We sat on a high top in the bar. The waiter we had was awesome.
(4)
Olivia M.
I'm not at all impressed by this place. The drinks are just okay and way overpriced. The ambience is nice. It kind of gives you a somewhat island feel but seeing as that you are still in the casino you kinda lose it. I know on some nights they play music but mostly just blah. Sadly.
(2)
Les A.
My wife and had dinner there last night while my son and his friend were at the Weezer show. We were told it was an hour wait. Since we had all night , we didn't mind. Our buzzer went off about 20 minutes later. We were seated and ordered drinks. Our server was Kayleigh. We could tell she was a bit frazzled because of the people at the next table were not satisfied with their experience. Service was a bit on the slow side but, considering how crowded it was, was not terrible. We ordered an appetizer, based on Kayleigh's suggestion. The crab dip was excellent. It came out piping hot. Our meals were excellent. A club sandwich that was almost too big and a huge cob salad. Kayleigh was noticeably more relaxed after the other tables left. She was an excellent server: friendly, articulate, conscientious. She is definitely an asset! Keep up the good work!
(4)
Wendy C.
Just ate there last Saturday and my meal was great. Had the shrimp trio with a perfect margarita and loved it! The only thing I will say is that it is very slow on a regular basis. This takes away from the party, good time, fun ambiance that should be there. We've been there multiple times and we've never had quick service; quite slow, but food and drinks are good. I'm surprised it's so slow on a Saturday night. Wish it was more popular and busy. We were one of 5 tables on a Saturday night.
(4)
Betty V.
I would really like to talk about the food. Unfortunately, the service was so bad we left before ordering -- not that they would have noticed. It appeared that there was only one wait person for the whole restaurant. After 10 minutes of solitude, we started looking around. One table had finished their large soft drinks and were looking around to see if their food would be coming.Three other tables were searching, too. We wound up eating at Bobby Flay's Burger Palace. (A solid 4.5 last night.)
(1)
Ryan M.
Went here during SantaCon2014 (12/13/14) Out of all bars in casino, this is the nicest and best themed, however it is still terrible. 1) Cannot take beer onto casino floor. What? That's crazy 2) Service was very slow, the casino was the starting point for SantaCon, you would think the casino/restaurant would be staffed properly to accommodate their guest. Nope, way too slow 3) Lack of 'beach' feel there. I would not go back there again.
(2)
Gerardo R.
This is a very expensive low quality food. I had a $17 shrimp salad that just was a big $1 lettuce cut in 3 pieces, 6 shrimps, one egg, and other small things with a lot of dressing. What a shame! Never comeback again.
(1)
Michelle R.
As a hardcore Parrot Head, it pains me to give Margaritaville 3 stars, but the quality of food has definitely decreased with the increased quantity of locations. The seafood dip appetizer was watery and the garlic bread was too buttery and took away from the dip itself. The Black & Bleu burger was served with blue cheese and peppery bacon. It was very good. The fries were okay but could have used some more seasoning. The bread pudding dessert was pretty good. It was topped with banana slices and chocolate.
(3)
Libby V.
Come Monday, and I was hungry. So since there was No Booze On The Beach and it was 5 O'clock Somewhere, I decided to look for my Lost Shaker of Salt here. There was plenty of Booze in the Blender, and I had a most delicious concoction of blueberries and vodka that made me want to Get Drunk and $crew, but I resisted the idea when I remembered water beds make me seasick. There was another guy at the bar who looked like a Pirate of 40, but he was telling some cock and bull story about how much money he made holding signs up on freeway exits, so I decided to study the menu instead. Not in the mood for a Cheeseburger in Paradise, I settled on a Cuban Sandwich cause they had me at hot mustard. Don't ask, just get this sandwich and you can thank me later. (My belly was a Volcano later but tums helped) Music is loud here, and there's an outside entrance so there was kids everywhere and some tall skinny dude making them balloon hats. Seemed kind of out of place in a casino chain restaurant. Sometimes some of them escape and there's rug rats in the casino which it totally not appropriate. Beware - they have a separate liquor license than the casino, so you can't take a drink in or out. Who's to Blame? It's really silly, but Ohio law or something so just beware. Some people think there's a woman to blame, but I know it's their own dam fault...
(4)
Rebecca P.
I have been to several Margaritaville's and this one by far is the worst I've ever been to, the service was terrible. The food was terrible and the atmosphere was horrible. I didn't even hear a jimmy buffet song the whole time I was in there.. If I wanted to listen to pop songs I could have just gone down the road to a different restaurant. People go here for the atmosphere and they don't have it! All they care about is taking your money! Guess that's what you get having it in a casino... Never going back!!
I'll preface this review by saying I am a Buffett fan and have been to several Margaritavilles. If you are not a big fan, this is probably not a place for you. Typical menus. Volcano nachos are awesome and made to share by about 4 people. Drinks are pricey but strong. Entrees are basic. It was burger month, and there was a bit of a delay due to the new menu. When the food arrived it was worth the wait. The motif is the least inspired of all the Margaritaville's I have visited. Also, if you have anyone in your party under 18, you must enter via the outside entrance,
(2)
Matt A.
To keep this short and sweet, I don't normally review things that are middle of the road. I usually have to Love It! or Hate It! to write about it. This place didn't blow me away or anything, but in reading through some of the negative reviews, I feel that it deserves a bump. My lady and I ate here and had some yummy frozen drinks on their nice patio. The waitresses were attentive and friendly. The shrimp was very nicely seasoned. We did not have to wait to be seated (about 8pm Sunday). Prices were reasonable. For the money, it was definitely the best restaurant choice inside the Horseshoe Casino. I cannot speak for other people's experiences here, but I think trying to seat thirty people for dinner on a peak casino night and being surprised at a wait is a bit naive. It doesn't make sense for a place like this to take reservations during busy times, regardless of how entitled you feel to instant gratification. Go have a drink and relax. Its not the restaurant's fault you just lost a grand playing blackjack.
(4)
Missy L.
Well...Margaritaville was really about what I expected. Over priced food and drinks with cheesy decor and bad music. I mean it is inside of a casino after all. If you are trapped inside of the Horseshoe Casino like I found myself last weekend...I'd advise passing on Margaritaville and perhaps going to the buffet instead. I ordered the veggie burger which is made in house (which sounded promising). It was a patty of mush and corn that fell completely a part after my first bite. It was bland and I ended up putting a ton of ketchup and mustard on it and still waws The atmosphere...is strange. First off they seated us ON the dance floor. It was so loud I couldn't hear myself think let alone try and have a conversation with my friends. I was afraid to move my chair at all due to the drunk people dancing around me. Do yourself a favor and save your money. This place is not worth the cost AT ALL!
(1)
Taylor A.
We stopped in for lunch, decided to order nachos while we looked the menu over...needless to say, that's all we ordered! The nachos were so big that the two of us couldn't finish them! We waited a min to be seated but other than that the service was on point and the food was great!
(5)
Stephen L.
So we called ahead and explained our situation to the manager who said if we put our name on the list we could get the entire group in by 7. We arrived at 530 to be safe and the totally rude hostess told us it would be a 3-4 hour wait! We finally got in at 915pm. Service was terrible. Waiter spilled an entire glass of wine all over me. Food was terrible. In short, Margaritaville was a full blown nightmare. I will likely never return......especially to celebrate a special occasion. Totally ruined celebration. They simply don't care........
(1)
Sherry T.
3.5 stars is more accurate. I was a bit uneasy about eating here after reading other reviews but was pleasantly surprised in the end. Service was a bit slow at first, but it got better. I had the Cuban sandwich based on Libby V's review and was quite happy with it. I wish they offered a side salad in place of fries. My husband's jerk pork sandwich and coleslaw were both on the dry side. I would return.
(3)
Bob M.
Everything would be fine except for this so called manager named Andrew. He treats his employees and customers as if they were 2nd class. It was so frustrating to watch that we ended up leaving before our meal arrived. The staff obviously doesn't like him and it shows in the service. According the our waitress, this guy is insulting them even though he really isn't in charge. We left our waitress $10 and went to Bobby's for a burger instead. Disappointed. We've been to many locations throughout the US and non of them are as quiet as this one. The location in Panama City is so busy that they can't even fit the band inside any longer. They moved the entertainment outside to make room for seating. Cincinnati doesn't stand a chance unless they get rid of guys like this and bring back service, love, and respect for one another. That's JImmy's way.
(1)
Chandler L.
This place is really just ok. The space is very large which makes getting a table pretty easy. The food that we had was pretty good as well. The reason for the 3* is that they were playing live music the entire time we were there. It really didn't fit in with the space. The guys were good but the space couldn't support the volume they produced. It made the meal really unpleasant because the group had no way of speaking.
(3)
Nicole J.
I am definitely not really impressed. I went alone during late afternoon. It didn't take any time to be seated but it took FOREVER to get my food. The waitress was really nice and pleasant but she somehow got the order mixed up. I really wanted to try the grilled chicken sandwich but ended up with the fried fish instead. The fries portion was small as it seemed that someone took fries off of my plate in order to add to someone else's. She was so pleasant about her error, I decided to try the food anyway--- just to avoid waiting an additional 15-20 minutes. The food was okay but wasn't really worth the price paid. I order dessert-- simple ice cream, bread pudding and bananas--- took an additional 32 minutes total!!! This was after I'd already paid. I then asked the horrible mgr on duty about when I'd receive my order-- she went and checked and Said "they're putting chocolate chips on it right now," walked away unapologetically and never looked my way again. I didn't receive the dessert for another 10 minutes afterwards. I was actually ready to just donate my dessert to another patron at this point. Again the waitress was nice but I'd definitely not visit this place again at this point.
If you have dinner plans that involve a trip to Margaritaville I would suggest you change them. The service is actually quite nice, the staff is knowledgeable and courteous. The problem, however, lies with the actual food. The food is a sad attempt at tropical delights and the overall ambiance is distracting if not helpless. I ordered the shrimp trio an I should have known that being in a landlocked state that this decision was a mistake. The flavors did not coalesce at all. A guest with me ordered a cheeseburger, a pretty simple menu item, yet the waiter even commented that it depends on the night whether you will get your meat cooked to order! I feel bad for the waitstaff that has to represent this nonsense. If Margaritaville is Jimmy Buffett's idea of a cheeseburger in paradise then I'll stay my ass at home!
(2)
Randy A.
Nice place!!! Food was very good but a little pricey. The drinks where much better than you can get in the casino. To bad you can't get a drink at Jimmy's and walk around the casino with it
(4)
Lisa T.
Awful! We went on Friday night to see a band a friend wanted to see. There were only a few tables of people because Oktoberfest was going on but the place was dead. The point of that is that the service was horrific and it cant be because they were busy. After sitting for 20 minutes we stopped a guy and asked if he would wait on us. He did but it took another 15 mins to get our drinks. We had to ask again to get them (now 3x) and finally when they arrived the waitress said "we will take care of these for you" as in leading us to believe they would comp something. So one guy ordered celery and ranch and they literally brought out one stalk cut into 4 pieces..so when the bill came for 2 buckets of beer and 4 pcs of celery it was over $56...we complained and even mentioned the waitress said "we will take care of you all considering the wait" the manager refused saying alcohol couldn't be comp'd in Ohio ...ok then well what about free celery?? What about a coupon to return?? So 6 of us will never ever go back....seems a manager would do whatever it took to make things right...Adios Margaritaville!!!
(1)
Vernon B.
You have got to be kidding! Absolutely terrible. Wanted to try something different for a family birthday dinner. No one tells you that you have to walk nearly a quarter mile to get in through the front door because there is no way that people under 21 can get through the casino. Once we finally got there we tried a few margaritas (the place is called margaritaville after all) they were overpriced and tasted like pre-made syrup. Considering the drinks are 10 dollars a piece u would at least expect to have some alcohol in them or hell, a MARGATITA GLASS! AWFUL! Non alcoholic drinks do not have free refills.. I'm not kidding. The food menu is small and unimpressive. I tried the chicken tacos. There were no pictures but for 18 dollars you expect more than two tacos with less meat in them than taco bell. You would also expect your food to actually be warm. WRONG. After over thirty minutes of waiting the ice cold food arrived. It had to be immediately returned and I ordered a burger. Meanwhile my family enjoyed bland pre made burgers, dried awful chicken fingers with sauce that you can buy at Kroger, and halfway decent coconut shrimp. My food finally arrived after another 20 minutes and my family nearly done eating. It was just as uninspiring as the rest of this experience. The bill finally arrived to all of our relief. At this point we were completely tired of watching the same Jimmy Buffet home movies on literally every screen. (do they not have some sort of cable sports package) for our family of 6 the bill was over 150 and none of us were happy or full. Absolutely Terrible. Will NEVER go back to this lazy excuse for a restaurant. Wish I could give zero stars.
(1)
Grace M.
I was very excited when this opened up downtown because I work within walking distance. Love other Margaritaville's so I couldn't wait to try. Well... Horrible service! Now I completely understand rushes but when we sat down (table of 6) there was only a couple of tables around us and the place was not even close to full. It took FOREVER to get drinks (shoulda been the first warning)- and even longer to get our food! They are in a location that could do great business for the quick 1 hour work lunch- Well don't waste your time here. You can not get in and our in an hour! I would hate to see how long people wait when the place is full- but maybe that why it wasn't full because others before me learned the same lesson I did- DON'T go BACK! Food is nothing specially, and with a wait like ours, I will definitely pass next time!!
(1)
Stephen G.
For whatever reason, Jimmy Buffet is something of an iconic figure in Cincinnati. His yearly concerts at Riverbend sell out in double-quick time, the day of the gig itself almost treated like some kind of unofficial local public holiday. I have no idea why. I don't think there's enough wild horses on the entire planet to drag me to one of his shows, but maybe that's because I have a modicum of good taste? So, it was with a sense of some trepidation that we tried out his Margaritaville concept restaurant inside downtown's swanky Horseshoe Casino. The theme is some kind of Caribbean/Key West/Floridian/beach hybrid, with a sea plane hanging from the ceiling and palm trees in abundance. I have to say its very well appointed indeed, everything looks right and big money has evidently been spent on the surroundings, comfort and vibe. We dined on a Thursday afternoon, just before the end of the working day. As such we were seated quickly and efficiently and received immediate attention from our bubbly server. She was very personable, but possibly a little bit too personal in her patter, asking me all kinds of questions about my accent, how I got to America, what I thought of America, what is that case I had on my phone... and lots more besides. During one of her absences I joked with my wife that she will come back and maybe ask how big my wiener was. My wife responded with "Well if she does make sure you lie, I don't want her to feel sorry for me" What the what now? The food came out promptly. My wife ordered the handmade Veggie Burger and declared it a Veggie Burger in Paradise. (See what I did there?) I had the BBQ Bacon Burger which, unfortunately came from a different part of paradise where they serve up overcooked dry burgers devoid of any moisture or real taste. Having to add ketchup and mustard to kick it up a notch made it no better than fast food in my opinion. I did mention this to the server who said "the kitchen is still in a learning curve". Honest, but maybe too revealing. Given the prestige of this restaurant I would have thought the kitchen would have its act together WELL before its opening in early March, let alone still suffering growing pains several weeks later. It was OK. Nothing spectacular to drag me back there at all. Overpriced bar food in a nice setting just about sums it up for me. My wife was more abrupt... "the worst thing about this Jimmy Buffett restaurant is having to hear his crappy music all the time". Succinct. Honest. Truthful. It's why I married her.
(2)
Abby R.
A group of four of us went on Wednesday night. It was a bit slower and we were seated right away. Our server was very friendly and attentive. The Volcano Nachos were enormous and very good. When you think "I want Nachos!" this is the place to go! I ordered the Cheeseburger in Paradise as a veggie burger and it was exactly what I wanted. The food is perfect chill/beach food!
(5)
Carol M.
Ordered 2 appetizers lava lava shrimp today, shrimp was way over cooked and had no sauce it was a total waste of money.
(1)
Christi D.
I'm sorry you had such staffing problems tonight. The little food we did get was good but such a long wait for everything...should have realized after we sat for 20 minute after being seated with no attention (but we weren't all there yet and okay at that point). Finally, after 2 hours!, we were told no more food was coming after one of our items and something we didn't order were brought out. Don't get me wrong, we were grateful to eat something. We had time to kill or we wouldn't have waited as long as we did. Glasses turned into plastic cups...we were still charged for what we did consume, no consideration given for our time and frustration. Someone from the casino offered us buffet for 4. As a former server and currently still in the restaurant business, we were really disappointed in how the evening was handled, even by those who stayed to try to perform their jobs in the chaos. Can't think of the situation that would have me ever entering your doors again.
(1)
Maggie U.
The food is delicious. My favorite is the Mac n Cheese with crab. The fried pickles are delicious as well as most of the desserts. The drinks are fun to try. Havanas and Bananas are delicious. The staff is very good, and they really get into it. I love the atmosphere and music. Grab some friends, get a Cheeseburger in Paradise with a cold draft beer, and dream about the ocean. Great times and good food!
(5)
Tara V.
I will pass on this next time. Our food was kinda warm when it arrived. Watched others get served before us, when they came in after us. The restaurant was far from crowded, so no excuses. Sorry. As much as i wanted to love it, its not so good.
(2)
Sharon B.
My boyfriend and I decided to go on a Thursday night since we had a $20 gift card. It was not busy at all and we got seated right away. We did not have to wait long for our server and ordered our drinks right away. I got the Sunset Cruise and my bf got a beer. The Sunset Cruise was good, no complaints there. I ordered the fajitas and my bf got the cheeseburger in paradise. I asked no sour cream and they give me double guacamole. That was a nice surprise and it was delicious. It was a lot of food and I was not able to finish it all. My bf had no complaints about his cheeseburger. The only thing that I did not like was this girl on slits making balloons. I do not understand that at all. She was right at our table making a rabbit balloon. Why in the world would I want a stranger standing next to me making a balloon, while I am trying to eat. That needs to stop. I do not need her making a balloon while watching me eat my food. Besides that strange experience., I was happy with everything else.
(4)
Jennifer N.
Atmosphere great! Food not so much..... Let's just say for the prices you pay it's like eating at Applebees for the quality of food you are eating. Sure it is chain restaurant I get that but at the same time I should expect a little more quality food because after all it is supposed to be better than a normal chain restaurant. The atmosphere is great if you want to kick back and enjoy some drinks but save your money and eat at another chain restaurant because trust me it tastes exactly the same and the wallet will thank you.
(3)
Jennifer D.
I'll start this review by saying that I did not eat at this particular location of the Margaritaville chain. I am reviewing it as a bar. And as a bar, I can safely give it 3 stars, much like Linsey G. says, I can't justify 4, but it's a little better than the 3. We went on the first Saturday night that the casino was open to the public for a bachelorette party. So already, I have to cut them some slack for the wait times. We actually were able to walk right in since we weren't being seated for dinner. That really impressed me. I figured we were going to have to stand in some kind of line. Well we did, for drinks, but again, I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly the bartenders were working and how friendly and professional they remained despite teh chaos swirling around that place on a Saturday night- no less the first Saturday night they were open. They had a great cover band playing and we were able to kind of take over the dance floor at first. Slowly but surely, it started to fill up, but the Parrot Head vibe prevailed- and it was peaceful and fun. A couple of our drunken friends even spilled drinks and a polite staff member appeared quickly to clean it up. I was really impressed. I went into this experience expecting the worst, and I was pleasantly surprised. I'll have to go back sometime!
(3)
Troy S.
This review comes from a Sunday night (post Bengals game) experience. I sat down with a few friends after the host told us to simply sit wherever we wanted, and was content for a couple minutes watching the Sunday night football game. About 10 minutes later, however, when we didn't get so much as a hello and drink order, I wasn't so content. Eventually, a server came and gave us drink menus after a hurried greeting. We then decided to quickly decide on food so when he came back, we could just order all at once. The food did come out pretty quick, and the servers drink reccomendation was solid, but when it came time to pay the bill, we found ourselves sitting for 15 minutes without a check up or any sign of our server. After eventually sending the host to go find him, we got our checks after another 10 min. Despite the horrendous service, the food was pretty decent and the drinks were quite good. The location is great inside the casino, but doesn't have mcuh of a beach or tropical feeling to it like the ones in Florida do. It's decent for food and drinks, but with terrible service, head over to Bobbys Burger Palace instead.
(2)
Trad R.
Horrible service and management!!! This is the 4 th Margaritaville I've been to and I've never had bad service. It was a Friday night, Memorial Day weekend. It took 90 minutes to be seated yet at least 30% of the seats were open. Bad management/ leadership! Place was not busy at all! Once seated it took 20 minutes before a waiter acknowledged us and another 20 to get drinks. The one in Vegas, which I've been to many times is always packed yet I've never waited more than 35 minutes. Crazy! Jimmy needs to know this franchise in Cincinnati is failing all expectations!
(1)
Josh D.
I have to preface this by saying that I am not someone who complains about customer service. If I receive bad service or poor food quality, I just don't go back. I'm not here for a charity. I was a server for 3 years while in college, and I currently work in customer service now. I understand that it can be hard, but the experience I had at Margaritaville was very bad. So bad that I am writing my first Yelp review because of it. Enjoy the story... On 01/05/2014 I went to Margaritaville with two friends. This is the fourth time I have dined here. The first three times I went were rather pleasant. I don't understand how people complain that the food is overpriced, because it simply is not for being attached to a casino. Anyways, we went during the Bengals playoff games, the restaurant was a ghost town as a result. The three of us sat at the bar and were greeted promptly. We got our drinks in a timely manner which was good. My friends order two burgers. As I like to try new things with each visit, I decided to give a steak a try. My two friends ordered their burgers medium-well, I order my sirloin medium. I know how long it takes to cook a steak and some burgers and our food took entirely too long to arrive. Especially with there only being one other customer in the restaurant, having to wait 20-25 minutes for the food is pretty absurd. A medium steak should take at the most 15 minutes. We finally get our food and I go to eat my steak and find that I was actually served what looked like rehydrated beef jerky. The steak was beyond well done. Normally, I will just eat that which is given to me as I am not a fan of wasted food. I will not complain, I will just not go back to that restaurant or I will just not order that item again. This time, however, our order should've been correct as we were three of four customers in the restaurant. I simply asked for a new steak packaged to go as I figured my food would not be ready by the time the other two finished. Our bartender server did a great job trying to get the steak out in a hurry, I will give her that. The steak took about what I would imagine it should've taken, ~15 minutes. In that time, the other two in my party had already finished and paid for their food. Finally my steak arrives, and I was thankful the staff gave me a whole new entree with new sides as well even though I did not ask for that. I was kind of shocked that a manager did not bring the food or apologize for the inconvenience. The bartender asked if I would like a knife to cut in to the steak, I said sure. SHE THEN REACHES IN TO THE DIRTY DISH BUS PAN AND GAVE ME A FRESHLY USED STEAK KNIFE ENJOYED BY ANOTHER CUSTOMER AND SET IT DOWN IN FRONT OF ME. Mind you, she had collected my plate which included a fork and a steak knife right before my food came out, so there was a chance that was my knife. That being said, she stated, "His knife is over there." and pointed to another plate that had a knife on it. So that slim chance of that being my knife was trumped. Totally unacceptable. At this point, I finally had to speak with a manager. After waiting 5 minutes for the manager to come resolve the problem, explaining what exactly has transpired here, he comped the entire meal. As I stated, I have a high tolerance for poor service, but not a blatant violation of food safety. I would have rated this a 1-star but I think that is reserved for having food poisoning from the food. On the plus side, I did not get food poisoning. I learned a valuable lesson, do not order steak from a non-steak house restaurant. I would stay away from this place if I were someone just freshly visiting the casino.
(2)
Matt U.
My friend and I went in for a drink before heading into the casino for some play time. We hung out for a bit listening to the house band. Had a good time and took some pictures too. The place looks awesome.
(5)
Monica C.
Had one of my best burgers here. Yes, it is a bit over priced for drinks and food, but bartenders were great. Kristen was knowledgable of the entire menu and served us with a smile. Our afternoon entertainment, Nick, was also very good. My wife had different drinks and each one was great. Relax, chill out, and have a margarita!
(4)
Bill S.
We went about a month after the Casino opened. The food was delicious, portions were adequate and service was prompt. However, the thing that sticks out is the noise and crowdedness. I would not say they utilized every inch of the place for maximum efficiency, but theres something about the layout that makes it cramped even thou some how theres empty space with out tables and chairs. Bathrooms could have used attention. I understand it's a theme restaurant based off a singer, it's going to play loud music. Toby Keiths, you could have a conversation without the concussion and it's the same principle. Pros- Food quality, portion size, speed of service, price. Cons- Noise,cleanliness,cramped feeling I'm sure I'll go back, eventually, but after I've tried some of the other places.
(4)
Jennifer S.
I visited on the first Saturday evening of open service. Woah, they were packed and busting butt! Our wait for a table was 2+hours and after walking up to check the status of our wait the host said they were having issues with the buzzer and our table suddenly came available, interesting. Sat upstairs and our waitress was friendly and quick to get us drinks and take our order. For the amount of people jammed in the house, the wait for food was quite quick! The cuban was pretty tasty and the pasta looked good. You are definitely visiting and paying for the branded experience and they did a good job in the design, but restrooms could be improved...2 stalls for all those tipsy margarita girls just wasn't cutting it! Might give it another go once things die down.
(3)
Heather L.
This place is mostly about the atmosphere, and that is exactly what you are paying for... The feel of being on vacation on a beach. Nice outdoor patio, although your view is of the jail. Sometimes they have live music indoors. The margaritas are at least decent, which IMO is the only reason to come here. They have a new feature margarita "flight" which is a nice touch. Try the new watermelon margarita too. On this occasion we had good service, but that has not been the case in the past. The food is mediocre at best and pricey. Best deal is the nachos, as the plate is huge (although they have decreased the size since I was last here). As a nacho connoisseur I wouldn't go out of my way to eat these, but they are OK. Cheese curds are decent but $$ for what you get.
(3)
Diana A.
So, my coworkers asked me to pick a lunch restaurant for my last day at work. I picked Margaritaville because it was located close to our office, in the Horseshoe Casino. After we were seated and given the menus, I regretted picking this place. They did not have a lunch menu; most of the dishes (including appetizers) were $16-22; and the menu selections were not very good. After the food came out, I was actually darn near sorry that I had picked this place. The food was so underwhelming; it was almost like the food was just there to soak up the margaritas in your stomach. I am sorry to suggest that you not waste your money or time there. The server could have used some better training also; we had to remind her repeatedly to give us drink refills. Although, I would blame that partially on poor training. The restaurant was not busy at all when we got there at 11:30 AM. PS - just as a point of comparison, you could have ordered similar dishes at Frisch's and it would have tasted better at Frisch's. Later after work, other coworkers and I went to Bobby's Burger Palace (also in the casino) and it was so much BETTER and the gourmet burgers were all under $8. Pretty sad that my $8 burger tasted way better than my $17 fish sandwich platter at Margaritaville. Don't waste your money.
(1)
Susan L.
I was at Margaritavilles for the Casino's soft opening. They served a buffet that night instead of ordering off the menu. The buffet was pretty good. Margaritaville is a good addition for the city because of our connect with Jimmy Buffet. Also, I think it is a good addition to the Casino. A restaurant of that types belongs in a Casino, lower price than some and one that has a party atmosphere which fits into a Casino vibe. We were halfway through our entrees before the appetizer was brought out (which was delivered by a server instead of buffet style. The entrees and desserts were buffet style. So I really cannot say what the service will be like or the menu. I went to a Margaritaville in Vegas and the food was decent. I think in the warmer weather being able to grad a bite outside would be nice. I would go back willing, but probably not often, but I do not tend to go to Friday's/Olive Gardens/Bahama Breeze or other chains. like that. However I do think it was a good choice for the Casino.
(3)
William K.
The food was okay and the service was not good. I'll only talk about my meal, not the other folks at my table... I got blackened fish tacos with... something. I honestly can't remember. Okay, the fish tacos were fantastic. Damn well better be for $20 bucks for tacos! The other people at my table didn't fair as well. Nobody thought that what they got was as good as I thought my dish was but their dishes cost as much as mine. Not that it mattered... The first time we got the check it was wrong. We told our server and he promised to come back with it corrected. He came back and it was certainly different but not even close to being right. We went ahead an payed FAR too much without complaining because we were on a schedule. I will never eat here again. Premium prices to get treated as an afterthought? No thanks.
(1)
Shelley C.
We have been to multiple Margaritvaille restaurants (Orlando, Las Vegas, Myrtle Beach, Cozumel, Key West, Nashville, Waikiki) and overall this Margaritaville is making strides too living up to the Margaritaville name and experience. This was our fourth time at this restaurant. We sat inside the dining room on a Saturday evening for dinner and Nate was our server. He was most welcoming and warm. He had a great knowledge of the menu and made great dinner recommendations. He also made drink and appetizer recommendations as well. He was very attentive throughout the evening and made sure to check in with us once the food was delivered to our table. We will definitely ask for Nate again when we sit in the dining room! For drinks we ordered Fins to the Left, The Perfect Margarita,Last Mango in Paris and a beer. The Fins was well made, the Perfect was not quite up to what I would call "Perfect" standards as it is a drink that my boyfriend typically orders at all Margaritavilles, and my Last Mango was very much off on this particular evening. For dinner we ordered 2 Volcano burgers, which were both well prepared and well executed, and got raving reviews, one Cheeseburger in Paradise - again an excellent review, and I got the Volcano Nachos (my favorite). However, this time, Nate actually recommended I get them deconstructed since I was eating them by myself, that way when I take them home to reheat them, nothing will be soggy. What an amazing idea! They were so good, I could just buid the Nachos as I ate them! Thanks Nate for a killer recommendation!!!! PS...they were delicious heated up in the oven today!!! The music and decor makes me feel like I am in Margaitaville! I like that you can sit on the patio and enjoy your food as well. The retail store is right next door, and although it is a smaller store, if there is something that you want and they do not have it on location you can still order it online and have it shipped to you or buy a gift card for that perfect someone! I am happy that Cincinnati finally got our Margaritaville! We will definitely go back!
(4)
Tiera A.
This is my 2nd time @ Margaritaville Cincinnati since it opened last year. The first time I came, this place had a lot to be desired. The food was just fair and the margaritas were, well, weak. Recently, a friend informed me that Margaritaville has happy hour Mon-Fri, 4-7. I never heard anyone mention their happy hour so I decided to give it a try today. Boy, am I glad that I did! They have decent happy hour specials that even apply on Fridays (a lot of places don't offer happy hour on Fridays). They don't exactly have a happy hour menu but the specials are pretty standard; $5 margaritas, $4 wines & $3 wells. I wish the happy hour specials applied to food as well since their meals are a tad over priced for the quality and portion size.
(3)
Tabitha W.
Margaritaville was about what I expected. Mediocre, overpriced food and drinks...but you're paying for the experience, right?! IDK, nothing exceptional happened during our visit to really make it special. There was an employee walking around on stilts, which I guess is remarkable... I started with a Margarita flight. The drinks are tasty, but they do seem to be lacking any alcohol to speak of. As mentioned by other reviewers, you can't remove alcohol from the restaurant area to the casino, so that's a bummer. I think there are better and tastier venues for celebrating with more fairly priced food and drinks. But it's still a decent atmosphere if you're looking for a "special" place to celebrate.
(3)
Athina W.
I went there on Friday 3/15, the whole experience was HORRIBLE! I had a party of 8, and I was told it was going to be a 60-90 minute wait. Which was fine, so we all went to the bar to have a drink. The bar staff was great, they got us our drinks pretty quickly and the drinks were good. A person out of my party went to go check on our table and she was informed to gather the party together because our name was about to be called. So we did as we were told, and gathered at the front, only to find out that we were going to be standing there for almost 20 minutes waiting for a table. (There were 4 tables open for big parties, they just didn't seat us). When we were finally seated, it literally took the waitress twenty minutes to greet us at our table and take our drink orders. When we finally got our drinks, she left us again and did not return for another 25 minutes. Mind you it was not that busy, she only had 3 parties. (I counted). When she came back to take our food orders, we asked for recommendations she really didn't say anything was good except the Seafood Mac & Cheese. So one of my friends and I ordered the Mac & Cheese thinking it was going to be awesome. 30 minutes later......we finally got our food. DISGUSTING! The seafood mac & cheese was advertised to have shrimp, lump crab meat, and a cheese sauce. What I got was overcooked noodles, shrimp, no crab meat, and a sheet (literally a sheet) of cheese on top. After trying to find my crab meat, I asked my waitress to send it back to the kitchen. She asked what was wrong with my meal and I proceeded to tell her that there was no lump crab meat in my dish. She said that it wasn't included in the dish, only shrimp. When I told her that the menu states differently, she reluctantly took my meal back. After 15 more minutes of waiting, I finally received my meal again, only to find out that they put SHREDDED crab meat, instead of the advertised lump crab meat. As the night went on, we couldn't find our waitress for drink refills, we had to ask another waitress for refills. Our waitress didn't come back and check on us to see if our meals were okay, and if we needed anything. We basically had to hunt her down for our checks and boxes for the lack luster food that they serve. I wouldn't have given her a tip, but it was already included because I had a party of 8. Oh, and don't get me started on the band. TOOOOOOOOO LOUDDDDDDD. You could barely hear the person next to you. All in all, I would only go back to get drinks. NOT TO EAT. I just wish they hired better wait staff because the waitress I had was NOT good.
(1)
VEGAS J.
jimmy buffet margaritaville was a real reason we went after walking by it in Las Vegas we were so excited to have that same atmosphere nearby. We were very very very disappointed what a travesty we didn't even go up to the hostess. The place was small and It didn't have the same feel as the other locations it reminded me of those Airport restaurants that are the express versions. I did not hear buffet music as well. And it was pricy for the experience. We chose to eat off property due to this.
(1)
Bryan K.
I typically love stopping at margaritaville on a trip. Out in Cincinnati for the flying pig marathon. Was bummed they had no shark tank. They tried to make one but not very good. Also added chicken to nachos and it tasted like store bought cubed chicken, yuck. Table was also not clean. Would not recommend the trek here.
(1)
L V.
So my fiance and I decided to check out the casino and grab a late lunch Saturday afternoon. Ok, yes I know it was the first weekend it was open...we were expecting a crowd. We found Margaritaville being the only restaurant that had visibly open tables, so we stopped and put our name in. The young girls at the front said it would be a 35-45 minute wait. I kind of chuckled and said "Even with all these empty tables?" and they just kinda said .... "Yeah...we know". So, we smiled and confusingly took our little buzzer thing and tried to get a drink at the bar (which was impossible...they had 2 bartenders). Somehow two seats opened up at the bar and we snagged those quickly. We needed a drink. The big margaritas served in the blender looking cups caught my eye. The price (I believe 14.25) is quite steep...but they looked big and awesome....and well, we were in Margaritaville, so why not. We ordered two of those. We watched the bartender pour it out of some premade mix. It tasted great!.....for a non alcoholic drink. Over 14 dollars and you couldn't even taste any alcohol, if I am spending that much on 1 drink, I need to taste something. We had to get 2 more shots of tequila to even make it worth it. So the drinks ended up being $22+ a person. Sort of ridiculous.... We're waiting for our table...and waiting....and waiting. We are watching around us people coming in and seemingly getting sat right away, and still a bunch of empty tables all around the restaurant. After about 45 minutes, I had my fiance check our name on the list. They told us we were 2nd in line. About 30 minutes later, we gave up and just decided to eat at the bar. It was ridiculous....there were tons of servers around....so I don't think staffing was the issue. And if it was the kitchen that was the issue, hire more cooks. From the bartender we ordered the nachos and the Conch fritters. I was hoping for at least some mediocre food....and it was meh.... The nachos are piled so high with what seems like a whole bag of tortilla chips, but only toppings on the very top. Not to mention it is piled so high, toppings and stuff were flying all over the table when we would try to grab a chip. Kinda silly if you ask me. I'd rather have half the chips and enjoy my nachos instead of giving me a whole bag that falls all over the place. The Conch fritters literally tasted like crab-flavored bread that was fried. It is not like the Conch fritters you get by the beach. I took a couple bites and was done with those. So, our bill was a total of about 60 bucks. For 2 ridiculously overpriced (yet good) margaritas and 2 crappy appetizers. I'd rather spend my money elsewhere. We won't be back. Hopefully within the next month, they get their kinks work out, hire more workers, or something....
(2)
Kirk S.
I tried Margaritaville for the first and maybe last time yesterday. I was seated at a high top table in the bar overlooking the casino. It's a good thing i had this view because i had plenty of time to kill before my server got to the table to even take my drink order. The hamburger was very good but I was just about finished with it by the time the extra BBQ sauce (which I requested once the sandwich was delivered) came to the table. I also waited for too long for a refill on my drink given how uncrowded the place was. Not impressed especially when I can get a far superior burger a few feet away for 75% of the price and half the wait time.
(2)
Sanjay P.
So I read some of the reviews below - I think that where they seat you might have a big part of it. We dont gamble but decided to check out the Casino for restaurants. After checking everything out, we decided on Margaritaville. We do intend to check out all the other places too! :) The atmosphere was lively. We chose to sit outside; there was a musician playing live (acoustic guitar +vocals) who wasnt great but at least it was not loud and we could have a decent conversation. The service was terrible. We werent waited on for at least 15 minutes, then they forgot the flatware (we had to wait 5 minutes after food was served for the flatware to arrive). The food, however wasnt bad! I ordered the turkey burger which was pretty good. My wife was happy with her chicken teriyaki (and she loves asian food, having spent 4 yrs in Japan) .My buddy enjoyed his hamburger. Definitely not gourmet but thats not what you are expecting going in anyway. Not bad for a relatively inexpensive meal at the Casino.
(3)
Julianne K.
Margaritaville is thoroughly mediocre. We joined some friends for dinner at Margaritaville on a Friday night because we really were in the mood for you guessed it, margaritas. They have oodles of margarita-type drinks on their menu and we all ordered different ones. The drinks weren't very good and overpriced. All of the drinks were way too sweet with not enough alcohol. We ordered some appetizers and the only one that stood out was the nachos and that's because one order was enough to feed all 8 people at the table with some leftover. No one had anything spectacular to say about the food. A couple people ordered burgers and wish they would have not wasted the calories on them. I had the fish tacos and they were just okay. Overall no one was impressed with the food or drinks. Service was good though. There are too many other decent restaurants in Cincinnati to whom I would rather give my money.
(2)
Meredeth W.
We went to this restaurant with a group of about 10. They are not yet taking reservations, but we just put our name in & continued to gamble in the area while waiting for our table. The menu has just about something for everyone. I personally ordered the jerk chicken & it was great, not too hot. I also had some of the breaded chicken bites appetizer & they were so tender. A couple of the other "hits" based on other diners in my group were the club sandwich and the spinach & artichoke appetizer. Our waiter was amazing. His name was EG or EJ and it was some of the best service I have ever had, especially with a group this large. Not once did anyone in our group run out of their drink & he was constantly checking on us. I would definitely go back to this restaurant.
(4)
Bob H.
not great food I was expecting so much better, I will not go back
(1)
Stephanie H.
First off, we are HUGE Buffett fans and HUGE fans of the Margaritaville in Myrtle Beach!!! We were over the moon when it was announced they'd be opening one here in Cincinnati! Anyhoo, we wanted to go there for my birthday, with about ten people. We'd read the reviews and heard from other Parrottheads that the wait on a Saturday night was 3+ hours; so we ate someplace else, and just showed up for the band & drinks. We got there around 8pm. There was no line, the place looked fairly empty; yet the host at the door (a rude young fellow who apparently has control issues) told us all to wait behind the rope, he'd seat us when he could. We were told there was a wait... why? Tons of empty tables! So we told him, we'll just take those two tables next to all the OTHER empty tables at the bar area! Our waitress was the ONLY saving grace to this place. She was prompt and friendly (yet she seemed rather unhappy with her coworkers). And the drinks......... be prepared to lose your wallet over these. Hubby got his standard tall Captain & Diet, and it was basically a Diet Coke with a pindrop of Captain Morgan in it. For $9.00 per glass. After about 6 of of those, he's still sober, getting hyper from all the caffeine, and ticked that even though he asked for DOUBLE SHOTS, he couldn't taste ANY rum in the drink! This place is a FAR CRY from the one in Myrtle Beach, I guess they have some catching up to do. Or maybe they just don't care. Pretty sad, considering, this is where the phrase 'Parrotthead' was born. The only way we'll go back is if it's late summer, after they've worked out the kinks, and hope to the gods that they hire happier, friendlier people to work those front ropes. As a bar... it just sucked.
(2)
Lauren F.
I'd love to be able to review the food but we didn't even get that far so this is only a review of the customer service we experienced. My friend picked this place to celebrate her 30th birthday because she thought it would be a fun atmosphere and I volunteered to be in charge of planning. We had a group of about 10 people (including a small child) and I called to see if I could make reservations. The woman on the phone said they don't take reservations but assured me we "should be fine" if we got there by 5PM. I made sure to arrive even before then to get a table for everyone and as soon as I got there, I saw a very long line in front of the hostess stand. By the time I got to the front, I was told it would be a 2.5 hour wait. The hostess was the same person I had talked to on the phone. I said "but you told me as long as we got here by 5 we wouldn't have to wait." She replied very rudely, "Well obviously not." Then she tried to argue with me over what time it actually was and explained how this was really my fault, despite what I had been told on the phone. So I had to scramble at the last minute to find a new place to have the party and then contact everyone who had not already arrived to reroute them to a different restaurant. (see my positive review of Maggiano's). So Margaritaville nearly ruined my friends party. Why they don't have a hostess with any customer service skills or basic manners I can't understand. None of us will be returning.
(1)
Rachel B.
Overall a fan of Margaritaville because of ONE main reason: our server, James C. For those of you interested in trying this place out, I would ask to be seated with him so you can actually enjoy the experience. SERVICE - Fan My friend and I decided to hit up this restaurant before going to the Weezer concert. I thought it would be packed because of the show, and it was rather busy, but we still were seated immediately. Awesome, we were starving! We were greeted right away by our server, James C. He had lots of positive energy and seemed passionate about giving us a great experience. James was kind enough to make sure we were happy with our seats and we told him they were perfect - we were on the bottom floor near the TVs, somewhat close to the entrance. The service continued to remain excellent, even as the restaurant became busier and busier. James ensured we had everything we needed, within a timely manner, without having to ask twice (sometimes without having to ask at all). He never made us feel rushed or like he didn't have time for us, but he never made it awkward by hanging around our table too long :) FOOD / DRINKS - Fan of the drinks, food was a-ok Drinks - James asked us if we'd like one of Margaritaville's mixed drinks, which is what the restaurant is known for. I told James I would order the Hurricane if he sang a line from 'Rock you like a Hurricane' and he actually did it! Loudly and proudly. I instantly liked James. My friend ordered the Havanas and Bananas. Both drinks tasted amazing! Appetizers / Entree - For food, we ordered the shrimp appetizer, buffalo wings, and a chicken entree. The food came quickly, as ordered, hot, and tasted good (not out of this world, but good). Dessert - As we were finishing up our last meal, James brought out a tray with 5 different dessert cups. My friend got the Rieces pieces cake and I got 'Death by Chocolate.' The Rieces pieces dessert was amazing if you like peanut butter. The death by chocolate was decent, though a little too rich for me to finish completely. OVERALL Based on the other reviews I've seen for Margaritaville, I definitely believe where you're seated and who your server is makes a huge difference. That being said, ASK FOR JAMES!
(4)
J N.
Payed over $14.00 for 22 ounces of margarita. Very disappointing. Couldn't taste the alcohol and felt nothing after drinking the entire thing. Cost way too much for no payoff whatsoever
(1)
Gabrielle M.
Great! It's new because of the Casino, but the service was great! Alisha treated my boyfriend and I well, making great drink and food suggestions. There's a Mango Rita with a sugar rim which is great if you like sweet and the uptown is definitely decent on a day of hard work. I had the nachos... I should have invited more friends because its definitely a meal for four or five. My boyfriend had the BBQ bacon cheese burger and onion rings and he said it was pretty good and filling. There was also a live band that sang great covers, unfortunately I can't remember the bands name and the restaurant rotates bands throughout the week.
(4)
Rachel K.
The Margaritaville in Vegas will forever be my favorite.
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Garage Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : No Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Music : Live Good For Dancing : No Alcohol : Full Bar Happy Hour : Yes Best Nights : Mon, Sat, Sun Coat Check : No Smoking : No Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Mary M.
We sat on a high top in the bar. The waiter we had was awesome.
(4)Olivia M.
I'm not at all impressed by this place. The drinks are just okay and way overpriced. The ambience is nice. It kind of gives you a somewhat island feel but seeing as that you are still in the casino you kinda lose it. I know on some nights they play music but mostly just blah. Sadly.
(2)Les A.
My wife and had dinner there last night while my son and his friend were at the Weezer show. We were told it was an hour wait. Since we had all night , we didn't mind. Our buzzer went off about 20 minutes later. We were seated and ordered drinks. Our server was Kayleigh. We could tell she was a bit frazzled because of the people at the next table were not satisfied with their experience. Service was a bit on the slow side but, considering how crowded it was, was not terrible. We ordered an appetizer, based on Kayleigh's suggestion. The crab dip was excellent. It came out piping hot. Our meals were excellent. A club sandwich that was almost too big and a huge cob salad. Kayleigh was noticeably more relaxed after the other tables left. She was an excellent server: friendly, articulate, conscientious. She is definitely an asset! Keep up the good work!
(4)Wendy C.
Just ate there last Saturday and my meal was great. Had the shrimp trio with a perfect margarita and loved it! The only thing I will say is that it is very slow on a regular basis. This takes away from the party, good time, fun ambiance that should be there. We've been there multiple times and we've never had quick service; quite slow, but food and drinks are good. I'm surprised it's so slow on a Saturday night. Wish it was more popular and busy. We were one of 5 tables on a Saturday night.
(4)Betty V.
I would really like to talk about the food. Unfortunately, the service was so bad we left before ordering -- not that they would have noticed. It appeared that there was only one wait person for the whole restaurant. After 10 minutes of solitude, we started looking around. One table had finished their large soft drinks and were looking around to see if their food would be coming.Three other tables were searching, too. We wound up eating at Bobby Flay's Burger Palace. (A solid 4.5 last night.)
(1)Ryan M.
Went here during SantaCon2014 (12/13/14) Out of all bars in casino, this is the nicest and best themed, however it is still terrible. 1) Cannot take beer onto casino floor. What? That's crazy 2) Service was very slow, the casino was the starting point for SantaCon, you would think the casino/restaurant would be staffed properly to accommodate their guest. Nope, way too slow 3) Lack of 'beach' feel there. I would not go back there again.
(2)Gerardo R.
This is a very expensive low quality food. I had a $17 shrimp salad that just was a big $1 lettuce cut in 3 pieces, 6 shrimps, one egg, and other small things with a lot of dressing. What a shame! Never comeback again.
(1)Michelle R.
As a hardcore Parrot Head, it pains me to give Margaritaville 3 stars, but the quality of food has definitely decreased with the increased quantity of locations. The seafood dip appetizer was watery and the garlic bread was too buttery and took away from the dip itself. The Black & Bleu burger was served with blue cheese and peppery bacon. It was very good. The fries were okay but could have used some more seasoning. The bread pudding dessert was pretty good. It was topped with banana slices and chocolate.
(3)Libby V.
Come Monday, and I was hungry. So since there was No Booze On The Beach and it was 5 O'clock Somewhere, I decided to look for my Lost Shaker of Salt here. There was plenty of Booze in the Blender, and I had a most delicious concoction of blueberries and vodka that made me want to Get Drunk and $crew, but I resisted the idea when I remembered water beds make me seasick. There was another guy at the bar who looked like a Pirate of 40, but he was telling some cock and bull story about how much money he made holding signs up on freeway exits, so I decided to study the menu instead. Not in the mood for a Cheeseburger in Paradise, I settled on a Cuban Sandwich cause they had me at hot mustard. Don't ask, just get this sandwich and you can thank me later. (My belly was a Volcano later but tums helped) Music is loud here, and there's an outside entrance so there was kids everywhere and some tall skinny dude making them balloon hats. Seemed kind of out of place in a casino chain restaurant. Sometimes some of them escape and there's rug rats in the casino which it totally not appropriate. Beware - they have a separate liquor license than the casino, so you can't take a drink in or out. Who's to Blame? It's really silly, but Ohio law or something so just beware. Some people think there's a woman to blame, but I know it's their own dam fault...
(4)Rebecca P.
I have been to several Margaritaville's and this one by far is the worst I've ever been to, the service was terrible. The food was terrible and the atmosphere was horrible. I didn't even hear a jimmy buffet song the whole time I was in there.. If I wanted to listen to pop songs I could have just gone down the road to a different restaurant. People go here for the atmosphere and they don't have it! All they care about is taking your money! Guess that's what you get having it in a casino... Never going back!!
(1)Linsey G.
I've seen, heard, and read some hater-like thoughts and opinions. I've also seen, heard, and read some praise. (Okay fine, full on strokage of the place.) It's all personal preference, and that's how I'll leave it. So just try it out before forming you own opinion. That's what I'll say. Also this: I'm an advocate for Cincinnati and--seeing as I'm a lifelong resident of this great city--I have its best interest in mind, and my hopes for its thriving up close and personally within the throngs of my heart. I also love everything organic and architectural about this city, and sometimes take offense to its spaces being compromised. A block-sized concrete eyesore can be considered just that. Instead, I don't think of Horseshoe Casino and, more specifically, Margaritaville to be such a bad thing. At all. This particular restaurant is one of 20+ franchises within the chain, which is located in multiple countries in North America and even one in Australia. I'm largely opposed to chain restaurants, but I don't consider Margaritaville to be such a bad thing. Reminiscent to Hard Rock Café and Planet Hollywood, this restaurant boasts middle of the road casual dining, some entertainment, and live music. (Also money to our thriving city. I digress.) The biggest difference from those places? The all-around experience. Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville is all about fun. If you're going to this place for anything other than entertainment, you're doing it wrong. You want great food? This experience is not for you. But if you're looking for a mid-casino break from the dinging of the slot machines, this is absolutely your place. If you're looking for a really good time and to share it with as many other people as possible? This is absolutely your place. For a moderate price, you can enjoy some drinks, appetizers, or something from its pretty extensive menu. Or you could, y'know, do all of the above. Parrotheads are some of the friendliest, most fun traveling pack of loyal music fans. I was fortunate enough to have attended a VIP pre-opening of "Fincinnati's" Margaritaville, and particularly enjoyed how much fun everyone was genuinely having. You don't find this kind of elation many places and by so many people in one place, so it was a special experience--one that I hope happens again and again as long as this place is open. I may not frequent Margaritaville downtown a ton in the future, but I genuinely liked the place for precisely what it was: a decent restaurant with good appetizers, drinks, live (but not oppressively loud) music, and fun. And lots of the latter. Also Jimmy Buffett tunes. (If I could give it 3.5 stars, I would, but I don't think it warrants a 4. So 3 it is.)
(3)Mike N.
I'll preface this review by saying I am a Buffett fan and have been to several Margaritavilles. If you are not a big fan, this is probably not a place for you. Typical menus. Volcano nachos are awesome and made to share by about 4 people. Drinks are pricey but strong. Entrees are basic. It was burger month, and there was a bit of a delay due to the new menu. When the food arrived it was worth the wait. The motif is the least inspired of all the Margaritaville's I have visited. Also, if you have anyone in your party under 18, you must enter via the outside entrance,
(2)Matt A.
To keep this short and sweet, I don't normally review things that are middle of the road. I usually have to Love It! or Hate It! to write about it. This place didn't blow me away or anything, but in reading through some of the negative reviews, I feel that it deserves a bump. My lady and I ate here and had some yummy frozen drinks on their nice patio. The waitresses were attentive and friendly. The shrimp was very nicely seasoned. We did not have to wait to be seated (about 8pm Sunday). Prices were reasonable. For the money, it was definitely the best restaurant choice inside the Horseshoe Casino. I cannot speak for other people's experiences here, but I think trying to seat thirty people for dinner on a peak casino night and being surprised at a wait is a bit naive. It doesn't make sense for a place like this to take reservations during busy times, regardless of how entitled you feel to instant gratification. Go have a drink and relax. Its not the restaurant's fault you just lost a grand playing blackjack.
(4)Missy L.
Well...Margaritaville was really about what I expected. Over priced food and drinks with cheesy decor and bad music. I mean it is inside of a casino after all. If you are trapped inside of the Horseshoe Casino like I found myself last weekend...I'd advise passing on Margaritaville and perhaps going to the buffet instead. I ordered the veggie burger which is made in house (which sounded promising). It was a patty of mush and corn that fell completely a part after my first bite. It was bland and I ended up putting a ton of ketchup and mustard on it and still waws The atmosphere...is strange. First off they seated us ON the dance floor. It was so loud I couldn't hear myself think let alone try and have a conversation with my friends. I was afraid to move my chair at all due to the drunk people dancing around me. Do yourself a favor and save your money. This place is not worth the cost AT ALL!
(1)Taylor A.
We stopped in for lunch, decided to order nachos while we looked the menu over...needless to say, that's all we ordered! The nachos were so big that the two of us couldn't finish them! We waited a min to be seated but other than that the service was on point and the food was great!
(5)Stephen L.
So we called ahead and explained our situation to the manager who said if we put our name on the list we could get the entire group in by 7. We arrived at 530 to be safe and the totally rude hostess told us it would be a 3-4 hour wait! We finally got in at 915pm. Service was terrible. Waiter spilled an entire glass of wine all over me. Food was terrible. In short, Margaritaville was a full blown nightmare. I will likely never return......especially to celebrate a special occasion. Totally ruined celebration. They simply don't care........
(1)Sherry T.
3.5 stars is more accurate. I was a bit uneasy about eating here after reading other reviews but was pleasantly surprised in the end. Service was a bit slow at first, but it got better. I had the Cuban sandwich based on Libby V's review and was quite happy with it. I wish they offered a side salad in place of fries. My husband's jerk pork sandwich and coleslaw were both on the dry side. I would return.
(3)Bob M.
Everything would be fine except for this so called manager named Andrew. He treats his employees and customers as if they were 2nd class. It was so frustrating to watch that we ended up leaving before our meal arrived. The staff obviously doesn't like him and it shows in the service. According the our waitress, this guy is insulting them even though he really isn't in charge. We left our waitress $10 and went to Bobby's for a burger instead. Disappointed. We've been to many locations throughout the US and non of them are as quiet as this one. The location in Panama City is so busy that they can't even fit the band inside any longer. They moved the entertainment outside to make room for seating. Cincinnati doesn't stand a chance unless they get rid of guys like this and bring back service, love, and respect for one another. That's JImmy's way.
(1)Chandler L.
This place is really just ok. The space is very large which makes getting a table pretty easy. The food that we had was pretty good as well. The reason for the 3* is that they were playing live music the entire time we were there. It really didn't fit in with the space. The guys were good but the space couldn't support the volume they produced. It made the meal really unpleasant because the group had no way of speaking.
(3)Nicole J.
I am definitely not really impressed. I went alone during late afternoon. It didn't take any time to be seated but it took FOREVER to get my food. The waitress was really nice and pleasant but she somehow got the order mixed up. I really wanted to try the grilled chicken sandwich but ended up with the fried fish instead. The fries portion was small as it seemed that someone took fries off of my plate in order to add to someone else's. She was so pleasant about her error, I decided to try the food anyway--- just to avoid waiting an additional 15-20 minutes. The food was okay but wasn't really worth the price paid. I order dessert-- simple ice cream, bread pudding and bananas--- took an additional 32 minutes total!!! This was after I'd already paid. I then asked the horrible mgr on duty about when I'd receive my order-- she went and checked and Said "they're putting chocolate chips on it right now," walked away unapologetically and never looked my way again. I didn't receive the dessert for another 10 minutes afterwards. I was actually ready to just donate my dessert to another patron at this point. Again the waitress was nice but I'd definitely not visit this place again at this point.
(2)Melissa D.
I'm giving this one star for the following reasons: 1. OVERPRICED - ordered the "Drunken" Shrimp Skillet. The description made it sound awesome -- Sautéed with tequila key lime butter, roasted garlic, onions and peppers, with a mini baguette for dipping. It cost $13.99. We got 5 shrimp. 5. It was nothing special. I also ordered a Last Mango in Paris margarita - $9.50. My friend ordered one too. Our bill came to $32.00 and we didn't even eat a full meal! 2. Atmosphere - Given this is located in the Horseshoe Casino, and we went on a Wednesday afternoon, it was dead. Other than a few people at the bar, we were the only table. They sat us next to the only other table in the place -- which was empty and had not been bused. It stayed dirty the entire time we were there. Our server seemed perturbed that we didn't order more than drinks and an appetizer. I'm sure the place is hopping on the weekends so maybe I'm being a tad unfair? 3. Food Quality - See point 1. The portions were small for the price. To compare, we ordered a dozen oysters at Pappadaeux's and it cost us $13.49. TWELVE oysters on the half shell. With condiments. Paid more for small, mediocre shrimp drowned in butter and veggies. Again, maybe I'm being unfair since I didn't order and entree, but after that appetizer I wasn't interested in anything else. Do yourself a favor - if you want seafood, take the trip down 275 West to Springdale and eat at Pappadaeux. Bigger bang for your buck! Or even McCormick & Schmick's by Fountain Square in downtown Cincy. I realize this restaurant isn't a seafood joint, but if you're going to serve it, do it right!
(1)Ellery L.
If you have dinner plans that involve a trip to Margaritaville I would suggest you change them. The service is actually quite nice, the staff is knowledgeable and courteous. The problem, however, lies with the actual food. The food is a sad attempt at tropical delights and the overall ambiance is distracting if not helpless. I ordered the shrimp trio an I should have known that being in a landlocked state that this decision was a mistake. The flavors did not coalesce at all. A guest with me ordered a cheeseburger, a pretty simple menu item, yet the waiter even commented that it depends on the night whether you will get your meat cooked to order! I feel bad for the waitstaff that has to represent this nonsense. If Margaritaville is Jimmy Buffett's idea of a cheeseburger in paradise then I'll stay my ass at home!
(2)Randy A.
Nice place!!! Food was very good but a little pricey. The drinks where much better than you can get in the casino. To bad you can't get a drink at Jimmy's and walk around the casino with it
(4)Lisa T.
Awful! We went on Friday night to see a band a friend wanted to see. There were only a few tables of people because Oktoberfest was going on but the place was dead. The point of that is that the service was horrific and it cant be because they were busy. After sitting for 20 minutes we stopped a guy and asked if he would wait on us. He did but it took another 15 mins to get our drinks. We had to ask again to get them (now 3x) and finally when they arrived the waitress said "we will take care of these for you" as in leading us to believe they would comp something. So one guy ordered celery and ranch and they literally brought out one stalk cut into 4 pieces..so when the bill came for 2 buckets of beer and 4 pcs of celery it was over $56...we complained and even mentioned the waitress said "we will take care of you all considering the wait" the manager refused saying alcohol couldn't be comp'd in Ohio ...ok then well what about free celery?? What about a coupon to return?? So 6 of us will never ever go back....seems a manager would do whatever it took to make things right...Adios Margaritaville!!!
(1)Vernon B.
You have got to be kidding! Absolutely terrible. Wanted to try something different for a family birthday dinner. No one tells you that you have to walk nearly a quarter mile to get in through the front door because there is no way that people under 21 can get through the casino. Once we finally got there we tried a few margaritas (the place is called margaritaville after all) they were overpriced and tasted like pre-made syrup. Considering the drinks are 10 dollars a piece u would at least expect to have some alcohol in them or hell, a MARGATITA GLASS! AWFUL! Non alcoholic drinks do not have free refills.. I'm not kidding. The food menu is small and unimpressive. I tried the chicken tacos. There were no pictures but for 18 dollars you expect more than two tacos with less meat in them than taco bell. You would also expect your food to actually be warm. WRONG. After over thirty minutes of waiting the ice cold food arrived. It had to be immediately returned and I ordered a burger. Meanwhile my family enjoyed bland pre made burgers, dried awful chicken fingers with sauce that you can buy at Kroger, and halfway decent coconut shrimp. My food finally arrived after another 20 minutes and my family nearly done eating. It was just as uninspiring as the rest of this experience. The bill finally arrived to all of our relief. At this point we were completely tired of watching the same Jimmy Buffet home movies on literally every screen. (do they not have some sort of cable sports package) for our family of 6 the bill was over 150 and none of us were happy or full. Absolutely Terrible. Will NEVER go back to this lazy excuse for a restaurant. Wish I could give zero stars.
(1)Grace M.
I was very excited when this opened up downtown because I work within walking distance. Love other Margaritaville's so I couldn't wait to try. Well... Horrible service! Now I completely understand rushes but when we sat down (table of 6) there was only a couple of tables around us and the place was not even close to full. It took FOREVER to get drinks (shoulda been the first warning)- and even longer to get our food! They are in a location that could do great business for the quick 1 hour work lunch- Well don't waste your time here. You can not get in and our in an hour! I would hate to see how long people wait when the place is full- but maybe that why it wasn't full because others before me learned the same lesson I did- DON'T go BACK! Food is nothing specially, and with a wait like ours, I will definitely pass next time!!
(1)Stephen G.
For whatever reason, Jimmy Buffet is something of an iconic figure in Cincinnati. His yearly concerts at Riverbend sell out in double-quick time, the day of the gig itself almost treated like some kind of unofficial local public holiday. I have no idea why. I don't think there's enough wild horses on the entire planet to drag me to one of his shows, but maybe that's because I have a modicum of good taste? So, it was with a sense of some trepidation that we tried out his Margaritaville concept restaurant inside downtown's swanky Horseshoe Casino. The theme is some kind of Caribbean/Key West/Floridian/beach hybrid, with a sea plane hanging from the ceiling and palm trees in abundance. I have to say its very well appointed indeed, everything looks right and big money has evidently been spent on the surroundings, comfort and vibe. We dined on a Thursday afternoon, just before the end of the working day. As such we were seated quickly and efficiently and received immediate attention from our bubbly server. She was very personable, but possibly a little bit too personal in her patter, asking me all kinds of questions about my accent, how I got to America, what I thought of America, what is that case I had on my phone... and lots more besides. During one of her absences I joked with my wife that she will come back and maybe ask how big my wiener was. My wife responded with "Well if she does make sure you lie, I don't want her to feel sorry for me" What the what now? The food came out promptly. My wife ordered the handmade Veggie Burger and declared it a Veggie Burger in Paradise. (See what I did there?) I had the BBQ Bacon Burger which, unfortunately came from a different part of paradise where they serve up overcooked dry burgers devoid of any moisture or real taste. Having to add ketchup and mustard to kick it up a notch made it no better than fast food in my opinion. I did mention this to the server who said "the kitchen is still in a learning curve". Honest, but maybe too revealing. Given the prestige of this restaurant I would have thought the kitchen would have its act together WELL before its opening in early March, let alone still suffering growing pains several weeks later. It was OK. Nothing spectacular to drag me back there at all. Overpriced bar food in a nice setting just about sums it up for me. My wife was more abrupt... "the worst thing about this Jimmy Buffett restaurant is having to hear his crappy music all the time". Succinct. Honest. Truthful. It's why I married her.
(2)Abby R.
A group of four of us went on Wednesday night. It was a bit slower and we were seated right away. Our server was very friendly and attentive. The Volcano Nachos were enormous and very good. When you think "I want Nachos!" this is the place to go! I ordered the Cheeseburger in Paradise as a veggie burger and it was exactly what I wanted. The food is perfect chill/beach food!
(5)Carol M.
Ordered 2 appetizers lava lava shrimp today, shrimp was way over cooked and had no sauce it was a total waste of money.
(1)Christi D.
I'm sorry you had such staffing problems tonight. The little food we did get was good but such a long wait for everything...should have realized after we sat for 20 minute after being seated with no attention (but we weren't all there yet and okay at that point). Finally, after 2 hours!, we were told no more food was coming after one of our items and something we didn't order were brought out. Don't get me wrong, we were grateful to eat something. We had time to kill or we wouldn't have waited as long as we did. Glasses turned into plastic cups...we were still charged for what we did consume, no consideration given for our time and frustration. Someone from the casino offered us buffet for 4. As a former server and currently still in the restaurant business, we were really disappointed in how the evening was handled, even by those who stayed to try to perform their jobs in the chaos. Can't think of the situation that would have me ever entering your doors again.
(1)Maggie U.
The food is delicious. My favorite is the Mac n Cheese with crab. The fried pickles are delicious as well as most of the desserts. The drinks are fun to try. Havanas and Bananas are delicious. The staff is very good, and they really get into it. I love the atmosphere and music. Grab some friends, get a Cheeseburger in Paradise with a cold draft beer, and dream about the ocean. Great times and good food!
(5)Tara V.
I will pass on this next time. Our food was kinda warm when it arrived. Watched others get served before us, when they came in after us. The restaurant was far from crowded, so no excuses. Sorry. As much as i wanted to love it, its not so good.
(2)Sharon B.
My boyfriend and I decided to go on a Thursday night since we had a $20 gift card. It was not busy at all and we got seated right away. We did not have to wait long for our server and ordered our drinks right away. I got the Sunset Cruise and my bf got a beer. The Sunset Cruise was good, no complaints there. I ordered the fajitas and my bf got the cheeseburger in paradise. I asked no sour cream and they give me double guacamole. That was a nice surprise and it was delicious. It was a lot of food and I was not able to finish it all. My bf had no complaints about his cheeseburger. The only thing that I did not like was this girl on slits making balloons. I do not understand that at all. She was right at our table making a rabbit balloon. Why in the world would I want a stranger standing next to me making a balloon, while I am trying to eat. That needs to stop. I do not need her making a balloon while watching me eat my food. Besides that strange experience., I was happy with everything else.
(4)Jennifer N.
Atmosphere great! Food not so much..... Let's just say for the prices you pay it's like eating at Applebees for the quality of food you are eating. Sure it is chain restaurant I get that but at the same time I should expect a little more quality food because after all it is supposed to be better than a normal chain restaurant. The atmosphere is great if you want to kick back and enjoy some drinks but save your money and eat at another chain restaurant because trust me it tastes exactly the same and the wallet will thank you.
(3)Jennifer D.
I'll start this review by saying that I did not eat at this particular location of the Margaritaville chain. I am reviewing it as a bar. And as a bar, I can safely give it 3 stars, much like Linsey G. says, I can't justify 4, but it's a little better than the 3. We went on the first Saturday night that the casino was open to the public for a bachelorette party. So already, I have to cut them some slack for the wait times. We actually were able to walk right in since we weren't being seated for dinner. That really impressed me. I figured we were going to have to stand in some kind of line. Well we did, for drinks, but again, I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly the bartenders were working and how friendly and professional they remained despite teh chaos swirling around that place on a Saturday night- no less the first Saturday night they were open. They had a great cover band playing and we were able to kind of take over the dance floor at first. Slowly but surely, it started to fill up, but the Parrot Head vibe prevailed- and it was peaceful and fun. A couple of our drunken friends even spilled drinks and a polite staff member appeared quickly to clean it up. I was really impressed. I went into this experience expecting the worst, and I was pleasantly surprised. I'll have to go back sometime!
(3)Troy S.
This review comes from a Sunday night (post Bengals game) experience. I sat down with a few friends after the host told us to simply sit wherever we wanted, and was content for a couple minutes watching the Sunday night football game. About 10 minutes later, however, when we didn't get so much as a hello and drink order, I wasn't so content. Eventually, a server came and gave us drink menus after a hurried greeting. We then decided to quickly decide on food so when he came back, we could just order all at once. The food did come out pretty quick, and the servers drink reccomendation was solid, but when it came time to pay the bill, we found ourselves sitting for 15 minutes without a check up or any sign of our server. After eventually sending the host to go find him, we got our checks after another 10 min. Despite the horrendous service, the food was pretty decent and the drinks were quite good. The location is great inside the casino, but doesn't have mcuh of a beach or tropical feeling to it like the ones in Florida do. It's decent for food and drinks, but with terrible service, head over to Bobbys Burger Palace instead.
(2)Trad R.
Horrible service and management!!! This is the 4 th Margaritaville I've been to and I've never had bad service. It was a Friday night, Memorial Day weekend. It took 90 minutes to be seated yet at least 30% of the seats were open. Bad management/ leadership! Place was not busy at all! Once seated it took 20 minutes before a waiter acknowledged us and another 20 to get drinks. The one in Vegas, which I've been to many times is always packed yet I've never waited more than 35 minutes. Crazy! Jimmy needs to know this franchise in Cincinnati is failing all expectations!
(1)Josh D.
I have to preface this by saying that I am not someone who complains about customer service. If I receive bad service or poor food quality, I just don't go back. I'm not here for a charity. I was a server for 3 years while in college, and I currently work in customer service now. I understand that it can be hard, but the experience I had at Margaritaville was very bad. So bad that I am writing my first Yelp review because of it. Enjoy the story... On 01/05/2014 I went to Margaritaville with two friends. This is the fourth time I have dined here. The first three times I went were rather pleasant. I don't understand how people complain that the food is overpriced, because it simply is not for being attached to a casino. Anyways, we went during the Bengals playoff games, the restaurant was a ghost town as a result. The three of us sat at the bar and were greeted promptly. We got our drinks in a timely manner which was good. My friends order two burgers. As I like to try new things with each visit, I decided to give a steak a try. My two friends ordered their burgers medium-well, I order my sirloin medium. I know how long it takes to cook a steak and some burgers and our food took entirely too long to arrive. Especially with there only being one other customer in the restaurant, having to wait 20-25 minutes for the food is pretty absurd. A medium steak should take at the most 15 minutes. We finally get our food and I go to eat my steak and find that I was actually served what looked like rehydrated beef jerky. The steak was beyond well done. Normally, I will just eat that which is given to me as I am not a fan of wasted food. I will not complain, I will just not go back to that restaurant or I will just not order that item again. This time, however, our order should've been correct as we were three of four customers in the restaurant. I simply asked for a new steak packaged to go as I figured my food would not be ready by the time the other two finished. Our bartender server did a great job trying to get the steak out in a hurry, I will give her that. The steak took about what I would imagine it should've taken, ~15 minutes. In that time, the other two in my party had already finished and paid for their food. Finally my steak arrives, and I was thankful the staff gave me a whole new entree with new sides as well even though I did not ask for that. I was kind of shocked that a manager did not bring the food or apologize for the inconvenience. The bartender asked if I would like a knife to cut in to the steak, I said sure. SHE THEN REACHES IN TO THE DIRTY DISH BUS PAN AND GAVE ME A FRESHLY USED STEAK KNIFE ENJOYED BY ANOTHER CUSTOMER AND SET IT DOWN IN FRONT OF ME. Mind you, she had collected my plate which included a fork and a steak knife right before my food came out, so there was a chance that was my knife. That being said, she stated, "His knife is over there." and pointed to another plate that had a knife on it. So that slim chance of that being my knife was trumped. Totally unacceptable. At this point, I finally had to speak with a manager. After waiting 5 minutes for the manager to come resolve the problem, explaining what exactly has transpired here, he comped the entire meal. As I stated, I have a high tolerance for poor service, but not a blatant violation of food safety. I would have rated this a 1-star but I think that is reserved for having food poisoning from the food. On the plus side, I did not get food poisoning. I learned a valuable lesson, do not order steak from a non-steak house restaurant. I would stay away from this place if I were someone just freshly visiting the casino.
(2)Matt U.
My friend and I went in for a drink before heading into the casino for some play time. We hung out for a bit listening to the house band. Had a good time and took some pictures too. The place looks awesome.
(5)Monica C.
Had one of my best burgers here. Yes, it is a bit over priced for drinks and food, but bartenders were great. Kristen was knowledgable of the entire menu and served us with a smile. Our afternoon entertainment, Nick, was also very good. My wife had different drinks and each one was great. Relax, chill out, and have a margarita!
(4)Bill S.
We went about a month after the Casino opened. The food was delicious, portions were adequate and service was prompt. However, the thing that sticks out is the noise and crowdedness. I would not say they utilized every inch of the place for maximum efficiency, but theres something about the layout that makes it cramped even thou some how theres empty space with out tables and chairs. Bathrooms could have used attention. I understand it's a theme restaurant based off a singer, it's going to play loud music. Toby Keiths, you could have a conversation without the concussion and it's the same principle. Pros- Food quality, portion size, speed of service, price. Cons- Noise,cleanliness,cramped feeling I'm sure I'll go back, eventually, but after I've tried some of the other places.
(4)Jennifer S.
I visited on the first Saturday evening of open service. Woah, they were packed and busting butt! Our wait for a table was 2+hours and after walking up to check the status of our wait the host said they were having issues with the buzzer and our table suddenly came available, interesting. Sat upstairs and our waitress was friendly and quick to get us drinks and take our order. For the amount of people jammed in the house, the wait for food was quite quick! The cuban was pretty tasty and the pasta looked good. You are definitely visiting and paying for the branded experience and they did a good job in the design, but restrooms could be improved...2 stalls for all those tipsy margarita girls just wasn't cutting it! Might give it another go once things die down.
(3)Heather L.
This place is mostly about the atmosphere, and that is exactly what you are paying for... The feel of being on vacation on a beach. Nice outdoor patio, although your view is of the jail. Sometimes they have live music indoors. The margaritas are at least decent, which IMO is the only reason to come here. They have a new feature margarita "flight" which is a nice touch. Try the new watermelon margarita too. On this occasion we had good service, but that has not been the case in the past. The food is mediocre at best and pricey. Best deal is the nachos, as the plate is huge (although they have decreased the size since I was last here). As a nacho connoisseur I wouldn't go out of my way to eat these, but they are OK. Cheese curds are decent but $$ for what you get.
(3)Diana A.
So, my coworkers asked me to pick a lunch restaurant for my last day at work. I picked Margaritaville because it was located close to our office, in the Horseshoe Casino. After we were seated and given the menus, I regretted picking this place. They did not have a lunch menu; most of the dishes (including appetizers) were $16-22; and the menu selections were not very good. After the food came out, I was actually darn near sorry that I had picked this place. The food was so underwhelming; it was almost like the food was just there to soak up the margaritas in your stomach. I am sorry to suggest that you not waste your money or time there. The server could have used some better training also; we had to remind her repeatedly to give us drink refills. Although, I would blame that partially on poor training. The restaurant was not busy at all when we got there at 11:30 AM. PS - just as a point of comparison, you could have ordered similar dishes at Frisch's and it would have tasted better at Frisch's. Later after work, other coworkers and I went to Bobby's Burger Palace (also in the casino) and it was so much BETTER and the gourmet burgers were all under $8. Pretty sad that my $8 burger tasted way better than my $17 fish sandwich platter at Margaritaville. Don't waste your money.
(1)Susan L.
I was at Margaritavilles for the Casino's soft opening. They served a buffet that night instead of ordering off the menu. The buffet was pretty good. Margaritaville is a good addition for the city because of our connect with Jimmy Buffet. Also, I think it is a good addition to the Casino. A restaurant of that types belongs in a Casino, lower price than some and one that has a party atmosphere which fits into a Casino vibe. We were halfway through our entrees before the appetizer was brought out (which was delivered by a server instead of buffet style. The entrees and desserts were buffet style. So I really cannot say what the service will be like or the menu. I went to a Margaritaville in Vegas and the food was decent. I think in the warmer weather being able to grad a bite outside would be nice. I would go back willing, but probably not often, but I do not tend to go to Friday's/Olive Gardens/Bahama Breeze or other chains. like that. However I do think it was a good choice for the Casino.
(3)William K.
The food was okay and the service was not good. I'll only talk about my meal, not the other folks at my table... I got blackened fish tacos with... something. I honestly can't remember. Okay, the fish tacos were fantastic. Damn well better be for $20 bucks for tacos! The other people at my table didn't fair as well. Nobody thought that what they got was as good as I thought my dish was but their dishes cost as much as mine. Not that it mattered... The first time we got the check it was wrong. We told our server and he promised to come back with it corrected. He came back and it was certainly different but not even close to being right. We went ahead an payed FAR too much without complaining because we were on a schedule. I will never eat here again. Premium prices to get treated as an afterthought? No thanks.
(1)Shelley C.
We have been to multiple Margaritvaille restaurants (Orlando, Las Vegas, Myrtle Beach, Cozumel, Key West, Nashville, Waikiki) and overall this Margaritaville is making strides too living up to the Margaritaville name and experience. This was our fourth time at this restaurant. We sat inside the dining room on a Saturday evening for dinner and Nate was our server. He was most welcoming and warm. He had a great knowledge of the menu and made great dinner recommendations. He also made drink and appetizer recommendations as well. He was very attentive throughout the evening and made sure to check in with us once the food was delivered to our table. We will definitely ask for Nate again when we sit in the dining room! For drinks we ordered Fins to the Left, The Perfect Margarita,Last Mango in Paris and a beer. The Fins was well made, the Perfect was not quite up to what I would call "Perfect" standards as it is a drink that my boyfriend typically orders at all Margaritavilles, and my Last Mango was very much off on this particular evening. For dinner we ordered 2 Volcano burgers, which were both well prepared and well executed, and got raving reviews, one Cheeseburger in Paradise - again an excellent review, and I got the Volcano Nachos (my favorite). However, this time, Nate actually recommended I get them deconstructed since I was eating them by myself, that way when I take them home to reheat them, nothing will be soggy. What an amazing idea! They were so good, I could just buid the Nachos as I ate them! Thanks Nate for a killer recommendation!!!! PS...they were delicious heated up in the oven today!!! The music and decor makes me feel like I am in Margaitaville! I like that you can sit on the patio and enjoy your food as well. The retail store is right next door, and although it is a smaller store, if there is something that you want and they do not have it on location you can still order it online and have it shipped to you or buy a gift card for that perfect someone! I am happy that Cincinnati finally got our Margaritaville! We will definitely go back!
(4)Tiera A.
This is my 2nd time @ Margaritaville Cincinnati since it opened last year. The first time I came, this place had a lot to be desired. The food was just fair and the margaritas were, well, weak. Recently, a friend informed me that Margaritaville has happy hour Mon-Fri, 4-7. I never heard anyone mention their happy hour so I decided to give it a try today. Boy, am I glad that I did! They have decent happy hour specials that even apply on Fridays (a lot of places don't offer happy hour on Fridays). They don't exactly have a happy hour menu but the specials are pretty standard; $5 margaritas, $4 wines & $3 wells. I wish the happy hour specials applied to food as well since their meals are a tad over priced for the quality and portion size.
(3)Tabitha W.
Margaritaville was about what I expected. Mediocre, overpriced food and drinks...but you're paying for the experience, right?! IDK, nothing exceptional happened during our visit to really make it special. There was an employee walking around on stilts, which I guess is remarkable... I started with a Margarita flight. The drinks are tasty, but they do seem to be lacking any alcohol to speak of. As mentioned by other reviewers, you can't remove alcohol from the restaurant area to the casino, so that's a bummer. I think there are better and tastier venues for celebrating with more fairly priced food and drinks. But it's still a decent atmosphere if you're looking for a "special" place to celebrate.
(3)Athina W.
I went there on Friday 3/15, the whole experience was HORRIBLE! I had a party of 8, and I was told it was going to be a 60-90 minute wait. Which was fine, so we all went to the bar to have a drink. The bar staff was great, they got us our drinks pretty quickly and the drinks were good. A person out of my party went to go check on our table and she was informed to gather the party together because our name was about to be called. So we did as we were told, and gathered at the front, only to find out that we were going to be standing there for almost 20 minutes waiting for a table. (There were 4 tables open for big parties, they just didn't seat us). When we were finally seated, it literally took the waitress twenty minutes to greet us at our table and take our drink orders. When we finally got our drinks, she left us again and did not return for another 25 minutes. Mind you it was not that busy, she only had 3 parties. (I counted). When she came back to take our food orders, we asked for recommendations she really didn't say anything was good except the Seafood Mac & Cheese. So one of my friends and I ordered the Mac & Cheese thinking it was going to be awesome. 30 minutes later......we finally got our food. DISGUSTING! The seafood mac & cheese was advertised to have shrimp, lump crab meat, and a cheese sauce. What I got was overcooked noodles, shrimp, no crab meat, and a sheet (literally a sheet) of cheese on top. After trying to find my crab meat, I asked my waitress to send it back to the kitchen. She asked what was wrong with my meal and I proceeded to tell her that there was no lump crab meat in my dish. She said that it wasn't included in the dish, only shrimp. When I told her that the menu states differently, she reluctantly took my meal back. After 15 more minutes of waiting, I finally received my meal again, only to find out that they put SHREDDED crab meat, instead of the advertised lump crab meat. As the night went on, we couldn't find our waitress for drink refills, we had to ask another waitress for refills. Our waitress didn't come back and check on us to see if our meals were okay, and if we needed anything. We basically had to hunt her down for our checks and boxes for the lack luster food that they serve. I wouldn't have given her a tip, but it was already included because I had a party of 8. Oh, and don't get me started on the band. TOOOOOOOOO LOUDDDDDDD. You could barely hear the person next to you. All in all, I would only go back to get drinks. NOT TO EAT. I just wish they hired better wait staff because the waitress I had was NOT good.
(1)VEGAS J.
jimmy buffet margaritaville was a real reason we went after walking by it in Las Vegas we were so excited to have that same atmosphere nearby. We were very very very disappointed what a travesty we didn't even go up to the hostess. The place was small and It didn't have the same feel as the other locations it reminded me of those Airport restaurants that are the express versions. I did not hear buffet music as well. And it was pricy for the experience. We chose to eat off property due to this.
(1)Bryan K.
I typically love stopping at margaritaville on a trip. Out in Cincinnati for the flying pig marathon. Was bummed they had no shark tank. They tried to make one but not very good. Also added chicken to nachos and it tasted like store bought cubed chicken, yuck. Table was also not clean. Would not recommend the trek here.
(1)L V.
So my fiance and I decided to check out the casino and grab a late lunch Saturday afternoon. Ok, yes I know it was the first weekend it was open...we were expecting a crowd. We found Margaritaville being the only restaurant that had visibly open tables, so we stopped and put our name in. The young girls at the front said it would be a 35-45 minute wait. I kind of chuckled and said "Even with all these empty tables?" and they just kinda said .... "Yeah...we know". So, we smiled and confusingly took our little buzzer thing and tried to get a drink at the bar (which was impossible...they had 2 bartenders). Somehow two seats opened up at the bar and we snagged those quickly. We needed a drink. The big margaritas served in the blender looking cups caught my eye. The price (I believe 14.25) is quite steep...but they looked big and awesome....and well, we were in Margaritaville, so why not. We ordered two of those. We watched the bartender pour it out of some premade mix. It tasted great!.....for a non alcoholic drink. Over 14 dollars and you couldn't even taste any alcohol, if I am spending that much on 1 drink, I need to taste something. We had to get 2 more shots of tequila to even make it worth it. So the drinks ended up being $22+ a person. Sort of ridiculous.... We're waiting for our table...and waiting....and waiting. We are watching around us people coming in and seemingly getting sat right away, and still a bunch of empty tables all around the restaurant. After about 45 minutes, I had my fiance check our name on the list. They told us we were 2nd in line. About 30 minutes later, we gave up and just decided to eat at the bar. It was ridiculous....there were tons of servers around....so I don't think staffing was the issue. And if it was the kitchen that was the issue, hire more cooks. From the bartender we ordered the nachos and the Conch fritters. I was hoping for at least some mediocre food....and it was meh.... The nachos are piled so high with what seems like a whole bag of tortilla chips, but only toppings on the very top. Not to mention it is piled so high, toppings and stuff were flying all over the table when we would try to grab a chip. Kinda silly if you ask me. I'd rather have half the chips and enjoy my nachos instead of giving me a whole bag that falls all over the place. The Conch fritters literally tasted like crab-flavored bread that was fried. It is not like the Conch fritters you get by the beach. I took a couple bites and was done with those. So, our bill was a total of about 60 bucks. For 2 ridiculously overpriced (yet good) margaritas and 2 crappy appetizers. I'd rather spend my money elsewhere. We won't be back. Hopefully within the next month, they get their kinks work out, hire more workers, or something....
(2)Kirk S.
I tried Margaritaville for the first and maybe last time yesterday. I was seated at a high top table in the bar overlooking the casino. It's a good thing i had this view because i had plenty of time to kill before my server got to the table to even take my drink order. The hamburger was very good but I was just about finished with it by the time the extra BBQ sauce (which I requested once the sandwich was delivered) came to the table. I also waited for too long for a refill on my drink given how uncrowded the place was. Not impressed especially when I can get a far superior burger a few feet away for 75% of the price and half the wait time.
(2)Sanjay P.
So I read some of the reviews below - I think that where they seat you might have a big part of it. We dont gamble but decided to check out the Casino for restaurants. After checking everything out, we decided on Margaritaville. We do intend to check out all the other places too! :) The atmosphere was lively. We chose to sit outside; there was a musician playing live (acoustic guitar +vocals) who wasnt great but at least it was not loud and we could have a decent conversation. The service was terrible. We werent waited on for at least 15 minutes, then they forgot the flatware (we had to wait 5 minutes after food was served for the flatware to arrive). The food, however wasnt bad! I ordered the turkey burger which was pretty good. My wife was happy with her chicken teriyaki (and she loves asian food, having spent 4 yrs in Japan) .My buddy enjoyed his hamburger. Definitely not gourmet but thats not what you are expecting going in anyway. Not bad for a relatively inexpensive meal at the Casino.
(3)Julianne K.
Margaritaville is thoroughly mediocre. We joined some friends for dinner at Margaritaville on a Friday night because we really were in the mood for you guessed it, margaritas. They have oodles of margarita-type drinks on their menu and we all ordered different ones. The drinks weren't very good and overpriced. All of the drinks were way too sweet with not enough alcohol. We ordered some appetizers and the only one that stood out was the nachos and that's because one order was enough to feed all 8 people at the table with some leftover. No one had anything spectacular to say about the food. A couple people ordered burgers and wish they would have not wasted the calories on them. I had the fish tacos and they were just okay. Overall no one was impressed with the food or drinks. Service was good though. There are too many other decent restaurants in Cincinnati to whom I would rather give my money.
(2)Meredeth W.
We went to this restaurant with a group of about 10. They are not yet taking reservations, but we just put our name in & continued to gamble in the area while waiting for our table. The menu has just about something for everyone. I personally ordered the jerk chicken & it was great, not too hot. I also had some of the breaded chicken bites appetizer & they were so tender. A couple of the other "hits" based on other diners in my group were the club sandwich and the spinach & artichoke appetizer. Our waiter was amazing. His name was EG or EJ and it was some of the best service I have ever had, especially with a group this large. Not once did anyone in our group run out of their drink & he was constantly checking on us. I would definitely go back to this restaurant.
(4)Bob H.
not great food I was expecting so much better, I will not go back
(1)Stephanie H.
First off, we are HUGE Buffett fans and HUGE fans of the Margaritaville in Myrtle Beach!!! We were over the moon when it was announced they'd be opening one here in Cincinnati! Anyhoo, we wanted to go there for my birthday, with about ten people. We'd read the reviews and heard from other Parrottheads that the wait on a Saturday night was 3+ hours; so we ate someplace else, and just showed up for the band & drinks. We got there around 8pm. There was no line, the place looked fairly empty; yet the host at the door (a rude young fellow who apparently has control issues) told us all to wait behind the rope, he'd seat us when he could. We were told there was a wait... why? Tons of empty tables! So we told him, we'll just take those two tables next to all the OTHER empty tables at the bar area! Our waitress was the ONLY saving grace to this place. She was prompt and friendly (yet she seemed rather unhappy with her coworkers). And the drinks......... be prepared to lose your wallet over these. Hubby got his standard tall Captain & Diet, and it was basically a Diet Coke with a pindrop of Captain Morgan in it. For $9.00 per glass. After about 6 of of those, he's still sober, getting hyper from all the caffeine, and ticked that even though he asked for DOUBLE SHOTS, he couldn't taste ANY rum in the drink! This place is a FAR CRY from the one in Myrtle Beach, I guess they have some catching up to do. Or maybe they just don't care. Pretty sad, considering, this is where the phrase 'Parrotthead' was born. The only way we'll go back is if it's late summer, after they've worked out the kinks, and hope to the gods that they hire happier, friendlier people to work those front ropes. As a bar... it just sucked.
(2)Lauren F.
I'd love to be able to review the food but we didn't even get that far so this is only a review of the customer service we experienced. My friend picked this place to celebrate her 30th birthday because she thought it would be a fun atmosphere and I volunteered to be in charge of planning. We had a group of about 10 people (including a small child) and I called to see if I could make reservations. The woman on the phone said they don't take reservations but assured me we "should be fine" if we got there by 5PM. I made sure to arrive even before then to get a table for everyone and as soon as I got there, I saw a very long line in front of the hostess stand. By the time I got to the front, I was told it would be a 2.5 hour wait. The hostess was the same person I had talked to on the phone. I said "but you told me as long as we got here by 5 we wouldn't have to wait." She replied very rudely, "Well obviously not." Then she tried to argue with me over what time it actually was and explained how this was really my fault, despite what I had been told on the phone. So I had to scramble at the last minute to find a new place to have the party and then contact everyone who had not already arrived to reroute them to a different restaurant. (see my positive review of Maggiano's). So Margaritaville nearly ruined my friends party. Why they don't have a hostess with any customer service skills or basic manners I can't understand. None of us will be returning.
(1)Rachel B.
Overall a fan of Margaritaville because of ONE main reason: our server, James C. For those of you interested in trying this place out, I would ask to be seated with him so you can actually enjoy the experience. SERVICE - Fan My friend and I decided to hit up this restaurant before going to the Weezer concert. I thought it would be packed because of the show, and it was rather busy, but we still were seated immediately. Awesome, we were starving! We were greeted right away by our server, James C. He had lots of positive energy and seemed passionate about giving us a great experience. James was kind enough to make sure we were happy with our seats and we told him they were perfect - we were on the bottom floor near the TVs, somewhat close to the entrance. The service continued to remain excellent, even as the restaurant became busier and busier. James ensured we had everything we needed, within a timely manner, without having to ask twice (sometimes without having to ask at all). He never made us feel rushed or like he didn't have time for us, but he never made it awkward by hanging around our table too long :) FOOD / DRINKS - Fan of the drinks, food was a-ok Drinks - James asked us if we'd like one of Margaritaville's mixed drinks, which is what the restaurant is known for. I told James I would order the Hurricane if he sang a line from 'Rock you like a Hurricane' and he actually did it! Loudly and proudly. I instantly liked James. My friend ordered the Havanas and Bananas. Both drinks tasted amazing! Appetizers / Entree - For food, we ordered the shrimp appetizer, buffalo wings, and a chicken entree. The food came quickly, as ordered, hot, and tasted good (not out of this world, but good). Dessert - As we were finishing up our last meal, James brought out a tray with 5 different dessert cups. My friend got the Rieces pieces cake and I got 'Death by Chocolate.' The Rieces pieces dessert was amazing if you like peanut butter. The death by chocolate was decent, though a little too rich for me to finish completely. OVERALL Based on the other reviews I've seen for Margaritaville, I definitely believe where you're seated and who your server is makes a huge difference. That being said, ASK FOR JAMES!
(4)J N.
Payed over $14.00 for 22 ounces of margarita. Very disappointing. Couldn't taste the alcohol and felt nothing after drinking the entire thing. Cost way too much for no payoff whatsoever
(1)Gabrielle M.
Great! It's new because of the Casino, but the service was great! Alisha treated my boyfriend and I well, making great drink and food suggestions. There's a Mango Rita with a sugar rim which is great if you like sweet and the uptown is definitely decent on a day of hard work. I had the nachos... I should have invited more friends because its definitely a meal for four or five. My boyfriend had the BBQ bacon cheese burger and onion rings and he said it was pretty good and filling. There was also a live band that sang great covers, unfortunately I can't remember the bands name and the restaurant rotates bands throughout the week.
(4)Rachel K.
The Margaritaville in Vegas will forever be my favorite.
(3)