd at least like to feel like I got something of quality for my time and money- I can always make more money, but I had a Saturday night torpedoed.
(2)
Carl D.
We could not make it past the confused service and poor atmosphere and decided to leave prior to ordering. After seeing the prices and knowing the experiences provided by other nearby similarly-priced establishments, it was decided it would have been a waste of money to continue.
(2)
D C.
Where to begin with my review of Jimmy G's. I suppose I will start with the food. It was excellent. As a table we had the Apricot, Bacon & Pork Tummy-Tuck and Edamame Bean Hummus for appetizers, both of which were excellent. The steaks were good for entrees, and if you liked the taste of bananas (which I do not) I heard the banana creme brulee was a nice dessert. Now for the dining experience. Upon arrival at the restaurant we informed the hostess that we were there for our reservation of 4 at 7 PM. She asks us to hold on one second, and comes back ten minutes later to seat us at a table for two asking if this will be alright. We repeat that we're a party of 4 (two of our companions were running late) and she proceeds to seat us at a larger table still set for 2, but at least with 4 chairs. From this point it takes about twenty minutes before our waiter comes over to our table to take a drink order. My two companions order beers, and when my pregnant wife orders a Sprite he literally laughs out loud. While waiting for our entrees to arrive, a bus boy attempts to deliver both salads and appetizers from a different table to ours mistakenly. One hour and 40 minutes after arrival our entrees finally arrive at our table. Ten minutes later our side dishes arrive because one of them (the Mac and cheese) was not quite finished cooking yet. We asked three separate wait staff members (which comprised the entire wait staff for the evening) for some fresh bread over the course of half an hour before some was actually brought to the table. When it was time to order dessert, the only option still available was the banana creme brulee. All told from time of arrival to check paid and departing the experience lasted over three hours. Perhaps the restaurant grossly underestimated the number of staffing members it would need on a Friday evening in prime dining time. It was obvious that only our waiter had significant experience working at this restaurant with everything else just barely functioning. Whatever the cause of the exceedingly poor service I can assure you that Jimmy G's will not receive any of my future fine dining expenditures.
We enjoyed our meal here. The Living Social menu was fantastic value and far more generous quantity of food than the typical tasting menu. Standouts were the house salad, fries, salmon "on the half shell" and cous cous side (ordered as a supplement from the main menu). Was glad thy had a decent selection of 3-4 draft beers on tap, including a pleasant Mt. Carmel imperial stout. Service was attentive but unobtrusive. As noted in other reviews, the decor could be charitably described as "eclectic". The wood panelling and white chairs are reminiscent of grandma's basement and are a glaring contrast to the attempted hip decor. Jimmy G's earned a repeat visit to sample from the regular menu. I wish this place well and hope they're more booked on a routine basis than 1/3 full on a Saturday night.
Really enjoyed this lesser-known restaurant in Downtown Cinci. My expectations weren't massively high, but I was really pleasantly surprised and recommend this restaurant unreservedly. First off, it has a sort of Rat Pack, basement-y kind of vibe, with much of the personality being exhibited on the Bar side. The dining side is perfectly serviceable, just not particularly cool or noteworthy. ( That's the only reason I am not throwing this restaurant a five. ) The service was fantastic. I had a reservation through OpenTable, was seated promptly, and my colleague and I had drinks in our hands within about 5 minutes from our attentive server ( Mallory ). During the course of dinner, the GM, Alberto, stopped by to commend our wine choice and to recommend a different, but similar, bottle if we ended up finishing the first. ( We did, but it was plenty. ) The food was surprisingly interesting for the retro-steakhouse vibe. There were several unexpected twists in the apps and the entrees. For apps, we opted for the "Arm and a Leg", which was unusually well-prepared octopus in a savory, not simple tomato-heavy, sauce. It was neither the over-soft octopus of a day long braise, or the jaw-bending chew of the rushed seafood app. It had a good chew and a deep flavor. We also went with a potato/cheese/up-egg dish ( the name of which escapes me ) that was a little heavy, but full of that rich carmel-ly flavor presented by well-roasted cheeses, set off by the piquancy of caper berries and cornichons. Given the heft of the apps, we both went for Steak Cap salad, a difficult choice given a menu of interesting takes on steak and seafood, but we both had work to finish before sleep. The salad was a thick-sliced rib-eye composition, with the steak beautifully crusted in salt and herbs, and served over a bed of frisee and greens with varied cherry tomatoes. Perfectly cooked to a medium-rare/rare as requested and a pleasure to eat. The wine list was interesting, with a good percentage of approachable fun reds and a meal-companion feel, dominated by a surprisingly broad set of pinots and temperanillo. Prices were as expected and reasonable for the wine. All in all this was a great experience. I'll certainly be back, and may well stay at the nearby Netherland Plaza Hilton so I can walk back to my room after I indulge in one of the larger and likely coma-inducing steaks. Nice work Jimmy G's.
(4)
Jodie F.
The steak was amazing. Perfectly cooked with a perfect sear. It was Tooo quiet. Trust, is was a Tuesday night but I am talking there were 4 other people there and we all sat at the bar. We are "sit at the bar diners" since its a good way to talk to the bartenders and get a feel for the property. The lights in the bar a little much but I am sure they get better after a few drinks. :)
(4)
Cynthia R.
First time I went here was for a Yelp event and thought it was just ok, wasn't sure if I'd return. Then I saw a LivingSocial deal for a 4-course prix fixe meal for 2, so bought it and went on a Saturday night. Pros: delicious food (especially the house salad and steak), fantastic service, and great live mood music. Cons: they stretttttched out the time between bringing out each course resulting in dinner lasting 2 hours, very uncomfortable chairs, had to pay $8 to park in the adjacent structure. Good excuse to dress up but we also saw people in jeans and Ed Hardy-wear, so anything goes.
(4)
Michael C.
Excellent food. Excellent service. Average decor. I'd suggest starting the band earlier as a sparse dining room combined with no music is awkward. Lots of potential but the decor needs improvement.
(3)
Danielle G.
This was my first experience at Jimmy G's and it did not fail to impress. The food was incredible and the server (Craig) was outstanding. I had the scallop dish and my guy had the tuna, both of which were prepared perfectly. The bar layout is beautiful with a grandios liquor selection. If you haven't gone yet, make it a priority. One of the owners, James, was attentive and it was evident he has a passion for what his establishment provides. You will NOT be disappointed!
(5)
N. L.
We went here during the All Star events. Sort of on a side street so you have to look for it. But boy, is it worth the look. A "lounge-type" restaurant and bar with an art deco atmosphere...but the food!!! Wow. We went there a few times. The crab appetizers were like they just came out of the sea. The chicken entree blew us away and the steak and sides were perfect. The owner is the chef. he is killer picky on the food served and it shows. We never eat dessert but tried the ice cream and was worth the extra 20 min cardio required. The service was perfect. Reservation ontime...we had Jeremy, who was so personable and fun and attentive and then Bryce who is a real pro. Both guys were a tribute to the place. This is a real gem..a place for foodies who want a more hip casual night out with excellent food, great service and not priced out of this world. Those fancy steak houses down the street could take a chapter from Jimmy's steak recipe.. Well done!
(5)
Amanda H.
I really like this place. Its located downtown on Elm street, right down from Hustler Hollywood. (I know you all know where that's located! lol. ) Its just a really cool, chic place with the neatest decor. I drool over the wallpaper every time I drive by. It has the ambiance of a hip NYC restaurant but without the same big price tag. This is the PERFECT date place. And they have amazing specials. (So quick side story, the bartender was so sweet to actually type me out the specials and like a idiot I left that and my mac and cheese sitting on the table when we left. In my defense someone I didn't want to see walked in so I had to skedaddle.) We went on Tuesday which is service industry night. So it was half off all food and beverages!! We ordered EVERYTHING on the small plates menu I think and our bill was barely anything. Now the best part of this place- the food. My god is it delicious. Like, worth the 10 lbs I probably gained eating it all- delicious. Lauren was with me and you know she's my little foodie. She made suggestions on what she thought we should get so I just went with that. It was fun for her to pick and with the price being 1/2 off it didn't matter. I did order one thing on my own though. I had seen it all over Yelp and urbanspoon and had to try it: the Potatoes Raclette 10 *Crisp Potatoes, Caramelized Onion, "Gratin" of Cheeses, Up Egg* I don't really like potatoes so I have no idea why I ordered this. Ok, I do- the pictures made it look really really good and it was only $5. And it was good. But me being not so into potatoes, I ate a few, then just ate everything off of them. This is so filling it could be a meal in itself. The next were all Lauren saying what she thinks Ill like. She saw bacon on this next one and ordered it for her, but wouldn't eat it when she saw it. Have no fear; I finished it off for her. Apricot, Bacon & Pork Tummy-Tuck 11 (so $5.50 halfprice) Confit Pork Belly, Applewood Bacon, Harissa & Marcona Almonds, House Olives I feel like this was another twist on Devils on horseback, but it was much better than A Tavola's version. The Apricot made it sweet, then the brininess of the olives cut the sweetness just enough. I will definitely order this again. I got the Mac and Cheese to go (originally $7) but didn't take a picture then left it there :( My other food for me was the crab cake. I wasn't going to order it but Lauren said I HAD TO get it because I love crab cakes. This was more expensive at a whopping $15 (so $7.50 half price). I'm still floored by these prices for this quality of food! Even at full price its really reasonable. Back to the crab cakes. I'm glad she ordered them for me. It was my favorite part of the whole meal! It was a large cake with this pesto mix and i don't even know what was under it but it was amazing. I ate half then saved the rest for the end, because I wanted to savor it. No one will ever compare to the Oceanaires crab cakes ($35 pair) but these were the closest so far. image Lauren got the fries, she was insistent that she would eat them. 4 Fat Fries $7 ($3.50) Smoked Black Pepper-Duck Egg Aioli, Appenzeller They were good and the Aioli was outstanding, but I think she ate maybe 4 because she was full from the ribs and I was too stuffed to even attempt them. These were Lauren's favorite.Vietnamese Street Stall Style Spare Ribs $13 Ginger, Garlic-Lemongrass Glaze (half off only $6.50) So much so that she wouldn't even let me try them so I cant attest to the taste except to say that she devoured them and said she wanted to come back and get them again soon. Next time I'll have to order some for myself. Now even though we were some serious fat kids and ate pretty much everything we couldn't leave without digging into some creme brulee. Its just wonderful, melt in your mouth, everything you need out of dessert good. I wish the portion were a little bigger, but this time it didn't matter due to the special. I would venture to say that they have (ok its a tie with bonefish) the best Creme Brulee in Cincinnati. Also heads up if you cant make it there on Tuesday for the special- there was a livingsocial for half off! I bought one of those too, so I can go back and try a steak.
(5)
Marie M.
So generally I try not to post super negative reviews, because I think the point of Yelp is to help find cool new places to try, not a place to complain. However, there was just no way I could not share the horrible experience I had at Jimmy G's. We had a 7:30 reservation during restaurant week and were seated promptly (good start but all down hill from there), once we were at the table we asked the hostess for a wine by the glass/featured wine menu. She said she would bring us one once she found it. Ten minutes later the server comes by and asks for our drink order - we said we were still waiting on the menu, and he said that he would get one for us. He finally brought us a menu around 8:00 and took our order ten minutes later - We ordered two bottles of wine for the table (Second choices as they were out of both the bottles we wanted) It took him 20 minutes to return with the wine and he said that he had forgot to bring glasses - At that point it was an hour after we had been seated, we couldn't have our wine, and we hadn't even been brought food menus. We politely said that we would be leaving and the server responded with 'Ok' and nothing else. There was no apology or even inquiry as to why were leaving. The service was absolutely appalling and we will not be returning.
(1)
Ad H.
After reading varying reviews about the service and quality of food at this place, I decided to see for myself. People complained, in both well written and poorly scribbled diatribes, about outrageous pricing, very small portions, slow service, terrible atmosphere, rude comments from management to customers regarding the taste of food, and overcooked food. I want to see if these are true. I reserved a table for 6:45pm on tuesday august 25th 2015. I was seated in a curved booth in a fashionably area. Jason was kind enough to serve me and tell me a few things they did not have since a cooler malfunctioned had occurred where they kept a couple items. He also informed me Jimmy Gs does a wet aged steak instead of dry aging it. Very disappointing to see such great quality to be reduced. Instead of 48 days dry aged they are 4 days wet aged. Whats the point? I ordered their crab cake. It was very crab filled with a light panco breading crust on the outside. A cole slaw was accompanied (i hate cole slaw, but they must be the only people who know how to prepare it because it was outstanding). Also for a sauce was a hibachi sauce which complimented the crab well. Caesar salad was good. You really cant go wrong with a caesar salad. If you do. .. God help you. I ended up ordering a NY strip. NOT dry aged at medium rare. Also accompanied with it was a side item of Mac and Cheese. Over portioned for one person, but i suppose it might be meant for two people. The steak had a good caramelization on it. Just below surface level. On the edge of too much, but the taste of it was warming and tantalizing. Taste of the meat was gorgeous for a non aged steak. Im glad i ordered this than the wet aged. Mac and cheese is really penne and cheese, but i suppose the effect is referenced rather than the literal ingredients. That being said, they did not achieve any part of the effect at all. What i had read in reviews being hailed as amazing seemed dull, tasteless, and something that i would expect at a church pitch in rather than a finer restaurant. I found out the cheeses used were of very mild varieties, not a single bold cheese to give that strong flavor expected of the dish. Jason took my criticism of the dish and comped it off my bill. That shows confidence in the food, and also humility at the same time. Good on him! The dj for the evening seemed more interestes in his Phone than actually playing music and being part of some creative process. One thing that i noticed upon entering the restaurant and dinning was the lack of people. This place should be packed. But several tables, 8 or 9, in my immediate view were empty. I dont know if reviews have scared people off, but it honestly shouldnt. Too full for dessert, i decided to call it quits and grab my check. Reviews are far too harsh on this place, but some are too generous. So allow me to mention a few things. Price. Not outrageous at all. Very fair especially compared with places other reviewers suggested as alternatives. Service, very friendly and attentive and accepted criticism on a dish i didnt care for. Quality. Besides the penne and cheese, everything that came out of that kitchen was very much worth the price paid and then some! Atmosphere. Honestly i love it. Theres good modernist retro features as well as some newer age designs in place. They compliment each other very well. Music playing was very upbeat, but still background. It made you happy to be there. If the past reviews were true, they need to be revisited. This place is much better than ive read, but not as good as some people carry on. Very much worth your money as the quality is very much above the price points they have, and you will pay much more going someolace else for the same effect.
(4)
Charity G.
Saw Jimmy G's on Cincinnati restaurant week again this year and couldn't help but return. I actually order my own steak this year! It was as delicious as I remembered!
(5)
Ben B.
I truly want to like Jimmy G's. Well, I do like it, or I wouldn't give it 3 stars, but I want to love it. The steaks are phenomenal. The wine list is wide and varied. And the service has always been great. The only thing I just can't figure out is the atmosphere. I'm not against a good DJ rather than the violin virtuoso of Jeff Ruby's, but it seems as though it's trying so hard to be a club that the high end culinary experience is somewhat cheapened.
(3)
Brad M.
My wife and I just finished our meal at Jimmy Gs. From start to finish the experience was amazing! I made a 7:30 reservation and our table was ready on time. Our server, Bryce, was very attentive. All of his recommendations were spot on. The crab cake was very good! My wife ordered the Ribeye Filet and I had the Lamb Shank. (The lamb was the best I had ever had and it was HUGE!) We both also enjoyed two different types of desserts We don't get to go out very much since we have 7 children. Bryce made our evening memorable and we will definitely come back! He even invited us to meet Chef Jimmy in the kitchen! We were blessed by Bryce's generosity. If you haven't tried Jimmy Gs yet, you should!
(5)
Rick S.
Jimmy G's is hidden. You have to know about this place to find it. The atmosphere is just okay. It's in a basement, so no window viewing here. The food is pretty good, for the most part. Service can be sketchy. It's a steak joint, so if I'm looking for the very best steak I'm probably heading to one of Ruby's restaurants. Jimmy G's is an alternative to the Ruby experience, but it's not my place of choice when I'm shelling out for a New York strip.
(3)
Steve W.
Review 2 of 2 by Steve W. Phenomenal spot. We were bowled over by the vibe and bar scene this past New Year's Eve, and finally made it back for dinner. Our experience was way more incredible than we had hoped! Jameson was behind the bar, ever-conversational and wise on all things craft beer, wine, and bourbon. And then we met Bryce for dinner; he was wonderfully polite, knowledgeable on food and drink, and paced the meal ever so fabulously. Back to the bar, with yet more wonders, including their live DJ. Jimmy G's is about 1-1/2 hr from our home, but ever so much worth the drive. Try them out!
(5)
Chris G.
In the location of the old Wah Mee Chinese restaurant, this was my first trip to Jimmy G's. I'd heard the commercials on a local radio station and a friend gave it high praise, so I knew I'd break down eventually. I run a local foodie meetup group. We average a comfortable few in attendance each eatup we have (usually 5-15 people). This night there were four of us. To start I ordered the "Tiradito of Two Fresh Fish" a kind of Peruvian sushi dish from the First Plates (appetizer) menu. Simply put, this was amazing. The fish melted on my tongue like butter. I'd have been fully satisfied if this alone were my meal. My entree was the Special Reserve NY Strip steak at market price. Nearly perfect. Definitely one of the better steaks I've had in the past few years. The charring on the outside added a perfect flavor and was a great texture compliment to the smooth almost buttery center of the meat. The one disappointment was that my request for medium-rare, closer to rare came our with a center warmer than I'd expected. But, the steak itself was still quite impressive and worth every moment of the visit. To go with this I had a single neat lowball of Courvoisier VSOP, a great pairing for me which helped to raise the tenacity of the char on the outside of the steak a bit. Dessert was also great. The item itself isn't shown on their online menu, but I think the name is simply incorrect. The one listed with "Macademia White Chocolate Biscotti" is actually a chocolate pate of some kind which was on par with my other two dishes quality wise. I came away from the evening thoroughly surprised at the Tiradito which I will completely return for on it's own merits. While an appetizer, the flavors and textures mesh so well that the afterglow is worth basking in while your table-mates enjoy the remainder of their meal. A must visit restaurant the next time you're in Cincinnati and my first addition to my Cincinnati Food Tour list in nearly nine months. I haven't checked out the bar yet, but if it's as hush as I've heard, I may enjoy it nearly as much as the Kern Library in Knoxville, which stands as my favorite bar of all time as of this writing.
(5)
Mike S.
The good. The food was very good. Steaks were cooked as ordered. While not quite at the Jeff Ruby level, they were still quite delicious. Different toppings would have been nice. Perhaps an au poivre as an addition as bernaise was the only add on. My wife had crab cakes. While small, they were almost all crab with little binder. The brussel sprouts side dish and 4 fat fries were very delicious, although the egg aioli dipping sauce for the fries was a bit heavy. We opted for regular ketchup. The bad. The service was a bit hap hazard as it took a long time for our order to be taken and to arrive, plus the salad I ordered never arrived. The thing that really impressed was Chef Jimmy Gibson was there, working in the kitchen. That was impressive. His visit to our table removes the negative from the service issues and keeps my review at 4 stars. We will be back.
(4)
Ron C.
Four adults. First timers. Birthday celebration. Food: The two steak lovers rated their meals as an 8 out of 10, but slightly overpriced. The scallops were rated a 4 out of 10. Lamb shank was a 5 out 10 (glaze was a 7, but temperature a 3). Mashed potatoes a 5 (how can you make mediocre mash?). Mac and cheese an 8 out 10. Service: The hostess acknowledged it was a birthday celebration and said she would ensure the rest of the wait staff knew. No acknowledgement at any point thereafter. We told the waiter on his introduction this was our first time. He made a short presentation of how much we would like it there and gave us the "first timer" run-down of how they prepared steaks, etc. Literally four minutes later he came to see if we had menu questions and as we asked, his remarks were "this dish is really good, didn't you order it last time." Towards the end of the meal other staff started clearing plates before all of us were finished and even asked my wife if she was finished while she was still holding a forkful of food. I would not expect that at O'Charleys let alone Jimmy G's. Add that all four of us felt there was just something "off" about the waiter (some kind of "dialing it in tonight" kind of vibe) and the verdict was unanimous. This is a mediocre restaurant straining to be fine dining. First and last time we'll dine there. Better options in the Banks area.
(2)
Chris B.
Fantastic meal. House salad with balsamic to start. Followed by 10oz filet with brussel sprouts. Steak was cooked to perfection and the brussels were tremendous. I will be back.
(5)
Dan K.
Certainly not a "steak house" as they claim. I had a terrible aged strip (medium rare)....which was supposed to be their house special. It had no flavor and was burned to a crisp. I would not eat here again. Go to The Precinct, it was waaaaay better. It probably deserved 1 star, but the waitress and hostess were nice.
(2)
Kara T.
Everything was delicious! For an app we had Sweet Shrimp & Chips Tempura a few of the chips were burnt but still was good. For out entree we split the salmon and the ribeye. Both cooked perfectly! Had the Mac and cheese and grilled asparagus. One of the best meals I have had in a long time:)
(5)
Mark G.
All the negative reviews about the service on here are spot on. ....we were seated a half hour after reservations and then sat there another 25 minutes before finally asking a passing hostess to please send our waiter over. They were out of silver oak wine we odered and waiter suggested a cheap one instead. If I wanted cheap, I would have ordered cheap. He did however try to over charge us for the brunello. Overall food was decent. jimmy needs to turn the lights down a bit and train his staff. Booooo...
(1)
Jeff S.
To start and be fair, the steak was very good. However, everything else was lacking. We decided to try this out of the way steakhouse for valentine's day. We were greeted with a champaign toast and sat down promtly. From there it was down hill. Our server had 6 tables to attend to. We felt like we had to be on the lookout to signal him down to get any service. Our dinner came out before the caesar salad. The salmon was cooked as if it were supposed to be sushi - seared on the outside and still cold in the middle. Again, the steak was good, but between the salad coming out after and the salmon going back into the kitchen, it was impossible to enjoy. Additionally, whomever decorated this place needs to realize that the 70's are over and disco is not coming back. The retro chairs and wood paneling was impossible to ignore. We will never be going back and I wouldn't be surprised if this place doesn't make it.
(1)
Chase J.
Ok let me just say there are 3 things that make or break a restaurant 1.the food 2. the service and 3. The pricing with a place like jimmy g's where the price is high I would expect friendly, and knowledgeable staff and excellent food. What I got for my 70 dollar dinner was a way over cooked steak served to me by some punkass who thought he could be an arrogant prick because he is apparently head server or something stupid. Now maybe you have to be drunk or possibly mentally unwell to think slamming menus in front of a customer is ok but our server Brice certainly did. And then after that proceeded to go yell at some one loudly enough that I could hear it from half way across the restaurant, and if the shitty server wasn't enough lets talk about my steak. To say it was dry would be like saying the pope is catholic I think I now know what leather tastes like, this is the part of my meal where I would normally send it back but I had had enough I asked for our check and got it a good 30 minutes later and if they had been busy I would have understood the place was dead, and I literally saw our server bitching to another employee about his crappy tips, and normally I tip around 20 to 30 percent based on quality of service I feel no shame in saying I left Brice a dollar. I wanted to leave nothing but my friend talked me into a dollar. Don't go here folks in this area there are so many better options, and with any luck this place will ethier retrain or rehire their staff because as of now they suck.
(1)
Jenn C.
Went to Jimmy G's for my birthday dinner with my boyfriend this past week and it was by far the worst dining experience I have ever had in my life. We arrived right when they opened for our reservations at 5pm, hoping to beat the dinner crowd. We were promptly seated at our choice of a table by the cheerful hostess and were greeted by our server. Everything went downhill from here. We attempted to order drinks, but the server was unfamiliar with the drink menu. With their limited garnishes on hand and sparse alcohol selection, I settled on a gin martini and my boyfriend a scotch neat. We ordered the Apricot, Bacon & Pork Tummy Tuck to start, the Salmon on The Half Shell for him and the Steak Salad for myself along with two side plates; Mac and Cheese and 4 Fat Fries. My gin martini arrived with a sour aftertaste - the manager inquired if I knew what gin tasted like Apricot, Bacon & Pork Tummy Tuck - Described on the menu as a confit and so we were curious to experience the innovation. Terrible idea as it was literally globs of barely warmed fat tactlessly wrapped in bacon and I assume, as it was a confit, cooked in more fat. Server asked if I knew what harissa was and if that might have attributed to my dissatisfaction. Salmon on The Half Shell - Nothing spectacular about this. Didn't have the crispy skin "shell" on the outside. Certainly not worth the $23. Steak Salad - Seemingly precooked then refrigerated steak. Overseasoned, plopped on top of greens and then DRENCHED in fat and oil! My only tomato was so broken down by the centimeter of congealed fat on the bottom of the plate that it started to dissolve. Crème brulee - my "birthday treat" came out with burnt caramel smelling like scorched plastic. And to top it off, the dish that this was served with was lined Joss paper, otherwise known as the sheets of paper that Asian cultures burn at funerals and memorial services for the dead. As an individual of Asian heritage, I was appalled that such a "renowned" chef who seems to have so many influences of Asian culture in his cooking would be unaware of this faux pas. We had two servers wait on us. They both informed us that they were new and it was their first night on the floor. Really? This restaurant has the audacity to charge exorbitant prices on ill prepared and horrendously flavored foods that is a literal assault on your senses. Why is EVERYTHING on this menu drenched in fat?! And just because a spice exists, does not mean it MUST go on each dish. There are some flavors that are not pleasing to the palette when paired inappropriately and in my opinion, there was not one dish that was able to achieve the desired satisfaction of the guest, whether it was due to the lack of skilled service, the poor presentation/preparation or the amateurish combinations of flavors. Perhaps "adventurous" is not a compliment to the chef in this instance. If this is the "best restaurant" you've ever eaten at, I feel for you. This would be a decent restaurant for someone who attributes the likes of Denny's to fine dining, but for the prices, this was a meal worse than cancer. The cherry on top of this disastrous sundae was that as we were leaving and walking down the street to our car, a smoking vagabond squatting on the stoop of a neighboring building asked us how dinner was. I was taken aback but then he identified himself as Jimmy!! Never again!! One star because Yelp doesn't allow zero stars.l
(1)
Hannah C.
We took an out-of-town guest to Jimmy G's last night before a concert. Our reservation was early, and I work only a few blocks from the restaurant, so I arrived before the rest of the group and had a drink at the bar. The atmosphere of the restaurant is "underground chic". You actually have to walk down two small flights of stairs to the restaurant itself. It took my eyes a few minutes to adjust to the dim lighting, but I blinked and looked around and was pleasantly surprised. The bar was empty around 5:45 pm, but keep in mind it was a Tuesday. I asked the bartender for the happy hour specials, and she was friendly, albeit unknowledgeable. She said it was half off anything "like a vokda tonic or something". We were seated promptly, and two waiters bumbled around us awkwardly while filling our water glasses and handing out menus. The service was unwelcoming. For the price of the steaks on their menu, I want to be waited on hand and foot, and we definitely were not. The waiters talked amongst themselves more than they talked to their tables. On more than one occasion, one of the waitresses flashed her buttocks as she reached across the table to fill a neighboring table's wine glasses - not the professional atmosphere I'd expect at a steakhouse. The sides were great, the wine was great, and the steaks were good. We ordered mac 'n cheese, the mashed potatoes, and the Brussels sprouts for the table. The mashed potatoes were smooth, rich and perfectly buttery. The mac was a little clumpy (in a bad way) and crispy (in a good way). The Brussels sprouts were forgettable. The steaks themselves were good, but didn't stand out among the other countless downtown steakhouses. We finished our meal and were all interested in coffee and dessert. The waiter passed our table several times without offering any kind of dessert menu. When he did finally approach us, it was to ask how the check should be split. We had to ask him if we could order dessert. Keep in mind - at the beginning of the meal, the waiter asked if we needed to be finished at a specific time in order to arrive on time for our concert. In retrospect, we should have pushed a sense of urgency, just to make sure we weren't sitting around for an extra 40 minutes, waiting on our waiter.
(2)
David R.
We were really disappointed with our experience on New Years Eve. We traveled to Cincinnati to spend an enjoyable evening in the city. We had made dinner reservations weeks in advance for 9:30 PM at the restaurant. In short, we were never seated and returned to our hotel for hamburgers. They were seriously understaffed and seemingly oversold on reservations. We were told that seating would be about 40 minutes late (which was acceptable to us), however we waited, and waited... Hours went by. It was really disappointing.
(1)
Patrick C.
We went on Valentine's Day earlier dinner atmosphere was great. We were greeted with champagne when we walked in and took our coats. Place was not slammed and server took forever to get to us he forgot a beer when I ordered it. My steak was burnt which I would not expect for a medium one. Sides were fantastic we got mashed potatoes and mac and cheese. To end the night we figured we would order dessert and instead of dessert he brought the check. Not sure what happened there but we paid and left. It was an ok experience I expected better service for what I paid for the meal. We went across the street and told the bartender our experience and she bought our dessert for us! Not sure if we will be back to jimmy G
(2)
Amy E.
We also went for the Living Social deal, which was a great value. The draft beers on tap were pretty good as well. Service: This earned an extra star for me. Even though they knew we had a Living Social certificate, they were still very attentive, professional, knowledgable. Jimmy even brought out some food and asked us how things were going. Food: Delicious. Soup was a summer tomato soup with pork belly. My husband who doesn't even like tomatoes finished the soup. Both the Caesar and House salads were fresh and the dressing was perfect. The rib-eye was tender, well cooked, and well-flavored. I'm sure the filet would have been even better. For sides, the asparagus was crisp tender with a smokey flavor, and the 4 fat fries with aioli left me wanting more. I would say the worst part of the meal was the "dessert". The Living Social menu offers creme brulee ice cream, but they were out, so we had the strawberry sorbet, which was slightly salty. I'm not sure if I'm just not into salty-sweet desserts, but it was not something I would want to eat again. Decor: Kind of odd, but that's okay. My husband said the chairs in the dining room remind him of something his grandma would pick out. Then there are odd color changing lights. It just seems to be a mash up of odd choices. Overall, we were impressed and would definitely go back, though it would be pricey.
I'll be honest. I don't expect much from food when I travel home for a visit. Sorry Ohio, but I live in a food mecca. In Ohio, I eat for nostalgia mostly: Skyline Chili, Marion's Pizza, Bill's Donuts. Yikes. So let me just emphasize how blown away I was by the food, presentation, service and overall experience I had at Jimmy G's. My bestie and I were in desperate need of a girl-ee date. So we threw heed to the wind and headed to Cincy for dinner, drinks, and fancy hotel. Yes, please. We picked Jimmy G's based on Yelp reviews, and I was a little apprehensive when we entered the place. It was VERY quiet for a Thursday night. But we LOVED the decor: exposed brick walls, stylish bar. Artsy, yet refined. We sat down at the bar, and any worries I had washed away as our gracious, attentive, handsome bartender made innovative cocktails on the spot for us. He simply asked, "What's your mood?" The food was simply divine. I wish I had taken more pictures. Jimmy makes art out of his food. Classic dishes like Caprese Salad, Shrimp Cocktail, Crab Cakes and Beef Carpaccio take on a whole new life here. I also love that they feature seasonal, local ingredients when they can. By the near end of our meal, we knew everyone in the restaurant, including Jimmy G himself, who we found out was something of a celebrity in the Cincy foodie scene. He invited us back to the kitchen to show us his dry aged beef cooler, and his "Wall of Inspiration" , a.k.a. his office, a.k.a. the back hallway. We sat on milk crates and listened to his story while we drank wine and he drank Mountain Dew. Very cool. This is my opportunity to thank EVERYONE at Jimmy G's for making our night so special! If you want a place that will exceed every expectation and make you feel so welcome, this is the place.
(5)
Timothy B.
This has to be hands down my favorite restaurant. Such an amazing mad men sophisticated feel, and the service to be said absolutely exemplary. The food is the best I have had to date in Cincinnati. Jimmy Gibson knows his way around a steak and that which comes with it. This is a twice a month if not more standing dinner in my book.
(5)
John B.
I have returned and the food and service were just as good as the first time. Our server Michelle really took care of us and while we didn't have any wine this time, she kept my glass full of ice cold water. (Thank you) We sat in a booth this time and I am unsure if I like it better than the tables. First, I'm short and my feet barely touch the floor. Oh well, I am sure most guys won't have this problem. Second, I kind of felt on display since the booths are raised and face out. Oh well, not big deals. I shared the Moroccan Lamb shank ($26) again. (just realized the price went up a dollar, hmm....) The meat was soooo tender I often had to scoop it up instead of stabbing it with my fork. I also had the Schmaltz Wings ($12). There's a part of me that thinks $2 per wing is a little much, but this is a special occasion place. If I wanted cheap wings, I could go to BW3's or something. Good luck getting a warm-spiced foie gras-sage vinaigrette there. I did see Mr. Gibson, a.k.a Jimmy G there and he was busy making sure everything was running smoothly and that the kitchen kept churning out excellent food. Mission accomplished. I will be back, and hopefully with a large group that is willing to let everyone sample their food. I want to try everything.
(5)
Janelle E.
Really interesting place. Loved the decor and setup of the restaurant and bar. 1/2 price martinis at happy hour were a great deal and very well made. I had the octopus appetizer which was absolutely perfectly cooked and the lamb shank for an entree. I have not had many lamb shanks that rivaled how good this was. Fall off the bone, sweet tangy glaze, just killer.
(5)
Mary P.
We enjoyed our experience overall. Great martini and the hand stuffed blue cheese olives were tasty ( although waiter never asked if we wanted to start with cocktails he finally came back and we ordered). Appetizers were yummy, my husband had shrimp cocktail and the housemade sauce is delish. My crab cake was ok but did not taste like freshly prepared crab. We both got the carnivore special NY strip at $50 per. Mine was cooked perfectly medium rare but it was very salty. I don't use salt so maybe I am more sensitive. Anywho the wait staff were quite efficient and friendly and the ambiance good except for the tacky green blue and red spot lights.
(3)
Terri T.
We have become regulars here and for good reason. Consistently great food and terrific service.
(5)
Sarah B.
We went to Jimmy G's last year for restaurant week and had a great experience. I would highly recommend checking it out then since they offer a 4 course meal at a discounted price. The atmosphere is hip and upscale. Must turn into a dance club at night as we heard the band setting up while we were getting ready to leave. Food and service were both spot on.
(4)
Bea D.
Jimmy G - I give you a A for creativity on the menu. I give you a B on execution. When entering the establishment, I was excited to see thoughtful, artful decor. We were then led to the very back of the restaurant. We entered a room that felt like a 1970's basement. I don't recall that there was even any wall decor in this room. After dining, I did walk through the bar area, which seemed to have a good, full of life vibe. I wished that vibe carried throughout the entire restaurant. Service was average. It was bumpy at the beginning because no one knew who would be serving us. It took them a while to figure out the assignment. I give the waitstaff credit for knowing the menu and being able to make recommendations. Jimmy G's has some sparks - they just need a few more to really get the fire started.
(4)
Sarah F.
Food & Drink: Amazing. Best steaks either of us have had in a long time--definitely on par with Ruby's (as one would expect from a former Ruby's chef) and arguably better. Both of ours (we ordered filet) were cooked perfectly (1 rare and 1 medium rare) and had wonderful seasoning, which in no way detracted from the quality of the meat. We shared the char-grilled asparagus and potatoes aligot. The asparagus was perfectly tender with a nice smoky flavor. I didn't care for the potatoes overly much--they were like super rich, gluey over-mashed potatoes (husband was a fan though). Somewhat abbreviated by-the-glass wine list, but we both enjoyed our red wine selections (I would recommend the Pinot Noir I had, $9/glass). Prices are expectedly high, but I wouldn't call anything that we had overpriced. Service: Here's where Jimmy G's lost a star for me. We were there on a Tuesday night and they must have been busier than expected because as far as I could tell, there was only one main server for the entire dining room and at least one very large party. As a result, we received very little attention throughout the meal, including a promised bread basket being completely forgotten. The manager was walking around trying to fill the gaps somewhat, but hopefully the poor service was somewhat of a fluke because this is too good a restaurant to be brought down by that. Ambiance: Decor seems to elicit mixed reactions, but I thought the subterranean dining room was elegant enough--it just seemed a bit sparse and lacked cohesion in design. Kind of like some design students brought in a lot of cool pieces individually without talking to one another (not entirely sure what the one responsible for the white faux-bamboo chair backs was thinking). We sat in a large banquette overlooking the dining room--a bit awkward for conversation, seated side by side, but comfortable other than that. In summary, we love a good steakhouse so we'll definitely be back for another occasion and hopefully the kinks in service will be resolved to allow for a 5-star upgrade.
(4)
Doug O.
Great steak ... Cooked over wood so it had a nice char on the outside without having to order it Pittsburgh. I had the bone-in ribeye and my wife had the NY Strip. Both cooked perfectly. The real secrets are the house salad and the side dishes. The house salad is like no other. You have to order to understand but I highly recommend this "treasure chest" of favors. The 4 fat fries (cooked in 4 kinds of fats) and Brussels sprouts were outstanding. Atmosphere was interesting and the service was really good and friendly.
(4)
Lianna N.
Hip.underground.artsy
(4)
Ryan Z.
Went last night to finally take advantage of a Living Social certificate that I purchased last month. The restaurant decor is a little strange. There are glowing neon lights that change colors on the sides of the booths... think movie theater lights to illuminate the aisle. It seemed like a very strange touch and was compounded by the bizarre choice of wood paneling and dropped ceiling. For a place that's supposed to be competing with Jeff Ruby's, the decor didn't do it for me. The food was a mixed bag. I started with their soup of the day, which was pork belly, proscuitto and veggies. It was fantastic. The caesar salad was nothing special, but the house salad was enjoyable. We upgraded one of the prix fixe menu steaks from a filet of ribeye to to a real filet mignon for a $14 upcharge. That was the best decision of the night. The filet was on point, but the filet of ribeye was barely edible. It was the toughest cut of meat I've ever eaten in a nice restaurant. I'm not sure why they even carry it on their menu. Steakhouses should stick to the top cuts of meat only. Sides were good with the charcoal grilled asparagus stealing the show from the 4 fat fries. A mixed bag dinner ended on a very strange note with a scoop of creme brulee ice cream served on top of a glass of ice cubes set on a plate garnished with aluminum foil. Go ahead and read that again if you need to. I had to look four different times just to verify that our dessert plate was covered with aluminum foil. Who's idea was that??? All in all, we spent $100 on top of the prepaid prix fixe dinner. For a $200+ dinner, I expect quite a bit more. I don't see any reason to come here over Jeff Ruby's, Mortons or Ruths Chris. I just don't understand what Jimmy G's offers that the others don't do better. Oh well, at least the service and staff were attentive and friendly.
(3)
Andrea P.
I ate here a few weeks ago during the Downtown Cincinnati restaurant week. Honestly, it was maybe the WORST dining experience I have had in awhile. We came here on a Thursday night, granted without a reservation. Instead of the hostess to just tell us that we would not be able up be seated, she told us to "hold on for a table". Every time we asked for updates, she kept stalling us. Meanwhile other people were being seated without reservations. An hour and a half later, we were seated in the half empty dining room. The manager came over to mention that they had been really busy. (Obviously he had never experienced restaurant week in other cities). The food was okay, but our waiter was creepy and seemed to loom over us eating. Needless to say, I won't be back!
(1)
Lee Anne B.
Last evening we enjoyed our first dinner at Jimmy G's and what a fabulous meal it was. I began with the Arm and A Leg, Octopus App. After having the best Octopus of my life at LeBernardin in NY, my hopes of ever finding another dish that good were small at best. Enter Jimmy G's Arm and a Leg. Flavorful, tender thick and moist with a Sherry Reduction that made your tongue sing. My main course was the Braised Moroccan lamb shank. While this was not on my radar for the evening, my husband knowing my love of lamb, suggested it. This lamb, which could easily serve 2 people, was flavorful like nothing I've ever had. Tender, juicy and falling off the bone. The sauce and accompanying fruit added to the unique salty/sweet taste that is out of this world. The wait staff was kind, courteous and helpful. We will definitely be going back......and taking more friends!!!!!
(4)
James R.
Jimmy G's is a modern interpretation of a steakhouse in Cincinnati. The downtown location is below street level and provided something of a modern speakeasy feel. The off-color lighting and more eclectic decor meshes nicely with the super-traditional steakhouse features present, like the room with bottle service lockers. The area is somewhat dim, the tables and banquettes roomy, and the overall decor a great mix of traditional and modern. The menu, like the decor, was traditional but with an eclectic twist. Your normal steaks were present but there was a willingness to jazz things up if you so desired. There was a worldly flair present from the Far East and North Africa present, which was quite unusual for a traditional steakhouse. My friend and I both opted for New York Strip steaks (note:not USDA prime) and shared accompaniments of potatoes aligot and sauteed mushrooms. Our steaks came with a lovely and lightly dressed watercress salad. Without fail, everything was spectacular. Our waiter explained how they use a wood fire to grill their steaks, which was intriguing. On arrival of those steaks, I wondered why anyone did things differently. There was a madium-thick crust of char on the outside over a succulent and juicy 1.25" thick interior that was a spectacular and uniform red-pink medium rare across the entire piece of meat. Never have I seen "doneness" of a steak so perfect across the meat. Honestly, it's worth coming back for this alone just to see how they do it. My steak was not advertised as prime, but if you told me it was I would have believed you. The preparation was truly that good. Potatoes aligot are an item not often seen on menus today. This side is highly recommended. I won't belabor you with what the presentation consists of as long as you know this is a wonderfully accurate expression of a rarely-seen traditional dish. Great job, gentlemen...I'm very impressed. The sauteed mushrooms were cooked perfectly as well. Both sides were generously portioned and well served. Service was outstanding. Despite my friend and I arriving over the course of a shift change, our two waiters handled things with aplomb and sincerely cared about our dining experience. Both of them were gracious, knowledgeable, and sincere -- I would return here for the service alone. We didn't even look at the dessert menu. Jimmy G's is a great steakhouse that serves as a youthful, vibrant alternative to Jeff Ruby's organization. Recommended and certainly worth a visit.
(5)
Amanda C.
Quick summary: Better than Morton's, on par with Jeff Ruby steakhouses. My husband and I dined here for our anniversary, and we would definitely return. Jimmy G's has a fun, relaxed atmosphere with excellent, unpretentious service. And I feel the prices are in-line with what I would expect. It's expensive, yes, but not outrageous. Along with my melts-like-butter steak (I got the filet mignon), we ordered some interesting appetizers and a side. The Potatoes Raclette and Apricot, Bacon & Pork Tummy-Tuck were delicious and beautifully presented. We also enjoyed the cous-cous. If you want a booth, you have to request it with your reservation. There's only five of them, and they fill up fast!
(5)
Dan M.
I went here with my girlfriend for her birthday dinner. We ordered lots to feast on and sample. To our dismay, everything was poor to mediocre. The potatoes raclette were the exception - delicious melty cheese on top of duck fat cooked potatoes. The bacon wrapped pork belly was a completely gelatinous experience. The mozzarella salad included 2oz of mozzarella at most and was bland. The spicy Italian skewers of the day were actually not even spicy at all. Finally, the $34 dry aged strip steak was overdone and over-charred. I actually sent it back. The next one that came out was cooked properly, and the meat was nice. However, the outside was still charred to death and there was a ribbon of tendon through the middle. None of these things are deal-breakers, but if I'm dropping $100 + tip on a meal, they should never have happened. Instead, make your way to another downtown establishment - Sotto, Zula, Salazar, or York St Cafe (in Newport) are all top notch and in the same price range. Bottom Line: I'll never be back for this overpriced, underloved cooking. And you shouldn't either.
(1)
Linda E.
The food is excellent, and food cooked exactly to order. I have to say part of the appeal is the retro vibe it has going one. Rich wood paneling, and gold accents in the wallpaper just made my day.
(4)
Ann L.
I like the entry. For some reason, walking down the winding stairs seems to evoke anticipation of what's to come. Then depending on which direction you go at the end, you end up in very different spaces. The left took us to a space with food, drinks, friends, and a great band. The ladies room was really nice with a great smelling candle burning. Loved the art on the wall on the way to and fro. I couldn't help but notice the room beside our party room. It had chairs that David Tutera was most definitely approve of, a nice chandelier, and a romantic mood. We will have to come back and enjoy a nice meal another day...soon.
(4)
Dick R.
We were looking for some place we hadn't been for Downtown Restaurant Week, and Jimmy G's was it. Based on generally high Yelp ratings, we had high expectations and we weren't disappointed. They billed their 3 course tasting menu as "full portions". I don't know about that, but portions of all were exactly right. First courses, and deserts were definitely unique. Filets were flavorful and done exactly as requested - nice char on the outside. We added brussel sprouts. From my experience these can be either really good or really bad - not much middle ground. Jimmy G's were quite good. Service was maybe a little chatty, but excellent. We'll go back.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Valet, Street Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Dressy Ambience : Trendy Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Carrie V.
I was so confused about what to expect for the decor after reading previous reviews. No one was specific but all seemed to agree it was odd. Here are the specifics: You will feel like you are dining in your grandparents basement. Wood-paneled walls, mounted deer heads, strange pink-ish lights. You will ALSO feel like you are supposed to be seated at a summer garden party with the white wooden chairs with yellow cushions. Also, there were large curved lamps which made it feel like we were an entree under a warming lamp. Decor aside, the food was good. I started with the daily choice of meat skewers--luckily for me they were swordfish that evening and cooked well and served with a little slaw and sauce. The other diners each enjoyed the Potatoes Raclette, chicken wing flats, and the baby back ribs and had nothing but good things to say about them. I sampled the potato dish which was melty cheese on potato spears on a cutting board. You really can't go wrong with that. All of my dining companions had variations on steak, and said they all were cooked perfectly. For my main I ordered the pan-roasted wahoo. The waitress said they weren't able to get any wahoo in fresh that day so they were subbing tile fish and was that OK. I think it's more than OK that a restaurant makes changes based on what's available! My tile fish was delish! For sides we had the macaroni and cheese and the four fat fries. Both were great. We were too full for dessert and/or nothing tempted us so we left off there. Only one of us was drinking but the drinks came out from the bar quickly and were generous. Overall, I will be back. But if I were taking a newcomer I would feel the need to warn them about the decor!
(4)Stacey L.
My husband and I are going to fight over who gets to write this review because we loved this place so much. I am going to let him cover the food, which is INCREDIBLE! I am going to talk about the service and atmosphere. I was the first of our party to arrive at the restaurant and planned to sit in the bar while waiting for the rest of the party. I was greeted immediately at the door and was asked if I had a reservation. I told him I planned to sit at the bar and wait for my party, but needed to go to the restroom first. He actually led me to the restroom! Then, as I walked in to the bathroom, he asked me if I would like to order a drink to be waiting for me at the bar when I came out. Really! Does service like this exist anywhere!!! Service at this restaurant just got better as the night went on. I found all of the servers and bartenders to be cute, funny, and friendly. They were willing to engage in conversation and banter as they served us. Drinks were always filled and food came out quickly. We couldn't have been happier. Decor is definitely the low point of this restaurant. They clearly had completely renovated the bar area with a sleek modern look. But, the rest of the restaurant all had the essence of the cheap Chinese restaurant it was in the previous life. Tables and chairs did not match the elevated cost of the food. This is a restaurant that is trying to be hip and upper-crust, but the decor just didn't match. It just looks like they ran out of money to pay for tables and renovated bathrooms. But, that just doesn't matter the moment the food hits your mouth. Definitely find a time when you want to have a special, and pretty expensive meal, and go to Jimmy G's.
(5)Louise D.
I have only been to Jimmy G's for a Yelp event, to the bar section. Jimmy G's is just a 5 minutes walk from work yet I had never noticed it being there. I was curious to find out what it would look like and as I walked down the stairs, I ended up in a fancy looking bar, both the interior and the staff looked high end. I had a cocktail that was supposed to be made with raspberries but as they were out of them they replaced them with blueberries. Somehow I don't think this really made my cocktail better but it was still ok; pretty strong as well. This is not my typical kind of place, I would probably come here before or after a fancy party, as it feels like the place where you would feel more comfortable being dressed up. The main reason why I am giving 4 stars is the terayaki steak - amazing, amazing, amazing. I didn't care about the other skewers, that were a bit too spicy to my taste. But this steak on skewers, mmmmm, definitely a reason to come back and actually try out the other side of the bar, where the restaurant is!
(4)Denver L.
What a neat little bar located in a fun district. After having drinks at Mynt Martini Beth and I walked on down to the Yelp Event at Jimmy G's. We were greeted by the coat check at the bottom of the stairwell. Then walked into the very trendy and well light bar area. Luckily for us we found a few seats at the bar before it got crowded. We asked if anything was on special only to find out that no drinks were. Didn't stop us from having a few. I had my standard of dragonberry and club soda, Beth went for her vodka with sprite and cranberry. Both drinks were nice but could of used a but more alcohol, esp for the price. Some lovely tasting items came out, terayaki steak, makers mark bbq chicken, and sausage and pesto skewers. They terayaki was our favorite. The steak was well seasoned and cooked to perfection, nice little char on the outside. The makers mark chicken lacked some flavor, the bbq sauce wasn't my favorite. The pesto was chocked full of garlic which made it a little hard to taste the pork. The entertainment was nice, nothing better then some local music playing live while your talking with friends. We parked at the fountain square and the walk was a breeze. All in all this was a fun ending to a nice evening, can't wait to try this place for real.
(3)Will M.
This is a tough one to review. To start, the service is fantastic. Phenomenal. I greatly enjoyed our server and let him know this. Attentive, knowledgeable and friendly. The decor is odd. The bar area is impressively modern. Other parts are distinctly not modern. The chairs, though... who thought these were a good idea? They look like they're out of a retirement home. Our appetizer was the Potatoes Raclette. Heavy, but great taste and great presentation. I'd return for these. Both of us ordered the filet for dinner. The cut was fantastic - you couldn't ask for better beef. It was cooked well, too. The seasoning, though? I'm not sold on it. It was good, but I'm not sure it was great. This is a nice addition to downtown and one I'll frequent regularly. Much, much better atmosphere than Jeff Ruby's (not a difficult thing - what's with those creepy murals), I'm just not sure the steaks were quite as good. I'll update when I return.
(4)Zak R.
Pleasantly surprised with dinner here, b/c the decor of this restaurant is all over the place & really doesn't have a consistent theme. Food & service was excellent but their drink menu needs help, even more since the drinks are highly overpriced. With a group of 4 people, I got to taste several items: -- These items were excellent (Carpaccio, Fat French Fries, Warm Brussels Sprouts Kimchee, Mac n Cheese, Smoked Brick Chicken) -- This item was Mediocre (Filet of Beef Tenderloin) nothing special about this Filet, I could have done it better at home, myself. But it was a great cut of meat. -- These items were not worth it & wouldn't order it again (Potato Raclette- it tasted no better than Potatoes Au Gratin) ( Charcoal Grilled Asparagus - nothing special about the asparagus & had a bit too much charcoal flavor to it.)
(4)Christopher W.
To start - this review is more of a 3.5 star review. Atmosphere - I actually kind of dug the whole in a basement/lodgey/new age steakhouse type decor. There were great pictures on the walls and in the restrooms. Wait staff was also dressed very well. Most of the guys were even wearing bow ties! The chairs were a bit of a turnoff. Looked a little like an 80s garden party. We didn't hang out at the bar area but it looked pretty cool! Food - My fiancee and I ordered the Tiradito of Yellowtail & Bluefin Tuna for our appetizer. The flavors were great and fresh! The only let down is the fact that there were only a few thin strips of tuna actually in the dish. Still, very well executed! Next, came the entrees. I ordered the Beef Shortribs and my fiancee ordered the Lamb Shank. The presentation on both were excellent. I have one major gripe with my Short Ribs though. There were about 3-4 long fat lines through the meat. In addition, there was also a gigantic layer of fat topping the cut. I understand marbling in meat. The amount of fat in this meat was unbelievable. I can easily estimate that I threw out 1/4 of the entree due to the fat content. I have had short ribs that have been less fatty, with better marbling, for much cheaper than this. I don't think its unreasonable to ask that for $26 dollars of short ribs, it should all be edible. My fiancee only had one complaint about her lamb shank. She and I both thought there was way too much gravy/braising liquid served with the final product. There was no need to have such a beautiful and tenderly prepared shank sitting in a pool of gravy. The shank could have stood on its own. Our two sides, the macaroni and cheese and the french fries were both spectacular. The two sides were more than enough for the two of us. Not sure if I would go back in the near future. You are definitely paying for the atmosphere here, not the overall quality of the entrees.
(3)Philip T.
I love the Mad Men era (is it right to let Mad Men get its own era?) and I love a good steak. Jimmy G's has both. Went there on a Friday night around 8:30 PM with a friend as he wanted to buy me a good steak. In keeping with the Mad Men theme I ordered the Mid-town Manhattan. Foodwise we started with An Arm & A Leg ( wood grilled octopus, xeres sherry reduction, chorizo) to wet our appetite. It was as we were at a aquatic farm (not sure if that imagery is suiting,but I wanted to say it). For dinner I had the Filet of Beef Tenderloin Steak (medium rare) with Jimmy G's Mac n Cheese. The steak was below par and I am using that as golfers do in that the Steak was excellent. It is the Tiger Woods of steak and I am referencing the Tiger who had his own sports drink and was on the front of Wheaties. The mac n cheese was very good but paled in comparison to the filet! In retrospect, I wish I would have went with the charcoal grilled asparagus (fig brown butter & hazelnuts) as it probably would have been a better complement to the buttery filet. To end the meal Jimmy sent out crème brûlée which was a pleasant bonus as I typically do not order/eat desserts when I am out ( want to keep my figure). Overall Jimmy G's was a great experience. It was disheartening to see the dinning room so bare. If you are going out and are willing to spend top dollar on a steak give Jimmy G's a chance.
(4)Rene B.
Entrance stairwell and foyer are lovely, but the actual restaurant decor is conflicting. Dark, paneled walls look like a grandparent's basement in Norwood or a VFW hall, with bright, colored overhead lights - and white coastal-style bamboo furniture with bright yellow sticky pleather seats that belong in Palm Beach. There were extension cords coming out of the back of the fireplace over a massive alligator leather black chair - again, did not fit with anything else in the place - and the leg of the chair was broken and rolled under our table. Tacky, all around. Initially seated right next to the kitchen door under a bright lamp, when many other more intimate tables were open at 7:30 on a Friday night. The hostess noted another couple asked to be moved from there, too. But she continued to try to seat people there through the evening, as the rest of the dining remained fairly empty. We waited over 5 minutes until we were greeted and served water. We were told they were under-staffed but the Manager on Duty wasn't stepping up to help serve and greet as one would expect. Entrees (steak and lamb chop), bread and mac and cheese were good; shrimp appetizer was dry and just had a little swipe of sauce - would've enjoyed enough to use for dipping.Our server was nice and passionate but was obviously overwhelmed which compromised the service. Every course was served to the gentleman before the lady, which really aggravated us - and was served from the wrong side. Overall, not worth the price you pay for the dining experience. It's completely missing Ruby's "high touch" which Jimmy should know all about.
(2)Lisa V.
Want a great steak ? And not the usual choices. Well here you go. Food amazing, staff attentive and fun and NOT STUFFY! We even got a chance to chat with Jimmy, thanks again for a GREAT supper.
(4)Sam B.
Thrilled with the experience we just had at Jimmy G's! Took a chance on this place as that other steakhouse in town didn't have any reservations that fit our schedule and we couldn't have been happier. Jimmy G's really did a tremendous job across the board: 1) Service: all of the staff from the hostess, the bussers, our server Virgil, and Ross (who appeared to be a manager), couldn't have been more appreciative that we were dining with them. They genuinely wanted to make sure that we were enjoying the Jimmy G's experience. This definitely wasn't that cookie cutter vibe you get from other places that just treat you as another table coming in the door. 2) Decor: What a cool place! As soon as we opened the door on Elm St. and looked down the staircase, we knew we made an excellent choice for dinner. It had the classy touches of a nice steakhouse but didn't go overboard with the stodgy vibe that I get at a Morton's for example. It had a very relaxing vibe with warm colors. Towards the end of our meal we could hear the live music coming from the bar area. It was a nice touch that we could hear it but it wasn't overpowering at all. 3) Food: I saved the best for last. Everything we had was top notch and with good portions. For an appetizer we had Potatoes Raclette which was their take on a fondue type of app. Tasted great and the presentation was fantastic. We also had the "Gribbles" which I think change regularly based on what the chef's whimsy is that night, but I'm sure it'll be a pleasant surprise no matter what it is. Ours was a asian fusion steak skewer and was excellent. Another great presentation here. For entrees, we had a filet and the lamb shank. I didn't try the lamb shank but it got high marks at the table. The presentation on the lamb was one of the best I've seen. Clearly they take a lot of pride in the presentation. My filet was expertly prepared and while I ordered it medium rare, it was very nicely seasoned and tasted great. I highly recommend that you get to Jimmy G's ASAP before this place get too tough to get a good reservation at!
(5)Elizabeth W.
When you are looking for a bar where you can have a real conversation, but you're stuck downtown, descend into this hidden gem tucked behind a nondescript facade. When you're lucky, a local band will be playing unobtrusively in the back of the swanky bar. If you find yourself in need of some serious grub, don't let the 60's pornstyle scare you away from the dining room. The food is serious, serious meat-lovers meat. Great wine, serious meat, and classy backdrop - this is a can't miss.
(4)Kristi A.
I was in town for business and my hotel suggested this restaurant and it exceeded all expectations. I live in NYC and have been to my fair share of upscale restaurants but this had a small town feel (i was dining alone but felt like I was dining with a group of friends). Thats how i was treated the entire time. Five people stopped by in a non obnoxious way to see how my meal was and if i needed anything. My waiter Joey was awesome we had a laugh over movie quotes and the owner and chef Jimmy stopped by to see how my meal was. Then to top it all off he comped me a dessert of my choosing which was Creme Brulee and was PERFECT. Every tap of my spoon resulted in the crackling sound of sugar breaking. Needless to say I would go back in a heart beat and am finding myself looking for a reason to travel back to Cincy just to dine here again.
(5)Sam Z.
Went to jimmy Gs on a Saturday evening. Arrived at around 7 right at our reservation time. It is a strange entrance as you need to walk down steps to get to the bar and restaurant level. Was a bit worried as it was real quiet and the bar was empty. We were greeted warmly and brought to our reserved booth. We booked a booth as past commenters stated that it was the better option. I will offer a different opinion...get a table. The booth was very uncomfortable in our opinion. The table could not be moved and we felt like we were too far from the table as well as too upright. But this could just be preference. We liked the atmosphere and while it is in the eclectic side it was fine with us. Seem to have a good mix of regulars and newbies in there as well. Jimmy made himself known in the dining room paying special attention to his regulars. Makes perfect sense and it was good to see the owner and chef around and asking how the food was. Shows pride in what he is doing. We started with the potatoes raclette appetizer. Very different and amazing. Seasoned potatoes with an egg and au gratin on top with onions. Excellent dish! I wanted the lamb but unfortunately they were out of it this evening. My wife ordered the strip steak and I ordered the Halibut. First the steak...cooked perfectly to a medium rare and same temperature throughout. Seasoned outstanding. A perfect steak! Now for the halibut. The dish came and I almost said "where the beef?". It was extremely small and for 29 bucks I expected more. The taste was very good but a bit over cooked for my liking. Was not flaky and was actually tough to cut with a fork. I actually needed a knife to get through the crust. Now for the dessert. We had the key lime tart. One word. Amazing. But small to share. We shared it and we were full from dinner so it was fine. But if you like dessert order 1 for each of you. We ordered drinks with dinner that were fine as well. If I was rating on the fish alone I would give it a 2 or 3. I gave a 4 for the overall meal. We will be back again but will stick with the outstanding steak. Hope this review helps you all.
(4)Sophie M.
Dined alone on a Tuesday eve at 9pm. Only 2 other parties, more peeps at the bar. I liked the decor, which I found interesting. The only rub-the metal faux bamboo garden party chairs, attractive but uncomfortable for a petite person. Service was quick and attentive. Aaron was very knowledgeable, friendly and attentive. The three large Sea Scallops over asparagus and Asian butternut-like squash with apricots, toasted hazelnuts and little green sprouts was beautiful and delicious. I'd return with friends so we could sample and share!
(4)Jeremy B.
Best meal of my life! Traditional steakhouses have forever been ruined for me.
(5)Heather B.
I absolutely LOVE this restaurant! The food is excellent and the staff very personable and friendly!I'm here on business and I would honestly make the 3 hour drive from where I live to come back just for JImmy G's. Jimmy is a great guy and knows how to cook :)
(5)George K.
Returned for a great meal last evening. The food and the service were outstanding. Many thanks to Jimmy, J.D. and our server for a fine meal.
(4)Susan L.
I went to Jimmy Gs for a Yelp event, the appetizers which were a variety of their Gribbles which were all very good. Also with all the good reviews it had been getting I had to go back. I just stayed in the bar, but got their Carpaccio which was excellent. I am not a big steak person, so I do not know if I would go there for a dinner, but I loved the bar area. It was comfortable, but nice, the type of place that would be great to go to after work. I would like to try some more of their smaller dishes most sounded really good. The Bartender, Aaron who was their on Friday's made an excellent original cocktail for the Friday martini special happy hour. I would love to see what he makes another night. It is pricey, but sitting in the bar with just some of the smaller dishes is reasonable and is enough food for me.
(4)Jack R.
This is a neat place. It is below street level. You walk in and descend down a flight a steps. The first thing you see is their huge wine cellar behind big glass windows. We were there just for an event. Just for drinks and bar food. The drinks were a little pricey but not overly. the food was amazing. They brought out kabobs. Three different types steak, chicken, and sausage. The steak ones were the best. The only reason it isn't a five star is because we didn't have dinner there. At the event i won a $50 gift card to come back. So once i have been back I will update.
(4)Nabeel T.
great spot, great food, you feel like you got what you paid for when leaving. we actually sat at a bar table on a saturday night to watch the football games. Had a great dinner, drinks and wine. short ribs & tuna were amazing. steak was solid. decor in the dining room is....odd... but still feels nice. will definately come back.
(4)Robert M.
What to expect. It is in the basement so kind of hidden. The interior is still kind of like Wah Mah Chinese that was there before. The Best part is the steak. No surprise since Jimmy spent some much time working for Ruby. The sides also where all great (Mac and Cheese, Mash Potato, Cauliflower). The salads had a cool presentation. However the apps where kind of meh. Had the carpaccio which the waiter talked up but not great. Had the Gribbles. also kind of boring. The service was excellent.
(4)Emily M.
Went to Jimmy G's having purchased the Living Social deal A few months back for a pre-fixe 4 course menu for two. The decor was encouraging as we entered and went downstairs but once you enter the dining room it all goes wrong. Odd wood panelling with some neon inlays and chairs that reminded me of my grandmothers kitchen table from 30 years ago. Drop ceiling did not help this basement dining room at all. The service on this Saturday night (7:15 reservation) was very slow. The place was at maybe 65% occupancy so either the servers are slow or just waaaayyyy under staffed. The food was just slightly above average. If graded on a curve by cost, I would say it is below par and overpriced. Since I don't eat pork, I didn't try the black bean and pork belly soup which my partner did enjoy very much. The salad was nice as was the main course (for me the filet of ribeye and her the fried chicken dinner). It wasn't bad food but if I were paying full price I would have been disappointed. Desert was promised to be an eagerly awaited creme brule ice cream. After waiting well over 30 minutes for the server, who had already acknowledged we were finished with our maiin course, to clear our plates... We were brought out incredibly salty Strawberry Sorbet. Really gross. I asked about the promised desert for the night and was told they ran out. What bothered me here was that no one asked if we would like something else (even if it cost extra $) they just brought us this sorbet. I managed to get my waiter's attention and he said he would get us something different and about 10 minutes later he brought a creme brule out with two spoons. We ate that (delicious) and waited what seemed like another eternity to get settled up and go. All in all, I was underwhelmed. If I want to spend $150-200+ on dinner for two, there are better options in this city for food/ambience.
(2)Sneha D.
Went to Jimmy G 's for Cincinnati EATS event. The first course was cous cous with shrimp, which was a bit of a let down as there wasn't enough cous cous and too much extremely salty shrimp. The second course was pork, which very good but the sides were disappointing. All in all probably wont pay $46 for a meal here.
(2)Sierra I.
Coming from chicago, we have a ton of fantastic restaurants and steakhouses.. I think right out of the gates the staff is super friendly and the service is perfect! The food was very good.. Not excellent but very good. The sides were supposed to be portioned to share but I thought the asparagus was definitely small. My filet was good, cooked just the way I liked it.. Not the best I've ever had but pretty good. I'm just a little confused with what they are going for.. Are they going for steakhouse? Trendy? The bar is super cool but the main dining room is a mix between grandmas cottage and a trendy lighting store. I'm sure they will make some tweaks and be very successful. Worth coming to for sure! Oh and they only offer two desserts! What?
(4)Lee B.
I came here for a Yelp event and was pleasantly surprised. The restaurant has a mysterious entry which leads you down into a basement without windows. However, instead of feeling the usual bummed out basement vibe, it felt like a trendy underground party. The band was playing good music, and not so loud that it prevented good conversation. The free food that was offered was delicious. Sausage, chicken and steak on skewers. I have a feeling that this restaurant is a place I should only go for special occassions due to the price, but I'm looking forward to trying out the full menu sometime when I want a treat.
(4)Erin K.
I was really dissapointed with Jimmy G's! I was going in anticipating the same dining experience as Jeff Ruby's restaurants and got far less. My fiancé wanted to try out this restaurant, do we were glad to go when LivingSocial posted their " deal". I ordered the ribeye with asparagus and my fiancé ordered the chicken with crawfish with the French fries. The ribeye was SO SALTY and had no additional flavor. The chicken was definitely very different ( but good) yet, not something I would be willing to pay the price tag that went along with it.We overall thought the restaurant was dissapointing but that the " bus boy" was AwEsOmE. We received more information about the menu/wines from him and I felt he did basically all the work ( except take our order-which the server got wrong). I do not recommend going here! We will always choose a Jeff ruby restaurant over jimmy G's from now on since our bill without tip would have been $128.
(1)Kelly S.
I purchased the Living Social deal for the restaurant and was glad that I did! You get a lot of great food choices for an incredibly low price. The ribeye was very good and the mashed potatoes were excellent. As others have mentioned, the decor is pretty strange and creates a weird environment. Not 100% sure I would return and pay full price... Although the food was very good, there are other restaurants in Cincinnati that are better.
(3)John M.
The food was excellent, as was our server, Virgil. We got off to a rough start when they had our reservation for two and it should have been for four. When we informed them the reservation was for 4, they moved us to a table that was prepared for four. Unfortunately, we were seated by the door to the bar, which was a bit noisy and not conducive to conversation. I asked if we could just add two chairs to the table they were originally going to seat us at and the hostess said that would not be a problem. Once seated at our new table, we waited a few minutes for the waiter to come over. He realized we had not been given water yet and immediately sent over the server assistant. We then ordered drinks - two wines and two whiskeys - and in tern waited 15 to 20 minutes without receiving the drinks. I went back to the hostess an expressed that I understand it's busy and our server seems to be very busy, but 15 minutes for two drinks you just pour into glasses is a bit much. Within three minutes, the waiter was at our table with the drinks and upgraded our scotches to MaCallen 25 year on the house - certainly a nice way to grease the wheel. From that point on, the dinner was enjoyable. The food was excellent; we got the shrimp and crab bisque which was fantastic. Additionally, for entrees we got the scallops, yellowfin tuna, and two of the special reserve aged strips and split several sides (they are good for two). The steaks were excellent, but I'll say I'm not sure they were $60 excellent (Market Price). The rest of the food was a bit more reasonably priced for what it was and equally tasty. Finally, after dinner, I ordered two ports for me and my friend - these were additionally comped by the house. This was a fine gesture and appreciated, but unnecessary. All in all a good place and I would consider going again. Virgil is knowledgeable and attentive. I attribute our rough start to being the night after Valentines day and most likely simple miscommunication amongst the staff.
(4)Calliope O.
We went for dinner on 3/29/14. The ambiance is surreal. Looks like something out of the movie BOOGIE NIGHTS. We were seated at a table that was under a huge hole in the ceiling. When we asked to be moved to a booth, they said "No". I took a picture of the ceiling with my phone. Strange because the restaurant was not busy on a Saturday night & never became busy. We ordered drinks & apps. Our server, who I think was new, hustled us to order entrees immediately. We ordered entrees and salads. The salads were brought out like a minute after we got our appetizers. Then, our entrees came. We had not even finished our appetizers or touched our salads yet! The server had no idea about timing or pacing the courses for the table. He made us feel rushed and we KNOW he was not expecting another turn. He even was grabbing half finished drinks off the table. He never brought us bread. We had to ask another female server, who was very nice, for a bread basket. We got the bill and the server added a drink we did not order on it. He did take care of it when brought to his attention. We went into the bar area for a drink. My husband got a beer from bartender and she would not give him back his coin change. If the beer was 4.50. She just gave him a 5 back. He never told her to keep the change. We sent our friend up and bartender did the same to him! Food was mediocre. Our server rushed us so, we could not even enjoy the food. Also, the server needed more training. We should have NEVER been seated under a HUGE hole in the ceiling. Plus, management should take a good look at the female bartender that evening. Overpriced and weird experience.
(2)Lindsey O.
My husband and I were going downtown to see a show at Music Hall on a Thursday night, and we decided to treat ourselves to a nice meal. He had heard Jimmy G's advertised on WLW and thought we should check it out. We called about an hour before we were to get there to see if they had a wait. She was able to take our reservation for 2 at 6pm without an issue. When we arrived, there was almost NO ONE there. I think there were two girls at the bar and one other couple in the dining room. I thought, "This can't be a good sign." We were seated at a very nice, big booth and the hostess could not have been more pleasant. Our waitress Tiffany was very helpful and friendly. We immediately had waters and she took our wine orders very quickly. She was very helpful navigating the menu and describing our options. I ordered the lamb shank and my husband the New York strip. She brought a bread basket that included the most amazing rosemary naan I've ever had. I honestly could have just eaten that and been satisfied. Our entrees were not as noteworthy. The lamb shank lacked the complexity of flavor and spices that I was expecting based on the menu description. It was covered in so much sauce that you really couldn't taste anything else. However, it was very tender and juicy. It is even wrapped in lamb bacon! My husband liked his steak, but he wasn't over the moon. As far as steaks go, it depends what you like. I personally do not like my steaks wood-fired and charred on the outside, but some people do and that's okay. Thursdays are "Hersday" or Ladies' Night at Jimmy G's, and I know they were running specials at the bar on drinks. That would probably be the only reason I would return - with a bunch of girlfriends to drink martinis! Otherwise, considering the price, I would probably spend my money on dinner at another establishment. Not bad at all, but not anything to write home about.
(3)John I.
Excellent meal. The restaurant is sort of an odd combination of a decent sized bar area and relatively small dining area. The décor is benign. The server was friendly, quite knowledgeable and the food came very promptly. The menu is diverse and very interesting. We ordered an edamame hummus appetizer that was quite good. I ordered scallops that were good sized and delicious. My wife had salmon which she really enjoyed and we ordered 3 sides : (1) mashed potatoes (very creamy), (2) Brussels sprouts and (3) cous cous. The portions are substantial but not huge. We had no room left for dessert but we thought everything was excellent. They did begin a loud music selection at around 7pm with a dj which penetrated from the bar to the dining area. Not sure why as the music selections seem to contrast with the demographics of the customers in the bar. The location is challenging as the restaurant is located in the Convention Place Mall on Elm street which has been a graveyard for many different types of businesses including restaurants. I really hope it succeeds as the food and service are very worthwhile and it is an excellent addition to the Cincinnati restaurant scene.
(5)Scott M.
This place can be easy to miss. Its storefront occupies no more than a dozen feet of curb space. Once you've located the entry (a couple doors south of Lunar), descend into the swankiest dungeon in town. Coat check was a much appreciated touch that you can't find in many other places in the city, though at times it is hard to find a person who is actually working the coat check. The bar is at left and restaurant to the right. I've only spent time in the bar area, which is complete with a stage. The duo that played on Tuesday night, Artemis and the Hunt, did a fine job executing timeless rock hits that we all know and love. The wait staff is friendly, attentive, and easy on the eyes. The food is yum. I recently enjoyed some chicken and steak on skewers. Delectable. --but beware. You can drop some major bills at this place. Over the course of two hours I spent sixty dollars on drinks alone. Yikes! Great atmosphere, great food, but unless you want your wallet to float away you wouldn't make yourself a regular.
(4)Tara S.
This place is fabulous. Our server was so helpful and recommended a very reasonable wine which we proceeded to have 2 bottles of. :) You absolutely cannot go wrong with these steaks, they are smoky and amazing and the potatoes raclette (sp?) starter is heaven... Fried potatoes with cheese and an egg? Hell yes. The decor is my only negative, it's just so weird and has no flow.
(5)Lizz R.
Went on a Thursday at 7:00. There was live music and it wasn't very crowded. We had great service and some awesome food. I was with a group of 9 people for a private event which gave me the chance to try the following menu items: Octopus, Four Fat Fries, Mashed Potatoes, Ribs, T-Bone, Tuna, Lamb (holy goodness, the lamb!), NY strip, and brussel sprouts. We also ordered the gribbles which were apparently delicious but I did not try them. Minus the brussel sprouts being a bit too spicy for my liking (but I'm a weakling when it comes to spice, so don't trust my judgement), everything was amazing.
(5)Ellen H.
The food was very good, but there service, not so much. Don't get me wrong, the waiter was very polite and good, but there were 2 waiters for over 20 tables so there was definitely more wait time in between needing a drink refilled or placing an order that I would have liked.
(2)Terry K.
Ok first, the food was "delish!" The pork tenderloin was amazing and full flavored. My girlfriend loved the filet. And to top it all off, the brussel sprouts were spectacular! Wine selection is up for debate. For a 4 star restaurant our server should have been more knowledgeable about the wine list. And to be honest, our server was sub-par for this establishment. However, another server - Virgil - was fantastic. He noticed we had been waiting for awhile and made himself available to us, checking in on us throughout the evening, even though he wasn't assigned to our table. Definitely request him as a server - knowledgeable and entertaining! The GM, Roberto, was very attentive to the needs of the floor. He was polite and courteous. He made sure our experience was a true "Jimmy-G's" experience. I would say that overall, job well done. I will definitely recommend people dine here.
(4)Bill E.
Came to the Yelp event here last week and it was just A-OK. I arrived early and found a free spot on Elm street and entered into the restaurant and came down the winding stairs past the wine cellar and more. The hostess was very nice and checked my coat as I entered in and checked in with Cindy and filled out a Yelp name tag. The bar is very neat and super clean and just has an aura about it, plus the girls working behind the bar were super cute and friendly. I ordered a river town and it was $6.00, I am not used to spending that for a beer so I was kind of turned off by that. For the "Tasting" it was a tasting of skewered meats the first one was the beef tenderloin with lemon grass and was def the winner of the bunch. The second skewer was chicken with a makers mark BBQ sauce the sauce was bland and I and my companions couldn't taste the makers mark or any distinct flavor. The third skewer was sausage with pesto and was just OK as the pesto had an overwhelming garlic flavor. The "tasting" of the food was setup at the end of the bar and only had about 15 skewers on each plate, thus the servers had to keep refilling the plates. I saw more than a few people order salads or an app off the menu as the "tasting" didn't satisfy their craving. The band rocked, and that was one of the highlights of the night. I would love to hear them play at some future Yelp events.
(3)Lauren R.
Made reservations here for New Years Eve. The hostess wasnt that friendly. Maybe she was mad she had to work on NYE, but that doesnt mean take it out on the customers. Anyway, they sat the two of us in a huge booth which was kind of awkward. I really hate sitting next to my date at dinner, but they left us with no option. There was also this weird spotlight lamp hanging down on us. We joked that we felt like we were on stage for everyone. Both our cocktails were good. I ordered the filet and my date ordered the New York Strip. I'm honestly giving this place three stars because the steak was awesome. It was cooked perfectly (medium rare). I have been to a lot of steak houses around the country, now live in a city with some of the best restaurants in the US, and this meal was damn good. It wasn't over cooked and it was seasoned perfectly. The mashed potatoes and asparagus were on par as well. I had to ask for a steak knife three times and ended up having to share my dates knife. That was kind of annoying. The decor is really strange. I no longer live in the area, but from what I heard this place is pretty new. I was expecting something a little more modern and swanky. It honestly looked like it had been there for 70 years. I get you're going for old italian mob thing or whatever, but you could do it better. It's boring inside. Anyway, I would probably go back next time when I'm in town just to get my hands on that steak again. I wish they could get friendlier and more attentive staff.. and maybe update the drab decor. But if you like good food, you should go.
(3)Mike M.
nice. overrated. steack was way undercooked. good, but way undercooked. salad was terrific. bread was decent. mac & cheese was fine. overall, when kt m. heated up my steak and mac & cheese 2 days later it was better than it was the first time i had it. i will be back and try this place again, because it was really nice and friendly. however, for $140 for 2 people, i would rather go to jeff ruby's.
(3)David K.
Went here on New Year eve. Had a late 9:30 seating was normal busy for this evening. There was just something not clicking about this place. 1st we got seated and waited for our server. And waited. Finally we got our drinks and we asked for sweetener for our tea. "Will do said the waiter." Would you like to place a order? Yes but can we have our sweetener? Oh yes. Placed our order. Waiting for the sweetener? Salad delivered no sweetener? CAN WE HAVE THE SWEETENER? Finally we got it! Ok moving on to the food I would say it was good had the pork shank and my wife had the fillet. Both were tasty. We had mac and cheese. The table next to us had also ordered mac and cheese and we herd the waiter say sorry we are out. We got ours but found it to be very dry!!! We were thinking we got the bottom of the pan since ours wes the last order of the night! I mentioned about the dryness to our waiter and he gladly said he would take it off our bill. Got the bill and it was not taken off. So had to inform him and it was then taken off. A lot of different workers doing different things hostess cleaning tables, Jimmy G lighting candles with a blow torch. I guess it was ok but just odd. So to sum up food good would give 4 and service not good would give 1. For the kind of place they have service should never be a problem. Have a great 2014.
(3)Sara J.
BUSINESSES THINK TWICE BEFORE CHOOSING JIMMMY G'S! We were so excited about the idea of having our Business Holiday Party at Jimmy G's, but after this experience we would not return. Had to chase the establishement down to get the date confirmed. had to call back multiple times to get the menu and pricing right. Asked for appetizers to be passed during dinner, they forgot and had to be reminded. Then we received multiple additional charges to our bill and when it took three weeks and multiple phone calls from me, trying to get this corrected, the staff there told me "no one cares" and hung up on me. There are lots of fun places down town that are easier to work with and actually care about their business and the customer. We will go to those and recommend you do the same, these folks not worth the hassle.
(1)Daniel C.
From the second we were seated to the time we left I was dissatisfied. The decor is terrible, there are wood paneled walls and horrendous dropped ceilings. The strangest part are the neon lights in the sides of booths. After waiting five minutes our server finally arrived to take our drink order. I asked what beers they had on draft and was told that the drafts were all frozen, so I skipped the beer. Minutes later the server snuck up behind me, leaned over my shoulder and spoke directly into my ear saying that he was wrong and that there was draft beer available, his approach was really creepy. I ordered a beer and when the server returned with it he took our orders. When my party had menu questions the server put his arm around the back of their chair and leaned over them to read description of the item directly from the menu. It turns out we can all read, at a place that bills itself as a high end steak house it seems that the servers should have some expert knowledge of the menu. I was the last in the group to order and when it came time for me to order the server took my menu and left the table to go speak to the GM, later he came back to take my order. I was completely stunned, he just walked away from me as I was about to order to discuss the needs of a different table with his boss. I asked if everything was alright and he told me that there was another table of his that needed attention, this really upset me, I was right there and felt completely ignored and less important than his other table. As my party sat waiting for our food we noticed that many of the o ther tables had baskets of bread. After a few tries to flag down our server we grabbed a different server and asked for some bread. The bread came quickly and was delicious, especially the flat bread. We ate our bread and finished our drinks, but still our server was nowhere to be seen. We were drink less and wanted to order some wine to have with or meals. Finally our server emerged from wherever he had been hiding with our entrees. The food looked great but we had no wine. After he dropped off our food he quickly began to leave the table without asking if there was anything else we needed. A member of my party stopped him and we gave him our wine order. We dug into our food, which overall was pretty good, but nothing spectacular. Our meal was moving along yet we still had no wine. I got close to finishing my steak and decided to stop and save a few bites to enjoy when my wine arrived. We waited and waited and still no wine. What seemed like an eternity later the server came in with our wine. The server gave us our drinks and told us that the bar tender was really swamped which is why the drinks took so long (if he had been attentive and taken our drink orders before dinner he could have avoided this problem). I was sitting in front of my now cold steak with my arms crossed when the server had arrived, after giving us our drinks the server said to me in front of the whole table "You're arms are crossed, are you upset?" At this point I was just frustrated, but not upset. After being called out at dinner by the server in front of my whole party my mood moved for disappointment and frustration to being upset thanks to the smart remark from the server. The wine was fine and accompanied cold steak quite well. My steak was cooked perfectly to my liking though the crab and corn topping was very sweet and distracted from the flavor of the meat. Everyone else enjoyed their food, but felt that it was nowhere near the quality or presentation of other high end places in town. We ordered desert and the crème brûlée looked really good. I had the root beer ice cream which was great. The problem with desert was that it was brought to us without any utensils. When the server came back to give us utensils we were given huge soup spoons. Try eating a crème brûlée with a soup spoon, it is not the easiest thing to accomplish. My final issue is that at the table next to ours there was a man wearing a t-shirt, baggy shorts and flip flop sandals smoking an electronic cigarette from the time he sat down until the time he left. I understand that these cigarettes do not give off actual smoke nor do they have a strong odor, but there was a constant plume of "smoke" billowing over his table and wafting over other nearby tables. It was extremely distracting and obnoxious to have to eat my meal next a guy wheezing on his cigarette blowing ridiculous amounts smoke into the air. I am not sure what the policy on the indoor e-cigarettes is, but if I had a "high end" restaurant I would probably not allow the use of these as it cheapens the environment and tarnishes the experience of the other patrons. Overall the meal was decent and the service left a great deal to be desired. In the future if I am going to go out for a nice steak dinner I will go to a steak house that has great service and a superior product.
(2)Wendy L.
My husband and I found this restaurant courtesy of Yelp. I was driving as my hubby found the reviews. We were in Cincinnati for the day and we were ready for a nice steak to end our Anniversary with. We could not have been happier! Decor All the other reviews have mentioned it.. A little odd. They have changed out the white bamboo chairs though. I was not impressed with the decor, but was not bothered by it either. Food Everyone else has hit the nail on the head. GREAT! we both ordered a Filet and they were both cooked perfectly. He likes his well done, why I have yet to figure out, but they were able to get it to his liking without having to butterfly it! Hard task on a steak that thick. We also had brussel sprouts and potato agilo (I think that is what it was called) and liked them both a lot. Service Impressive to say the least. The server was very knowledgeable and even able to help us stay within our dietary restrictions of no pork products. He even noted our restrictions without us having to tell him. We originally ordered the 4 fries, but the server immediately told us that they were cooked in 4 different animal fats, one of which was pork and offered another suggestion for us which was the afore mentioned potatoes. The manager came around to see how everything was and even stayed to chat a bit about the city, business, and what was happening around town that weekend. He even wished us a safe trip home and a happy anniversary as he saw us leaving. I would highly recommend it, and hope to return again myself in the future.
(5)Curt R.
Delicious New American fare with a Mid-century meets Jonathan Adler decor. We had the NY strip steak, fried chick-hen (fried Cornish game hen), the brussel sprouts, asparagus, hand pulled mozzarella, and chocolate pâté. The steak was awesome and cooked to perfection. The fried chicken was accompanied by crawfish and an Asian/Cajun glaze that really tied the whole dish together. It was high brow southern fare paired with watermelon for good measure. There was live music coming from the bar/lounge area across the dining room that could have been a little too loud if we had been seated closer to the other end, but it was a nice change of pace from the usual restaurant scene. Decor was eerily similar to the Mister Parker restaurant in Palm Springs at the Parker Hotel (styled by celebrity designer Jonathan Adler), but with obviously less funds. Though I imagine the chance of people eating at both places is slim (but hey, I did). Anyway it's a fun, dim, and whimsical setting with great food and service. Definitely worth checking out if you can afford or expense it.
(4)Jessica S.
My husband and I had dinner here for our anniversary. It was amazing! His steak was perfection and the Halibut was wonderful. Best Mac and cheese ever. Can't wait to go back
(5)Mark R.
Worst $100 meal I ever had. The service was amateurish and the food was mediocre. I won't be back.
(1)Westley D.
What an amazing venue jimmy g's is. Lovely atmosphere and ambience. And lovely service for that matter, top shelf to be certain. Excellent menu, simple, handcrafted; everything you could want in a dining experience. Amazing spare rib appetizer, wonderful mashed potato side. Mac and cheese seemed a bit of a complex flavor for me to grasp, but I respect the effort (which most people seem to quite enjoy.) Unfortunately the steak was just burnt and the only flavor I could experience was bitterness. Such a dissapointment after a wonderful build up from the service, to the cocktails, to the starter. The book is not closed on jimmy g's although a perfect steak after everything would have been perfect, and to have a less than perfect steak was sorely dissapointing after the impressive build up. What seemed to be enjoyable entrees were served to the rest of my party (tuna and lamb) however the other steak at our table appeared dreadfully over seared which must have added a horrible biterness to the taste. Unfortunately impossible to overcome is the taste of burnt flesh. My next visit I will be sure to enjoy the beverages appetizers and sides just as much and order my steak rare to properly judge the flavor and preparation.
(4)Steve K.
I have to wonder, in what universe are all of the five star reviewers living in? I've lost any faith in yelp. My experience at Jimmy G's was an unmitigated disaster. While I measure everything against Jeff Ruby establishments, there really is no comparison. For my money, locally, The Precinct is peerless in terms of service, food quality and value for money. Along with that preface, I must also point out that my party of five were all well paid professionals with experience dining in finer establishments. The first thing that you'll notice upon arriving is that the restaurant is located in a basement, which has been shoddily decorated in a 1970's motif, replete with a eight foot drop ceiling and wood panelling. It is abundantly that the owners were going for a chic, sleek, retro vibe, but these seemed to cut every possible corner to save a dollar. Perhaps when you are charging $34 for a run of the mill New York Strip, you should spend the extra few dollars on decor. Perhaps when restauranteurs charge prices on par with top notch steakhouses, they should provide service that is slightly better than Applebees. Perhaps when serving a la carte sides, roughly two cups of macaroni should not cost $9, or $8 for mashed potatoes. Perhaps when serving the aforementioned New York Strip, management should serve something slightly better than I could buy myself at a below average Kroger. Perhaps when serving me a $10 old fashioned, it should be not be made with Compari rather than Angostura bitters. Additionally, there was a live band in the bar area, which had four patrons.The band made dinner conversation nearly impossible. All in all, the whole experience left me feeling ripped off and dissatisfied. I don't mind spending money on fancy dinners, but I'd at least like to feel like I got something of quality for my time and money- I can always make more money, but I had a Saturday night torpedoed.
(2)Carl D.
We could not make it past the confused service and poor atmosphere and decided to leave prior to ordering. After seeing the prices and knowing the experiences provided by other nearby similarly-priced establishments, it was decided it would have been a waste of money to continue.
(2)D C.
Where to begin with my review of Jimmy G's. I suppose I will start with the food. It was excellent. As a table we had the Apricot, Bacon & Pork Tummy-Tuck and Edamame Bean Hummus for appetizers, both of which were excellent. The steaks were good for entrees, and if you liked the taste of bananas (which I do not) I heard the banana creme brulee was a nice dessert. Now for the dining experience. Upon arrival at the restaurant we informed the hostess that we were there for our reservation of 4 at 7 PM. She asks us to hold on one second, and comes back ten minutes later to seat us at a table for two asking if this will be alright. We repeat that we're a party of 4 (two of our companions were running late) and she proceeds to seat us at a larger table still set for 2, but at least with 4 chairs. From this point it takes about twenty minutes before our waiter comes over to our table to take a drink order. My two companions order beers, and when my pregnant wife orders a Sprite he literally laughs out loud. While waiting for our entrees to arrive, a bus boy attempts to deliver both salads and appetizers from a different table to ours mistakenly. One hour and 40 minutes after arrival our entrees finally arrive at our table. Ten minutes later our side dishes arrive because one of them (the Mac and cheese) was not quite finished cooking yet. We asked three separate wait staff members (which comprised the entire wait staff for the evening) for some fresh bread over the course of half an hour before some was actually brought to the table. When it was time to order dessert, the only option still available was the banana creme brulee. All told from time of arrival to check paid and departing the experience lasted over three hours. Perhaps the restaurant grossly underestimated the number of staffing members it would need on a Friday evening in prime dining time. It was obvious that only our waiter had significant experience working at this restaurant with everything else just barely functioning. Whatever the cause of the exceedingly poor service I can assure you that Jimmy G's will not receive any of my future fine dining expenditures.
(1)Mariana P.
After one failed attempt to make it here, we were finally able to check out this new steak mecca in downtown Cincinnati. Let's start with the decor- very cool. You can definitely see Sinatra or some mobsters getting drinks at the bar. Speaking of the bar, the wine selection was excellent, and they had a cab that was delicious. Food- We had a edamame hummus appetizer that was good, but the pita that came with it was amazing. The steaks were delicious and juicy and oversized. They may be spendy, but you definitely got your money's worth from the steaks. The sides we ordered (some kind of potato) and asparagus were both out of this world. My friend told me she had a dream about the potatoes later that night. I told her she might have a problem. Anyway, we topped off the night with the creme brûlée and some sort of chocolate tart... both also amazing. Our waiter was extremely attentive, and when I got lost going to the restroom (not that hard to find, I just get lost a lot), one of the other waiters literally took me on his arm and escorted me there, lol. Overall, a great experience. We'll be back, but we'll save up first. Our bill was definitely in the $200 range.
(5)Jay E.
We enjoyed our meal here. The Living Social menu was fantastic value and far more generous quantity of food than the typical tasting menu. Standouts were the house salad, fries, salmon "on the half shell" and cous cous side (ordered as a supplement from the main menu). Was glad thy had a decent selection of 3-4 draft beers on tap, including a pleasant Mt. Carmel imperial stout. Service was attentive but unobtrusive. As noted in other reviews, the decor could be charitably described as "eclectic". The wood panelling and white chairs are reminiscent of grandma's basement and are a glaring contrast to the attempted hip decor. Jimmy G's earned a repeat visit to sample from the regular menu. I wish this place well and hope they're more booked on a routine basis than 1/3 full on a Saturday night.
(4)Kelli B.
Jimmy G's is a great spot for a special night out with a special someone, or with a small group of friends. The décor is an eclectic throwback to the 70s, complete with fake wood-handled steak knives that cut through the perfectly-cooked steaks like a hot knife through butter. The room is fairly open, so there isn't a lot of privacy, but you can't hear the people sitting around you. The music is a mix between jazz, big band and the good old days of the Rat Pack, which harkens back to another era of steakhouses and dinner clubs and helps add to the ambiance. Everything we had was delectable, from our Vietnamese street style ribs that were served over a bed of slaw-like salad that we almost had to fork our waiter's hand away from when he tried to remove it from the table! I ordered the Moroccan lamb shank, which was even more amazing than I could have imagined, while my boyfriend ordered the tenderloin (filet mignon). Both of them were absolutely to die for. After trying several hearty bites of each others, we decided that we just couldn't decide which was better! We decided to indulge ourselves with the Potatoes Aligot, which contain copious amounts of cheese, cream and butter. They tasted like love and went perfect with both of our entrees. We also got the asparagus. They are served with an orange-rhubarb vinaigrette. We felt the vinaigrette was a bit thick, but it went well with the asparagus, which had great flavor in and of itself. We both appreciated that it wasn't covered in béarnaise sauce, which is how asparagus is traditionally served in most steak houses. The service was great. Our waiter had a trainee shadowing him, and we were impressed with how professional they both were and how much our waiter cared about teaching his apprentice the proper way to do everything. We had the fortune of meeting Jimmy G a few weeks earlier and he took a few minutes to come out and visit us. In some restaurants, it is common for the chef to come out and visit his adoring fans, but Jimmy G is back there, working in the trenches and you know that he has a direct hand in preparing your food, so his absence isn't missed in the dinning room. You certainly can't help but catch snippets of his voice encouraging everyone in the kitchen each time the door opens and you are certain that they aren't messing around when it comes to your dinner. The thing that most impressed us about Jimmy G's was the quality of food we got. His steaks certainly rival his other local competitors in Cincinnati and have made converts out of us. The thing that we appreciated most was the fact that we were able to get a bottle of wine, an appetizer, two entrees and two sides for the same price we would have paid to each get a glass of wine, two entrees and one side at another steak house in the city. We really felt like we could enjoy ourselves and get what we wanted without worrying about breaking the bank.
(4)Jack D.
Really enjoyed this lesser-known restaurant in Downtown Cinci. My expectations weren't massively high, but I was really pleasantly surprised and recommend this restaurant unreservedly. First off, it has a sort of Rat Pack, basement-y kind of vibe, with much of the personality being exhibited on the Bar side. The dining side is perfectly serviceable, just not particularly cool or noteworthy. ( That's the only reason I am not throwing this restaurant a five. ) The service was fantastic. I had a reservation through OpenTable, was seated promptly, and my colleague and I had drinks in our hands within about 5 minutes from our attentive server ( Mallory ). During the course of dinner, the GM, Alberto, stopped by to commend our wine choice and to recommend a different, but similar, bottle if we ended up finishing the first. ( We did, but it was plenty. ) The food was surprisingly interesting for the retro-steakhouse vibe. There were several unexpected twists in the apps and the entrees. For apps, we opted for the "Arm and a Leg", which was unusually well-prepared octopus in a savory, not simple tomato-heavy, sauce. It was neither the over-soft octopus of a day long braise, or the jaw-bending chew of the rushed seafood app. It had a good chew and a deep flavor. We also went with a potato/cheese/up-egg dish ( the name of which escapes me ) that was a little heavy, but full of that rich carmel-ly flavor presented by well-roasted cheeses, set off by the piquancy of caper berries and cornichons. Given the heft of the apps, we both went for Steak Cap salad, a difficult choice given a menu of interesting takes on steak and seafood, but we both had work to finish before sleep. The salad was a thick-sliced rib-eye composition, with the steak beautifully crusted in salt and herbs, and served over a bed of frisee and greens with varied cherry tomatoes. Perfectly cooked to a medium-rare/rare as requested and a pleasure to eat. The wine list was interesting, with a good percentage of approachable fun reds and a meal-companion feel, dominated by a surprisingly broad set of pinots and temperanillo. Prices were as expected and reasonable for the wine. All in all this was a great experience. I'll certainly be back, and may well stay at the nearby Netherland Plaza Hilton so I can walk back to my room after I indulge in one of the larger and likely coma-inducing steaks. Nice work Jimmy G's.
(4)Jodie F.
The steak was amazing. Perfectly cooked with a perfect sear. It was Tooo quiet. Trust, is was a Tuesday night but I am talking there were 4 other people there and we all sat at the bar. We are "sit at the bar diners" since its a good way to talk to the bartenders and get a feel for the property. The lights in the bar a little much but I am sure they get better after a few drinks. :)
(4)Cynthia R.
First time I went here was for a Yelp event and thought it was just ok, wasn't sure if I'd return. Then I saw a LivingSocial deal for a 4-course prix fixe meal for 2, so bought it and went on a Saturday night. Pros: delicious food (especially the house salad and steak), fantastic service, and great live mood music. Cons: they stretttttched out the time between bringing out each course resulting in dinner lasting 2 hours, very uncomfortable chairs, had to pay $8 to park in the adjacent structure. Good excuse to dress up but we also saw people in jeans and Ed Hardy-wear, so anything goes.
(4)Michael C.
Excellent food. Excellent service. Average decor. I'd suggest starting the band earlier as a sparse dining room combined with no music is awkward. Lots of potential but the decor needs improvement.
(3)Danielle G.
This was my first experience at Jimmy G's and it did not fail to impress. The food was incredible and the server (Craig) was outstanding. I had the scallop dish and my guy had the tuna, both of which were prepared perfectly. The bar layout is beautiful with a grandios liquor selection. If you haven't gone yet, make it a priority. One of the owners, James, was attentive and it was evident he has a passion for what his establishment provides. You will NOT be disappointed!
(5)N. L.
We went here during the All Star events. Sort of on a side street so you have to look for it. But boy, is it worth the look. A "lounge-type" restaurant and bar with an art deco atmosphere...but the food!!! Wow. We went there a few times. The crab appetizers were like they just came out of the sea. The chicken entree blew us away and the steak and sides were perfect. The owner is the chef. he is killer picky on the food served and it shows. We never eat dessert but tried the ice cream and was worth the extra 20 min cardio required. The service was perfect. Reservation ontime...we had Jeremy, who was so personable and fun and attentive and then Bryce who is a real pro. Both guys were a tribute to the place. This is a real gem..a place for foodies who want a more hip casual night out with excellent food, great service and not priced out of this world. Those fancy steak houses down the street could take a chapter from Jimmy's steak recipe.. Well done!
(5)Amanda H.
I really like this place. Its located downtown on Elm street, right down from Hustler Hollywood. (I know you all know where that's located! lol. ) Its just a really cool, chic place with the neatest decor. I drool over the wallpaper every time I drive by. It has the ambiance of a hip NYC restaurant but without the same big price tag. This is the PERFECT date place. And they have amazing specials. (So quick side story, the bartender was so sweet to actually type me out the specials and like a idiot I left that and my mac and cheese sitting on the table when we left. In my defense someone I didn't want to see walked in so I had to skedaddle.) We went on Tuesday which is service industry night. So it was half off all food and beverages!! We ordered EVERYTHING on the small plates menu I think and our bill was barely anything. Now the best part of this place- the food. My god is it delicious. Like, worth the 10 lbs I probably gained eating it all- delicious. Lauren was with me and you know she's my little foodie. She made suggestions on what she thought we should get so I just went with that. It was fun for her to pick and with the price being 1/2 off it didn't matter. I did order one thing on my own though. I had seen it all over Yelp and urbanspoon and had to try it: the Potatoes Raclette 10 *Crisp Potatoes, Caramelized Onion, "Gratin" of Cheeses, Up Egg* I don't really like potatoes so I have no idea why I ordered this. Ok, I do- the pictures made it look really really good and it was only $5. And it was good. But me being not so into potatoes, I ate a few, then just ate everything off of them. This is so filling it could be a meal in itself. The next were all Lauren saying what she thinks Ill like. She saw bacon on this next one and ordered it for her, but wouldn't eat it when she saw it. Have no fear; I finished it off for her. Apricot, Bacon & Pork Tummy-Tuck 11 (so $5.50 halfprice) Confit Pork Belly, Applewood Bacon, Harissa & Marcona Almonds, House Olives I feel like this was another twist on Devils on horseback, but it was much better than A Tavola's version. The Apricot made it sweet, then the brininess of the olives cut the sweetness just enough. I will definitely order this again. I got the Mac and Cheese to go (originally $7) but didn't take a picture then left it there :( My other food for me was the crab cake. I wasn't going to order it but Lauren said I HAD TO get it because I love crab cakes. This was more expensive at a whopping $15 (so $7.50 half price). I'm still floored by these prices for this quality of food! Even at full price its really reasonable. Back to the crab cakes. I'm glad she ordered them for me. It was my favorite part of the whole meal! It was a large cake with this pesto mix and i don't even know what was under it but it was amazing. I ate half then saved the rest for the end, because I wanted to savor it. No one will ever compare to the Oceanaires crab cakes ($35 pair) but these were the closest so far. image Lauren got the fries, she was insistent that she would eat them. 4 Fat Fries $7 ($3.50) Smoked Black Pepper-Duck Egg Aioli, Appenzeller They were good and the Aioli was outstanding, but I think she ate maybe 4 because she was full from the ribs and I was too stuffed to even attempt them. These were Lauren's favorite.Vietnamese Street Stall Style Spare Ribs $13 Ginger, Garlic-Lemongrass Glaze (half off only $6.50) So much so that she wouldn't even let me try them so I cant attest to the taste except to say that she devoured them and said she wanted to come back and get them again soon. Next time I'll have to order some for myself. Now even though we were some serious fat kids and ate pretty much everything we couldn't leave without digging into some creme brulee. Its just wonderful, melt in your mouth, everything you need out of dessert good. I wish the portion were a little bigger, but this time it didn't matter due to the special. I would venture to say that they have (ok its a tie with bonefish) the best Creme Brulee in Cincinnati. Also heads up if you cant make it there on Tuesday for the special- there was a livingsocial for half off! I bought one of those too, so I can go back and try a steak.
(5)Marie M.
So generally I try not to post super negative reviews, because I think the point of Yelp is to help find cool new places to try, not a place to complain. However, there was just no way I could not share the horrible experience I had at Jimmy G's. We had a 7:30 reservation during restaurant week and were seated promptly (good start but all down hill from there), once we were at the table we asked the hostess for a wine by the glass/featured wine menu. She said she would bring us one once she found it. Ten minutes later the server comes by and asks for our drink order - we said we were still waiting on the menu, and he said that he would get one for us. He finally brought us a menu around 8:00 and took our order ten minutes later - We ordered two bottles of wine for the table (Second choices as they were out of both the bottles we wanted) It took him 20 minutes to return with the wine and he said that he had forgot to bring glasses - At that point it was an hour after we had been seated, we couldn't have our wine, and we hadn't even been brought food menus. We politely said that we would be leaving and the server responded with 'Ok' and nothing else. There was no apology or even inquiry as to why were leaving. The service was absolutely appalling and we will not be returning.
(1)Ad H.
After reading varying reviews about the service and quality of food at this place, I decided to see for myself. People complained, in both well written and poorly scribbled diatribes, about outrageous pricing, very small portions, slow service, terrible atmosphere, rude comments from management to customers regarding the taste of food, and overcooked food. I want to see if these are true. I reserved a table for 6:45pm on tuesday august 25th 2015. I was seated in a curved booth in a fashionably area. Jason was kind enough to serve me and tell me a few things they did not have since a cooler malfunctioned had occurred where they kept a couple items. He also informed me Jimmy Gs does a wet aged steak instead of dry aging it. Very disappointing to see such great quality to be reduced. Instead of 48 days dry aged they are 4 days wet aged. Whats the point? I ordered their crab cake. It was very crab filled with a light panco breading crust on the outside. A cole slaw was accompanied (i hate cole slaw, but they must be the only people who know how to prepare it because it was outstanding). Also for a sauce was a hibachi sauce which complimented the crab well. Caesar salad was good. You really cant go wrong with a caesar salad. If you do. .. God help you. I ended up ordering a NY strip. NOT dry aged at medium rare. Also accompanied with it was a side item of Mac and Cheese. Over portioned for one person, but i suppose it might be meant for two people. The steak had a good caramelization on it. Just below surface level. On the edge of too much, but the taste of it was warming and tantalizing. Taste of the meat was gorgeous for a non aged steak. Im glad i ordered this than the wet aged. Mac and cheese is really penne and cheese, but i suppose the effect is referenced rather than the literal ingredients. That being said, they did not achieve any part of the effect at all. What i had read in reviews being hailed as amazing seemed dull, tasteless, and something that i would expect at a church pitch in rather than a finer restaurant. I found out the cheeses used were of very mild varieties, not a single bold cheese to give that strong flavor expected of the dish. Jason took my criticism of the dish and comped it off my bill. That shows confidence in the food, and also humility at the same time. Good on him! The dj for the evening seemed more interestes in his Phone than actually playing music and being part of some creative process. One thing that i noticed upon entering the restaurant and dinning was the lack of people. This place should be packed. But several tables, 8 or 9, in my immediate view were empty. I dont know if reviews have scared people off, but it honestly shouldnt. Too full for dessert, i decided to call it quits and grab my check. Reviews are far too harsh on this place, but some are too generous. So allow me to mention a few things. Price. Not outrageous at all. Very fair especially compared with places other reviewers suggested as alternatives. Service, very friendly and attentive and accepted criticism on a dish i didnt care for. Quality. Besides the penne and cheese, everything that came out of that kitchen was very much worth the price paid and then some! Atmosphere. Honestly i love it. Theres good modernist retro features as well as some newer age designs in place. They compliment each other very well. Music playing was very upbeat, but still background. It made you happy to be there. If the past reviews were true, they need to be revisited. This place is much better than ive read, but not as good as some people carry on. Very much worth your money as the quality is very much above the price points they have, and you will pay much more going someolace else for the same effect.
(4)Charity G.
Saw Jimmy G's on Cincinnati restaurant week again this year and couldn't help but return. I actually order my own steak this year! It was as delicious as I remembered!
(5)Ben B.
I truly want to like Jimmy G's. Well, I do like it, or I wouldn't give it 3 stars, but I want to love it. The steaks are phenomenal. The wine list is wide and varied. And the service has always been great. The only thing I just can't figure out is the atmosphere. I'm not against a good DJ rather than the violin virtuoso of Jeff Ruby's, but it seems as though it's trying so hard to be a club that the high end culinary experience is somewhat cheapened.
(3)Brad M.
My wife and I just finished our meal at Jimmy Gs. From start to finish the experience was amazing! I made a 7:30 reservation and our table was ready on time. Our server, Bryce, was very attentive. All of his recommendations were spot on. The crab cake was very good! My wife ordered the Ribeye Filet and I had the Lamb Shank. (The lamb was the best I had ever had and it was HUGE!) We both also enjoyed two different types of desserts We don't get to go out very much since we have 7 children. Bryce made our evening memorable and we will definitely come back! He even invited us to meet Chef Jimmy in the kitchen! We were blessed by Bryce's generosity. If you haven't tried Jimmy Gs yet, you should!
(5)Rick S.
Jimmy G's is hidden. You have to know about this place to find it. The atmosphere is just okay. It's in a basement, so no window viewing here. The food is pretty good, for the most part. Service can be sketchy. It's a steak joint, so if I'm looking for the very best steak I'm probably heading to one of Ruby's restaurants. Jimmy G's is an alternative to the Ruby experience, but it's not my place of choice when I'm shelling out for a New York strip.
(3)Steve W.
Review 2 of 2 by Steve W. Phenomenal spot. We were bowled over by the vibe and bar scene this past New Year's Eve, and finally made it back for dinner. Our experience was way more incredible than we had hoped! Jameson was behind the bar, ever-conversational and wise on all things craft beer, wine, and bourbon. And then we met Bryce for dinner; he was wonderfully polite, knowledgeable on food and drink, and paced the meal ever so fabulously. Back to the bar, with yet more wonders, including their live DJ. Jimmy G's is about 1-1/2 hr from our home, but ever so much worth the drive. Try them out!
(5)Chris G.
In the location of the old Wah Mee Chinese restaurant, this was my first trip to Jimmy G's. I'd heard the commercials on a local radio station and a friend gave it high praise, so I knew I'd break down eventually. I run a local foodie meetup group. We average a comfortable few in attendance each eatup we have (usually 5-15 people). This night there were four of us. To start I ordered the "Tiradito of Two Fresh Fish" a kind of Peruvian sushi dish from the First Plates (appetizer) menu. Simply put, this was amazing. The fish melted on my tongue like butter. I'd have been fully satisfied if this alone were my meal. My entree was the Special Reserve NY Strip steak at market price. Nearly perfect. Definitely one of the better steaks I've had in the past few years. The charring on the outside added a perfect flavor and was a great texture compliment to the smooth almost buttery center of the meat. The one disappointment was that my request for medium-rare, closer to rare came our with a center warmer than I'd expected. But, the steak itself was still quite impressive and worth every moment of the visit. To go with this I had a single neat lowball of Courvoisier VSOP, a great pairing for me which helped to raise the tenacity of the char on the outside of the steak a bit. Dessert was also great. The item itself isn't shown on their online menu, but I think the name is simply incorrect. The one listed with "Macademia White Chocolate Biscotti" is actually a chocolate pate of some kind which was on par with my other two dishes quality wise. I came away from the evening thoroughly surprised at the Tiradito which I will completely return for on it's own merits. While an appetizer, the flavors and textures mesh so well that the afterglow is worth basking in while your table-mates enjoy the remainder of their meal. A must visit restaurant the next time you're in Cincinnati and my first addition to my Cincinnati Food Tour list in nearly nine months. I haven't checked out the bar yet, but if it's as hush as I've heard, I may enjoy it nearly as much as the Kern Library in Knoxville, which stands as my favorite bar of all time as of this writing.
(5)Mike S.
The good. The food was very good. Steaks were cooked as ordered. While not quite at the Jeff Ruby level, they were still quite delicious. Different toppings would have been nice. Perhaps an au poivre as an addition as bernaise was the only add on. My wife had crab cakes. While small, they were almost all crab with little binder. The brussel sprouts side dish and 4 fat fries were very delicious, although the egg aioli dipping sauce for the fries was a bit heavy. We opted for regular ketchup. The bad. The service was a bit hap hazard as it took a long time for our order to be taken and to arrive, plus the salad I ordered never arrived. The thing that really impressed was Chef Jimmy Gibson was there, working in the kitchen. That was impressive. His visit to our table removes the negative from the service issues and keeps my review at 4 stars. We will be back.
(4)Ron C.
Four adults. First timers. Birthday celebration. Food: The two steak lovers rated their meals as an 8 out of 10, but slightly overpriced. The scallops were rated a 4 out of 10. Lamb shank was a 5 out 10 (glaze was a 7, but temperature a 3). Mashed potatoes a 5 (how can you make mediocre mash?). Mac and cheese an 8 out 10. Service: The hostess acknowledged it was a birthday celebration and said she would ensure the rest of the wait staff knew. No acknowledgement at any point thereafter. We told the waiter on his introduction this was our first time. He made a short presentation of how much we would like it there and gave us the "first timer" run-down of how they prepared steaks, etc. Literally four minutes later he came to see if we had menu questions and as we asked, his remarks were "this dish is really good, didn't you order it last time." Towards the end of the meal other staff started clearing plates before all of us were finished and even asked my wife if she was finished while she was still holding a forkful of food. I would not expect that at O'Charleys let alone Jimmy G's. Add that all four of us felt there was just something "off" about the waiter (some kind of "dialing it in tonight" kind of vibe) and the verdict was unanimous. This is a mediocre restaurant straining to be fine dining. First and last time we'll dine there. Better options in the Banks area.
(2)Chris B.
Fantastic meal. House salad with balsamic to start. Followed by 10oz filet with brussel sprouts. Steak was cooked to perfection and the brussels were tremendous. I will be back.
(5)Dan K.
Certainly not a "steak house" as they claim. I had a terrible aged strip (medium rare)....which was supposed to be their house special. It had no flavor and was burned to a crisp. I would not eat here again. Go to The Precinct, it was waaaaay better. It probably deserved 1 star, but the waitress and hostess were nice.
(2)Kara T.
Everything was delicious! For an app we had Sweet Shrimp & Chips Tempura a few of the chips were burnt but still was good. For out entree we split the salmon and the ribeye. Both cooked perfectly! Had the Mac and cheese and grilled asparagus. One of the best meals I have had in a long time:)
(5)Mark G.
All the negative reviews about the service on here are spot on. ....we were seated a half hour after reservations and then sat there another 25 minutes before finally asking a passing hostess to please send our waiter over. They were out of silver oak wine we odered and waiter suggested a cheap one instead. If I wanted cheap, I would have ordered cheap. He did however try to over charge us for the brunello. Overall food was decent. jimmy needs to turn the lights down a bit and train his staff. Booooo...
(1)Jeff S.
To start and be fair, the steak was very good. However, everything else was lacking. We decided to try this out of the way steakhouse for valentine's day. We were greeted with a champaign toast and sat down promtly. From there it was down hill. Our server had 6 tables to attend to. We felt like we had to be on the lookout to signal him down to get any service. Our dinner came out before the caesar salad. The salmon was cooked as if it were supposed to be sushi - seared on the outside and still cold in the middle. Again, the steak was good, but between the salad coming out after and the salmon going back into the kitchen, it was impossible to enjoy. Additionally, whomever decorated this place needs to realize that the 70's are over and disco is not coming back. The retro chairs and wood paneling was impossible to ignore. We will never be going back and I wouldn't be surprised if this place doesn't make it.
(1)Chase J.
Ok let me just say there are 3 things that make or break a restaurant 1.the food 2. the service and 3. The pricing with a place like jimmy g's where the price is high I would expect friendly, and knowledgeable staff and excellent food. What I got for my 70 dollar dinner was a way over cooked steak served to me by some punkass who thought he could be an arrogant prick because he is apparently head server or something stupid. Now maybe you have to be drunk or possibly mentally unwell to think slamming menus in front of a customer is ok but our server Brice certainly did. And then after that proceeded to go yell at some one loudly enough that I could hear it from half way across the restaurant, and if the shitty server wasn't enough lets talk about my steak. To say it was dry would be like saying the pope is catholic I think I now know what leather tastes like, this is the part of my meal where I would normally send it back but I had had enough I asked for our check and got it a good 30 minutes later and if they had been busy I would have understood the place was dead, and I literally saw our server bitching to another employee about his crappy tips, and normally I tip around 20 to 30 percent based on quality of service I feel no shame in saying I left Brice a dollar. I wanted to leave nothing but my friend talked me into a dollar. Don't go here folks in this area there are so many better options, and with any luck this place will ethier retrain or rehire their staff because as of now they suck.
(1)Jenn C.
Went to Jimmy G's for my birthday dinner with my boyfriend this past week and it was by far the worst dining experience I have ever had in my life. We arrived right when they opened for our reservations at 5pm, hoping to beat the dinner crowd. We were promptly seated at our choice of a table by the cheerful hostess and were greeted by our server. Everything went downhill from here. We attempted to order drinks, but the server was unfamiliar with the drink menu. With their limited garnishes on hand and sparse alcohol selection, I settled on a gin martini and my boyfriend a scotch neat. We ordered the Apricot, Bacon & Pork Tummy Tuck to start, the Salmon on The Half Shell for him and the Steak Salad for myself along with two side plates; Mac and Cheese and 4 Fat Fries. My gin martini arrived with a sour aftertaste - the manager inquired if I knew what gin tasted like Apricot, Bacon & Pork Tummy Tuck - Described on the menu as a confit and so we were curious to experience the innovation. Terrible idea as it was literally globs of barely warmed fat tactlessly wrapped in bacon and I assume, as it was a confit, cooked in more fat. Server asked if I knew what harissa was and if that might have attributed to my dissatisfaction. Salmon on The Half Shell - Nothing spectacular about this. Didn't have the crispy skin "shell" on the outside. Certainly not worth the $23. Steak Salad - Seemingly precooked then refrigerated steak. Overseasoned, plopped on top of greens and then DRENCHED in fat and oil! My only tomato was so broken down by the centimeter of congealed fat on the bottom of the plate that it started to dissolve. Crème brulee - my "birthday treat" came out with burnt caramel smelling like scorched plastic. And to top it off, the dish that this was served with was lined Joss paper, otherwise known as the sheets of paper that Asian cultures burn at funerals and memorial services for the dead. As an individual of Asian heritage, I was appalled that such a "renowned" chef who seems to have so many influences of Asian culture in his cooking would be unaware of this faux pas. We had two servers wait on us. They both informed us that they were new and it was their first night on the floor. Really? This restaurant has the audacity to charge exorbitant prices on ill prepared and horrendously flavored foods that is a literal assault on your senses. Why is EVERYTHING on this menu drenched in fat?! And just because a spice exists, does not mean it MUST go on each dish. There are some flavors that are not pleasing to the palette when paired inappropriately and in my opinion, there was not one dish that was able to achieve the desired satisfaction of the guest, whether it was due to the lack of skilled service, the poor presentation/preparation or the amateurish combinations of flavors. Perhaps "adventurous" is not a compliment to the chef in this instance. If this is the "best restaurant" you've ever eaten at, I feel for you. This would be a decent restaurant for someone who attributes the likes of Denny's to fine dining, but for the prices, this was a meal worse than cancer. The cherry on top of this disastrous sundae was that as we were leaving and walking down the street to our car, a smoking vagabond squatting on the stoop of a neighboring building asked us how dinner was. I was taken aback but then he identified himself as Jimmy!! Never again!! One star because Yelp doesn't allow zero stars.l
(1)Hannah C.
We took an out-of-town guest to Jimmy G's last night before a concert. Our reservation was early, and I work only a few blocks from the restaurant, so I arrived before the rest of the group and had a drink at the bar. The atmosphere of the restaurant is "underground chic". You actually have to walk down two small flights of stairs to the restaurant itself. It took my eyes a few minutes to adjust to the dim lighting, but I blinked and looked around and was pleasantly surprised. The bar was empty around 5:45 pm, but keep in mind it was a Tuesday. I asked the bartender for the happy hour specials, and she was friendly, albeit unknowledgeable. She said it was half off anything "like a vokda tonic or something". We were seated promptly, and two waiters bumbled around us awkwardly while filling our water glasses and handing out menus. The service was unwelcoming. For the price of the steaks on their menu, I want to be waited on hand and foot, and we definitely were not. The waiters talked amongst themselves more than they talked to their tables. On more than one occasion, one of the waitresses flashed her buttocks as she reached across the table to fill a neighboring table's wine glasses - not the professional atmosphere I'd expect at a steakhouse. The sides were great, the wine was great, and the steaks were good. We ordered mac 'n cheese, the mashed potatoes, and the Brussels sprouts for the table. The mashed potatoes were smooth, rich and perfectly buttery. The mac was a little clumpy (in a bad way) and crispy (in a good way). The Brussels sprouts were forgettable. The steaks themselves were good, but didn't stand out among the other countless downtown steakhouses. We finished our meal and were all interested in coffee and dessert. The waiter passed our table several times without offering any kind of dessert menu. When he did finally approach us, it was to ask how the check should be split. We had to ask him if we could order dessert. Keep in mind - at the beginning of the meal, the waiter asked if we needed to be finished at a specific time in order to arrive on time for our concert. In retrospect, we should have pushed a sense of urgency, just to make sure we weren't sitting around for an extra 40 minutes, waiting on our waiter.
(2)David R.
We were really disappointed with our experience on New Years Eve. We traveled to Cincinnati to spend an enjoyable evening in the city. We had made dinner reservations weeks in advance for 9:30 PM at the restaurant. In short, we were never seated and returned to our hotel for hamburgers. They were seriously understaffed and seemingly oversold on reservations. We were told that seating would be about 40 minutes late (which was acceptable to us), however we waited, and waited... Hours went by. It was really disappointing.
(1)Patrick C.
We went on Valentine's Day earlier dinner atmosphere was great. We were greeted with champagne when we walked in and took our coats. Place was not slammed and server took forever to get to us he forgot a beer when I ordered it. My steak was burnt which I would not expect for a medium one. Sides were fantastic we got mashed potatoes and mac and cheese. To end the night we figured we would order dessert and instead of dessert he brought the check. Not sure what happened there but we paid and left. It was an ok experience I expected better service for what I paid for the meal. We went across the street and told the bartender our experience and she bought our dessert for us! Not sure if we will be back to jimmy G
(2)Amy E.
We also went for the Living Social deal, which was a great value. The draft beers on tap were pretty good as well. Service: This earned an extra star for me. Even though they knew we had a Living Social certificate, they were still very attentive, professional, knowledgable. Jimmy even brought out some food and asked us how things were going. Food: Delicious. Soup was a summer tomato soup with pork belly. My husband who doesn't even like tomatoes finished the soup. Both the Caesar and House salads were fresh and the dressing was perfect. The rib-eye was tender, well cooked, and well-flavored. I'm sure the filet would have been even better. For sides, the asparagus was crisp tender with a smokey flavor, and the 4 fat fries with aioli left me wanting more. I would say the worst part of the meal was the "dessert". The Living Social menu offers creme brulee ice cream, but they were out, so we had the strawberry sorbet, which was slightly salty. I'm not sure if I'm just not into salty-sweet desserts, but it was not something I would want to eat again. Decor: Kind of odd, but that's okay. My husband said the chairs in the dining room remind him of something his grandma would pick out. Then there are odd color changing lights. It just seems to be a mash up of odd choices. Overall, we were impressed and would definitely go back, though it would be pricey.
(5)Steve D.
Hard to resist a place that offers food comparable to the Jeff Ruby restaurants (from the former executive chef, no less) at much more reasonable prices. Less glitz, less polish in the service, less bling on the patrons, and less status in being seen there, but the food is fabulous and a great value for the quality. So great, in fact, that I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt on a couple of issues with the service that almost spoiled things for me. One of the signatures of the Ruby places is service that is so attentive that it can become a bit claustrophobic after awhile, like a neighbor who never stops watching you. Jimmy G's adds a high school cheerleader's enthusiasm and naïveté to the equation. Our server used more words to describe the compact and highly understandable menu than many presidents have used in State of the Union addresses, and some of the unwanted detail was unintentionally condescending. I know what pita bread and creme brûlée are, for crying out loud. The rest of the evening was punctuated by a stream of "Isn't that the best thing you've ever put in your mouth? Aren't you surprised?" Well, no. I came here expecting a great meal and I'm having one. There was also an unfortunate bungling of the wine service involving a confident recommendation of a bottle I hadn't had. As the server opened the bottle she recommended (which was disappointing though not corked, so I didn't reject it), she revealed that she can't taste the difference between wines because of her palette. Great time to tell me! Reminded me of the time I realized that the person who was color matching the paint I was buying had only one eye. Still, food this good that doesn't require me to take out a second mortgage will bring me back often.
(4)Gina M.
Wow wow wow. This place is amazing! The Hubs and I were in town for a wedding and came to Jimmy G's for a friend's birthday on Saturday night. We sat in the bar area and Tamesha took care of us. First of all, she is amazing. Super knowledgeable about the menu, very attentive and so sweet. Definitely ask for her if you make it there! We started with several appetizers (tempura shrimp, pork belly app, crab cakes) and all were delicious. The tempura shrimp was SO good and the sauce was spicy and complimented the shrimp perfectly. For dinner, the hubs got the strip steak and I got the tuna steak. The steak was perfectly cooked and practically melted in your mouth. My tuna was amazing, served with red wasabi paste and sautéed mushrooms. It was so tasty! We also got cheese mashed potatoes (OH.MY.CHEESE) and Brussel sprouts for sides. Since it was our friend's birthday, Tamesha brought out the creme brûlée for dessert. I don't even like creme brûlée but omg it was so delicious!! Definitely a great steak house with amazing service and a cool environment. I will be going back next time I'm in town!!
(5)mary anne l.
I'll be honest. I don't expect much from food when I travel home for a visit. Sorry Ohio, but I live in a food mecca. In Ohio, I eat for nostalgia mostly: Skyline Chili, Marion's Pizza, Bill's Donuts. Yikes. So let me just emphasize how blown away I was by the food, presentation, service and overall experience I had at Jimmy G's. My bestie and I were in desperate need of a girl-ee date. So we threw heed to the wind and headed to Cincy for dinner, drinks, and fancy hotel. Yes, please. We picked Jimmy G's based on Yelp reviews, and I was a little apprehensive when we entered the place. It was VERY quiet for a Thursday night. But we LOVED the decor: exposed brick walls, stylish bar. Artsy, yet refined. We sat down at the bar, and any worries I had washed away as our gracious, attentive, handsome bartender made innovative cocktails on the spot for us. He simply asked, "What's your mood?" The food was simply divine. I wish I had taken more pictures. Jimmy makes art out of his food. Classic dishes like Caprese Salad, Shrimp Cocktail, Crab Cakes and Beef Carpaccio take on a whole new life here. I also love that they feature seasonal, local ingredients when they can. By the near end of our meal, we knew everyone in the restaurant, including Jimmy G himself, who we found out was something of a celebrity in the Cincy foodie scene. He invited us back to the kitchen to show us his dry aged beef cooler, and his "Wall of Inspiration" , a.k.a. his office, a.k.a. the back hallway. We sat on milk crates and listened to his story while we drank wine and he drank Mountain Dew. Very cool. This is my opportunity to thank EVERYONE at Jimmy G's for making our night so special! If you want a place that will exceed every expectation and make you feel so welcome, this is the place.
(5)Timothy B.
This has to be hands down my favorite restaurant. Such an amazing mad men sophisticated feel, and the service to be said absolutely exemplary. The food is the best I have had to date in Cincinnati. Jimmy Gibson knows his way around a steak and that which comes with it. This is a twice a month if not more standing dinner in my book.
(5)John B.
I have returned and the food and service were just as good as the first time. Our server Michelle really took care of us and while we didn't have any wine this time, she kept my glass full of ice cold water. (Thank you) We sat in a booth this time and I am unsure if I like it better than the tables. First, I'm short and my feet barely touch the floor. Oh well, I am sure most guys won't have this problem. Second, I kind of felt on display since the booths are raised and face out. Oh well, not big deals. I shared the Moroccan Lamb shank ($26) again. (just realized the price went up a dollar, hmm....) The meat was soooo tender I often had to scoop it up instead of stabbing it with my fork. I also had the Schmaltz Wings ($12). There's a part of me that thinks $2 per wing is a little much, but this is a special occasion place. If I wanted cheap wings, I could go to BW3's or something. Good luck getting a warm-spiced foie gras-sage vinaigrette there. I did see Mr. Gibson, a.k.a Jimmy G there and he was busy making sure everything was running smoothly and that the kitchen kept churning out excellent food. Mission accomplished. I will be back, and hopefully with a large group that is willing to let everyone sample their food. I want to try everything.
(5)Janelle E.
Really interesting place. Loved the decor and setup of the restaurant and bar. 1/2 price martinis at happy hour were a great deal and very well made. I had the octopus appetizer which was absolutely perfectly cooked and the lamb shank for an entree. I have not had many lamb shanks that rivaled how good this was. Fall off the bone, sweet tangy glaze, just killer.
(5)Mary P.
We enjoyed our experience overall. Great martini and the hand stuffed blue cheese olives were tasty ( although waiter never asked if we wanted to start with cocktails he finally came back and we ordered). Appetizers were yummy, my husband had shrimp cocktail and the housemade sauce is delish. My crab cake was ok but did not taste like freshly prepared crab. We both got the carnivore special NY strip at $50 per. Mine was cooked perfectly medium rare but it was very salty. I don't use salt so maybe I am more sensitive. Anywho the wait staff were quite efficient and friendly and the ambiance good except for the tacky green blue and red spot lights.
(3)Terri T.
We have become regulars here and for good reason. Consistently great food and terrific service.
(5)Sarah B.
We went to Jimmy G's last year for restaurant week and had a great experience. I would highly recommend checking it out then since they offer a 4 course meal at a discounted price. The atmosphere is hip and upscale. Must turn into a dance club at night as we heard the band setting up while we were getting ready to leave. Food and service were both spot on.
(4)Bea D.
Jimmy G - I give you a A for creativity on the menu. I give you a B on execution. When entering the establishment, I was excited to see thoughtful, artful decor. We were then led to the very back of the restaurant. We entered a room that felt like a 1970's basement. I don't recall that there was even any wall decor in this room. After dining, I did walk through the bar area, which seemed to have a good, full of life vibe. I wished that vibe carried throughout the entire restaurant. Service was average. It was bumpy at the beginning because no one knew who would be serving us. It took them a while to figure out the assignment. I give the waitstaff credit for knowing the menu and being able to make recommendations. Jimmy G's has some sparks - they just need a few more to really get the fire started.
(4)Sarah F.
Food & Drink: Amazing. Best steaks either of us have had in a long time--definitely on par with Ruby's (as one would expect from a former Ruby's chef) and arguably better. Both of ours (we ordered filet) were cooked perfectly (1 rare and 1 medium rare) and had wonderful seasoning, which in no way detracted from the quality of the meat. We shared the char-grilled asparagus and potatoes aligot. The asparagus was perfectly tender with a nice smoky flavor. I didn't care for the potatoes overly much--they were like super rich, gluey over-mashed potatoes (husband was a fan though). Somewhat abbreviated by-the-glass wine list, but we both enjoyed our red wine selections (I would recommend the Pinot Noir I had, $9/glass). Prices are expectedly high, but I wouldn't call anything that we had overpriced. Service: Here's where Jimmy G's lost a star for me. We were there on a Tuesday night and they must have been busier than expected because as far as I could tell, there was only one main server for the entire dining room and at least one very large party. As a result, we received very little attention throughout the meal, including a promised bread basket being completely forgotten. The manager was walking around trying to fill the gaps somewhat, but hopefully the poor service was somewhat of a fluke because this is too good a restaurant to be brought down by that. Ambiance: Decor seems to elicit mixed reactions, but I thought the subterranean dining room was elegant enough--it just seemed a bit sparse and lacked cohesion in design. Kind of like some design students brought in a lot of cool pieces individually without talking to one another (not entirely sure what the one responsible for the white faux-bamboo chair backs was thinking). We sat in a large banquette overlooking the dining room--a bit awkward for conversation, seated side by side, but comfortable other than that. In summary, we love a good steakhouse so we'll definitely be back for another occasion and hopefully the kinks in service will be resolved to allow for a 5-star upgrade.
(4)Doug O.
Great steak ... Cooked over wood so it had a nice char on the outside without having to order it Pittsburgh. I had the bone-in ribeye and my wife had the NY Strip. Both cooked perfectly. The real secrets are the house salad and the side dishes. The house salad is like no other. You have to order to understand but I highly recommend this "treasure chest" of favors. The 4 fat fries (cooked in 4 kinds of fats) and Brussels sprouts were outstanding. Atmosphere was interesting and the service was really good and friendly.
(4)Lianna N.
Hip.underground.artsy
(4)Ryan Z.
Went last night to finally take advantage of a Living Social certificate that I purchased last month. The restaurant decor is a little strange. There are glowing neon lights that change colors on the sides of the booths... think movie theater lights to illuminate the aisle. It seemed like a very strange touch and was compounded by the bizarre choice of wood paneling and dropped ceiling. For a place that's supposed to be competing with Jeff Ruby's, the decor didn't do it for me. The food was a mixed bag. I started with their soup of the day, which was pork belly, proscuitto and veggies. It was fantastic. The caesar salad was nothing special, but the house salad was enjoyable. We upgraded one of the prix fixe menu steaks from a filet of ribeye to to a real filet mignon for a $14 upcharge. That was the best decision of the night. The filet was on point, but the filet of ribeye was barely edible. It was the toughest cut of meat I've ever eaten in a nice restaurant. I'm not sure why they even carry it on their menu. Steakhouses should stick to the top cuts of meat only. Sides were good with the charcoal grilled asparagus stealing the show from the 4 fat fries. A mixed bag dinner ended on a very strange note with a scoop of creme brulee ice cream served on top of a glass of ice cubes set on a plate garnished with aluminum foil. Go ahead and read that again if you need to. I had to look four different times just to verify that our dessert plate was covered with aluminum foil. Who's idea was that??? All in all, we spent $100 on top of the prepaid prix fixe dinner. For a $200+ dinner, I expect quite a bit more. I don't see any reason to come here over Jeff Ruby's, Mortons or Ruths Chris. I just don't understand what Jimmy G's offers that the others don't do better. Oh well, at least the service and staff were attentive and friendly.
(3)Andrea P.
I ate here a few weeks ago during the Downtown Cincinnati restaurant week. Honestly, it was maybe the WORST dining experience I have had in awhile. We came here on a Thursday night, granted without a reservation. Instead of the hostess to just tell us that we would not be able up be seated, she told us to "hold on for a table". Every time we asked for updates, she kept stalling us. Meanwhile other people were being seated without reservations. An hour and a half later, we were seated in the half empty dining room. The manager came over to mention that they had been really busy. (Obviously he had never experienced restaurant week in other cities). The food was okay, but our waiter was creepy and seemed to loom over us eating. Needless to say, I won't be back!
(1)Lee Anne B.
Last evening we enjoyed our first dinner at Jimmy G's and what a fabulous meal it was. I began with the Arm and A Leg, Octopus App. After having the best Octopus of my life at LeBernardin in NY, my hopes of ever finding another dish that good were small at best. Enter Jimmy G's Arm and a Leg. Flavorful, tender thick and moist with a Sherry Reduction that made your tongue sing. My main course was the Braised Moroccan lamb shank. While this was not on my radar for the evening, my husband knowing my love of lamb, suggested it. This lamb, which could easily serve 2 people, was flavorful like nothing I've ever had. Tender, juicy and falling off the bone. The sauce and accompanying fruit added to the unique salty/sweet taste that is out of this world. The wait staff was kind, courteous and helpful. We will definitely be going back......and taking more friends!!!!!
(4)James R.
Jimmy G's is a modern interpretation of a steakhouse in Cincinnati. The downtown location is below street level and provided something of a modern speakeasy feel. The off-color lighting and more eclectic decor meshes nicely with the super-traditional steakhouse features present, like the room with bottle service lockers. The area is somewhat dim, the tables and banquettes roomy, and the overall decor a great mix of traditional and modern. The menu, like the decor, was traditional but with an eclectic twist. Your normal steaks were present but there was a willingness to jazz things up if you so desired. There was a worldly flair present from the Far East and North Africa present, which was quite unusual for a traditional steakhouse. My friend and I both opted for New York Strip steaks (note:not USDA prime) and shared accompaniments of potatoes aligot and sauteed mushrooms. Our steaks came with a lovely and lightly dressed watercress salad. Without fail, everything was spectacular. Our waiter explained how they use a wood fire to grill their steaks, which was intriguing. On arrival of those steaks, I wondered why anyone did things differently. There was a madium-thick crust of char on the outside over a succulent and juicy 1.25" thick interior that was a spectacular and uniform red-pink medium rare across the entire piece of meat. Never have I seen "doneness" of a steak so perfect across the meat. Honestly, it's worth coming back for this alone just to see how they do it. My steak was not advertised as prime, but if you told me it was I would have believed you. The preparation was truly that good. Potatoes aligot are an item not often seen on menus today. This side is highly recommended. I won't belabor you with what the presentation consists of as long as you know this is a wonderfully accurate expression of a rarely-seen traditional dish. Great job, gentlemen...I'm very impressed. The sauteed mushrooms were cooked perfectly as well. Both sides were generously portioned and well served. Service was outstanding. Despite my friend and I arriving over the course of a shift change, our two waiters handled things with aplomb and sincerely cared about our dining experience. Both of them were gracious, knowledgeable, and sincere -- I would return here for the service alone. We didn't even look at the dessert menu. Jimmy G's is a great steakhouse that serves as a youthful, vibrant alternative to Jeff Ruby's organization. Recommended and certainly worth a visit.
(5)Amanda C.
Quick summary: Better than Morton's, on par with Jeff Ruby steakhouses. My husband and I dined here for our anniversary, and we would definitely return. Jimmy G's has a fun, relaxed atmosphere with excellent, unpretentious service. And I feel the prices are in-line with what I would expect. It's expensive, yes, but not outrageous. Along with my melts-like-butter steak (I got the filet mignon), we ordered some interesting appetizers and a side. The Potatoes Raclette and Apricot, Bacon & Pork Tummy-Tuck were delicious and beautifully presented. We also enjoyed the cous-cous. If you want a booth, you have to request it with your reservation. There's only five of them, and they fill up fast!
(5)Dan M.
I went here with my girlfriend for her birthday dinner. We ordered lots to feast on and sample. To our dismay, everything was poor to mediocre. The potatoes raclette were the exception - delicious melty cheese on top of duck fat cooked potatoes. The bacon wrapped pork belly was a completely gelatinous experience. The mozzarella salad included 2oz of mozzarella at most and was bland. The spicy Italian skewers of the day were actually not even spicy at all. Finally, the $34 dry aged strip steak was overdone and over-charred. I actually sent it back. The next one that came out was cooked properly, and the meat was nice. However, the outside was still charred to death and there was a ribbon of tendon through the middle. None of these things are deal-breakers, but if I'm dropping $100 + tip on a meal, they should never have happened. Instead, make your way to another downtown establishment - Sotto, Zula, Salazar, or York St Cafe (in Newport) are all top notch and in the same price range. Bottom Line: I'll never be back for this overpriced, underloved cooking. And you shouldn't either.
(1)Linda E.
The food is excellent, and food cooked exactly to order. I have to say part of the appeal is the retro vibe it has going one. Rich wood paneling, and gold accents in the wallpaper just made my day.
(4)Ann L.
I like the entry. For some reason, walking down the winding stairs seems to evoke anticipation of what's to come. Then depending on which direction you go at the end, you end up in very different spaces. The left took us to a space with food, drinks, friends, and a great band. The ladies room was really nice with a great smelling candle burning. Loved the art on the wall on the way to and fro. I couldn't help but notice the room beside our party room. It had chairs that David Tutera was most definitely approve of, a nice chandelier, and a romantic mood. We will have to come back and enjoy a nice meal another day...soon.
(4)Dick R.
We were looking for some place we hadn't been for Downtown Restaurant Week, and Jimmy G's was it. Based on generally high Yelp ratings, we had high expectations and we weren't disappointed. They billed their 3 course tasting menu as "full portions". I don't know about that, but portions of all were exactly right. First courses, and deserts were definitely unique. Filets were flavorful and done exactly as requested - nice char on the outside. We added brussel sprouts. From my experience these can be either really good or really bad - not much middle ground. Jimmy G's were quite good. Service was maybe a little chatty, but excellent. We'll go back.
(4)