5 perfect dinners here. Cant wait to go back again. Inventive, clean cuisine and a great drink menu. Upon arrival you might think you are at a tattoo parlour (I think excessive tattooing and odd piercings are required to work here) but the chef is totally on his game. SOME OF THE BEST PLATES IN CINCINNATI.
(5)
Dominique B.
Metropole is the bar/lounge/restaurant in the new 21C Hotel that recently opened with a lot of fan fair. The 4 star rating is based on a combination of my experiences at both the restaurant and the bar/lounge. The restaurant is beautifully decorated and offers a lot of ambiance, we went there for a friends birthday, having made reservations well in advanced we were treated to a semi-private table, which was a pleasant surprise. The food itself was good, but not spectacular, and for the price point, I was expecting spectacular. I ordered the bison burger at medium and I probably should have gone with medium-rare. Now on to the bar/loung which if I were rating this place, based solely on that, I would have given it 5 stars. For me, Metropole offers everything I want from a bar/lounge, it sets just the right mood and tone for a truly chic evening. The drinks are higher end, but still affordable, and the wait staff serves you on comfy couches (which I find much more pleasant than bar stools). My advice, go to dinner somewhere less expensive and then enjoy a night cap at the Metropole bar/loung.
(4)
Alex C.
I hate, hate, hate panning a place during its opening week. There were some highlights to the evening, but this place really needs to get its act together if it wants to be a premier spot in Cincinnati. We were greeted by friendly staff able to seat us pretty quickly. Metropole is very cool looking. I'll let people better than me at pictures show you. Kudos for keeping the mosaic tile floors and building the decor from there. The mostly-open kitchen is very dramatic and added to the intrigue of the space. The drink order took a while, but was worth the wait. The "Don & Dirty" was a great twist (cranberry, I think?) on an old fashioned. I don't remember the names of the drinks others had, but they were good - new twists on classics. The only downside here was how long it took to get them, as evidenced by the server's comment: "I've woken the bartender; your drinks will be here soon." Appetizers brought seared octopus. Delicious. Tender and well-seasoned. I'm generally not a fan of grapefruit, but it was just right for the dish. Main course was the skirt steak, Brussels sprouts, and, unfortunately, a death spiral. I have had and understand skirt steak. This is not a melt in your mouth cut - but it should be chewable. The flavor on the steak was very good - nice and juicy, and the espresso and cocoa was present yet not overwhelming. But I could not chew it. I left 70% of the steak in chewed blobs on my plate and gave up on the last 20%. The 10% I could actually eat was good. Maybe it was one bad cut, but my guess is they didn't remove the membrane. Others had the chicken and the burger, which they described as adequate. The sprouts were cold. If they were meant to be served room temperature Caesar style then I understand what they were trying with the dish and it simply didn't suit my palate, but these were cold and lacking flavor. In a Caesar salad I want the cheese and anchovies to punch me - these were bland. We passed on desert - at this point we'd been there over 2 hours. They had a lot of service staff, but only a few of them - including our server- really knew what they were doing. Everyone else was pissing themselves and in the way. There was an uncomfortable amount of time between courses. I hope this improves as they work out the kinks. I want Metropole to do well and add to the collection of great dining experiences available in Cincinnati. I really want them to rival their sister, Proof, and become a destination location. They have a long way to go. I'll be sure to update this review - if I go back.
(2)
Will M.
As I mentioned in me previous first impressions (which were simply based upon stopping by the bar), this place is beautiful. I'm very impressed with the revamp of the property, and the kitchen is beautiful. Plus, this place is a hipster paradise. The wait staff, the customers - hipsters of all ages. Using that term loosely, but if you're the type that hates OTR you'll be the type to hate this restaurant. You know who you are. On to the experience. First off, it was 45 minutes before we got our drinks. The place is brand new, so there are plenty of kinks, and it's very busy. Frustrating to sit 45 minutes before receiving a drink (about 15 minutes before ordering, 30 before receiving), but again, opening week jitters. It took a while to see our waiter, but once we did he was knowledgeable and friendly. The bread that came was excellent, but cool to cold. Given the open kitchen, and how packed it was, I'd been hoping for bread warm from an oven. First dish was a pumpkin cooked in the fire and stuffed with arugala and goat cheese. Being a giant fan of all 3, I enjoyed this dish. It was very unique, and will be very short lived. Unlike anything I've ever had. The main dishes, however, were not as successful. I went with the burger. It was two patties with a bit of an apple bacon jam. No ketchup on the table, though the waiter asked if we needed anything. The burger had a nice flavor, and was on a delicious bun. Sadly, it was dry. I was not asked how I wanted it, and the plate had maybe a spot or two of dripping from it. Not enough apple bacon jam, either. The fries, however, were great. Not Taste of Belgium best-of, but very, very good. The other entree at the table was the steak. Ordered medium to medium well, came out definitely on the over-cooked side. It wasn't sent back, in part due to the slowness of the kitchen, in part due to it being our fault for how it was ordered (we weren't completely clear.) Its seasoning was nice and not overpowering, and the salad on top of it was strange and tasty. We finished with a dessert - the caramelized citrus. It was tasty, but at $9 it would have been a bit of a ripoff even in NYC. A few thin slices of orange, one thin slice of grapefruit, some tufts of angel food cake and a quarter scoop of vanilla ice cream. Very, very skimpy for the price. The angel food cake, with the caramel sauce, was one of the highlights of the meal. Quite honestly, this meal was very expensive for what it was. I'd normally give this 2 stars. However, the ambiance was great, and I'm adding an extra star to compensate for it being the third day it was open. It's not exactly fair to review a restaurant this soon - yes, they took my good money, but they're still working everything out. I see good potential here, and will absolutely return in a few weeks. For now, though, I consider this an expensive but interesting meal that wasn't overly tasty. I will recommend people go here to try something new, but it isn't on my list of places you need to take people to show off Cincinnati. We'll try again in a month (or, if we listen to Guy Fieri, apparently even 60 days isn't fair to review a restaurant!) Hopefully it will live up to the potential. I think it has a very strong chance of doing so.
(3)
Mariana P.
Oh Metropole. I really wanted you to be great, but you were just OK. Our party of four was seated at 8:30, but we didn't order food until 9:15. Our food did not come until around 10:15, and we didn't leave until 11 because it took eons to get our bill. For such a trendy restaurant, they really need to get their crap together. I do appreciate the giant yellow penguins that they move around from table to table. My friend and I were pretty tipsy from drinking wine while waiting for our food, and stole a penguin from the table next to us And entertained ourselves by taking pictures with it. Another complaint, the wine and cocktail list looked like word vomit on a page. The font was tiny and the layout sucked. To an already drunk person, it was hard to read.
(3)
Ray L.
had the pork chop. My colleague ordered a selection of vegetable type dishes and some desserts, as colleagues are wont to do. My pork chop was good and she (the colleague) seemed to like the vegetables but it was a bit expensive. All together, the total came out to be about 100 dollars. So the food was good but I wouldn't go unless someone else is paying.
(4)
Aaron D.
I lived in Cincinnati years ago, and the only place to write home about at the time (I was in college), was the Montgomery Inn. That soon became irrelevant when I moved to the east coast and went to far better steakhouses. But Metropole, a strange museum meets hip restaurant, feels like something out of New York or San Francisco more than Cincinnati, which is what makes it great. When you enter, the relatively tame-looking dining area is decorated with life-sized yellow plastic penguins and button-tufted sofas. The 1-page menu includes a number of options both for the meatlover and the vegetarian, though neither are for the faint of heart (read: boring eaters). We started with a number of dishes (asparagus, ramp toast, chaat), all of which were flavorful (especially the chaat!) and interesting. I also had a fantastic Zinfandel. For entrees (scafata, porgie, chicken), the options were still flavorful and interesting, but less so on both fronts. The carmelized banana cake was again flavorful and interesting, and helped complete this great spring-weather meal. All dishes were fairly sized, not to big or too small. After the meal, we wandered the halls of the sculpture gallery, bathrooms and second floor gallery, the experience of which reflected our flavorful, light and interesting meal.
(4)
Chris B.
Rating on a curve, but for a guy who lives in Austin and previously San Francisco, Metropole, specifically the bar, is 5-star in my book for Cincinnati. Had a great variant on the old-fashioned (the "Don & Dirty"), and a delicious bison burger with grilled tomato and homemade pimento cheese... perfect end to a long travel day and a great introduction to downtown Cincinnati!
(5)
Sierra I.
Best meal I've had in 2013! Wow! I was so pleasantly surprised by the flavors of every single item we had from the burnt carrot salad to the Brussels sprouts! Yum!!
(5)
Mike C.
Metropole is the bar/lounge/restaurant in the 21C Museum Hotel. It's supposed to be based on open flame/fire/oven cooking. My rating is based on a combination of 2 dinner visits, one time in the lounge area, and a couple times at the bar. Metropole definitely has a very nice decor. They incorporate aspects of the original building and stylishly update everything. I don't know if it's just me, but I feel like it's pretty warm / hot inside the restaurant, maybe because of the open fire. The food itself is good, but I wouldn't say spectacular, which I feel like is the norm for Cincinnati. I went during the opening week and had the roast chicken and my friend had the steak, which were both very good. They do change the menu frequently based on what fresh local ingredients are available, which is both good and bad. The octopus appetizer was very interesting and good. Not like sushi-style octopus, which is chewy (and I like), but was almost like meat in texture. Service has always been very good. I've seen reviews about it being bad, but have never experienced that. The bar and lounge are also excellent areas, if not better than the restaurant. Very good specialty cocktails, which I've had a couple. Lots of different beers available. Good selection of wines and big selection of bourbons. Bottom line, it's a excellent upscale bar/lounge and good restaurant.
(4)
Nikki F.
I love the lounge for drinks and charcuterie. I really like the olives. The steak was great and fully flavorful with a nice smoky taste. One night we went after a Bengals game in our gear. We had to sit at the community table since we had no reservation but ended up having an amazing conversation with another local chef that lasted late into the night. It was a whole lot of fun and we will definitely do it again. Great food, atmosphere, staff, one complaint: NO HAPPY HOUR! Boo! C'mon help a local sister out!
(4)
Austin F.
I thought the metropole was great! My meal was fantastic, but had a few kinks. Service definitely needs a bit of help, but the food was excellent. A few minor blemishes in some dishes, but they're new so hopefully everything will come along! Thanks for everything
(4)
Nicole D.
I went to Metropole for my birthday and I was incredibly impressed with the service. The valet wasn't that bad, the food was great and the wine was fantastic. We had to wait for a bit to get our car, but we were able to wait inside which helped. The food was good, but not spectacular. The portions were incredibly small, and the table seating was really close together and felt less intimate than I would have liked. The penguins were cute though.
(4)
M M.
We love, love, love this restaurant. We are convinced that the people who work here take service seriously and will do everything in their power to make the meal one to remember. My husband and I are part of a neighborhood dinner group. As none in our group had ever eaten here, we were excited to bring them in! We had hoped to reserve the private room. Our group of ten has had difficulty with oblong tables in busy restaurants... We just cannot hear each other. This room solved all of our problems. It was enclosed, quiet, and had a round table so we could talk as a group. Perfect! The only drawback... We had to meet a minimum cost for the evening. Well, we have eaten the delicious hamburger on the menu several times. A very reasonably priced menu item that would catch the eyes and appetites of our friends. We knew that the cost of the dinner, perchance, would fall short and, as the hosts, we risked having to carry the balance on our personal bill. So the private room wasn't supposed to be an option. The Metropole staff said they would be glad to put us down for the room, unless anyone reserved it. If it was free that evening, the house minimum would not be an option. We got it! And the service, the food, and event was fabulous! I highly recommend the burnt carrot salad. Everyone loved it! Cheeseburger went over very well, as did the cod dish. Steak tartare was a bit salty for the experts at the table... Yes, we had one... All in all, we were so pleased with everything. Bravo, Metropole!
(5)
Kevin B.
We had dinner at the Metropole with some friends. The atmosphere is quite nice - contemporary but comfortable. Some of the tables had stuffed penguins which is a bit kitschy and seems out of place for a retaurant service $25+ entrees. The menu changes frequently which is a good thing if you want to eat there on a regular basis. The night we had dinner there the menu seemed rather ordinary compared to some others I have seen online. That being said, we all thought our appetizers, salads and entrees were outstanding. The best entree of the night was walleye with a perfectly crispy skin and the Arugula salad with burrata cheese was excellent. Unfortunately the food could not make up for the poor service. When arriving at the restaurant I asked to purchase a gift card for a friend. Instead of seating us and delivering the gift card to the table, the hostess disappered for 10 minutes to complete the gift card order. We waited at least 25 minutes between our appetizers and entrees with finished cocktails and nothing to drink - we couldn't even find a server to flag down as there were none on the dining room floor. Perhaps the oddest part of the service was that after setting the food down, our server stood at our table and watched us eat - it was sort of creepy. Based on the food, which I would rate in the 4+ category, I would definitely return to Metropole and give it another try. I do recognize that all new restaurants have some service kinks - but the service was so bad I can only give a 3 star review.
(3)
S J P.
Had breakfast at the Metropole this morning - not at all busy. Was seated immediately and quickly given ice water and took drink orders. The young man was as pleasant as could be. Our tea and coffee arrived within moments - delicious. We both ordered the egg whites with feta, but asked for no onions. The waiter repeated with a smile, "sans onion" - very well. Our dishes arrived again almost too fast (but much appreciated) by a different server, equally as pleasant. Alas, both of our egg dishes were topped with rings and rings of red onions. So we simply picked them off, transferred them to a saucer, and covered with another small plate. The initial young man came over and apologized profusely, and we assured him we were fine. He removed the onions, and we thoroughly enjoyed every bite of the egg and spinach entree with crumbled feta - savory and delicious. Soon, the server again appeared with 2 beautiful muffins since our order wasn't served properly. His politeness was sweet, and within moments the restaurant supervisor stopped by to offer her apology as well. My, my, and I thought customer service was a forgotten art. The beverages were refreshed, the food was excellent and we were treated like royalty. Our weekend at the hotel was just as superb, but that will be another post. Bravo, Metropole, you provided extraordinary customer service!
(5)
Lisa J.
Beautiful venue! While dining, we all kept repeating that the restaurant did not feel like Cincinnati, this place reminded me of Chicago or some other city. Our group of 4 dined on SHAVED KOHLRABI, CHARRED FOIE GRAS, WAYGU TARTARE, SEARED OCTOPUS, which were all mouth watering. Our server was very knowledgeable ad quite pleasant. The entrees were not as good as the appetizers. METROPOLE BURGER were outstanding, the men absolutely loved them. The ladies dined on the Tagliatelle Pasta (which was just ok) and Swordfish (which was just ok). Overall a good dining experience. We have reservations forValentines Day tasting menu. Im sure it will be a good one.
(4)
Dominique R.
Wow! This is a lot better than the reviews listed here. Highly recommended for fresh, locally sourced dishes, prepared with a sure and delicate touch. This is the cuisine of the coasts brought to Cincinnati. Well done! The roasted chicken was fantastic. The quinoa fritter was fresh and new. And the Lemon Semifreddo is a must have dessert (try to figure out the surprise ingredient in the meringue).
(5)
Michele G.
I have been to Metropole twice. I am a fan and so is my daughter. I order the octopus and loved it. The only problem I didn't get much of it becuase my daughter ate it all. The server was knowledgable and attentive. I like that they have local ingredients. The rooftop bar is a fun place to start out on a Friday or Saturday night. I need to go back to try some of the new items, it has been awhile. I stop in every once in a while to the museum.
(5)
Joanna S.
Great Experience. Went here after a show at the Aronoff Center - it is very conveniently located. Our server was fantastic, and our food was very good. I wouldn't rank it as high as Proof on Main in Louisville, but it was a very good experience overall. We tried almost everything on the menu (a group of 5 splitting so everyone could have a taste). The best, I thought, were the seared octopus and the sweetbreads. I thought sweetbreads (having never tried them) would be more like liver, which I don't care for, but they were amazing! The dessert was the only disappointment, and I think that is because it wasn't as good as the dessert I had at Proof on Main. Overall a wonderful experience and will be sure to eat here again. One note, we had to make an adjustment to our already made open table reservation, and that somehow ended up removing our open table reservation, so we didn't get points...just make a note of it if you are looking for points, any change to the reservation apparently cancels it through open table.
(4)
Nikki M.
I had the pleasure if trying out Metropole's lunch menu today. Something they just started this week. It was fantastic. I highly recommend the burnt carrot & avocado salad. The service is superb, the dining area is comfortable, and it's SO fun to watch Chef Paley in his open air kitchen. I'm dying to go back and try the "shrub" drinks - a vinegar based syrup beverage with your choice of clementine, blood orange or beet flavoring. Intriguing! Until next time...
(4)
Neal B.
My wife and I felt welcomed from the moment we handed the keys to the valet. Lots of greetings and smiles from the staff. Wine service in lounge was quick and the 2010 Zinfandel was above average. We were quickly seated at the communal table near the wide open kitchen. This was an experience on many levels. To be able to share and review unique appetizers with people that you just met is pleasantly out of the box. The brussel sprouts were my favorite and I know that sounds strange - I have not had one since I was a kid. I sampled the beets, the mushrooms, the eggplant and the foix gras and they were all wonderful and delicate. My main course was the pork and leeks which was well presented and the spices were subtle. For us, the entire night was an experience. From interacting with those at our table to the wait staff and the managers - it was all good.
(5)
Joey Z.
Went here last night for dinner with friends that like to share everything, so was able to sample a good amount of the menu. The atmosphere is great! Very open, clean, and "organic" feel. They do not cram the tables together which really helps when you are seated in the middle of the room. The bar and the kitchen are all open and are visible from essentially every table. The lobby and restrooms are still under construction with the hotel, but I am anxious to see the real finished product! We started out with a few of their specialty cocktails at the bar: a honey-infused vodka w/ lime, soda & jalapeno and cava with lychee being the favorites (do not recall their specialty names). Prices ranged from $8-$11 per cocktail. We sat in the middle of the restaurant and had clear view of the bar and kitchen/oven. I think the this view of the upbeat bar crowd and hustle/bustle kitchen actually added to the atmosphere of the entire restaurant. For all of the hard surfaces and open layout, I was surprised that the noise level was not much louder. The restaurant was booked and I still felt comfortable right smack in the middle of everything. They place 4ft tall plastic penguins throughout the restaurant, which is strange, but definitely was a source of entertainment towards the end of the night. As I am seeing more and more in Cincinnati, this definitely offers a unique big city feel. The wine list is good, but pricey with the lowest priced bottle of white wine being $40. We ordered a White Bourdeaux, followed by a Pinot Blanc.. both good. I will tell you that when we order, it is very random... we mix everything together regardless of the course. They immediately put out a basket of fresh french-loaf bread that is AMAZING and is accompanied with a smoked butter. I am not a bread eater prior to meals and I couldn't help myself! Come to find out it is provided by Blue Oven Bakery (Findlay Market Baker), which was no surprise. We ended up getting a second basket.. We started out with the leek & celeriac soup, Foie Gras, roasted marrow bones, and seared octopus. The soup is served with two oysters and we all thought it was very good! My friend is a huge octopus fan and said it was just OK and I can agree with this although I don't eat much octopus. We all agreed that the marrow was again good, but not exceptional. The Foie Gras was definitely the favorite.. delicious! For our second round, we ordered the string-roasted chicken, pork confit, roasted cauliflower, and vinegar-poached beet salad. To our surprise, we loved the pork!! Different preparation and it was outstanding. The chicken was moist and also had a great flavor to it. The beet salad was good, but honestly nothing more than any other beet salad I've ordered. The cauliflower was pretty basic as well and we were surprised that it was cold... we all agreed it should be a warm dish. We wanted to try the skirt steak, but they were unfortunately sold out, along with the Walleye. For dessert, we chose the smoked pear and caramelized citrus caramel. The pear was much better but nothing jaw-dropping about either one. Overall, it was a great experience and the food was very good! There is some room for tweaking, as to be expected with a newer restaurant, but I am definitely excited to come back here!
(4)
Steffen M.
Did New Years Eve here and was very pleased. You pay top dollar, but I think it is worth the cost. The service issues mentioned in earlier reviews seemed to have cleared up. Only downsides: house music was pretty loud, and the large plastic penguins kept falling over which was very annoying.
(4)
Elizabeth W.
The latest addition to the downtown restaurant/lounge scene is the hipster cool locale in the lobby of the brand spaking new 21C. This beautiful old hotel has been updated to a modern day art museum and bar. It's a great place to wonder around with a crafty cocktail while you wait for your table. There are lots of spaces to grab a seat and contemplate the meaning of a brass sea turtle. The restaurant itself is a spacious dining room with open kitchen and bar. Wide open windows and original tiles make the space feel old and new at the same time, but do make it a bit noisy. The staff is eager eager eager to please but professional. I think they might have some kind of hipster-off contest going on within the male waitstaff especially, but their service left nothing to be desired. So why 3 stars? Unfortunately, the food is not just not exceptional. The menu is small and experimental, which I really appreciate. Bone marrow and brussel sprouts don't often sit next to each other in Cincinnati. But most things were underspiced and just not blow your socks off good. We had a large group and I tried most of the menu and overall, it was just ok. I really hope the food game steps up to meet the level of the atmosphere and the excitement because this has the potential to be the next best thing in Cincinnati.
(3)
Krystine B.
I was in Cincinnati visiting some family, and they took us to Metropole. They had been here before and really talked it up. I was ready to be underwhelmed, but surprisingly I was not. This place was great! The place had a neat kitschy vibe to it which was very comfortable. The servers and greeters were very nice and definitely made you feel welcome. I dropped some of my drink (the mellow yellow - bad name, good drink) when I tripped over a small stair I didn't see, and they replaced it quickly with no charge. It made me feel like they really wanted me to enjoy myself. The food was excellent as well. The octopus was fabulous. Very tender and not rubbery at all. The Brussels sprouts and kale were surprisingly delicious as well. Even my husband liked them and he normally hates Brussels sprouts. The eggplant was only so-so, but you can't like everything. The pork and polenta, however, were out of this world. My husband said the polenta was the best he had ever tasted, and he couldn't decide whether that or the pork was the best part of the whole meal. For a meat-eater like him, that is saying something. Anyways, summary is: great place for a nice meal.
(5)
Nancy A.
This was our second visit to Metropole and it was superb. Our main server, Deron, was so helpful and knowledgeable that we believe we've never had a better server. The food was delightful and plentiful for all of us, the ambience was just right, and the entire dining experience was perfect. We look forward to our next visit!
(5)
Albert A.
I really wanted Metropole to be as good as Proof on Main at the Louisville 21C, so I went in with pretty high expectations. That was my fault. That being said there we a few few really good menu items; foie gras, octopus that you could get past even the pickiest eater, and the charcuterie selections. Our server was somewhat knowledgable and friendly, but couldn't tell me where some of the menu items originated, a must for a place boasting a fresh and local menu. Where Metropole really falls short is the overall experience of dining. The ambience- loud, stark white and a little obnoxious. The wood-fired menu- fine for a few items but too much for the entire menu. Surprisingly the most memorable item was the slightly smokey bread they serve. I'm craving some now. I suggest using the oven for bread every night and adding a pizza night on Sunday. My prediction is Cincinnati will tire of this cooking method before the end of the next 100 degree heat wave in July. Then what will they do?
(2)
winn p.
A great destination for downtown dining.. We had the charcuterie plate, oysters, and the steak. It was all really good.. The wine and craft cocktails we spot on as well. Check it out!
(5)
Scott K.
My partner and I ate for the first time at the Metropole on 12/21/12. Our first impression was not at all good: we were taken to a table so close to our neighbors that we'd be sitting as close to a stranger as to each other, which wasn't what we wanted for a romantic dinner. I asked the waiter if we could just be moved to one of the empty two-tops that were open and he replied with a withering "No, I can't *just* move you anywhere. You can go back up front and see what they can do." They were friendlier "up front" and moved us to another table, where we had a friendly waiter who told us a lot of interesting facts about the hotel's renovation and brought us very good food. I ordered the trout, which was some of the best I've had. The sides were unusual and tasty - we especially enjoyed the cauliflower with pomegranate. Once we got past the hurdle of the initial arrogant server, it was a great meal and evening!
(3)
Matthew G.
Fantastic, fantastic restaurant. The waitstaff is extremely professional, the environment is lovely, and the food is unfortunately addictive. I say unfortunately because the menu changes often, but that is also positive because you can be deliciously surprised each time you go.
(5)
Karen Y.
food is actually good if you don't mind waiting at least 75-90 minutes for it - this place might be happening but I have no idea how long it will happen - it is mismanaged when you wait over 30 minutes after having a confirmed reservation and then 90 minutes for your food - maybe they should not change their menu so often then they would know what they are doing - not too mention the extremely high prices - I have been their two times - there will not be # 3
(1)
Ann W.
After reading the previous reviews, I nearly cancelled my reservation-- glad I didn't! Metropole delivered a wonderful meal with excellent service. The atmosphere was a bit noisy, but the high energy in the room made up for it. Salads are on a par in freshness and originality with John Robert's Table. The pork entree was actually a boneless short rib -- so tender and delicious. Wine selection was above average with several Pinot Noirs that deserve a second look. All in all a great experience.
(4)
Bernice C.
I don't get the hype about metropole. The decor was very modern and the ambiance is perfect for bringing clients for dinner, which was what I was there for. They also had great customer service, but all the service in the world couldn't offset the food. We started with drinks, which were decent, and moved on to order every appetizer on the menu. The 7-hour egg is pretty good, but they only give you that one egg. What a tease. The cheese platter came with absolutely delicious honey and meats. I ordered the burnt carrot salad because of all the raving reviews. It was more of a grilled vegetables dish which I enjoyed, but it didn't live up to expectations. The other salads around the table were worse. ...and then came the main entrees. Most of us did not finish our food. I heard the steak was good, the amish chicken was barely touched and half of us did not finish the salmon. I had the salmon myself and it tasted like it was just fished out of the ocean. It tasted completely like salt water and was the worst piece of salmon I have had in as long as I can remember. It was pretty terrible. It reminded me of the times I ate at some shady restaurants in Thailand and the fish tasted sketchy. It was that bad. When it came to the desserts, again, we ordered everything on the menu. The cheese plate for dessert is pretty much the same as the appetizer cheese plate but they switch out a cheese or two. The honey bourbon ice cream tasted like it was drunk. Yes, that much alcohol in it. The pineapple upside down cake was delicious! It was very very sweet, which is what I love in my dessert! All the dessert portions were small and not meant for sharing, but I got my hands on everything because I have such a sweet tooth. We ended the night with their complimentary lemon cotton candy, which was again, oh-so-sweet. All in all, come for the appetizers and desserts and stay away from the salmon. Ugh, that absolutely horrid salmon. I'm still having nightmares about that one.
(2)
Erich S.
We celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary here and had a wonderful experience. We made a reservation through OpenTable and were seated right away. We split the burnt carrot salad and is was the delicious (and I'm not a big carrot eater). My wife had the NY Strip and I had the pork chop. Both were excellent. We split the mousse eclair for dessert, also very good. Our server, Clinton, put the experience over the top. His recommendations were spot on and he was very engaging. The service was faster than I expected. Highly recommended. Don't forget to check out the art in the 21c lobby.
(5)
Phil B.
I'm partial to Proof on Main (the restaurant of the Louisville flagship 21c) so let's get this out of the way. I had the pork chop--it is about as close to eating a piece of heaven as you can get I believe; simply amazing! The cocktails were very as well. The wait staff was clearly nice and professional as you would expect from 21c. It still doesn't feel like the Louisville location.
(4)
Kathy D.
For lunch, LOVE the Burnt Carrot Salad. Very generous portion and it is DEELISH! Thought the $10 price was fair price. $3 for a plain iced tea is a bit over the top but definitely won't prevent me from returning.
(4)
David C.
Metropole is one of those places that's been around for a few years, that I have multiple personal connections with, and still hadn't tried! Well, it was time. We had some great friends taking our kids for the night, and there was a reservation available via Open Table - so, we bit! Parking - arrive about 10 mins before your reservation if you want to be on time. We showed up right after a Reds game, so downtown was buzzing with people. We parked about 3-4 blocks away. They do have valet service for $8 (Saturday). We were promptly greeted, and the greeting staff was talkative and pleasant. 30 seconds, and we were seated (yay, reservations). Sitting down, we began to look around. The decor reflects the rest of the building. My wife soaked in the ambiance as we were waited on. "I cannot figure out the decor," she said. "I mean, the yellow penguins, the modern wall art, old-style fixtures...I just don't get it." I was facing the window and the 'moving art' on the wall (seriously, that person at the table must be really full...check it out). Our server (and everyone else we met in the building on staff at Metropole for that matter) was really friendly, and we could tell he enjoyed working there. He guided us through the menu, and we selected the Beet Soup, Grits and burger to share. Water to drink (To keep the bill affordable). I do regret not ordering the 'coffee stout' and trying their offering of Carabello Coffee or Deeper Roots. So, the food was really tasty. The penguins were a little odd. Back to the food. (Seriously, though, they brought a penguin out with a birthday hat on for a table celebration). Not a dish was lacking in unique flavor. Fresh grits were really cheesy (good cheese!) and not too salty. Beet soup: they could have left off the oil on top and it would have been a 5*. Burger, amazing - I only wish I would have ordered it medium-well and not just medium. They end each meal with some lemon cotton-candy - kind of brings you back, kind of makes your teeth hurt (as with cotton candy). So, metropole: after reading older reviews, it seems that you've grown up into your adolescent years. Thanks for your small-menu, your unique character and special flavors.
(4)
Devika A.
Love the rotational menu - this is definitely on the pricier side -- but totally worth it. The burger, burnt carrot salad, and the cheese/ appetizer plate are unique to this restaurant. They have a great cocktail menu (downstairs and upstairs) so definitely perfect for a date or for a girl's night out. Nice to bring the parents to if you're going to the show right after!
(5)
Bhasha C.
The food here was abysmal. I got a pasta dish, mushroom spuccati, expecting a creamy mushroom filled pasta. It arrived lukewarm, watery, and full of vinegar! Totally gross. And pricey. The servers/bartenders were nice, but that's where it ends. I told them I hated the dish and she said "oh, I'm sorry." Even though I will likely stay at this hotel again, I'm never eating here again.
(2)
Momo G.
I had the Ricotta Gnudi, which had delicious morels, picorino cheese, fava beans and some mustard greens. The dish was surprisingly rich both in flavor and substance. But I didn't think the mustard greens were necessary to this dish as they didn't contribute much flavor as one would imagine. I even thought some arugula instead might pack this dish with a nicer kick. Service was great. Lemon flavored cotton candy that came with the check was irreverently fun and a definite crowd-pleaser.
We had dinner here on a recent Saturday night. The place was hopping with people when we arrived at 6:15 for a 6:30 reservation. We were immediately seated. The attention from the staff was very good. I did mention that we were not in a hurry. It seemed like our food came very quickly. I would have liked the pace to be moderated slightly. I understand they have a lot of customers that are rushing off to shows. Did I mention that I told the staff we were not in a hurry? We do not get out much and Nana was with the kids. I had the oyster and celery root soup. It was excellent. I made sure that there was not a drop left in the bowl. Amy had the Chickpea dish and I had the Bison Burger. Both of the main courses were tasty. I will say I was frustrated that the woman (not our waiter) who took our order did not mention to me that the burger came with fries when I ordered a bake potato as well. My bad for not looking closer at the menu, but at this type of restaurant I would have thought it would be mentioned. I took the potato home. Amy had the brussel sprouts. They were very good. I would say they did a nice job on the food. Regarding the wine I will say they had an excellent list with some unique options I had not seen in this area. The Brown Estate Chaos Theory was excellent. Watch out is that the wine was pricey and there were not many reasonable priced options in the red wine section. Overall I thought our experience was good, but I was slightly disappointed when I compare it to our two visits to Proof in Louisville. FYI - they are owned by the same group and the chef at Metropole came from Proof.
(4)
Brittany T.
We had brunch here yesterday-very good! Service was great, everyone was very friendly and accommodated my husbands omelet preferences. I had the yogurt with fruit and granola-it was good. My Bloody Mary was fabulous! I would def go back!
(5)
Dave L.
My first time at Metropole - and i came away lukewarm. One in a party of four, we decided to kick things off with the starter cheese/meat/snack appetizer. It was good, except the kielbasa we got was four thin slices (Think of a typical hot dog or brat - split into maybe12 thin slices and you get four of them). It was good meat, just lacking in quantity. I ordered the gnocchi, which was edible, but very, very, salty. 21C is a cool spot and the Restaurant has a good vibe (though the acoustics make it difficult to have a conversation), and a solid wine & cocktail list. Service was fine, but we asked for a light dessert to share, and were told the cheesecake was light. Huh? A light cheesecake -- had to try it. It wasn't light. I'm not afraid of a big tab when the food/experience are deserving, but the price:food:experience ratio was out of whack. Was a big tab.
(3)
Libby V.
So here's the good and the bad: Ever changing menu. Easy for you to get rid of the Ricotta dumplings after you get me addicted to them. And then lure me in again with the Ricotta ravioli and then take that away. Are you crazy??? Thankfully you always find something to sate my hunger for delicious and fresh. Seriously, everything here is fresh - nothing frozen or canned. That includes the drink mixes - shrubs to die for. Even homemade Ginger Beer in my Drunken Russian. (I will forever miss the Alfonso however) yelp.com/biz_photos/metr… The other night I was craving veggies. No problem...I asked if they could create a vegetarian plate for me and ordered 3 of my faves - Beet Salad, Shaved Brussell Sprouts and radishes (surprising huh?) and Quinoa Fritters with beets, red cress and cashew puree. Was a little surprised the sat 3 dishes in front of me, but they're perfectionists in their presentation here. yelp.com/biz_photos/metr… Aren't those pretty? Felt like a hog though. Then just cause I could I ordered a Fall Dessert Sampler yelp.com/biz_photos/metr… . So tiny and cute that I don't have to count the calories....right?? Some chocolate thingy in a cup, something similar to merange with a filling, and a cranberry almond sponge cake. A perfect ending to a perfect late dinner. And then breakfast. Everything fresh here as well - even Muesli from local grains. Here's what I don't understand, and it has nothing at all to do with Metropole but everything to do with Cincinnati - goetta. This is a "thing" here, and nowhere else that I know. Even close cities like Dayton and Lexington. Goetta is a breakfast sausage of likely German-American origin that is popular in the greater Cincinnati area. It is primarily composed of ground meat (pork, or pork and beef), steel-cut oats and spices, I suppose you could make it at home with oatmeal and Bob Evans but Why? This stuff is crap. In my humble opinion. But I had to try it. Didn't take more than a bite. Everything else - every time I have breakfast here - is great. And free coffee to go on your way out the door. So glad people are loving this place, cause it will be around for a good long while. Life is good.
(5)
Trudy W.
I went here for a business trip dinner with four other people. The ambiance was fantastic, food was great, service incredible, and good pricing for what you get. Our waiter was amazing. He recommended really great dishes, kept our drinks full, and repeatedly checked in. I will be back to dine at this place again.
(5)
Brad B.
Pretty crazy menu, and I consider myself adventurous, but the steak wasn't too great that was the big disappointment. So a little over rated to me.
(3)
Dale H.
We had a great pre-aronoff dinner. They asked if we were going to the show to time service accordingly. They also had a wonderful prix fixe $35 dinner menu. We all selected from this menu. We all chose the burnt carrot salad. Delicious! For mains, two of us chose the String Roast Chicken. Two opted for the New York Strip. We were all very happy with our meals! The chicken skin was crispy and the meat was moist. The steak I tasted was also done perfectly and well- seasoned. There was only one selection for dessert, a malt chocolate bar. Very yummy! The decor was artsy and interesting. The noise Level was a bit loud, but we could still have conversations. Service was excellent! We would Ask for Clinton again :0)
(5)
Foodie R.
Review # 1: We went here on a Saturday evening and found the restaurant to exceed our expectations. First some context: my husband is vegetarian and I'm allergic to shellfish. When we mentioned this, our server didn't skip a beat and said, "of course, we can accommodate this and here's what you can eat, or we can make something else for you." That was a good start. I ordered the burnt carrot salad which had the right level of textures and tastes. Carrots have never tasted so good. The husband had the corn soup, without the guanciale, and it was also beautiful. Creamy, soft and cold. For the main, I had the amberjack and omg, not only was it beautiful, but it was gorgeously aromatic. It's hard to get fish to taste unfishy and smell aromatic but this managed to smell good even to my non fish eating husband. The gnocchi that he had, was well made and light and soft. It was not at all salty. You could listen to the review below but my sense from reading his review is that he wants a big old portion of food because he's paying a lot of money--kinda not how it works.. We ended with the panna cotta, which was actually the right texture and not just a congealed mass of cream that so often masquerades as panna cotta. Definitely a win. The cocktails were probably less exciting than I would have wanted but the wine list looked fabulous and I think I would have done better with those. Overall, the metropole was a good experience for us and I think it's also nice to have a place that was nice to us because we respect and care for food. We were lucky, quite by accident, to get an early reservation. As we were leaving, we noticed a lot of younger people who were excessively loud as well as aging Gen X'ers (not unlike ourselves in age but not in comportment) desperately trying to act like they were still 20. So my advice if you're there for the food--go early, like 6:30 pm and avoid the fools. Or go on a weekday. Review #2: Second Visit. I went with 2 friends and am adding a review because I had a completely different experience the second time through--it was practically a different restaurant. We did not have the same awesome server we had the first time; in fact, everything that went wrong, I would attribute exclusively to the mean and condescending nature of our server. When we arrived, we were chatting and did not put in a food order right away. We were being courteous and waiting for our friend to arrive--it was a weekday the place was not full. By 7 we were ready to order. My friend inquired what the "white" gazpacho was and we when we were told we didn't need an explanation of what gazpacho was, and to explain the white portion, she had to consult her 'cheat' sheet--fine, whatever. We asked for other dishes--the chilled corn soup (which had apparently run out). Leaving aside the issue of that, we ordered other things--appetizer and entree--and then all was well, or so we thought. Appetizer arrived and we were eating that for 43 minutes--at which time, I wondered where our entrees were and what we ought to do, since we had a show at 8pm. When our server came over, she was completely unsympathetic and instead of apologizing, said to us, "I wish you'd told me you had a show to go to!". She chided us as if we were petulant children behaving badly. She told us our entrees would take 6-8 minutes to finish preparing, not giving us the option to cancel our orders, effectively making it necessary for us to ask for our dinners to go. Not an apology for her--just a really bad attitude. In fact, it was the manager who came and apologized to us and invited us to come back to dessert after the show. It was the manager who brought our food out. And it was the manager who brought us our cheque and rang up our credit cards. Of course, it was also the server who got the 20% tip we left because we are not unethical, but never has someone been so patently awful at their job and less deserving. Ultimately, the food was fine (I had the burnt carrot salad again, and several hours later I heated up gnocchi) but I've certainly had to think twice about whether I want to recommend this place to friends anymore. I abhor inconsistent service and I'm really at a loss to understand the radically different experiences within the space of less than a month; I can only chalk it up to getting a server who cared about her work and another who has nothing but utter disdain for restaurant goers. I really felt sad about having this experience because I loved this place and speaking well of Cincinnati food establishments to out of town friends. I just don't feel I can reasonably bring myself or friends here again, and certainly not friends from out of town.
(3)
Red P.
I had the opportunity to honor my pal Alice for her brilliant design work on my logo for Red Pearl Dishes. She is an amazing artist and a great friend, so I invited her to dinner and a show at the Taft. Bonnie Raitt was in town and boy was I excited! We both saw her last year at the Fraze Pavillion and that venue did not do her justice. The Taft however is my favorite place for a show so I was really looking forward to our night! I wanted to take her to Sotto but there were no reservations available. The town was hopping and Flashdance was playing at the Aranoff so every place was filled to the brim. I knew however that she would love Metrapole so it was not a big loss. Metrapole is located at the new 21C Museaum Hotel. The first time I ventured in here I couldn't believe I was in Cincinnati. No offense but it was very cool!! So happy we can add this spot to our downtown venues!! IMG_0580 IMG_0581 IMG_0582 IMG_0585 IMG_0586 We had a drink at the bar and they always take good care of me there but we chose to move to the dining room for dinner. We were nestled in amongst multiple deuces and it was very "cozy". Our server took charge and was very efficient. He made sure to accommodated our schedule while providing personal recommendations for us. The menu is one that is a familiar landscape these days- farm fresh, sustainable, small plates. Metrapole offers a contemporary take on old world fireplace cooking techniques. I love it because even though the dishes are contemporary and, a bit funky from a traditional perspective, they really work for a down home palate. I was very satisfied !! We choose to split several things and especially enjoyed the shaved brussels sprouts with ceaser style croutons and the caramelized Ko mushrooms with salami butter and crispy kale. These are menu items I would not imagine I would love, but the chef knows better. The food is amazing. I was even surprised by the sweet potato ice cream that our server insisted we order. I can't wait to come back and see what's new on their menu! Red Pearl
(4)
Phillip L.
A wonderfully enlightening dinner, great contemporary ambiance, excellent service and food that will have you coming back again.
(4)
Alex L.
This is a review for our last visit to Metropole. We had a reservation for Mother's Day this past Sunday. I made the reservation over a month ago and received a confirmation call a couple weeks ago letting me know that the menu would be a 3-course Prix Fixe. I called back and asked if we had to order off that menu, for two reasons: 1) I have two younger brothers that would be at brunch and they usually don't eat 3 courses at breakfast/brunch/lunch. 2) its brunch - not a dinner. I don't even want 3 courses. I could be wrong, but I would imagine most people don't get an appetizer, main course, and a dessert at noon on Sunday. If we did want dessert, between 7 people its likely we would order MAYBE two or three, but for everyone to have to order dessert seems excessive. So that out of the way, I called and spoke to the manager (supposedly) who I explained our group dynamic to, regarding the two younger boys who don't want that much food. She told me that we didn't have to order three courses, that as long as we were ordering from the special Mother's Day menu it was fine. For example, if someone just wanted an entree they could order that and get charged the appropriate amount, not $29. I told her we appreciated it, and that it made sense since I doubted everyone wanted three courses for brunch. I asked her to please call us prior to Sunday if that changed. We arrive on Sunday, grab some coffees/bubbly at the bar, and chat for a while before sitting. Once we sit my brothers decide what they want from the menu. The menu doesn't look very interesting compared to what they usually have. They also made the mistake of leaving off some of the stars of their regular menu. Oh well. We decide what we want from the limited menu and begin to order. When my brothers order their (solo) entree the server tells us that they have to order the other two courses. One of my brothers says "I don't want any dessert, can I get two appetizers then?", and was told no, he has to order a dessert. The dessert options were a cheesecake, dark chocolate terrine, and cake doughnuts. Since we all HAD to order dessert we got a couple of each. The dark chocolate terrine was divine, although rich for the time of day - seemed like something to eat after dinner with an espresso or glass of wine. The cake doughnuts were terrible - they were hard as a rock and/or stale. My mom and I ordered the avocado toast entree which came with scrambled eggs. I was expecting a warm piece of toast with either sliced or mashed fresh avocado on top and a side of eggs. What I got was a cold, damp piece of bread formerly known as toast, topped with brown guacamole and a side of cold rubbery scrambled eggs. It was literally one of the worst dishes I've ever had at any restaurant. My mom's came out the same except the toast was twice as thick as mine and just as cold and soggy. We barely touched the meal and the server never asked us if anything was wrong. There had been multiple mistakes made the food that came out and at that point we just didn't want to deal anymore. It wasn't necessarily the server's mistake - after all, he doesn't call the shots or make the food. But it was just the worst experience we've ever had at Metropole. To the chef and managers at Metropole: 1) don't do a fixed menu at Mother's Day brunch. This isn't the Palace at the Cincinnatian. And where are the breakfast-y items? No variations of any sausage, bacon, pancakes or french toast anywhere. The quinoa hash and terrible Avocado toast were the only breakfast-like things. 2) don't use Mother's Day as the time to experiment with that many new dishes. Our server kept telling us he didn't know how to explain the dishes because they were new and he's never seen them before. We came in to enjoy brunch with our awesome mom on a beautiful day. You have one of her favorite dishes (the carrot and avocado salad) and it was disappointing to not be able to come in and order some of the dishes we've come to love from you. Again, Mother's Day is not the time to reinvent the wheel. 3) Get your front of house and back of house on the same page. 4) Don't tell your (return) customers one thing and then renege on it once they're in the door and in their seats. 5) With more and more restaurants opening in the city people are going to have more options to choose from and sometimes all it takes is one unimpressive visit for your patrons to stop considering your business as an option. I hate to sound so harsh, but this was just completely sub-par for Metropole. We expect way better from you! We always enjoy ourselves with you but don't think we will be coming back for any special occasions from now on.
(2)
Sarah F.
Celebrated a birthday here recently with friends at the chef's table. The table itself is very cool, especially seated facing the kitchen with a view of the open hearth. Bread for the table is from local Blue Oven bakery, which is delicious by itself, but put over the top by the house-made cold-smoked butter (ask your server, it's an interesting process). There were lots of interesting looking things on the menu, but I didn't go too crazy on my first visit. I shared 2 starters with a friend from the "vegetables & grains" section: quinoa fritters and shaved asparagus, and both were delicious. The fritters weren't really enough to share, but the bite I got was really good, nice crunchy/seedy texture. The asparagus was delightful--bright and well balanced between the lemon and pecorino cheese. I like asparagus, but I can't often say that I really couldn't stop eating it! I couldn't resist getting the grilled sirloin for my entree and wow, was that a big, tasty slab of meat! The beef had a rich, almost melting texture and was well accompanied by little bits of potato, onion, and mushroom. I finished my meal with a goat cheese cake from the dessert menu and it was nice and fluffy with a slight tartness--a nice riff on a strawberry cheesecake if you're not in the mood for a super sweet dessert. Service was very good--our waiter was informative and personable, if slightly effusive about the restaurant's strong points. And the large yellow plastic penguin who joined our table for a while was a fun conversation piece and photo op. Most of the art in the public spaces was a bit out there for my tastes, but definitely gave the whole place a very modern, cool urban vibe. On a side note, this is my 300th review...woo-hoo!!!
(5)
Karen D.
You must try the burnt carrot salad!!! This is one of the best dishes I've ever had in Cincinnati! The carrots are the star of the dish, charred in the fireplace but do not have a burnt taste at all, they have just the right amount of charr to them caramelized just right along with avocado, pumpkin seeds, pickled onion, feta and cilantro tossed with lemon juice and olive oil. I enjoyed every single bite of this dish. Their homemade ginger beer is just the right beverage to go with the salad. The only complaint we had as I visited on a raining Saturday afternoon, where the dining room only had a few tables full is we had service right away received our drinks and salads right away, but the server disappeared for our sandwiches, I had to go to the hostess station to ask what's going on and then they appeared. Our lunch ended with a surprise treat - Best Oscar Actress Cate Blanchett walked in to have lunch with her family as we were leaving, hopefully she tried the burnt carrot salad, too.
(4)
Chad G.
If we would have skipped the main course I would probably be giving this place five stars. We started the meal with a couple appetizers that were just incredible (seared squid and Carrot salad). Unfortunately the entree (Amish chicken) was completely bland and a total disappointment.
(2)
Peter B.
This week, the 21c Hotel made its debut in Cincinnati with tremendous fanfare, riding on the impressive reputation established by the flagship location in Louisville. Brought to life through the site formerly known as the Metropole Hotel, 21C management chose to retain this name and designate it to the main floor restaurant. If you are expecting Proof on Main, the acclaimed restaurant in the Louisville location, evidence of similar culinary magic is sorely lacking in Metropole. While I usually expect a few inconsistencies of experience during week 1, I was not counting on the absence of even a singular example of remarkable food in what has been billed as a high-end establishment. We started our meal with a significant delay of service. The only item that made it to the table in the first 15 minutes of seating was some sparkling water. Our waiter Dave was friendly and seemed to be very confident in his command of the menu. He started the description by advising that 2 of the items were not even available. Given that our seating was at 8 pm, I was somewhat surprised by this announcement, but opening week doesn't provide the kitchen with sufficient benchmarks of demand. As I placed my order, the waiter strongly suggested that I change my beer choice to something that he believed would pair better with my first course. Dave assured me that everyone prior to me, to whom he had made a similar recommendation, had been pleased with his advice. I have to say that I usually avoid beer infused with fruit flavors and this time was no exception. I doubt I would ever choose to consume this brand of beer again. In general, I would argue that Metropole tries to present the diner with a menu of eclectic ingredients, sometimes to the detriment of the objective: producing a delightfully delicious meal that will make people want to return time and again. For our appetizers, we selected Seared Octopus with Fennel Two Ways & Smoked Grapefruit and Charred Foie Gras with Three Onion Types and Toast. The first course came to our table within 8 minutes of the order being placed which made me suspect that the dishes had been prepared well in advance and simply plated with much haste. The dual preparations of fennel were both flat and the tiny octopus had a rubbery texture. The strong citrus flavor of the grapefruit overwhelmed our palates to the detriment of the dish's intended flavor profile. The Foie Gras was prepared correctly but the three onion sauce was cooked to excess, the burnt flavor lingering in my mouth for at least 10 minutes. After the first course was cleared, our entrees didn't arrive for at least another 35 minutes. There are still some staging issues in terms of when courses are fired. I selected the Pan-Seared Walleye with Garbanzo Beans while my wife opted for the signature Metropole Burger on a Potato Bun with Bacon Apple Jam, cedar cheese and a pot of French Fries. This dish actually consists of two patties cooked to the desired temperature of the chef, not the diner. My wife's burgers were excessively juicy as the meat was not rested after cooking. The result was a dripping dish and a soggy bun. The fries were prepared perfectly. Immediately after the burger was served, my wife remarked that there was not ketchup. We waited for another 8 minutes before Dave returned and we could request the condiment. As for my Walleye, the fish was not overcooked, but it lacked an unctuous quality. It was good but hardly mouth-watering. We shared the Curry Tea Poached Egg side dish that included bulgar, cashew and grilled dandelion. A curious combination that missed the mark. I thought the bulgar was overcooked and excessively mealy. The room itself is quite appealing. The dining room is separated from the bar by a glass window/wall. The staff spent part of the evening moving the trademark plastic penguins around from table to table. The children seemed to enjoy it. We decided to pass on dessert but my wife appreciated the cotton candy delivered in a copper cup, accompanied by the bill. I would recommend that Metropole be given 3 or 4 months to work through its menu and service issues before I am willing to give it another try. When the best part of the meal at a fine dining restaurant is the smoky butter served with the complimentary bread, you know there's a problem, especially given the prices. I should note that the hosting staff was very engaging and playful as we entered but upon departure, my wife was made to feel uncomfortable by one of the hosts who made reference to my Facebook post expressing my lack of enthusiasm for the dining experience. Probably not a good thing to repeat even in a digital age where feedback is instantaneous.
(2)
Jessica G.
We had the breakfast room service from Metropole while staying at 21c and it was a yummy end to our stay! I didn't realize goetta was a Cincinnati tradition. The sausage with oats in it was really good. My husband kept stealing mine because he loved it so much! I got the 21c breakfast with the goetta, two eggs, toast, roasted tomato, and potatoes. The tomato was a nice touch. The eggs and toast were good, but nothing special. Rye toast with apricot preserves was a nice touch. My husband got the seasonal breakfast sandwich with thick bacon, an over easy egg (I think, it was runny, but I didn't get a good look), arugula, and pimento cheese spread on brioche. The pimento cheese made it something special, even though I wish there was a little more of it. With tax and gratuity, which was required for room service, and water to drink, it was $36 and some change. A little expensive for breakfast, but if you are staying at the hotel, you might as well indulge! Now I am craving some goetta at home!
(4)
Jane S.
Delicious and interesting food. Enjoyed cauliflower beignets and a grilled cheese sandwich with white cheddar, blackberries and shaved carrots Service was great-not too much, not too little
(5)
Brittney R.
If I could give 10 stars, I would!! We dined here last weekend for a birthday dinner and everything in the entire experience was wonderful. We were seated before our reservation time (we had gone early to get a cocktail) and warmly greeted by Laura. We started with cocktails- I had the I75 (bubbly!) and I specifically remember that my MIL got the margarita. Both were fabulous. The bread and smoky butter on the table were demolished immediately. We started with the combo 3 starter: charred olives- warm and a large variety, finocchiona- a nice salami, and the wheel of awesome cheese (they were out of the only goat cheese, this was recommended as a similar profile)- this was amazing! I am a goat cheese aficionado, but this will definitely be added to my plate when I see it. Plus, how can you not love (and remember) the name!!?? We ordered our entrees (between the 4 of us we got 3 of the strip steaks and 1 pork chop) and several sides- burnt carrot salad, seared octopus, roasted cauliflower, shaved kohlrabi, and green bean 'chaat'. This was probably a little bit more food than we needed, but we managed to make a pretty good dent in it. The favorite- kohlrabi. Least favorite- roasted cauliflower and burnt carrot salad (both of these could easily be recreated at home). The meaty entrees were all wonderful and cooked perfectly. Shout out to the pork chop- so flavorful and juicy- and also a huge portion!! For dessert the server informed us that French macaroons are their specialty birthday treat, but we also added on the flourless chocolate cake and the warm apple fritters. Everything was spectacular, but the macaroons were actually my favorite- so much sugary goodness!! The banana white chocolate mouse on the chocolate cake tasted like mashed bananas to me, so that wasn't my favorite. Great place for a special occasion and to bring visitors in town. We spent a little bit going through the exhibit after dinner too.
(5)
Marcie V.
Five members of my family enjoyed dinner at Metropole for the first time last Saturday evening. The atmosphere is fun...felt like we were eating in a New York City restaurant. Service was good and prompt. We heard that there is a wonderful roof-top bar (we did not go up there) that is very popular. At the end of the meal we had fun discussing each item that we had ordered and "rating" the items. We started by ordering 4 items from the charcuterie bar. We tried the following: 7 hour egg - tasted like a typical hard boiled egg kantwurst - slices of sausage - good...not necessarily special cabot clothbound cheddar - very tasty St. Angel Cheese - very tasty Next, we each ordered a main course and 4 side dishes to share. Side dishes: Grateful Greens Mixed Lettuces - gave it a 3/5. It was very plain, the vinaigrette did not have a lot of taste. Burnt Carrot Salad - 5/5...we all enjoyed this. The carrots were slightly crispy with good flavor Chaat Salad - 5/5...we all loved this. A mixture of chick peas, cauliflower, potato, cilantro and onion. We "fought" over this! Quinoa fritters - 3/5....not as flavorful as we had hoped! Main dishes: 3 of us ordered the string roasted chicken. We all gave it a 4/5. Good flavor, the skin on the chicken was roasted to a crispy finish. But it was not as flavorful as we had hoped. Sea Scallops - 5/5 delicious and melt in your mouth tender Ricotta Ravioli - 2/5...very small serving with very little taste
(4)
Pamela F.
great lounge bar in smartly chic urban space across from the Aronoff. 20 of us for cocktails after CAC event got great service and interesting craft cocktails. Tried the annie hall and Annie Hall Rye, Dolin Blanc (vermouth), orange bitters & mango-cayenne shrub. Rose had good minerality served crisp and cold. On the pricey side for cocktails, and perhaps over the top for wine, in the $9-12 range.
(4)
Charity G.
We tried Metropole during restaurant week. The food was good. David started with the chilled corn soup, which I of course also tasted, it was delicious! I stared with a salad which was good but would recommend the soup instead. For the main course I hade the potato gnocchi which was very good. David had the grilled amberjack which he said was alright but probably wouldn't order next time. The lemon cotton candy is also a fun touch! Over all a good meal but what actually sets the restaurant apart is visiting the museum in the 21c hotel attached. Makes for a fun night, nice dinner and drinks and some fun wacky art viewing!
(4)
Mike M.
i can only give 4 stars because i have not eaten here yet. but i loved it. very nicely done, and i really dig the original floor tile. i shall be back and review the food asap!
(4)
Annie S.
Had a wonderful dinner @ Metropole w/ family home for holidays. Excellent service from the bartender (Ryan) to our waiter (Matthew). Chef Paley does an amazing job - we all loved the brussel sprouts & kale even though many of us thought we didn't even like brussel sprouts & kale! The potato soup & swordfish were excellent. Loved the environment and eclectic feel of the hotel & artwork. What a wonderful asset to Cincinnati!
(5)
Hannah C.
Last weekend was only my second vist to the Metropole, and I wasn't disappointed. We reserved a table for an evening out with some older family members in town for the weekend. We were hoping for a quiet atmosphere conducive to talking with our hearing-impaired guests, which is not what we found at the Metropole on a Friday night. Any other crowd dining with us would not have minded, but it was hard to chat with our elderly guests over the loud chatter that surrounded us. The food more than made up for the noisy environment. During my last visit, I had ordered the oysters as an appetizer and the bison burger for my entree. I was disappointed to find that the oysters had been rotated off the menu, but the waiter suggested the burnt carrot salad instead. It was rich and savory, the carrots cooked to allow just enough crunch, and the soft, creamy avocado gave the salad a perfect texture. I didn't enjoy the bison burger the first time around, so I ordered the strip steak and it was fabulous. The chef cooked it to a beautiful medium rare, and the presentation on the plate made it almost sinful to eat. Dessert was umemorable: a brownie that I could've eaten anywhere else for half the price. Delicious food, expensive but worthwhile. The seasonal menu will bring you back over and over to see what's fresh and new.
(4)
Caroline C.
I couldn't wait for Metropole, so I went as soon as I could once it opened. I must say, it completely met all my expectations even in its first week of operations. The food was totally delicious and there were some very unexpected items on the menu (hearth baked oyster, yes please!). In fact, I wouldn't recommend poring over the online menu as it's more of an example of what they offer. The wait staff (sorry, wait staff) is sort of like the hipster creme de la creme of Cincinnati. They were all very nice, talkative, informative, etc, but ya know, hipsters. And the building! The floor! The entryway! The art! The Cracking Art Group's Yellow Penguins! Made just for us! I die. Absoutely fanastic job to the designers, architects, blah blah blah whoever was involved. Nice work. There was a list of craft cocktails, but I did get any. There was a well-curated wine list, but I didn't get any of that either. Instead I took my server's beer pairing recommendation (there's local options on tap!) and thoroughly enjoyed my beverage. I can't wait to go back and try more of the vegetable dishes (definitely my favorite food items we tried) or perhaps get some charcuterie at the bar. Excellent addition to downtown Cincinnati.
(4)
Sushi B.
I have mixed emotions on this dinner. Parts were fantastic and parts we well off the mark. Everything from the charcuterie was great. The St Angel cheese is divine. My favorites starter was surprisingly the burnt carrot salad. The octopus didn't live up to the hype. We ordered the seafood stew and it was awful. Very fishy with very chewy hunks of octopus. All in all we left pleased but the kitchen missed a few times. Service and atmosphere were excellent.
(3)
Melissa W.
Growing pains. Went on a quiet Weds night after New Years. The bar service was great and the house cured charcuterie was delectable. Beyond that, things got dicey. Undercooked pasta, DRY chicken. The pork was delicious, but nothing I can't do at home. I will try it again as the atmosphere and bar are fantastic. I will give it some time to settle in.
(3)
Elizabeth S.
When our food was served, it was pretty good. The coffee was also good. Maybe it was a fluke and we hit Metropole during a rare lapse in service. Enough people seem to have enjoyed this place, as documented in prior reviews. But for us, it was just an upsetting and unpleasant experience. We arrived at Metropole for breakfast and were greeted by an empty front desk. We stood there for 10 minutes, while we observed employees scurrying past us in every direction without any acknowledgment. A couple emerged from the dining room and were heading toward the exit. Someone who appeared to be a manager came after them and pleaded with them to stay. From the sound of their conversation, they had been waiting for a long time and decided to leave. After conferring with these customers, I expected the manager to acknowledge us. But they just turned and walked away. I considered leaving at this point, but we had explicitly driven from our Mason hotel in order to eat there. So we wait another several minutes and finally someone shows up at the front desk. She offers no apology for our wait and tells us that it's going to be probably 15-20 minutes to be seated....despite visibly empty tables and nobody else waiting....because they're "busy with room service orders." In the interest of time, we elect to sit at the bar. Our server there was very kind and friendly, but overwhelmed. And there were just constant little things...coffee was delivered, but with no spoon. I had to sit and wait, unable to drink my coffee. Looking and waiting for help was a constant feature of our visit. The coup de grâce was when I eventually had to lean over the counter and pour myself some more coffee. Overall, service was just a mess. Maybe my expectations are unreasonable....but 21c/Metropole prices would presumably draw a pretty affluent group of people, and the service fell way short of the polished and efficient operation it should be. Personally, I find it very off-putting when hotels or restaurants provide an excuse for bad service....an excuse that is, at its core, a reflection of a deficiency in management and organization, and then we are expected to just be satisfied with paying for a thoroughly unpleasant experience. Telling us that we were being ignored because the kitchen couldn't keep up with room service orders is not helpful. It's offensive. The restaurant has been open long enough that they should know how to address these kinds of issues - e.g. hire more kitchen staff, hire an outstanding expeditor, or make sure you have more staff on duty when the hotel is packed because of a local sporting event. In-house restaurant guests shouldn't be paying the price for these inefficiencies.
(3)
Carolyn B.
Being somewhat of a foodie, when I read an article about a restaurant that I'd like to try, I tack it on my bulletin board in my kitchen. This became of great use as we were going to the Aronoff with friends & were looking for a place to eat downtown. After I checked Yelp for downtown restaurants & the one name matched one on my board, I called the restaurant called Metropole to make reservations - the article I had saved was from The Cincinnati Enquirer in January of this year. Conveniently, it is right across the street from the Aronoff and they offer a pre-theater prix fixe 3-course for only $35. Our waiter, Clinton, was a huge help in deciding what to order and we will seek him out when we go again. He let us know that the menu items change quite often, but one food that has never been taken off is the Burnt Carrot Salad. Clearly that says a lot, so I (along with everybody else) ordered it. You know what - parts of the carrot did look burnt, but didn't taste like it at all, plus they added goodies like avocado & goat cheese to it. No wonder it is a staple there. However, the Sunchoke Soup sounded very appealing primarily because I've never heard of sunchoke before. (Can you tell I like to try unique things?) Clinton explained that it is the root of a type of sunflower. The 3 entrees offered were String Roast Chicken, Roasted Walleye w/gazpacho and NY Strip Steak, which was my choice. Honestly, it was one of the most amazing steaks I've had in a long time, (sorry Precinct ) - tender, flavorful and cooked exactly as I requested. I don't normally even order strip steak. Luckily, my husband shared a little of his String Roast Chicken and that was quite delicious, as well. The divine ending to our sumptuous repast was a malted chocolate mousse bar! Almost as a postscript, they brought a mug filled with lemon cotton candy. Because it is a part of a museum hotel, you will find contemporary art all around. Although that genre of art isn't my thing, it was fun to seeing the iconic yellow penguins being moved around the restaurant. One joined us for awhile & made for a great photo op. As we say in our household, this one's a definite do-over!!! Do yourself a favor and try it!
(5)
Darwin D.
Food and service was very average. They rely more on being popular and trendy then actual uniqueness and quality. A very cookie-cutter experience. Not a bad place but just definitely didn't live up to the hype.
(3)
Boo M.
I do research before I go into restaurants, hence several 5 star reviews. (I don't give out 5 stars whimsically. ) I ask friends, read reviews, etc. This one, I did not. Our concierge insisted we try their NY Strip. Mother of cow that was exceptional. Better than Mastro's. Better than Smith and Wollensky's. And maybe even better than (please, Lord, don't strike me down tonight) Peter Lugers. It was that good. Service was great too. Oh, and it was almost half the price of all those I mentioned. Maybe I got it on their best day ever, but that steak is worth taking a flight for. For real.
(5)
Adolfo N.
So you want to wander a little and impress a lady on a date? grab a drink at the bar and wander around the mini museum, bonus points for playing with the interactive exhibit and getting on the elevator and seeing the displays on every floor. Great for a quick 30 minute intermission on a planned outing.
(4)
Shawn M.
After having my socks knocked off at Proof on Main (Louisville) I expected Cincinnati's sister restaurant to be great as well. I came away disappointed. The menu is inventive and the food tastes great. Our server was personable and seemingly efficient. The room is beautiful. So where's the disappointment? First, the place is loud. Hard surfaces everywhere makes sure that sound never dies and the result is an echo chamber. We couldn't hear half of what our server said. Fortunately my wife and I were seated diagonally or we couldn't have heard each other. Loudest high end restaurant I've ever dined in. Disappointment 2: Slow. Our appetizer came out ok but the salads were 20 minutes later and entrees came out a full 45 minutes later. The food quality was good, but not good enough to overcome the ambience and slow service issues.
(3)
S L.
I stayed at the 21C for my 5th anniversary in March 2014. The hotel set reservations for me at Metropole. We got a wonderful seat at the counter and watched burnt carrot salads and cheese appetizers being prepared. Fun. We chatted with the chefs and a couple sitting next to us, which was very enjoyable. Metropole has great atmosphere, a wonderful bar, friendly and attentive staff. I can say that my night was quite fun and enjoyable. Why do I only give Metropole three stars? I ordered the pork loin, only because I would never order pork loin. It's something I grew up eating and isn't an entree I would associate with an upscale dining experience. I know it sounds unfair to complain that my pork loin was too "porky," but I can honestly say it didn't taste any different than the stuff my mom made. Now don't get me wrong, my mom was a perfectly fine cook, but she was no master chef or anything. Her pork loin was ok. Metropole's was about the same. I guess I expected the chef to transform it into something better. This was nothing more than a hunk of pork and it took me back to my childhood days of mom's porky pork and fishy-tasting fish. I suppose this review isn't going to influence anyone. Maybe a hunk of pork shouldn't weigh so heavily on my mind. But this was an expensive piece of pork, not the stuff mom got on sale at Kroger.
(3)
F M.
We've recently made a habit of trying a new establishment as often as possible, and Metropole was next on the list. Of the beverages we tried, the Tiny Bubbles was the hit. Our starters included the sweet potatoes, the charcuterie board and the wagyu tartare. The tartare was a very fresh and generously sized appetizer, but the charcuterie board was the favorite. So delicious! Two of us had the burger, which was delicious, and the other had the chicken, which was good but not nearly as amazing as the rest of the meal. Overall, great experience!
(4)
Debbie P.
I always do my research if I have the time, and was looking forward to a special meal at Metropole prior to seeing Wicked across the street at the Aronoff. The interior was sleek and modern, with fun, animated art on one wall. I had reserved through Open Table and mentioned we would need to be out in time for the theater, and was pleased when we were met at the hostess desk that she had that information. Our reservation was at 5:30 for a 7:30 show. Plenty of time, right? Read on.... We ordered a special cocktail from their menu, and it took a good 10+ minutes for it to arrive. Again, it was early, we were one of only 4 or so tables, so the server apologized. I was disappointed with the offerings from the 3 course prix fixe (choice of salad or soup, choice of salmon or pork, nice options for dessert) menu, so we decided to order off the regular menu.Smoked butter and bread came to the table right away, and I really enjoyed the flavor of the butter. Interesting and a lot of flavor. I liked it more than my daughter, but not a surprise because I am a big fan of smokey flavors. My daughter ordered the grilled broccoli and the double cheeseburger, and I ordered the burnt carrot and avocado salad and the double cheeseburger. The salad was fabulous and should not be missed! We got the broccoli also as a first course, and it, too, was delicious with a lovely aioli. After a rather lengthy wait, our burgers and fries came out. Very tall burger, and we didn't want to drop food all over, so we both decided to eat it with a knife and fork. Burgers should be picked up with the hands, but it would have been impossible no matter how much one would smash down the bun...we tried. Fries were good, no surprises there except that our food was at our table for a while before the server offered ketchup. Some foods go well with ketchup, like french fries, and that would have been nice from the start. We finished about 6:50, and when offered a look at the dessert menu, we decided to share the flourless chocolate cake with a praline and ice creams. This is when our experience went downhill, fast. We waited nearly 30 minutes for the dessert to arrive, and even stopped the server to ask for our check before the dessert came to the table. It would have been nice to have had some checking with us at this point to see if we wanted to skip the dessert, but it was already on the check and the server was no where to be found. I decided to go ahead and pay now, regardless, in order to get to the theater on time, and when I got out the cash (to make it faster) the dessert finally arrived. We noticed every other table got a lovely cup of lemon cotton candy (I'm a big fan!) but we, for some reason, never did get any. A disappointment, as it looked fun and and nice little treat. The server never returned to the table after the dessert was brought, so we left the money/tip on the table and ran across to the Aronoff just as the final bell was sounding. Likely not to return to the Metropole, and I did love that burnt carrot salad, but a shame not to take just a little better care of the guests.
(3)
Jennifer H.
I really want so much to love this restaurant. I love the ambiance, love love the hotel. The service is always great. But the food. There are just not enough vegetarian options. If we are paying $120+ for our meal then I want a choice of entree and not just to feel like I'm getting stuck with the only thing available. And the food I've had the last two times has been lackluster at best for entrees. Even my meat eating husband was less than impressed with his expensive steak dinner. Honestly the cheese plate and burnt carrot salad were the best parts of the meal... I expect more.
(3)
Nicholas A.
Food: Charcuterie plate was amazing. We got the 7 hr egg, blue cheese, goat cheese, and pate. All choice quality with interesting accents, the goat cheese in particular. The house mustard and blue oven bread didn't hurt either. For dinner I went with the pork shoulder con polenta. Served with a stake knife, it was slow cooked to fall apart with a spoon. The rich smoky "health" of the buttery cut of meat was nicely balanced by the sweet roots. Service: couldn't expect better. Knowledgable and excited about the food. There was a drink spilled at our table, and after a brief whirlwind of activity, the table was dry and the drink was replaced. If they were any faster or on it, they would have caught the drink as it tipped! Ambiance: One word; penguin... There was one staring at me for a good portion of my meal. It is one of the most interesting places in the city. There is alway something that you didn't pick up on each time you look up. Why wasn't it more crowded on a Friday night! We will be back soon, and I hope to have a wait when we are.
(5)
Bridget S.
Always fantastic. Great service, inviting atmosphere and amazing food. The museum is really a treat and well worth the visit. This establishment really knows how to treat their guests. Happy to have such a great place to dine in such a lovely location! Bravo!
(5)
Jeff S.
Went there this past Saturday. The service was weak. The staff wanders around looking hip and cool but continually failed to come to the table to ask if we wanted anything. This meant we only ordered our initial drinks and we're never asked it we wanted to order more. Oh and we did so they lost out on at least 2 more rounds of drinks that could have been ordered. Also the waitress failed to write down our Ala carte vegetable order. We did not get our grilled sweet potatoes until after our entree was finished and I had to ask a table busser to find any waiter to help us with that because we could not find our waitress. The dishes were delivered by other folks who dropped the plates and ran so we didn't have a chance to point out we were without our ordered side dishes. Oh and they didn't even offer to comp the veggies even though they came out as a dessert course. Enough on the lousy service. The food was bad too. The octopus app was burned, the special grilled oysters were cold and had weird flavorings not fishy weird but unrecognizable weird. Had the salmon it was decent but the pickled beets were unappetizing. The grilled sweet potatoes while really late were ok. The dessert was toasted marshmallow and was bad. Sticky non fluffy marshmallow rectangle that had a weird coating and was cold not toasted with a mini ball of chocolate ice cream and a dry ring of what was supposed to be banana bread. Bad dessert. The best thing offered in the meal was the free dollop of lemon cotton candy at the end. This place is a wanna be trendy restaurant that tries too hard to be hip and cool (with the weird video on the wall of a where's Waldo look alike pretending to eat a large bowl of porridge all night).... definitely not hip and cool more like never to be repeated.
(1)
Maddie G.
Service: Terrible. Our table of 4 people was not approached for 15 minutes after seating and the manager had to take our drink order. We were seated out in the open, close to the kitchen where servers were constantly walking by, yet we were frequently neglected. Dirty plates sat on the table for a ridiculous amount of time. Even the food runner was visible peeved when she came to place dinner plates and realized the appetizer dishes were still scattered around the table and no one had picked them up. Ambiance: Pretty cool decor and buildout. The contemporary feel and art showcased is a unique experience for the area. Food: Average to Blah. Not much to say. Nothing innovative or particularly delicious about any of the numerous plates my table shared. As a matter of fact, several dishes were overall unappetizing. The menu wants to be a hip, sustainable, farm-to-table type of deal, but the actual plates fall short considerably. Value: None. Quite overpriced for the mediocre taste and portions, especially considering what you can get for similar cost at the restaurants within a block radius of Metropole. Update: I appreciate management reaching out and may give Metropole another try. It's still a cool place for drinks, as the ambiance and location are terrific.
(2)
Missy M.
Whatever else you may order, do yourself a favor and get the chaat. My significant otter and I visited Cincinnati for a short weekend and decided to see what Chef Michael Paley is creating at Metropole. We enjoyed his dishes at Proof on Main so we were sure we were in for a treat. Service was stellar, as is the case with any 21c affiliated business. The cocktails are inspired, as is the food. Metropole's focus is farm to fireplace, with locally sourced ingredients cooked in a custom-built wood-burning fireplace. The otter began with the gazpacho soup which he very much enjoyed. He had the duck for dinner and now he knows why people rave about duck. When cooked by someone who knows what they're doing it's an excellent dish. I went with the buffalo burger which has great flavor that was enhanced by the condiments: green garlic & onion marmalade, aged cheddar & truffle fried shallots. I ordered a side of chaat, and much like the Weisenberger Grits in Louisville at Proof on Main, this veggie side was my favorite part of the meal. Though, everything was delicious.. I ended with a glass of port and the otter had dessert (I can't remember which dish). To cap things off, we were offered lemon cotton candy which was incredible - truly melted in your mouth.
(5)
Lauren J.
Metropole is absolutely one of my favorite go-to restaurants for lunch! Located in the contemporary and artsy 21c Hotel, the staff has never been anything but fantastic. From the polite and charming doormen who welcome you, the hostesses who greet you with a smile, to the waitresses and waiters who give great recommendations, and even management who constantly show their presence, remember your face and ask if there is anything they can do. The atmosphere is bright, with light tile and detailed touches. I love the large windows that are reflected in giant mirrors. The museum hotel's giant plastic penguins also make an appearance. I was late meeting a friend there for lunch the other week and she mentioned the host sat her with a friend so she was fine waiting. I was confused but glad she wasn't annoyed or bored. When I arrived, a giant yellow penguin was also at our table! They keep the place fun and remind you not to be too serious in the middle of the work week. My typical menu favorites are their take on a Caesar salad with grilled chicken (hold the anchovies) and the double cheeseburger with fresh homemade fries. The burger is so big I eat it as 2 open-faced sandwiches! Friends have enjoyed all of their meals, including the carrot salad and cheese panini. Everything is so fresh and flavorful! Don't forget to save room for dessert- the chocolate mousse with homemade caramel sauce is killer- and gives you something to dream about at your desk later on. Lunch prices are very responsible and I love being able to relax and be attended to without sighing when the bill comes. Metropole has proven great service and great food make you want to return time and again. Bravo Metropole- I always look forward to my lunch dates here!
(5)
Rick S.
I've eaten at the Metropole several times and I'm not certain how to put this. It's okay, but I'd rather eat at home. It's very noisy because it has no carpets. So, it's not a great place to eat with more than four people. The larger the table, the less you will hear each other. The menu has also been OK. It's just that there are so many better restaurants nearby. It's a good place to go for a drink and walk around their museum lobby. Their bar has jumped on the gin and house tonic bandwagon and I recommend you try it. It's not your father's classic gin and tonic.
(3)
Lucas W.
Metropole was a very good dinner. Everything I tried was good, tasty, and perfectly portioned. Started with a cocktail, the Chester Copperpot which was wild turkey based. I love wild turkey but the cocktail basically tasted like wild turkey neat, would've expected some other intricacies to the drink. We had the seared octopus for an appetize which was fantastic. Wonderful flavor to it and a pretty hefty portion of octopus as well. Also really liked the spice added from the hot peppers. Octopus was marginally chewy but that's because it's seared and not grilled, but I would definitely recommend the octopus. For the entree, I had the gnocchi and pork confit. Not generally a big confit fan - certainly prefer meat to be warm and I think had the dish been warm it would've been better. Would've turned into some gnocchi and pulled pork in a tasty sauce at that point, but it was a confit and as it was it was good but not great. The sauce had some interesting flavors as well. I'd recommend the dish overall. Metropole is a good place for a business lunch/dinner. The food will always be good but not truly great.
(4)
Teri D.
I assume room service comes from here for the hotel, if that is true then they were amazingly fast with our breakfast room service order and even though they charge $3.00 for deliver and then add in a 20% gratuity (WTH) to the bill...having breakfast delivered quickly and tastily (loved my French press coffee) was worth it. Now when we went downstairs to have a bit of a snack (we split a $15.00 burger - again WTH) with fries and two sodas ($3.00 each). The place was filled with noisy hipsters clowning around with the penguin, I don't get the big appeal of the place especially with burgers that expensive, and we had to wait and wait for our server to come and give us some ketchup for the fries. Tsk tsk tsk....
Seven adults for evening meal. All but one first timers. Loved the "repeal prohibition" drinks list. Cincinnati sidecar was a nice throw-back. Everyone enjoyed the service and festive atmosphere. Lively, yet we could hear each other in conversation. Items ordered and enjoyed were: Salmon Octopus Charcuterie Pork shank Red Drum Sides were nice as well. Grits were good, but not great. Pate, cheese, and bread from charcuterie selection were very nice. Recommended and I'm looking forward to my next meal there.
(4)
Elaine W.
I'd been wanting to eat here for a long time and was immediately wowed by the decor, spaciousness, and hostess's severely arched eyebrows. Food, unfortunately, was also eyebrow-raising to put it mildly. Bread: Blue Oven Bakery! Win. Chaat: Deliciously garlicky, but nothing special. And hey, I could get much cheaper, authentic chaat at any of the dozen or so Indian restos in town. Ricotta Ravioli: $20 for 4 pieces of ravioli? I almost whimpered when the waiter brought out the plates. First bite: Couldn't even taste the ricotta until I cut it in half. And the edges were... al dente to the max, like they were still frozen. Peas were also undercooked. I did whimper. Luckily my friend shared some of her String Roasted Chicken, which incidentally, will soon be off the menu despite its popularity (Whaaa? Don't ask me). It was a nice, tender piece of chicken, but I've had tastier meat. What made this chicken special was the sauce, which was flavorful and surprisingly sweet. My other friend was disappointed they ran out of the monk fish because he wanted the golden beets, which he got as a side and promptly declared that the best thing he ate. Last but not least, Cotton Candy: Yes, they give you cotton candy to end your meal. I haven't had cotton candy in an eternity, so this was a refreshing surprise. Flavor was lemon--even better. They do have a nice rooftop bar, though, with cocktails and "poptails" (popsicles dipped in shots). The restaurant's bathroom is also nice, and there's a small art space off the hall that people rave about for some reason. But don't let the hype get to you if what you're looking for is no frills, good food.
(2)
Bob D.
Went to dinner and breakfast here since we were staying in the attached hotel 21C. Dinner was outstanding. Service was excellent. We started with the Charcuterie Board - "7 hour egg" (highly recommend), Finocchina, Duck Pastrami and Warm Ricotta. One little tip - spread the ricotta on the toasted garlic bread and top with the delicious apricot jam that comes with the board - Wow it's a whole new take on grilled cheese...! Wife got the Braised Onion Soup and I got the Burnt Carrot Salad. Both were yummy. The Carrots had an amazing mix of flavors and the feta, cilantro and avocado mixed for a really delicous dressing. We split the Grilled NY Strip which was good and flavorful and done to perfection but if you are looking for a Ruth Chris/ Ruby/ Morton sort of steak I'd recommend other options from the menu. The chief sent out a serving of the seared octopus and Plancha Shrimp which were actually outstanding in taste and presentation. Ended the night with a really nice touch - Lemon flavored Cotton Candy! Part of their tradition. Really nice place and Chef Jared Bennett has done a really fantastic job in creating a go-to restaurant in Cincinnati.
(5)
Karen M.
My bad for not looking at the menu before choosing this restaurant but they lacked a vegetarian entree option. Is that so hard to put together? Tried to piece a vegetarian meal together with the carrot soup (very nice complex flavors) and a couple of the sides but was left with - Ok but not so fine overall meal. When I roast asparagus at home and mistakenly overcook a few that end up black and shriveled - I don't serve them - no such scruples here. The avocado semifreddo dessert was enthusiastically recommended by a passing server for dessert, we were less enthusiastic after trying it - landed squarely in the its OK but not great pile. Service was excellent.
(2)
Lizbeth T.
Way to go Metropole! Metropole gets the little things right, and all of those little things add up to a totally enjoyable experience. From the very beginning, when they listened to specific requests for our reservation, and fulfilled those requests graciously (nothing crazy, mind you), we knew that the Metropole staff would make our evening special. We visited in February, so I can only comment on the winter menu. Since the chef changes the menu seasonally, check the website before you go to get a sense of what your options will be. Our waiter was warm, personable and extremely knowledgeable. Had he not recommended the burnt carrot salad, I don't think we would have ordered it, and it turned out to be a highlight. The cocktail and wine list are excellent, and I appreciate the quartino option for wines by the glass. Bourbon fans - check out the I-75 cocktail. I chose the scallops entree and my boyfriend had the burger. Both were generous portions, perfectly cooked and enlivened by seasonal and fresh ingredients. My only disappointment was a less than exciting dessert menu, but we were full from sharing an appetizer and two entrees. And since the cocktail menu was more enticing, we decided on one more drink instead of dessert! The Metropole is a great looking room, but it doesn't necessarily have a "wow factor." Nevermind - it's more about the whole experience. We were never rushed, the noise level is lower than in most of the other popular restaurants in town, and every member of the staff we encountered offered the highest level of service. I can't wait to go back!
(5)
Bill E.
This review is based on my lunch experience. I met a friend here for lunch a few weeks ago and since she knew the bartender we ate at the bar. The bartender Chris was very knowledgeable and super nice to us both. I ordered the Metropole drink and it was very good for my lunch I had the beef tongue with pickled red onions and arugula on blue oven bread and also ordered a side of fries which were served with pickle dressing. The tongue was great and not tough at all, the fries however were a disappointment. I also ordered a Beet Shrub and I highly suggest getting one. After lunch we got a personal tour of the terrace.
(4)
Rodney S.
Our second visit this year. The poorest of service. Had reservations... Checked in and host forgot about us. Reminded him...told us oh ya...will seat you at nice location in a minute. Forgot about us again. Gave our name and told us he thought we had been seated. Assured everything would be perfect once we got seated...not. Forgot our cocktails...had to remind waiter. And so on... Food was fantastic, however. Not certain we'd come back...
(1)
Rory B.
I had only heard bits and pieces about Metropole before I was informed of a friend's birthday celebration. The rooftop bar really started the evening off right. The weather was perfect and the sun was just starting to set over the city. The peanut hummus far exceeded expectations. After a few drinks and a lot of fun we descended the magic elevator as our table was ready in the main restaurant. When a new place is available I try to give it a little time before giving it a try or review. Let them work out the kinks. Not the case here As a group we were 175% satisfied. The food was fantastic and minimum and spectacular for the rest. There were 8-10 of us and we pretty much ordered one if everything and shared around the table. The atmosphere was inviting and fun. The staff didn't just put up with our mildly drunken shenanigans they seemed to really push us deeper into a good time. Metropole gets top honors from this reviewer.
(5)
Santeri P.
I have been to Metropole twice now and really enjoyed the food both times. The first time I came here was with my wife. They have a long white padded booth-like bench on one side lined with small tables and we were seated in the corner. This was nice because the bench turns the corner and we were both able to sit on the bench and still face each other. We ordered the octopus and burnt carrot salad to start with and both of these were fantastic. The burnt carrot salad was easily one of the best salads I have ever eaten. It is not like a standard salad with lots of green leaves but more like roasted vegetables. For the entree, I ordered the roasted chicken that had been roasted over an open fire and it was delicious. My wife ordered monk fish but unfortunately they had run out as we had a later reservation. They offered her the same dish with salmon as a replacement and it was still very good. The second time we stopped in was recently for my wife's birthday with my parents and grandmother. We once again started with the burnt carrot salad and octopus because it had been so good the last time and it was just as great. The octopus was lightly charred and delicious with garbanzo beans and currants with a couple slices of a hot pepper. I ordered the grilled NY strip steak which came with burrata (kind of a cross between mozzarella and ricotta), root vegetables sliced like chips, smoked grapes, and charred tomatoes. The steak was perfect (ordered medium rare) with a little charring on the ends and red and juicy inside. The smoked grapes were great with an intense smokiness when you put it in your mouth followed by a burst of sweetness when you bite into it. My wife had the smoked chicken which is a half chicken with grilled leeks, onions, and spinach and cheese dumplings. The smoke flavor was strong throughout the chicken and was amazing. Everything that was smoked that we ate had more smoke flavor than anything I have ever had (we asked and they use chicory to smoke with). I also tried (from other people) a bite of salmon that was perfectly cooked and a bite of porgy (type of whiter fish) that was also very good and came as a whole fish with bones and all. For dessert, we shared a pineapple upside down cake with coconut ice cream, pineapple anise jam, and coated almonds with tarragon. The cake was good and moist and the ice cream and almonds were also good. Since it was my wife's birthday they also brought out two macarons (which were twice as big as the small macarons I often see) and they were delicious. So far, everything I have tried at Metropole has been fantastic and the service is always great. We have always ordered wine by the bottle and while the wine is pricey we have always liked what we drank. I will note that I found the chairs we sat in to be somewhat uncomfortable, but that was the only negative. At the end, when you get the bill they always bring some lemon cotton candy too. I will definitely return and enjoy more food at this great restaurant.
(5)
Mike W.
There are few places in Cincinnati where the quality justifies the price, but Metropole delivers in quality and ambiance. The wait staff is attentive and jovial, presenting your meal with reverance by acknowledging the high quality of of the expertly crafted food. This is a new, favorite spot for us and we will certainly be returning for more experiences.
(5)
Alicia B.
Wow. This is the quality of cooking I've longed for since i moved to Cincinnati. I'll start with everything besides the food. The decor was awesome, especially the bathroom lol. I thought I'd just stepped into a CGI movie. Then they've got cute little penguin that"move" throughout the restaurant. The waitstaff were all very nice and service oriented. Now, the food. We started with the charcuterie- cheddar, goat cheese, ricotta, fennel salami, roasted grapes. Everything was delicious. Then at my table, i tasted the swordfish, pork chop, the chicken, sides of leeks, and eclairs and fennel cake desserts. Yeah! And it was all 10/10. The chicken and pork chop were my favorites.
(5)
Dave M.
Hard to beat Metropole breakfast. My wife and I have tried dozens of breakfasts across the city and keep coming back to Metropole. We realize that all the fancy egg creations and pancakes cannot trump great eggs, pastries, and breakfast meats. Keeping it simple at Metropole will not disappoint. They use high quality ingredients to deliver on breakfast staples. Also make sure you try a french press of some local coffee. Hard to go wrong with Deeper Roots or Carabello.
(5)
Holly M.
The staff are always friendly and knowledgable, the food is delicious, and the atmosphere is chic. The charred leeks are my favorite thing currently on he menu.
(5)
Ben N.
If Metropole isn't quite the metropole of Cincinnnati dining, I'm ready to say after two visits that it's one of the five or ten best restaurants in this metropolis. Metropole's quite similar to Proof, its sister 21c restaurant down in Louisville: It's one of the more striking rooms in town, taking great advantage not only of the old building in which its housed but the natural light from its big windows and the effect played by the surrounding building stock. It feels sophisticated without being pretentious, and it's comfortable and spacious. And it's one of those 21st century upscale restaurants where, for some reason, the restaurant staff dresses far less formally than the clientele. Plus, you might get to dine with a big yellow penguin. As with Proof--a restaurant we've been to only once--a single meal is likely to have some ups and downs. The first visit, at least for me, was pretty much a five-star experience, though. I can't remember everything I had, but I remember the charcuterie plate and a braised pork shank especially--that was pretty much a perfect update of a country French style, hearty and delicious--and my wife's burnt carrot salad, which is way better than it sounds. That meal was pretty much all ups. Second visit was not. Maybe it was because we ordered off the Restaurant Week menu, which we didn't know was on offer at the time we made our reservation. First course was the main problem: This is going to sound ridiculous, but cucumber salad and Ohio corn soup--I had the soup and sampled my wife's salad--were just too damn cucumber-y and corn-y, respectively. By that I mean they were far too one-dimensional for a restaurant of this sort. (My wife said the soup tasted like cornbread batter. I'll have to take her word for it.) We also ordered the wagyu beef flank tartare from the regular menu; I'm going to assume that this particular cut of meat just isn't appropriate for tartare treatment, because it was relatively flavorless and chopped too fine. (The flavor of the beef was mostly overwhelmed by capers.) By the time I'd gotten through these items, I was suspicious of the main course, a pork shoulder chop, which sounded a little bizarre. But this was actually very good, more tender than I would have thought and very nicely seasoned, and served with braised kale and a very good romesco-style sauce. Very good plate. Dessert was great, too: a salty semi-sweet chocolate tarte with blackberries, executed about as well as you can expect. Given these two experiences, my takeaway is not to judge restaurants by Restaurant Week menus. Service so far has been excellent--informative, efficient, smooth. And pleasant and congenial without being remotely ingratiating. Metropole and the hotel itself have been great downtown additions, especially when you consider that the previous tenant of this building was more or less a seedy flophouse only a half-block from Fountain Square.
(4)
Alex S.
One of my favorite lunch places. This is my go to place for 'business lunches' with the younger and/or more gastronomically adventurous types. The food is good (never great), but the decor is interesting (i.e., giant yellow penguins) and service great. I heavily recommend their "shrubs" (fruit and vinegar based drinks).
(4)
Nolan L.
Let's start with the good. Service was exceptional. All of our interactions with staff from seating to check were great. Unfortunately the food didn't match the level of service. We had the Johnnycakes to start with. They were ok and probably the best thing we had at the table all night. For the meal price I expected better than ok. I can make ok food at home. I ordered the burger. I ate half which tells you how I felt about it. My lovely SO ordered the pork which she said left her disappointed. Now, the real kicker and reason for this review. I just went to eat other half of said burger and as I dig in I see a long black hair. I'm not a neat freak and assumed it was my SO. Go to brush it off and it's actually in the lettuce/sauce mixture. No way it's my SOs this hair came from someone preparing the meal. Now, I know things happen. But, you cannot be a premium restaurant and serve food with hair in it. That's just nasty. Again, huge disappointment for the price. Tl:dr I found a hair in my burger that was obviously from the staff. Even if it was a one-off the food was disappointing.
(1)
Lynn N.
Highly recommend the ordering the steak tartare and dining with a yellow penguin! This is a great little date night spot or for a girls night my BF surprised me so this is also good for surprise dinners for your significant other too The pace of this place is really enjoyable, it's not a typical hurry up and order eat and leave kind of place, you order everything as you go and the servers aren't pushy but really take cues based on your readiness. We were able to engage in conversation and really enjoy the time there. *FOOD* the smoked butter served with grain bread which was really good the smokiness is different in a good way. We shared the charcuterie platter--finocchiona, duck pastrami, and Mimi's smoked blue, to start and the Waygu steak tartare, which I highly recommend. It is also a regular menu item so if not anything else I will be back for that. It was served with fried onions and a egg yolk, and it something I'd certainly not be able to recreate myself. The main entrees we had were the grilled duck breast and the grilled NY strip steak both by recommendation. The steak was flavorful and chipotle peppery flavor, and the duck was perfectly fleshy, fatty and crispy and served with blackberries and tiny little potatoes. I would definitely order this again. For dessert we had a almond eclair served with coconut ice cream. Ending the moderately inebriated with cocktails in hand checking out the art exhibit was great. There's a lot to check out and interesting tidbits behind them. We thought to check out the rooftop bar but based on tips by most of the staff its really only enjoyable on week nights, so we'll def have to come back for that.
(5)
Eli D.
Definitely enjoyed our experience here. This is a long overdue review, as we dined here a year ago. Our server seemed a bit withdrawn, quiet. He wasn't snooty, but almost. Our dinners were fun and tasty. The setting is definitely contemporary, and visually stimulating. We will, of course, dine here again.
Nice rooftop space with cozy seating. They have used the upstairs space well and it is a very comfortable rooftop cocktail. Our server was great and the drinks were made quickly. The Oxy-gin was good and although the Alfonzo was recommended, it was much to sweet for my taste. Drinks were a little pricey, but it's to be expected for the location and the view.
(3)
Michael F.
Was lucky enough to choose Metropole for restaurant week tonight. Paired with free Wednesdays at the CAC it was an indulgent semi-frugal night. The food at Metropole was amazing. Started off with a chilled corn soup that was well-executed. The burnt carrot salad my friend ordered to share was even better than the two starters offered on the prix fixe restaurant week menu. For the entree I chose the seared pork shoulder steak. It was insanely good. The seared outside layer tasted like bacon and everything else was a deliciously tender and fatty succulent chunk of pork. Perfectly seasoned and perfectly cooked throughout. For dessert the apricot semifreddo did not disappoint (though to be honest I was still coasting from the high of the pork entree). Seriously one of the best meals I've had in a couple years.
(5)
Adrien M.
Great food, really enjoyed the ambiance, art and shrubs. I would totally recommend this place. My husband and I went here for date night and it was great. Had a great meal and went and saw an exhibit opening in the other side of the hotel!
(4)
Stephen G.
A few years ago we went to Louisville, visited the 21c hotel there and enjoyed a FANTASTIC meal at the in-house restaurant, Proof. Despite finding nothing vegetarian on the entree list we had been assured in advance that the chef would be able to concoct something special for my wife to enjoy. They did not disappoint, she still raves about what they cooked for her to this day. So, with the 21c Hotel opening in Cincinnati, we waited until a special night - our wedding anniversary no less - to try _its_ in-house restaurant, Metropole. Upon booking the reservation we were given a menu which, like Proof, showed zero vegetarian options amongst the entrees. But, just like Proof, the staff at Metropole verbally assured us - on no less than 3 separate occasions - that the chef would be able to put something special together for my wife. The difference between 21c Louisville and 21c Cincinnati was one of the veritable chalk and cheese variety. Let's start at the very beginning, a place Julie Andrews assures us, is a very good place to start... When initially booking the reservation, I requested a specific table I had spotted, over in the far corner from the entrance. It not only enjoyed good views and some sun-setting daylight through the nearby window but it was also the furthest away from the barely separated bar area which spans one entire side of the restaurant Upon arrival, I immediately noticed the requested table was occupied. To be honest, we should've walked out there and then. Instead, and with NO apologies or excuses whatsoever, we were seated .... you've guessed it... right next to the extremely noisy bar area. Which rendered all 'romantic anniversary conversation' impossible. Here's where I maybe nitpick a little. I don't know who chose/designed the furnishings for the restaurant area but they evidently didn't have much of a clue. If you get a chair to sit on you're fine, but if - like us - you end up perched on the upholstered benches, you'll find the table is too high to eat with any comfort. Basically, those bench areas have been constructed too low. Also, every single table in the place is supported by a centre leg with a wide/tall contoured plinth, making it impossible to place your feet comfortably on the floor in front of you. I witnessed loads of people around us constantly shifting their feet to try and find a 'sweet spot', none of them successfully. I'd expect this kind of oversight from a cheap burger joint, but an upscale restaurant? Klaxon alert! Then came the food. "Disappointed" is an understatement. I tried the Steak Tartare as my appetizer, assured by our server it gets "stellar reviews". I cannot understand why. Tellingly, I left 2/3rds of it behind on the plate, the taste of the ingredients surprisingly bland. My entree was the Metropole Cheeseburger, a definite step-up from the appy, but far from the magnificent flavor sensation suggested by a recent Cincinnati Magazine article. As generally 'mediocre' as my own eating experience was, it still towered several hundred storeys above my wife's. Having been promised the 'vegetarian earth' by no less than 4 people now - including our server who told us the 'pasta dish' could be made without the crab and other meat, but with lots of vegetables - she was served... a small plateful of pasta with a sauce and a few herbs plopped on top. THIS was their $25 vegetarian option? Lots of people now eat vegetarian food, not all of them on moral grounds, but because they know it's better for them. To not have a single veggie option on your entree list is incredibly remiss in this day and age. To then pretend that this pasta variant is a credible alternative just paints a poor "zero imagination" picture of your kitchen staff. To her credit, my wife sent the laughable pasta dish back. She was then forced to order a couple of sub-standard items from what was basically the 'sides' as her Wedding Anniversary meal. The whole event became so unromantic in nature we humorously wondered at one point if we could actually sue the restaurant should the meal lead to our eventual divorce. After we'd had our dessert I guess news of our general dissatisfaction had reached the restaurant manager who came over, apologized for the shortcomings over the order and comped us our shared dessert and my wife's pot of tea. It was extremely easy for me to contain my excitement at the gesture. Sadly, it was all too little too late. Metropole officially goes on our "sh*tlist" as somewhere we will be sure to tell other people about... but for all the wrong reasons. I've said this before and I'll say it again, if you turn away a vegetarian diner by not offering a credible vegetarian option you ALSO turn away all of their carnivorous friends and family members who would/could dine with them. Based on our experience, Metropole proved itself as not only somewhere that does not comprehend a vegetarian's needs, but also a restaurant that undermines its own assurances.
(1)
Darcy W.
For the bar and drinks only.... Damn good selection of Bourbon... I could stop there but I would not do the specialty drinks justice. I would categorize the bartenders as mixologists! I had the Ziggy Stardust... Something prosecco and star fruit it was tasty! We also had the Annie Hall which was smooth and finished with a bite! Great place to go before a show, but give your self some time and check out the art gallery some very interesting and freaky stuff! Walking to the bathroom is cool... The floor has images projected on it that look like some sort of virus. Yes of course I said Ebola... The Ziggy's might have made me extra funny! Check my pictures out! Art is definitely in the eye of the beholder! Lol and cheers!!
(4)
Angela C.
I've now tried Metropole for lunch and dinner. The space is awesome- elegant, modern, with lots of windows and a big bar. There are big yellow penguins hanging out at some of the diner's tables and a funny little art projection installation on one of the walls. Service is great. Lunch: when I went, ordered an avocado toast. It was.. avocado toast. I was completely underwhelmed and still hungry. I don't think something I could replicate myself for about 3 dollars is worth what it cost for a lunch. However, I didn't give up! I'd heard of the tasty dinner so we went for date night and were not disappointed. Delicious! Loved the charcuterie board, especially the duck pastrami and the smoked grapes. Yes, smoked grapes. They are delicious. I had a chai bourbon cocktail which was truly delicious. I had salmon and the husband had a strip steak- both were well executed and tasty. Really loved the lemon cotton candy! You're not walking out of a dinner at Metropole for under $100, unless you eat like a bird... and don't drink? But, very nice for a special night out.
(4)
Crystal H.
My husband and I dined here tonight, and were more than a little disappointed. The food was good, but not as savory as it should be given the prices - worse, my pork chop was composed of nearly as much fat as meat. The service, though, was what really ruined the dinner for us. We were seated immediately, and drink orders were taken promptly, but we clocked 27 minutes from being seated to being asked for an appetizer order. I'm a fan of not-overbearing service, but we felt completely ignored. Later, when the server came by to check that our food was satisfactory, he failed to notice my husband's empty glass. A relatively small detail, but we expected better. If they put as much effort into their service as they do into maneuvering the yellow plastic penguin about, it might have turned out better.
(2)
Vincent O.
Haven't had a chance to fully sit down and dine in here but for the view and drinks alone I'll have to give this place a 4 star. We started up at the terrace rooftop bar and ordered the white pea miso toast ( which I do not recommend). The manager greeted us and asked hw we were doing and offerer to take our picture. He was courteous, friendly and easy to talk with. Great service made up for the taste of the pea toast. We soon headed down back to the bar because the weather was a bit chilly ( the heat lamps weren't too effective with the wind the evening). The bar has a great feel with a knowledgeable staff, which is always a plus. The triple fried fries was a great choice to accompany my late night drink. Crispy on the outside, yet light, airy clean and moist on the inside ! Great stuff, definitely will be back to enjoy the full experience !!
(4)
Tiera A.
Metropole is a beautiful bar/restaurant located on Walnut St. inside of the 21C hotel. It's very hip and trendy and would be a great place to take someone you may be trying to impress. Walking into this place, you will immediately experience a feeling of being in some swanky lounge in NYC or Chicago. The bar area is galley style and gets packed very quickly. It can be very crowded on Friday or Saturday nights. If you can't find a seat at the bar, the lounge area is available as well. The lounge has plenty of couches and seating, which is great for large groups. My only gripe about Metropole is that everything on their menu is rather pricey. They also do not offer any happy hour specials which is a bummer because the menu items are rather expensive, in my opinion. Overall, the ambiance is great, our service was fast and the craft cocktails were wonderful. I really enjoy Metropole.
(4)
Kimberly J.
I came here as a surprise for my birthday. It's a beautiful restaurant. There is a lot to look at, including the bright yellow penguins. The open air kitchen it stunning and the decor here just screams posh. The menu is seasonal and had a few tempting options that I had a hard time choosing between. I eventually chose the Woodland Farm pork while my boyfriend chose the "basted" cheeseburger. He chose best, for sure. This burger was amazing with sharp cheddar, broadbent bacon, frisee & apple butter. So good. My pork was also tasty, but seriously that burger... The waiter was fantastic and I wish I got his name. He would glide in and out almost without notice to refill drinks and check on us. The check came with bright yellow cotton candy, how fun! Also, they made my birthday extra special with macaroons and a candle.
(4)
Katie H.
This place absolutely rocked my socks today! I took my dad for an early birthday lunch and we enjoyed every bit of food we ordered!! We started off by sharing the Burnt Carrot Salad. I would totally recommend sharing this dish because it was huge! (In fact, everything we ordered had generous portions of food.) Although the carrots are cooked, this salad is served cold. The natural sweet flavor of the carrots paired perfectly with the sharpness of the the feta. I also enjoyed the creamy texture of the avocado and the crunch of the pumpkin seeds. For the entree, we each ordered sandwiches and shared. We got the Basted Cheeseburger and the Roast Beef. Both were great! The roast beef was tender and sweet. The swiss cheese provided a salty creaminess and the lightly pickled cabbage gave it a nice crunch and zing of flavor. Now, the burger! This was a friggin' good burger! The patty alone had great flavor and was super moist. The toppings just took it to the next level - pickled onions, sharp cheddar and thick cut bacon. Both sandwiches came with fries. What the fries lack in crunch, they more than made up for in flavor. Forget the ketchup, these spuds are addictive on their own. I can't wait to bring my husband to this place. We'll probably order the same thing all over again!
(5)
Thomas C.
Modern, spacious place right near Fountain Square with some outstanding food Ambience/Service: While I'm a big fan of the OTR revival and the new restaurants there, this place is nice in that it is just spacious. There's a lot of seating and doesn't feel cramped. I love the decor, trendy with lighting that is not too bright or dark. The noise level is not too loud or soft. The service here is great. I don't remember our waiter but he was totally on top of his game - attentive but not obtrusive. Food: We started off with the charcuterie menu where you can pick from a listing of 12-15 or so items. While I know this is becoming a trendy thing to have on a menu, the execution is legit. It's very clear the chef has thought all of those items through. We ended up getting a Cabot Clothbound Aged Cheddar, which sounded pretty "ho-hum" but ended up being a great crumbly aged cheddar that we both love. We also got roasted radishes, which were very interesting. Usually radishes have a pretty bitter taste but these came out perfectly tender and actually quite mild in flavor - perfect for mixing with the other items on the charcuterie board. The last thing we ordered was a 7 hour egg - which is effectively like a tea-infused egg in Chinese culture. However, the inside was perfectly infused and not dry at all. All of those things came with some crusty bread, a truffle-infused honey, a house-made fruit chutney, a big dollup of fresh mustard and smoked grapes (really interesting). Everything on that board went well with everything else. The whole board was pretty amazing. For entrees we both got a mushroom spaccatelli, which is basically a hand-rolled pasta. The hen of the woods and oyster mushrooms that were in it were delicious and the sauce was perfect. The pasta was a bit too al dente for my taste but was fine. The cocktails were great too. They make their own bitters and mixers. Overall a great great dinner. I was really impressed and will probably want to come back again when I visit.
(5)
Joe Y.
katsuandgravy.com/#/metr… This restaurant is very peculiar to say the least. The yellow penguins, the odd projection of someone eating soup at a table, and the mod chic bathrooms made this a memorable dining experience. Aside from the ambiance, the food was equally great. Unfortunately, I was with a large party, and as a result, we had to pare down our menu. In exchange for the smaller menu, the portions were large for the type of restaurant. I ended up trying the wagyu steak tartare as an appetizer, which was paired with the grain mustard that added a nice flair. The crispy shallots also provided a nice crunch texture. For my main dish, I had the mushroom pasta dish, which had some very unique flavors. There was a bit of a citrusy-lime taste along with juicy mushrooms. There were some peppers thrown in to provide a kick, and of course, the ricotta topped it off. After my two dishes, I felt like I ate pretty heavily, so I decided on ice cream for dessert. They paired white chocolate with orange, which was a delectable ending to the meal.
(4)
Megan A.
I absolutely love Metropole! My man friend and I came to Cincinnati for a weekend getaway and ended up staying at the 21c. We ended up here a few times. Our first experience was for an after dinner cocktail. The initial service at the bar wasn't great, but it was late and we only needed a drink so neither of us minded it. We then came here for a Saturday brunch. We came in around noon and it was fairly empty. Both of us ordered the drip coffee and I don't think I've ever had better coffee! For our meal, we both ordered the Quinoa Hash and I also got a side of bacon. The Quinoa Hash included sweet potatoes, quinoa, avocado and two sunny side eggs. It was by far one of the best breakfasts I've had in a long time and I brunch a lot. The third time we returned was for the rooftop cocktail bar. You enter around the corner in the alley way and take an elevator up. They card you at the door and let you know how crowded it is. We were told that it was standing room only. We went up there and realized there is no bar, but they come around frequently to get your drink order. Fortunately for us, a large group was leaving so we were able to sneak a corner spot. The view is unbelievable and going around sunset just adds to the experience! After we had a drink up at the lounge we went back down to the bar for dinner and drinks. I ordered a martini, the 7 hour egg, and the cheese plate (all five cheeses) and my friend ordered the Johnny Cakes and the Burnt Carrot Salad. I also should state that my friend found a cocktail that he loved called the Rhymenocerous and this is was inevitably kept bringing us back. I'd highly recommend coming here for dinner, drinks and apps, or even a night out up on the rooftop.
(5)
Ben D.
Abby and I came here with her sister before a show at the Aronoff with reservations. Ambiance is intimate and charming; original floor tiles are a nice touch. We started off with cocktails: Grand Budapest, Mama Knows, and Bite the Bulleit. I had the Bulleit, and it was fantastic. I didn't try the other two, but Abby and her sister enjoyed them. The three of us split a Cannellini Bean & Buratta Toast appetizer. It was pricey for just one slice of a bread, but they cut it into three pieces for us, so it was easy to share. It was absolutely delicious. Each piece had fresh mozzarella with their house made bacon and the romesco sauce. Abby got the Verlasso Salmon, which looked fantastic. Well prepared. Simple and tasty. She liked it a lot. But it's a pretty small piece of fish. Her sister got the chicken with a side of grits. She said, "Best chicken I've ever had." It looked marvelous. I tried some of her grits, and they were outstanding; the cheese and pine nuts give it a great kick. I had the "Basted" Cheeseburger, which sounds boring, but was not at all! It was perfectly cooked, and came on a delicious bun. It also came with a side of apple butter, which was amazing on the burger. It came with fries. I try to avoid those, but I ate a few, and they were quite tasty! We wanted dessert, but ran out of time, as we had to get to our show. So we'll have to save that for another visit. Service was friendly and gave good recommendations. Heads up: No glass pours on the wine. They do quartinos, which is fine for us because it's rare we only have one glass anyway. It's pricey, especially for what you get. But we loved everything we had, and I'm already looking forward to our next visit!
(5)
Marc M.
I am fortunate that I have an awesome Sister and Brother-In-Law who love it when I visit Cincinnati and treat them to a night out. Last night we tried Metropole and I get to write another 5-star review. I also am fortunate that I get to pick where I eat in so many cities - thanx to Yelp it yields a lot of 5 star reviews by me. Normally, I wouldn't eat a restaurant in a hotel, but this is not a normal "chain" hotel. 21C Hotel is a converted apartment building with a theme similar to Kimpton or W hotels - think ultra-modern chic. It's the kind of place that makes me feel 1) old and 2) not hip enough. Case in point is the art gallery in the lobby. Is a large yellow plastic yellow duck one day going to be featured in the MoMA? Incidentally, the servers set a yellow duck (they stand 3 feet tall, so it's hard to miss them) next to your table when you have a celebration. The food menu is not large - the alcohol menu was more extensive. There are bigger items and smaller ones. I elected for the four-course menu (Pork & Bottle which was $40 plus $15 for alcohol pairings). The theme was all pork: three ham fritters to start, roasted pork belly and greens second, pork tenderloin as an entree and pork-sugar-coated donuts with cherry sauce for dessert. The servers made a big fuss about how much the donuts hinted of "pork" because of "pork-sugar" but all three of us could not taste any of it - maybe it was because I was "porked-out" by the time dessert rolled around. My sister had the sea scallops, which were good, but not as good as my pork tenderloin. My brother-in-law has a pork chop, but I didn't try it. He read Yelp and tried the burnt carrots. I would say those are a MUST-TRY dish here. They are roasted carrots with avocado, pumpkin seeds and other goodies. Service was excellent - not rushed at all. My sister took a while to make up her mind and our server (Cari) kept checking back to see if we were ready to order. He accommodated all of our little requests and was quite personable. This is a great special occasion place or a business meal place - we saw several of those. The place was quite busy for a cold Tuesday evening in January downtown Queen City. I would definitely comeback. When I mentioned my visit the next day to our local customer, they were jealous.
(5)
Amy D.
Metropole is an impressive restaurant tucked in the 21c Hotel. The most impressive thing about this location is the ever changing cocktail menu. Currently the menu offers shrubs, delicious vinegar, fruit, spice, and sugar mixtures that wonderfully compliment various liquors my very favorite of which is the DL (tequila and grapefruit shrub)- although by the time you read this review the menu may have changed. The small plate offerings are also changing and quite impressive. I would also recommend trying a charcuterie board which also has changing and often in house made options. The charcuterie board usually has fantastic smoked grapes. Each time I have dined here I have been able to order warm ricotta which I would definitely recommend. The offerings here are on the expensive side but they are fantastic. Service is friendly and seamless and the lounge is a great place to enjoy drinks with friends. As a bonus, most recently a friend celebrated her birthday here with me and they brought us both delicious macaroons as a part of the celebration- yum yum!
(5)
Larry S.
Ok if your into spending $200 for a small ate of food, this is the place. Portions are tiny and prices are high. Nice place, clean, good service, prices are just crazy high. Friends ordered a bottle of wine with our dinners, total for the 4 of us was $400+, it was crazy for what we got. Will NOT go again. I understand these places can charge that much and I expected to be paying that much, but not for the tiny amount of food we got.
(3)
Kelly O.
Classy spot with an interesting and well-executed menu and excellent service. We stopped here for lunch to have a nice relaxed meal in an artsy environment. I went with the burnt carrot salad, which had pickled onions, feta, pumpkin seeds, avocado, and added grilled chicken to it. I'm a sucker for an actually filling and delicious salad, and this one definitely delivered, with a great combo of flavors and well-prepared ingredients- I was very satisfied. The boy's grilled cheese and tomato bisque was also solid, fancified enough with the high-end ingredients but still as comfortating and familiar as you'd want it to be. We topped our meal off with some house made shrubs to drink (very refreshing), and left happy.
(4)
Anna S.
I've dined at Metropole a total of four times since they opened in Cincinnati. All four times they have nailed it on service; 3 out of 4 times the food has been on point. I love the location, I love the affordable (and always friendly!) valet options ($8, just skip the garage), and the decor/ambiance is crisp, modern, funky-fun but still elegant. The yellow penguins crack me up (but why yellow? Why not red? Or orange? The deep thoughts that haunt me...); and I like that the restaurant can either be upscale or chill (hello, denim-clad scenester servers!). And speaking of servers, all of my experiences at Metropole lead me to believe that it has some of the best service in the city. They all collaborate to complete your dining experience, but you never feel shoved off on someone else; they unobtrusively are always present to refill drinks, clean the table, etc.; and the best thing is that while they offer impeccable, classy service, they seem very warm and without a hint of snootiness. This is saying something, since three times I was there with large groups, and our servers weren't overwhelmed or snotty, and even the hostess that I called to increase our guest count had made sure that the restaurant accommodated our needs. I had a younger dinner guest voice her concerns that her general experience with finer dining establishments is that she felt looked down on. However, after eating at Metropole, she agreed that the staff were courteous and friendly (hence one of the reasons we have chosen twice to have group work dinners there with out-of-town visitors). The food is crazy inventive and flavorful. Sometimes the combinations sound unappealing to me on paper (i.e., the menu is seasonal, in the farm-to-table style, and changes frequently), and it bums me out when they get rid of favorite items. However, some of the dishes the chef creates are sometimes just mind-blowing good. You cannot go wrong with their cheese plates and charcuterie as starters: for example, their grilled toasty bread, topped with cheese, eaten with smoked butter or smoked grapes, the honey, the coarse ground mustard - oh my goodness! I also always get the grilled octopus, which is heavenly (the 7-hour egg is for the bravehearted, IMO). The last time we were there, several people ordered and raved about the steak, but I don't think you can go wrong with their chicken, in whatever style they are serving it at the time. And get dessert! Hopefully they will still be serving the blackberry shortcake with lime ice cream (one of my new favorite desserts, and it doesn't even contain chocolate!). Another weird-sounding combination but it was just so, so good. Metropole is definitely on the pricey side, but I think it makes a great date night spot or an impressive place to take guests.
(4)
Shachar M.
Great fine dining place in the heart of downtown Cinci. I was super surprised by the decor and the hipsterry vibe of the place. The food is really good, comes in great portions and very fresh. This is my new go to place when I'm traveling to cincinnati
(4)
Aly S.
Well, we went to Metropole for a birthday dinner with a group of 7. I was put off by the prices of the drinks, too steep. A beer for the same price as Makers on the rocks seems disproportionate. But alas I ordered a Maker's Manhattan (11$). It was ok, too much cherry juice but I'm spoiled by Japps' cocktails. It seems as if the waiters are their own bartenders, which is kind of cool but also could be too time consuming. The food prices were high too, we did know that coming in, I just wish they were lower. I read that the octopus was really good on Yelp, so I split it with the birthday girl. Ours was not chewy which some people said happened to them, it was crunchy and delicious, but really small. I tried a bite of the steak tartare, it was pretty good, very herby. I also tried the burnt carrot salad and mmmm that was yummy, I love anything with a lot of avocado. For dinner, I asked for a recommendation, he affirmed what I was thinking, and I got the red drum, it was a fish I had never had before but I knew I would like it, and I did, however the side of fennel was just not enough of a side for me. I had a few bites of the NY Strip cooked medium, it was a little over done, but tasted good. Also we split the sweet potato with pomegranate seeds, it was a weird flavor combination, I wouldn't recommend it. For dessert they served the birthday girl complimentary macaroons. I think they were vanilla with chocolate in the middle. I usually gush over macaroons but I didn't like the chocolate part very much, good texture though. As for the service, I read good and bad things on Yelp, our service seemed to be both. At times they were too attentive and other times we couldn't flag anyone down. Service is not usually a deal breaker for me though. We also walked around the hotel/museum part for a little afterwards and noticed a few people drinking wine, so just saying, that would make a nice end to a date ;-)
(3)
Kelly M.
Very unique spot, the menu is different, but usually everyone can find something. The drinks are a little pricy, but the free art museum you're hanging out in makes it worth it. The rooftop bar is a winner, too.
(4)
Leif H.
We visited here before the show at the Aronoff. We had somewhat higher expectations after reading the reviews. The atmosphere was trendy and waitstaff more than friendly, but the seating was a little tight. Ask to be seated at a table (not the booth portion), unless you don't have a personal space boundary. We started with the steak tartare based on a recommendation from our waitress. It was nothing special. By looking at tables around us, I would get the charcuterie bar instead. For entrees, we got (some kind?) of fish and a pork dish. I would like to give more detail about them, however, they were not that memorable. A highlight was the grilled cauliflower. I know, cauliflower. I don't like it normally. I only ordered it because my girlfriend likes it and I'm glad she does. It was really good. If it were still on the menu, I'd get it again. The menu changes too often. We visited earlier in the month and already there is a new menu. We like the trendy atmosphere, but the inconsistency in the menu means it will be on the tail end of our list to visit again.
(3)
Petunia L.
I somehow overlooked the Cincinnati opening of Proof's (Louisville) sister restaurant! I can honestly say the best thing I have ever eaten came from a plate at Proof and I haven't found a place with the same ambience over the years. After finding out this morning, I new I had to go for lunch immediately. We arrived a little before 1pm and lunch ends at 2. The place had a few tables with business folk, but the dining area wasn't crowded at all. Our waiter was friendly and dressed as casually as we were, which was comfortable. The decor is simple, contemporary and clean. It's larger than I thought it would be and lots of open space with wooden dividers breaking up the surrounding areas. Being a charcuterie fanatic, the open kitchen was my absolute favorite feature. We ordered the Ploughman's plate, fries with pickle aioli, seared olives, cauliflower soup and the fried shrimp poe boy. Nothing disappointed. After reading reviews about small portions, I was surprised that the charcuterie plate was pretty substantial and ended up taking half of it home. It came with house salami, aged cheese, a 7 hour egg (delicious), some relish, mustard and amazing smokey bread. The olives were of many varieties and served warm after being seared. I hate taking pits out of my mouth and putting them on my plate, but I would order them again. The fries weren't anything special, but they were cooked perfectly. The aioli was mellow in flavor, but rich and yummy. The cauliflower soup was thick, silky and had a very sweet garnish that worked well. I'm not sure what it was, but the bite I had tasted like sugary pickled raisins. The shrimp were cooked perfectly in the poe boy although by the time I tried it, the breading was soggy. It ended up being $40 for a two person lunch with coffee. Kind of pricey, but I can't wait to go back. I highly recommend this spot for lunch and will be back for drinks soon in the evening. Bottom line...is it Proof on Main? No. But this is the closest thing to it I've experienced and am so excited Cincinnati has a restaurant of it's kind.
(5)
Ella E.
Good menu, fun location, and good drinks. The prices could be better especially since their portions are small. This place is good if you are looking for a trendy atmosphere with somewhat high prices and small portions.
(3)
Anne F.
I have been here several times - both to the bar in the evenings for just a drink with my husband or friends, and twice for lunch, and it has always been extremely delicious - the cocktails, the food, the service - all great. Everyone I take here enjoys it as well.
Sorry, Store hours have not been updated. If you are the owner of this restaurants. Please update the store hours.
Specialities
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : No Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Valet Bike Parking : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Dressy Ambience : Classy Noise Level : Average Music : Background Good For Dancing : No Alcohol : Full Bar Happy Hour : Yes Best Nights : Tue, Fri, Sat Coat Check : Yes Smoking : No Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Katy L.
5 perfect dinners here. Cant wait to go back again. Inventive, clean cuisine and a great drink menu. Upon arrival you might think you are at a tattoo parlour (I think excessive tattooing and odd piercings are required to work here) but the chef is totally on his game. SOME OF THE BEST PLATES IN CINCINNATI.
(5)Dominique B.
Metropole is the bar/lounge/restaurant in the new 21C Hotel that recently opened with a lot of fan fair. The 4 star rating is based on a combination of my experiences at both the restaurant and the bar/lounge. The restaurant is beautifully decorated and offers a lot of ambiance, we went there for a friends birthday, having made reservations well in advanced we were treated to a semi-private table, which was a pleasant surprise. The food itself was good, but not spectacular, and for the price point, I was expecting spectacular. I ordered the bison burger at medium and I probably should have gone with medium-rare. Now on to the bar/loung which if I were rating this place, based solely on that, I would have given it 5 stars. For me, Metropole offers everything I want from a bar/lounge, it sets just the right mood and tone for a truly chic evening. The drinks are higher end, but still affordable, and the wait staff serves you on comfy couches (which I find much more pleasant than bar stools). My advice, go to dinner somewhere less expensive and then enjoy a night cap at the Metropole bar/loung.
(4)Alex C.
I hate, hate, hate panning a place during its opening week. There were some highlights to the evening, but this place really needs to get its act together if it wants to be a premier spot in Cincinnati. We were greeted by friendly staff able to seat us pretty quickly. Metropole is very cool looking. I'll let people better than me at pictures show you. Kudos for keeping the mosaic tile floors and building the decor from there. The mostly-open kitchen is very dramatic and added to the intrigue of the space. The drink order took a while, but was worth the wait. The "Don & Dirty" was a great twist (cranberry, I think?) on an old fashioned. I don't remember the names of the drinks others had, but they were good - new twists on classics. The only downside here was how long it took to get them, as evidenced by the server's comment: "I've woken the bartender; your drinks will be here soon." Appetizers brought seared octopus. Delicious. Tender and well-seasoned. I'm generally not a fan of grapefruit, but it was just right for the dish. Main course was the skirt steak, Brussels sprouts, and, unfortunately, a death spiral. I have had and understand skirt steak. This is not a melt in your mouth cut - but it should be chewable. The flavor on the steak was very good - nice and juicy, and the espresso and cocoa was present yet not overwhelming. But I could not chew it. I left 70% of the steak in chewed blobs on my plate and gave up on the last 20%. The 10% I could actually eat was good. Maybe it was one bad cut, but my guess is they didn't remove the membrane. Others had the chicken and the burger, which they described as adequate. The sprouts were cold. If they were meant to be served room temperature Caesar style then I understand what they were trying with the dish and it simply didn't suit my palate, but these were cold and lacking flavor. In a Caesar salad I want the cheese and anchovies to punch me - these were bland. We passed on desert - at this point we'd been there over 2 hours. They had a lot of service staff, but only a few of them - including our server- really knew what they were doing. Everyone else was pissing themselves and in the way. There was an uncomfortable amount of time between courses. I hope this improves as they work out the kinks. I want Metropole to do well and add to the collection of great dining experiences available in Cincinnati. I really want them to rival their sister, Proof, and become a destination location. They have a long way to go. I'll be sure to update this review - if I go back.
(2)Will M.
As I mentioned in me previous first impressions (which were simply based upon stopping by the bar), this place is beautiful. I'm very impressed with the revamp of the property, and the kitchen is beautiful. Plus, this place is a hipster paradise. The wait staff, the customers - hipsters of all ages. Using that term loosely, but if you're the type that hates OTR you'll be the type to hate this restaurant. You know who you are. On to the experience. First off, it was 45 minutes before we got our drinks. The place is brand new, so there are plenty of kinks, and it's very busy. Frustrating to sit 45 minutes before receiving a drink (about 15 minutes before ordering, 30 before receiving), but again, opening week jitters. It took a while to see our waiter, but once we did he was knowledgeable and friendly. The bread that came was excellent, but cool to cold. Given the open kitchen, and how packed it was, I'd been hoping for bread warm from an oven. First dish was a pumpkin cooked in the fire and stuffed with arugala and goat cheese. Being a giant fan of all 3, I enjoyed this dish. It was very unique, and will be very short lived. Unlike anything I've ever had. The main dishes, however, were not as successful. I went with the burger. It was two patties with a bit of an apple bacon jam. No ketchup on the table, though the waiter asked if we needed anything. The burger had a nice flavor, and was on a delicious bun. Sadly, it was dry. I was not asked how I wanted it, and the plate had maybe a spot or two of dripping from it. Not enough apple bacon jam, either. The fries, however, were great. Not Taste of Belgium best-of, but very, very good. The other entree at the table was the steak. Ordered medium to medium well, came out definitely on the over-cooked side. It wasn't sent back, in part due to the slowness of the kitchen, in part due to it being our fault for how it was ordered (we weren't completely clear.) Its seasoning was nice and not overpowering, and the salad on top of it was strange and tasty. We finished with a dessert - the caramelized citrus. It was tasty, but at $9 it would have been a bit of a ripoff even in NYC. A few thin slices of orange, one thin slice of grapefruit, some tufts of angel food cake and a quarter scoop of vanilla ice cream. Very, very skimpy for the price. The angel food cake, with the caramel sauce, was one of the highlights of the meal. Quite honestly, this meal was very expensive for what it was. I'd normally give this 2 stars. However, the ambiance was great, and I'm adding an extra star to compensate for it being the third day it was open. It's not exactly fair to review a restaurant this soon - yes, they took my good money, but they're still working everything out. I see good potential here, and will absolutely return in a few weeks. For now, though, I consider this an expensive but interesting meal that wasn't overly tasty. I will recommend people go here to try something new, but it isn't on my list of places you need to take people to show off Cincinnati. We'll try again in a month (or, if we listen to Guy Fieri, apparently even 60 days isn't fair to review a restaurant!) Hopefully it will live up to the potential. I think it has a very strong chance of doing so.
(3)Mariana P.
Oh Metropole. I really wanted you to be great, but you were just OK. Our party of four was seated at 8:30, but we didn't order food until 9:15. Our food did not come until around 10:15, and we didn't leave until 11 because it took eons to get our bill. For such a trendy restaurant, they really need to get their crap together. I do appreciate the giant yellow penguins that they move around from table to table. My friend and I were pretty tipsy from drinking wine while waiting for our food, and stole a penguin from the table next to us And entertained ourselves by taking pictures with it. Another complaint, the wine and cocktail list looked like word vomit on a page. The font was tiny and the layout sucked. To an already drunk person, it was hard to read.
(3)Ray L.
had the pork chop. My colleague ordered a selection of vegetable type dishes and some desserts, as colleagues are wont to do. My pork chop was good and she (the colleague) seemed to like the vegetables but it was a bit expensive. All together, the total came out to be about 100 dollars. So the food was good but I wouldn't go unless someone else is paying.
(4)Aaron D.
I lived in Cincinnati years ago, and the only place to write home about at the time (I was in college), was the Montgomery Inn. That soon became irrelevant when I moved to the east coast and went to far better steakhouses. But Metropole, a strange museum meets hip restaurant, feels like something out of New York or San Francisco more than Cincinnati, which is what makes it great. When you enter, the relatively tame-looking dining area is decorated with life-sized yellow plastic penguins and button-tufted sofas. The 1-page menu includes a number of options both for the meatlover and the vegetarian, though neither are for the faint of heart (read: boring eaters). We started with a number of dishes (asparagus, ramp toast, chaat), all of which were flavorful (especially the chaat!) and interesting. I also had a fantastic Zinfandel. For entrees (scafata, porgie, chicken), the options were still flavorful and interesting, but less so on both fronts. The carmelized banana cake was again flavorful and interesting, and helped complete this great spring-weather meal. All dishes were fairly sized, not to big or too small. After the meal, we wandered the halls of the sculpture gallery, bathrooms and second floor gallery, the experience of which reflected our flavorful, light and interesting meal.
(4)Chris B.
Rating on a curve, but for a guy who lives in Austin and previously San Francisco, Metropole, specifically the bar, is 5-star in my book for Cincinnati. Had a great variant on the old-fashioned (the "Don & Dirty"), and a delicious bison burger with grilled tomato and homemade pimento cheese... perfect end to a long travel day and a great introduction to downtown Cincinnati!
(5)Sierra I.
Best meal I've had in 2013! Wow! I was so pleasantly surprised by the flavors of every single item we had from the burnt carrot salad to the Brussels sprouts! Yum!!
(5)Mike C.
Metropole is the bar/lounge/restaurant in the 21C Museum Hotel. It's supposed to be based on open flame/fire/oven cooking. My rating is based on a combination of 2 dinner visits, one time in the lounge area, and a couple times at the bar. Metropole definitely has a very nice decor. They incorporate aspects of the original building and stylishly update everything. I don't know if it's just me, but I feel like it's pretty warm / hot inside the restaurant, maybe because of the open fire. The food itself is good, but I wouldn't say spectacular, which I feel like is the norm for Cincinnati. I went during the opening week and had the roast chicken and my friend had the steak, which were both very good. They do change the menu frequently based on what fresh local ingredients are available, which is both good and bad. The octopus appetizer was very interesting and good. Not like sushi-style octopus, which is chewy (and I like), but was almost like meat in texture. Service has always been very good. I've seen reviews about it being bad, but have never experienced that. The bar and lounge are also excellent areas, if not better than the restaurant. Very good specialty cocktails, which I've had a couple. Lots of different beers available. Good selection of wines and big selection of bourbons. Bottom line, it's a excellent upscale bar/lounge and good restaurant.
(4)Nikki F.
I love the lounge for drinks and charcuterie. I really like the olives. The steak was great and fully flavorful with a nice smoky taste. One night we went after a Bengals game in our gear. We had to sit at the community table since we had no reservation but ended up having an amazing conversation with another local chef that lasted late into the night. It was a whole lot of fun and we will definitely do it again. Great food, atmosphere, staff, one complaint: NO HAPPY HOUR! Boo! C'mon help a local sister out!
(4)Austin F.
I thought the metropole was great! My meal was fantastic, but had a few kinks. Service definitely needs a bit of help, but the food was excellent. A few minor blemishes in some dishes, but they're new so hopefully everything will come along! Thanks for everything
(4)Nicole D.
I went to Metropole for my birthday and I was incredibly impressed with the service. The valet wasn't that bad, the food was great and the wine was fantastic. We had to wait for a bit to get our car, but we were able to wait inside which helped. The food was good, but not spectacular. The portions were incredibly small, and the table seating was really close together and felt less intimate than I would have liked. The penguins were cute though.
(4)M M.
We love, love, love this restaurant. We are convinced that the people who work here take service seriously and will do everything in their power to make the meal one to remember. My husband and I are part of a neighborhood dinner group. As none in our group had ever eaten here, we were excited to bring them in! We had hoped to reserve the private room. Our group of ten has had difficulty with oblong tables in busy restaurants... We just cannot hear each other. This room solved all of our problems. It was enclosed, quiet, and had a round table so we could talk as a group. Perfect! The only drawback... We had to meet a minimum cost for the evening. Well, we have eaten the delicious hamburger on the menu several times. A very reasonably priced menu item that would catch the eyes and appetites of our friends. We knew that the cost of the dinner, perchance, would fall short and, as the hosts, we risked having to carry the balance on our personal bill. So the private room wasn't supposed to be an option. The Metropole staff said they would be glad to put us down for the room, unless anyone reserved it. If it was free that evening, the house minimum would not be an option. We got it! And the service, the food, and event was fabulous! I highly recommend the burnt carrot salad. Everyone loved it! Cheeseburger went over very well, as did the cod dish. Steak tartare was a bit salty for the experts at the table... Yes, we had one... All in all, we were so pleased with everything. Bravo, Metropole!
(5)Kevin B.
We had dinner at the Metropole with some friends. The atmosphere is quite nice - contemporary but comfortable. Some of the tables had stuffed penguins which is a bit kitschy and seems out of place for a retaurant service $25+ entrees. The menu changes frequently which is a good thing if you want to eat there on a regular basis. The night we had dinner there the menu seemed rather ordinary compared to some others I have seen online. That being said, we all thought our appetizers, salads and entrees were outstanding. The best entree of the night was walleye with a perfectly crispy skin and the Arugula salad with burrata cheese was excellent. Unfortunately the food could not make up for the poor service. When arriving at the restaurant I asked to purchase a gift card for a friend. Instead of seating us and delivering the gift card to the table, the hostess disappered for 10 minutes to complete the gift card order. We waited at least 25 minutes between our appetizers and entrees with finished cocktails and nothing to drink - we couldn't even find a server to flag down as there were none on the dining room floor. Perhaps the oddest part of the service was that after setting the food down, our server stood at our table and watched us eat - it was sort of creepy. Based on the food, which I would rate in the 4+ category, I would definitely return to Metropole and give it another try. I do recognize that all new restaurants have some service kinks - but the service was so bad I can only give a 3 star review.
(3)S J P.
Had breakfast at the Metropole this morning - not at all busy. Was seated immediately and quickly given ice water and took drink orders. The young man was as pleasant as could be. Our tea and coffee arrived within moments - delicious. We both ordered the egg whites with feta, but asked for no onions. The waiter repeated with a smile, "sans onion" - very well. Our dishes arrived again almost too fast (but much appreciated) by a different server, equally as pleasant. Alas, both of our egg dishes were topped with rings and rings of red onions. So we simply picked them off, transferred them to a saucer, and covered with another small plate. The initial young man came over and apologized profusely, and we assured him we were fine. He removed the onions, and we thoroughly enjoyed every bite of the egg and spinach entree with crumbled feta - savory and delicious. Soon, the server again appeared with 2 beautiful muffins since our order wasn't served properly. His politeness was sweet, and within moments the restaurant supervisor stopped by to offer her apology as well. My, my, and I thought customer service was a forgotten art. The beverages were refreshed, the food was excellent and we were treated like royalty. Our weekend at the hotel was just as superb, but that will be another post. Bravo, Metropole, you provided extraordinary customer service!
(5)Lisa J.
Beautiful venue! While dining, we all kept repeating that the restaurant did not feel like Cincinnati, this place reminded me of Chicago or some other city. Our group of 4 dined on SHAVED KOHLRABI, CHARRED FOIE GRAS, WAYGU TARTARE, SEARED OCTOPUS, which were all mouth watering. Our server was very knowledgeable ad quite pleasant. The entrees were not as good as the appetizers. METROPOLE BURGER were outstanding, the men absolutely loved them. The ladies dined on the Tagliatelle Pasta (which was just ok) and Swordfish (which was just ok). Overall a good dining experience. We have reservations forValentines Day tasting menu. Im sure it will be a good one.
(4)Dominique R.
Wow! This is a lot better than the reviews listed here. Highly recommended for fresh, locally sourced dishes, prepared with a sure and delicate touch. This is the cuisine of the coasts brought to Cincinnati. Well done! The roasted chicken was fantastic. The quinoa fritter was fresh and new. And the Lemon Semifreddo is a must have dessert (try to figure out the surprise ingredient in the meringue).
(5)Michele G.
I have been to Metropole twice. I am a fan and so is my daughter. I order the octopus and loved it. The only problem I didn't get much of it becuase my daughter ate it all. The server was knowledgable and attentive. I like that they have local ingredients. The rooftop bar is a fun place to start out on a Friday or Saturday night. I need to go back to try some of the new items, it has been awhile. I stop in every once in a while to the museum.
(5)Joanna S.
Great Experience. Went here after a show at the Aronoff Center - it is very conveniently located. Our server was fantastic, and our food was very good. I wouldn't rank it as high as Proof on Main in Louisville, but it was a very good experience overall. We tried almost everything on the menu (a group of 5 splitting so everyone could have a taste). The best, I thought, were the seared octopus and the sweetbreads. I thought sweetbreads (having never tried them) would be more like liver, which I don't care for, but they were amazing! The dessert was the only disappointment, and I think that is because it wasn't as good as the dessert I had at Proof on Main. Overall a wonderful experience and will be sure to eat here again. One note, we had to make an adjustment to our already made open table reservation, and that somehow ended up removing our open table reservation, so we didn't get points...just make a note of it if you are looking for points, any change to the reservation apparently cancels it through open table.
(4)Nikki M.
I had the pleasure if trying out Metropole's lunch menu today. Something they just started this week. It was fantastic. I highly recommend the burnt carrot & avocado salad. The service is superb, the dining area is comfortable, and it's SO fun to watch Chef Paley in his open air kitchen. I'm dying to go back and try the "shrub" drinks - a vinegar based syrup beverage with your choice of clementine, blood orange or beet flavoring. Intriguing! Until next time...
(4)Neal B.
My wife and I felt welcomed from the moment we handed the keys to the valet. Lots of greetings and smiles from the staff. Wine service in lounge was quick and the 2010 Zinfandel was above average. We were quickly seated at the communal table near the wide open kitchen. This was an experience on many levels. To be able to share and review unique appetizers with people that you just met is pleasantly out of the box. The brussel sprouts were my favorite and I know that sounds strange - I have not had one since I was a kid. I sampled the beets, the mushrooms, the eggplant and the foix gras and they were all wonderful and delicate. My main course was the pork and leeks which was well presented and the spices were subtle. For us, the entire night was an experience. From interacting with those at our table to the wait staff and the managers - it was all good.
(5)Joey Z.
Went here last night for dinner with friends that like to share everything, so was able to sample a good amount of the menu. The atmosphere is great! Very open, clean, and "organic" feel. They do not cram the tables together which really helps when you are seated in the middle of the room. The bar and the kitchen are all open and are visible from essentially every table. The lobby and restrooms are still under construction with the hotel, but I am anxious to see the real finished product! We started out with a few of their specialty cocktails at the bar: a honey-infused vodka w/ lime, soda & jalapeno and cava with lychee being the favorites (do not recall their specialty names). Prices ranged from $8-$11 per cocktail. We sat in the middle of the restaurant and had clear view of the bar and kitchen/oven. I think the this view of the upbeat bar crowd and hustle/bustle kitchen actually added to the atmosphere of the entire restaurant. For all of the hard surfaces and open layout, I was surprised that the noise level was not much louder. The restaurant was booked and I still felt comfortable right smack in the middle of everything. They place 4ft tall plastic penguins throughout the restaurant, which is strange, but definitely was a source of entertainment towards the end of the night. As I am seeing more and more in Cincinnati, this definitely offers a unique big city feel. The wine list is good, but pricey with the lowest priced bottle of white wine being $40. We ordered a White Bourdeaux, followed by a Pinot Blanc.. both good. I will tell you that when we order, it is very random... we mix everything together regardless of the course. They immediately put out a basket of fresh french-loaf bread that is AMAZING and is accompanied with a smoked butter. I am not a bread eater prior to meals and I couldn't help myself! Come to find out it is provided by Blue Oven Bakery (Findlay Market Baker), which was no surprise. We ended up getting a second basket.. We started out with the leek & celeriac soup, Foie Gras, roasted marrow bones, and seared octopus. The soup is served with two oysters and we all thought it was very good! My friend is a huge octopus fan and said it was just OK and I can agree with this although I don't eat much octopus. We all agreed that the marrow was again good, but not exceptional. The Foie Gras was definitely the favorite.. delicious! For our second round, we ordered the string-roasted chicken, pork confit, roasted cauliflower, and vinegar-poached beet salad. To our surprise, we loved the pork!! Different preparation and it was outstanding. The chicken was moist and also had a great flavor to it. The beet salad was good, but honestly nothing more than any other beet salad I've ordered. The cauliflower was pretty basic as well and we were surprised that it was cold... we all agreed it should be a warm dish. We wanted to try the skirt steak, but they were unfortunately sold out, along with the Walleye. For dessert, we chose the smoked pear and caramelized citrus caramel. The pear was much better but nothing jaw-dropping about either one. Overall, it was a great experience and the food was very good! There is some room for tweaking, as to be expected with a newer restaurant, but I am definitely excited to come back here!
(4)Steffen M.
Did New Years Eve here and was very pleased. You pay top dollar, but I think it is worth the cost. The service issues mentioned in earlier reviews seemed to have cleared up. Only downsides: house music was pretty loud, and the large plastic penguins kept falling over which was very annoying.
(4)Elizabeth W.
The latest addition to the downtown restaurant/lounge scene is the hipster cool locale in the lobby of the brand spaking new 21C. This beautiful old hotel has been updated to a modern day art museum and bar. It's a great place to wonder around with a crafty cocktail while you wait for your table. There are lots of spaces to grab a seat and contemplate the meaning of a brass sea turtle. The restaurant itself is a spacious dining room with open kitchen and bar. Wide open windows and original tiles make the space feel old and new at the same time, but do make it a bit noisy. The staff is eager eager eager to please but professional. I think they might have some kind of hipster-off contest going on within the male waitstaff especially, but their service left nothing to be desired. So why 3 stars? Unfortunately, the food is not just not exceptional. The menu is small and experimental, which I really appreciate. Bone marrow and brussel sprouts don't often sit next to each other in Cincinnati. But most things were underspiced and just not blow your socks off good. We had a large group and I tried most of the menu and overall, it was just ok. I really hope the food game steps up to meet the level of the atmosphere and the excitement because this has the potential to be the next best thing in Cincinnati.
(3)Krystine B.
I was in Cincinnati visiting some family, and they took us to Metropole. They had been here before and really talked it up. I was ready to be underwhelmed, but surprisingly I was not. This place was great! The place had a neat kitschy vibe to it which was very comfortable. The servers and greeters were very nice and definitely made you feel welcome. I dropped some of my drink (the mellow yellow - bad name, good drink) when I tripped over a small stair I didn't see, and they replaced it quickly with no charge. It made me feel like they really wanted me to enjoy myself. The food was excellent as well. The octopus was fabulous. Very tender and not rubbery at all. The Brussels sprouts and kale were surprisingly delicious as well. Even my husband liked them and he normally hates Brussels sprouts. The eggplant was only so-so, but you can't like everything. The pork and polenta, however, were out of this world. My husband said the polenta was the best he had ever tasted, and he couldn't decide whether that or the pork was the best part of the whole meal. For a meat-eater like him, that is saying something. Anyways, summary is: great place for a nice meal.
(5)Nancy A.
This was our second visit to Metropole and it was superb. Our main server, Deron, was so helpful and knowledgeable that we believe we've never had a better server. The food was delightful and plentiful for all of us, the ambience was just right, and the entire dining experience was perfect. We look forward to our next visit!
(5)Albert A.
I really wanted Metropole to be as good as Proof on Main at the Louisville 21C, so I went in with pretty high expectations. That was my fault. That being said there we a few few really good menu items; foie gras, octopus that you could get past even the pickiest eater, and the charcuterie selections. Our server was somewhat knowledgable and friendly, but couldn't tell me where some of the menu items originated, a must for a place boasting a fresh and local menu. Where Metropole really falls short is the overall experience of dining. The ambience- loud, stark white and a little obnoxious. The wood-fired menu- fine for a few items but too much for the entire menu. Surprisingly the most memorable item was the slightly smokey bread they serve. I'm craving some now. I suggest using the oven for bread every night and adding a pizza night on Sunday. My prediction is Cincinnati will tire of this cooking method before the end of the next 100 degree heat wave in July. Then what will they do?
(2)winn p.
A great destination for downtown dining.. We had the charcuterie plate, oysters, and the steak. It was all really good.. The wine and craft cocktails we spot on as well. Check it out!
(5)Scott K.
My partner and I ate for the first time at the Metropole on 12/21/12. Our first impression was not at all good: we were taken to a table so close to our neighbors that we'd be sitting as close to a stranger as to each other, which wasn't what we wanted for a romantic dinner. I asked the waiter if we could just be moved to one of the empty two-tops that were open and he replied with a withering "No, I can't *just* move you anywhere. You can go back up front and see what they can do." They were friendlier "up front" and moved us to another table, where we had a friendly waiter who told us a lot of interesting facts about the hotel's renovation and brought us very good food. I ordered the trout, which was some of the best I've had. The sides were unusual and tasty - we especially enjoyed the cauliflower with pomegranate. Once we got past the hurdle of the initial arrogant server, it was a great meal and evening!
(3)Matthew G.
Fantastic, fantastic restaurant. The waitstaff is extremely professional, the environment is lovely, and the food is unfortunately addictive. I say unfortunately because the menu changes often, but that is also positive because you can be deliciously surprised each time you go.
(5)Karen Y.
food is actually good if you don't mind waiting at least 75-90 minutes for it - this place might be happening but I have no idea how long it will happen - it is mismanaged when you wait over 30 minutes after having a confirmed reservation and then 90 minutes for your food - maybe they should not change their menu so often then they would know what they are doing - not too mention the extremely high prices - I have been their two times - there will not be # 3
(1)Ann W.
After reading the previous reviews, I nearly cancelled my reservation-- glad I didn't! Metropole delivered a wonderful meal with excellent service. The atmosphere was a bit noisy, but the high energy in the room made up for it. Salads are on a par in freshness and originality with John Robert's Table. The pork entree was actually a boneless short rib -- so tender and delicious. Wine selection was above average with several Pinot Noirs that deserve a second look. All in all a great experience.
(4)Bernice C.
I don't get the hype about metropole. The decor was very modern and the ambiance is perfect for bringing clients for dinner, which was what I was there for. They also had great customer service, but all the service in the world couldn't offset the food. We started with drinks, which were decent, and moved on to order every appetizer on the menu. The 7-hour egg is pretty good, but they only give you that one egg. What a tease. The cheese platter came with absolutely delicious honey and meats. I ordered the burnt carrot salad because of all the raving reviews. It was more of a grilled vegetables dish which I enjoyed, but it didn't live up to expectations. The other salads around the table were worse. ...and then came the main entrees. Most of us did not finish our food. I heard the steak was good, the amish chicken was barely touched and half of us did not finish the salmon. I had the salmon myself and it tasted like it was just fished out of the ocean. It tasted completely like salt water and was the worst piece of salmon I have had in as long as I can remember. It was pretty terrible. It reminded me of the times I ate at some shady restaurants in Thailand and the fish tasted sketchy. It was that bad. When it came to the desserts, again, we ordered everything on the menu. The cheese plate for dessert is pretty much the same as the appetizer cheese plate but they switch out a cheese or two. The honey bourbon ice cream tasted like it was drunk. Yes, that much alcohol in it. The pineapple upside down cake was delicious! It was very very sweet, which is what I love in my dessert! All the dessert portions were small and not meant for sharing, but I got my hands on everything because I have such a sweet tooth. We ended the night with their complimentary lemon cotton candy, which was again, oh-so-sweet. All in all, come for the appetizers and desserts and stay away from the salmon. Ugh, that absolutely horrid salmon. I'm still having nightmares about that one.
(2)Erich S.
We celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary here and had a wonderful experience. We made a reservation through OpenTable and were seated right away. We split the burnt carrot salad and is was the delicious (and I'm not a big carrot eater). My wife had the NY Strip and I had the pork chop. Both were excellent. We split the mousse eclair for dessert, also very good. Our server, Clinton, put the experience over the top. His recommendations were spot on and he was very engaging. The service was faster than I expected. Highly recommended. Don't forget to check out the art in the 21c lobby.
(5)Phil B.
I'm partial to Proof on Main (the restaurant of the Louisville flagship 21c) so let's get this out of the way. I had the pork chop--it is about as close to eating a piece of heaven as you can get I believe; simply amazing! The cocktails were very as well. The wait staff was clearly nice and professional as you would expect from 21c. It still doesn't feel like the Louisville location.
(4)Kathy D.
For lunch, LOVE the Burnt Carrot Salad. Very generous portion and it is DEELISH! Thought the $10 price was fair price. $3 for a plain iced tea is a bit over the top but definitely won't prevent me from returning.
(4)David C.
Metropole is one of those places that's been around for a few years, that I have multiple personal connections with, and still hadn't tried! Well, it was time. We had some great friends taking our kids for the night, and there was a reservation available via Open Table - so, we bit! Parking - arrive about 10 mins before your reservation if you want to be on time. We showed up right after a Reds game, so downtown was buzzing with people. We parked about 3-4 blocks away. They do have valet service for $8 (Saturday). We were promptly greeted, and the greeting staff was talkative and pleasant. 30 seconds, and we were seated (yay, reservations). Sitting down, we began to look around. The decor reflects the rest of the building. My wife soaked in the ambiance as we were waited on. "I cannot figure out the decor," she said. "I mean, the yellow penguins, the modern wall art, old-style fixtures...I just don't get it." I was facing the window and the 'moving art' on the wall (seriously, that person at the table must be really full...check it out). Our server (and everyone else we met in the building on staff at Metropole for that matter) was really friendly, and we could tell he enjoyed working there. He guided us through the menu, and we selected the Beet Soup, Grits and burger to share. Water to drink (To keep the bill affordable). I do regret not ordering the 'coffee stout' and trying their offering of Carabello Coffee or Deeper Roots. So, the food was really tasty. The penguins were a little odd. Back to the food. (Seriously, though, they brought a penguin out with a birthday hat on for a table celebration). Not a dish was lacking in unique flavor. Fresh grits were really cheesy (good cheese!) and not too salty. Beet soup: they could have left off the oil on top and it would have been a 5*. Burger, amazing - I only wish I would have ordered it medium-well and not just medium. They end each meal with some lemon cotton-candy - kind of brings you back, kind of makes your teeth hurt (as with cotton candy). So, metropole: after reading older reviews, it seems that you've grown up into your adolescent years. Thanks for your small-menu, your unique character and special flavors.
(4)Devika A.
Love the rotational menu - this is definitely on the pricier side -- but totally worth it. The burger, burnt carrot salad, and the cheese/ appetizer plate are unique to this restaurant. They have a great cocktail menu (downstairs and upstairs) so definitely perfect for a date or for a girl's night out. Nice to bring the parents to if you're going to the show right after!
(5)Bhasha C.
The food here was abysmal. I got a pasta dish, mushroom spuccati, expecting a creamy mushroom filled pasta. It arrived lukewarm, watery, and full of vinegar! Totally gross. And pricey. The servers/bartenders were nice, but that's where it ends. I told them I hated the dish and she said "oh, I'm sorry." Even though I will likely stay at this hotel again, I'm never eating here again.
(2)Momo G.
I had the Ricotta Gnudi, which had delicious morels, picorino cheese, fava beans and some mustard greens. The dish was surprisingly rich both in flavor and substance. But I didn't think the mustard greens were necessary to this dish as they didn't contribute much flavor as one would imagine. I even thought some arugula instead might pack this dish with a nicer kick. Service was great. Lemon flavored cotton candy that came with the check was irreverently fun and a definite crowd-pleaser.
(4)Maggie B.
Wow. We were blown away by our first trip here. Really awesome and adventurous food, very reasonable prices, huge servings, and awesome service. We went for my fiancé's birthday dinner and we were so happy we chose it. We started with the Waygu Tartar which was a giant portion served with delicious toppings like fried shallots and some lightly dressed greens. The flavors combined perfectly. The butternut squash soup was served with an everything cracker spread with pâté and topped with fried sage. Seriously amazing! We had to try the burnt carrot salad. It was incredibly Interesting with so many flavors and textures. It was impressive how well they worked together. I probably wouldn't get it again but you have to experience it. We had the Basted Burger for the entree. Even splitting it, we couldn't finish it. It was phenomenal. The bacon and apple butter made it heaven in my mouth. Possible my new favorite burger. We had to get dessert. We had the Chocolate Budino. Oh. My. God. I can't even express how amazing it was with the chocolate mousse and wine poached pear and cardamom ice cream and honey comb candy. Yum!! They even gave us some birthday macaroons. Nothing disappointed and everything was better and more than expected for much less than I expected to pay.
(5)Bill S.
Very professional and friendly staff! Very clean and welcoming facility! Food is amazing!! I had the salmon and my wife had the steak, both dishes were excellently prepared and DELICIOUS!! Our waiter, "Jeremy", was very friendly, professional, and welcoming. He even asked us if we had any time constraints so we would have plenty of time to enjoy our meal. For dessert dish, we ordered the ice cream and sorbet....again, DELICIOUS!! A little pricey, two entrées with water and one dessert came to $72 + tip, but it's well worth it.
(5)Kristan H.
It's been a few months since our visit, so I don't remember the details of our meal that well, but I remember leaving with a great feeling about the food and overall experience, and a definite desire to return again. First of all, we were VERY late for our 6:15 PM reservation (see tip/note below) but they were totally cool about it, making absolutely zero stink and seating us right away. Service was attentive and friendly. I got the pork dish, which was good, but my fiancé got the chicken, which was even better. The ingredients were high quality/fresh, with the natural flavors bursting through, and everything was prepared perfectly. Sadly we did not get a visit from one of the infamous penguins, but it was still fun to watch them move around the room. Tip: The Fountain Square lot is usually a good option for parking, but we went on a busy Friday night (Reds game, holiday weekend) and it took (no joke) 30 min to get down 5th and Vine alone. So be aware of when you're going, and consider your parking options. The 21c hotel does offer valet parking ($8) but there is also a public garage on 7th between Vine and Walnut -- right next to Hustler -- which is where we ended up going.
(4)Matthew C.
We had dinner here on a recent Saturday night. The place was hopping with people when we arrived at 6:15 for a 6:30 reservation. We were immediately seated. The attention from the staff was very good. I did mention that we were not in a hurry. It seemed like our food came very quickly. I would have liked the pace to be moderated slightly. I understand they have a lot of customers that are rushing off to shows. Did I mention that I told the staff we were not in a hurry? We do not get out much and Nana was with the kids. I had the oyster and celery root soup. It was excellent. I made sure that there was not a drop left in the bowl. Amy had the Chickpea dish and I had the Bison Burger. Both of the main courses were tasty. I will say I was frustrated that the woman (not our waiter) who took our order did not mention to me that the burger came with fries when I ordered a bake potato as well. My bad for not looking closer at the menu, but at this type of restaurant I would have thought it would be mentioned. I took the potato home. Amy had the brussel sprouts. They were very good. I would say they did a nice job on the food. Regarding the wine I will say they had an excellent list with some unique options I had not seen in this area. The Brown Estate Chaos Theory was excellent. Watch out is that the wine was pricey and there were not many reasonable priced options in the red wine section. Overall I thought our experience was good, but I was slightly disappointed when I compare it to our two visits to Proof in Louisville. FYI - they are owned by the same group and the chef at Metropole came from Proof.
(4)Brittany T.
We had brunch here yesterday-very good! Service was great, everyone was very friendly and accommodated my husbands omelet preferences. I had the yogurt with fruit and granola-it was good. My Bloody Mary was fabulous! I would def go back!
(5)Dave L.
My first time at Metropole - and i came away lukewarm. One in a party of four, we decided to kick things off with the starter cheese/meat/snack appetizer. It was good, except the kielbasa we got was four thin slices (Think of a typical hot dog or brat - split into maybe12 thin slices and you get four of them). It was good meat, just lacking in quantity. I ordered the gnocchi, which was edible, but very, very, salty. 21C is a cool spot and the Restaurant has a good vibe (though the acoustics make it difficult to have a conversation), and a solid wine & cocktail list. Service was fine, but we asked for a light dessert to share, and were told the cheesecake was light. Huh? A light cheesecake -- had to try it. It wasn't light. I'm not afraid of a big tab when the food/experience are deserving, but the price:food:experience ratio was out of whack. Was a big tab.
(3)Libby V.
So here's the good and the bad: Ever changing menu. Easy for you to get rid of the Ricotta dumplings after you get me addicted to them. And then lure me in again with the Ricotta ravioli and then take that away. Are you crazy??? Thankfully you always find something to sate my hunger for delicious and fresh. Seriously, everything here is fresh - nothing frozen or canned. That includes the drink mixes - shrubs to die for. Even homemade Ginger Beer in my Drunken Russian. (I will forever miss the Alfonso however) yelp.com/biz_photos/metr… The other night I was craving veggies. No problem...I asked if they could create a vegetarian plate for me and ordered 3 of my faves - Beet Salad, Shaved Brussell Sprouts and radishes (surprising huh?) and Quinoa Fritters with beets, red cress and cashew puree. Was a little surprised the sat 3 dishes in front of me, but they're perfectionists in their presentation here. yelp.com/biz_photos/metr… Aren't those pretty? Felt like a hog though. Then just cause I could I ordered a Fall Dessert Sampler yelp.com/biz_photos/metr… . So tiny and cute that I don't have to count the calories....right?? Some chocolate thingy in a cup, something similar to merange with a filling, and a cranberry almond sponge cake. A perfect ending to a perfect late dinner. And then breakfast. Everything fresh here as well - even Muesli from local grains. Here's what I don't understand, and it has nothing at all to do with Metropole but everything to do with Cincinnati - goetta. This is a "thing" here, and nowhere else that I know. Even close cities like Dayton and Lexington. Goetta is a breakfast sausage of likely German-American origin that is popular in the greater Cincinnati area. It is primarily composed of ground meat (pork, or pork and beef), steel-cut oats and spices, I suppose you could make it at home with oatmeal and Bob Evans but Why? This stuff is crap. In my humble opinion. But I had to try it. Didn't take more than a bite. Everything else - every time I have breakfast here - is great. And free coffee to go on your way out the door. So glad people are loving this place, cause it will be around for a good long while. Life is good.
(5)Trudy W.
I went here for a business trip dinner with four other people. The ambiance was fantastic, food was great, service incredible, and good pricing for what you get. Our waiter was amazing. He recommended really great dishes, kept our drinks full, and repeatedly checked in. I will be back to dine at this place again.
(5)Brad B.
Pretty crazy menu, and I consider myself adventurous, but the steak wasn't too great that was the big disappointment. So a little over rated to me.
(3)Dale H.
We had a great pre-aronoff dinner. They asked if we were going to the show to time service accordingly. They also had a wonderful prix fixe $35 dinner menu. We all selected from this menu. We all chose the burnt carrot salad. Delicious! For mains, two of us chose the String Roast Chicken. Two opted for the New York Strip. We were all very happy with our meals! The chicken skin was crispy and the meat was moist. The steak I tasted was also done perfectly and well- seasoned. There was only one selection for dessert, a malt chocolate bar. Very yummy! The decor was artsy and interesting. The noise Level was a bit loud, but we could still have conversations. Service was excellent! We would Ask for Clinton again :0)
(5)Foodie R.
Review # 1: We went here on a Saturday evening and found the restaurant to exceed our expectations. First some context: my husband is vegetarian and I'm allergic to shellfish. When we mentioned this, our server didn't skip a beat and said, "of course, we can accommodate this and here's what you can eat, or we can make something else for you." That was a good start. I ordered the burnt carrot salad which had the right level of textures and tastes. Carrots have never tasted so good. The husband had the corn soup, without the guanciale, and it was also beautiful. Creamy, soft and cold. For the main, I had the amberjack and omg, not only was it beautiful, but it was gorgeously aromatic. It's hard to get fish to taste unfishy and smell aromatic but this managed to smell good even to my non fish eating husband. The gnocchi that he had, was well made and light and soft. It was not at all salty. You could listen to the review below but my sense from reading his review is that he wants a big old portion of food because he's paying a lot of money--kinda not how it works.. We ended with the panna cotta, which was actually the right texture and not just a congealed mass of cream that so often masquerades as panna cotta. Definitely a win. The cocktails were probably less exciting than I would have wanted but the wine list looked fabulous and I think I would have done better with those. Overall, the metropole was a good experience for us and I think it's also nice to have a place that was nice to us because we respect and care for food. We were lucky, quite by accident, to get an early reservation. As we were leaving, we noticed a lot of younger people who were excessively loud as well as aging Gen X'ers (not unlike ourselves in age but not in comportment) desperately trying to act like they were still 20. So my advice if you're there for the food--go early, like 6:30 pm and avoid the fools. Or go on a weekday. Review #2: Second Visit. I went with 2 friends and am adding a review because I had a completely different experience the second time through--it was practically a different restaurant. We did not have the same awesome server we had the first time; in fact, everything that went wrong, I would attribute exclusively to the mean and condescending nature of our server. When we arrived, we were chatting and did not put in a food order right away. We were being courteous and waiting for our friend to arrive--it was a weekday the place was not full. By 7 we were ready to order. My friend inquired what the "white" gazpacho was and we when we were told we didn't need an explanation of what gazpacho was, and to explain the white portion, she had to consult her 'cheat' sheet--fine, whatever. We asked for other dishes--the chilled corn soup (which had apparently run out). Leaving aside the issue of that, we ordered other things--appetizer and entree--and then all was well, or so we thought. Appetizer arrived and we were eating that for 43 minutes--at which time, I wondered where our entrees were and what we ought to do, since we had a show at 8pm. When our server came over, she was completely unsympathetic and instead of apologizing, said to us, "I wish you'd told me you had a show to go to!". She chided us as if we were petulant children behaving badly. She told us our entrees would take 6-8 minutes to finish preparing, not giving us the option to cancel our orders, effectively making it necessary for us to ask for our dinners to go. Not an apology for her--just a really bad attitude. In fact, it was the manager who came and apologized to us and invited us to come back to dessert after the show. It was the manager who brought our food out. And it was the manager who brought us our cheque and rang up our credit cards. Of course, it was also the server who got the 20% tip we left because we are not unethical, but never has someone been so patently awful at their job and less deserving. Ultimately, the food was fine (I had the burnt carrot salad again, and several hours later I heated up gnocchi) but I've certainly had to think twice about whether I want to recommend this place to friends anymore. I abhor inconsistent service and I'm really at a loss to understand the radically different experiences within the space of less than a month; I can only chalk it up to getting a server who cared about her work and another who has nothing but utter disdain for restaurant goers. I really felt sad about having this experience because I loved this place and speaking well of Cincinnati food establishments to out of town friends. I just don't feel I can reasonably bring myself or friends here again, and certainly not friends from out of town.
(3)Red P.
I had the opportunity to honor my pal Alice for her brilliant design work on my logo for Red Pearl Dishes. She is an amazing artist and a great friend, so I invited her to dinner and a show at the Taft. Bonnie Raitt was in town and boy was I excited! We both saw her last year at the Fraze Pavillion and that venue did not do her justice. The Taft however is my favorite place for a show so I was really looking forward to our night! I wanted to take her to Sotto but there were no reservations available. The town was hopping and Flashdance was playing at the Aranoff so every place was filled to the brim. I knew however that she would love Metrapole so it was not a big loss. Metrapole is located at the new 21C Museaum Hotel. The first time I ventured in here I couldn't believe I was in Cincinnati. No offense but it was very cool!! So happy we can add this spot to our downtown venues!! IMG_0580 IMG_0581 IMG_0582 IMG_0585 IMG_0586 We had a drink at the bar and they always take good care of me there but we chose to move to the dining room for dinner. We were nestled in amongst multiple deuces and it was very "cozy". Our server took charge and was very efficient. He made sure to accommodated our schedule while providing personal recommendations for us. The menu is one that is a familiar landscape these days- farm fresh, sustainable, small plates. Metrapole offers a contemporary take on old world fireplace cooking techniques. I love it because even though the dishes are contemporary and, a bit funky from a traditional perspective, they really work for a down home palate. I was very satisfied !! We choose to split several things and especially enjoyed the shaved brussels sprouts with ceaser style croutons and the caramelized Ko mushrooms with salami butter and crispy kale. These are menu items I would not imagine I would love, but the chef knows better. The food is amazing. I was even surprised by the sweet potato ice cream that our server insisted we order. I can't wait to come back and see what's new on their menu! Red Pearl
(4)Phillip L.
A wonderfully enlightening dinner, great contemporary ambiance, excellent service and food that will have you coming back again.
(4)Alex L.
This is a review for our last visit to Metropole. We had a reservation for Mother's Day this past Sunday. I made the reservation over a month ago and received a confirmation call a couple weeks ago letting me know that the menu would be a 3-course Prix Fixe. I called back and asked if we had to order off that menu, for two reasons: 1) I have two younger brothers that would be at brunch and they usually don't eat 3 courses at breakfast/brunch/lunch. 2) its brunch - not a dinner. I don't even want 3 courses. I could be wrong, but I would imagine most people don't get an appetizer, main course, and a dessert at noon on Sunday. If we did want dessert, between 7 people its likely we would order MAYBE two or three, but for everyone to have to order dessert seems excessive. So that out of the way, I called and spoke to the manager (supposedly) who I explained our group dynamic to, regarding the two younger boys who don't want that much food. She told me that we didn't have to order three courses, that as long as we were ordering from the special Mother's Day menu it was fine. For example, if someone just wanted an entree they could order that and get charged the appropriate amount, not $29. I told her we appreciated it, and that it made sense since I doubted everyone wanted three courses for brunch. I asked her to please call us prior to Sunday if that changed. We arrive on Sunday, grab some coffees/bubbly at the bar, and chat for a while before sitting. Once we sit my brothers decide what they want from the menu. The menu doesn't look very interesting compared to what they usually have. They also made the mistake of leaving off some of the stars of their regular menu. Oh well. We decide what we want from the limited menu and begin to order. When my brothers order their (solo) entree the server tells us that they have to order the other two courses. One of my brothers says "I don't want any dessert, can I get two appetizers then?", and was told no, he has to order a dessert. The dessert options were a cheesecake, dark chocolate terrine, and cake doughnuts. Since we all HAD to order dessert we got a couple of each. The dark chocolate terrine was divine, although rich for the time of day - seemed like something to eat after dinner with an espresso or glass of wine. The cake doughnuts were terrible - they were hard as a rock and/or stale. My mom and I ordered the avocado toast entree which came with scrambled eggs. I was expecting a warm piece of toast with either sliced or mashed fresh avocado on top and a side of eggs. What I got was a cold, damp piece of bread formerly known as toast, topped with brown guacamole and a side of cold rubbery scrambled eggs. It was literally one of the worst dishes I've ever had at any restaurant. My mom's came out the same except the toast was twice as thick as mine and just as cold and soggy. We barely touched the meal and the server never asked us if anything was wrong. There had been multiple mistakes made the food that came out and at that point we just didn't want to deal anymore. It wasn't necessarily the server's mistake - after all, he doesn't call the shots or make the food. But it was just the worst experience we've ever had at Metropole. To the chef and managers at Metropole: 1) don't do a fixed menu at Mother's Day brunch. This isn't the Palace at the Cincinnatian. And where are the breakfast-y items? No variations of any sausage, bacon, pancakes or french toast anywhere. The quinoa hash and terrible Avocado toast were the only breakfast-like things. 2) don't use Mother's Day as the time to experiment with that many new dishes. Our server kept telling us he didn't know how to explain the dishes because they were new and he's never seen them before. We came in to enjoy brunch with our awesome mom on a beautiful day. You have one of her favorite dishes (the carrot and avocado salad) and it was disappointing to not be able to come in and order some of the dishes we've come to love from you. Again, Mother's Day is not the time to reinvent the wheel. 3) Get your front of house and back of house on the same page. 4) Don't tell your (return) customers one thing and then renege on it once they're in the door and in their seats. 5) With more and more restaurants opening in the city people are going to have more options to choose from and sometimes all it takes is one unimpressive visit for your patrons to stop considering your business as an option. I hate to sound so harsh, but this was just completely sub-par for Metropole. We expect way better from you! We always enjoy ourselves with you but don't think we will be coming back for any special occasions from now on.
(2)Sarah F.
Celebrated a birthday here recently with friends at the chef's table. The table itself is very cool, especially seated facing the kitchen with a view of the open hearth. Bread for the table is from local Blue Oven bakery, which is delicious by itself, but put over the top by the house-made cold-smoked butter (ask your server, it's an interesting process). There were lots of interesting looking things on the menu, but I didn't go too crazy on my first visit. I shared 2 starters with a friend from the "vegetables & grains" section: quinoa fritters and shaved asparagus, and both were delicious. The fritters weren't really enough to share, but the bite I got was really good, nice crunchy/seedy texture. The asparagus was delightful--bright and well balanced between the lemon and pecorino cheese. I like asparagus, but I can't often say that I really couldn't stop eating it! I couldn't resist getting the grilled sirloin for my entree and wow, was that a big, tasty slab of meat! The beef had a rich, almost melting texture and was well accompanied by little bits of potato, onion, and mushroom. I finished my meal with a goat cheese cake from the dessert menu and it was nice and fluffy with a slight tartness--a nice riff on a strawberry cheesecake if you're not in the mood for a super sweet dessert. Service was very good--our waiter was informative and personable, if slightly effusive about the restaurant's strong points. And the large yellow plastic penguin who joined our table for a while was a fun conversation piece and photo op. Most of the art in the public spaces was a bit out there for my tastes, but definitely gave the whole place a very modern, cool urban vibe. On a side note, this is my 300th review...woo-hoo!!!
(5)Karen D.
You must try the burnt carrot salad!!! This is one of the best dishes I've ever had in Cincinnati! The carrots are the star of the dish, charred in the fireplace but do not have a burnt taste at all, they have just the right amount of charr to them caramelized just right along with avocado, pumpkin seeds, pickled onion, feta and cilantro tossed with lemon juice and olive oil. I enjoyed every single bite of this dish. Their homemade ginger beer is just the right beverage to go with the salad. The only complaint we had as I visited on a raining Saturday afternoon, where the dining room only had a few tables full is we had service right away received our drinks and salads right away, but the server disappeared for our sandwiches, I had to go to the hostess station to ask what's going on and then they appeared. Our lunch ended with a surprise treat - Best Oscar Actress Cate Blanchett walked in to have lunch with her family as we were leaving, hopefully she tried the burnt carrot salad, too.
(4)Chad G.
If we would have skipped the main course I would probably be giving this place five stars. We started the meal with a couple appetizers that were just incredible (seared squid and Carrot salad). Unfortunately the entree (Amish chicken) was completely bland and a total disappointment.
(2)Peter B.
This week, the 21c Hotel made its debut in Cincinnati with tremendous fanfare, riding on the impressive reputation established by the flagship location in Louisville. Brought to life through the site formerly known as the Metropole Hotel, 21C management chose to retain this name and designate it to the main floor restaurant. If you are expecting Proof on Main, the acclaimed restaurant in the Louisville location, evidence of similar culinary magic is sorely lacking in Metropole. While I usually expect a few inconsistencies of experience during week 1, I was not counting on the absence of even a singular example of remarkable food in what has been billed as a high-end establishment. We started our meal with a significant delay of service. The only item that made it to the table in the first 15 minutes of seating was some sparkling water. Our waiter Dave was friendly and seemed to be very confident in his command of the menu. He started the description by advising that 2 of the items were not even available. Given that our seating was at 8 pm, I was somewhat surprised by this announcement, but opening week doesn't provide the kitchen with sufficient benchmarks of demand. As I placed my order, the waiter strongly suggested that I change my beer choice to something that he believed would pair better with my first course. Dave assured me that everyone prior to me, to whom he had made a similar recommendation, had been pleased with his advice. I have to say that I usually avoid beer infused with fruit flavors and this time was no exception. I doubt I would ever choose to consume this brand of beer again. In general, I would argue that Metropole tries to present the diner with a menu of eclectic ingredients, sometimes to the detriment of the objective: producing a delightfully delicious meal that will make people want to return time and again. For our appetizers, we selected Seared Octopus with Fennel Two Ways & Smoked Grapefruit and Charred Foie Gras with Three Onion Types and Toast. The first course came to our table within 8 minutes of the order being placed which made me suspect that the dishes had been prepared well in advance and simply plated with much haste. The dual preparations of fennel were both flat and the tiny octopus had a rubbery texture. The strong citrus flavor of the grapefruit overwhelmed our palates to the detriment of the dish's intended flavor profile. The Foie Gras was prepared correctly but the three onion sauce was cooked to excess, the burnt flavor lingering in my mouth for at least 10 minutes. After the first course was cleared, our entrees didn't arrive for at least another 35 minutes. There are still some staging issues in terms of when courses are fired. I selected the Pan-Seared Walleye with Garbanzo Beans while my wife opted for the signature Metropole Burger on a Potato Bun with Bacon Apple Jam, cedar cheese and a pot of French Fries. This dish actually consists of two patties cooked to the desired temperature of the chef, not the diner. My wife's burgers were excessively juicy as the meat was not rested after cooking. The result was a dripping dish and a soggy bun. The fries were prepared perfectly. Immediately after the burger was served, my wife remarked that there was not ketchup. We waited for another 8 minutes before Dave returned and we could request the condiment. As for my Walleye, the fish was not overcooked, but it lacked an unctuous quality. It was good but hardly mouth-watering. We shared the Curry Tea Poached Egg side dish that included bulgar, cashew and grilled dandelion. A curious combination that missed the mark. I thought the bulgar was overcooked and excessively mealy. The room itself is quite appealing. The dining room is separated from the bar by a glass window/wall. The staff spent part of the evening moving the trademark plastic penguins around from table to table. The children seemed to enjoy it. We decided to pass on dessert but my wife appreciated the cotton candy delivered in a copper cup, accompanied by the bill. I would recommend that Metropole be given 3 or 4 months to work through its menu and service issues before I am willing to give it another try. When the best part of the meal at a fine dining restaurant is the smoky butter served with the complimentary bread, you know there's a problem, especially given the prices. I should note that the hosting staff was very engaging and playful as we entered but upon departure, my wife was made to feel uncomfortable by one of the hosts who made reference to my Facebook post expressing my lack of enthusiasm for the dining experience. Probably not a good thing to repeat even in a digital age where feedback is instantaneous.
(2)Jessica G.
We had the breakfast room service from Metropole while staying at 21c and it was a yummy end to our stay! I didn't realize goetta was a Cincinnati tradition. The sausage with oats in it was really good. My husband kept stealing mine because he loved it so much! I got the 21c breakfast with the goetta, two eggs, toast, roasted tomato, and potatoes. The tomato was a nice touch. The eggs and toast were good, but nothing special. Rye toast with apricot preserves was a nice touch. My husband got the seasonal breakfast sandwich with thick bacon, an over easy egg (I think, it was runny, but I didn't get a good look), arugula, and pimento cheese spread on brioche. The pimento cheese made it something special, even though I wish there was a little more of it. With tax and gratuity, which was required for room service, and water to drink, it was $36 and some change. A little expensive for breakfast, but if you are staying at the hotel, you might as well indulge! Now I am craving some goetta at home!
(4)Jane S.
Delicious and interesting food. Enjoyed cauliflower beignets and a grilled cheese sandwich with white cheddar, blackberries and shaved carrots Service was great-not too much, not too little
(5)Brittney R.
If I could give 10 stars, I would!! We dined here last weekend for a birthday dinner and everything in the entire experience was wonderful. We were seated before our reservation time (we had gone early to get a cocktail) and warmly greeted by Laura. We started with cocktails- I had the I75 (bubbly!) and I specifically remember that my MIL got the margarita. Both were fabulous. The bread and smoky butter on the table were demolished immediately. We started with the combo 3 starter: charred olives- warm and a large variety, finocchiona- a nice salami, and the wheel of awesome cheese (they were out of the only goat cheese, this was recommended as a similar profile)- this was amazing! I am a goat cheese aficionado, but this will definitely be added to my plate when I see it. Plus, how can you not love (and remember) the name!!?? We ordered our entrees (between the 4 of us we got 3 of the strip steaks and 1 pork chop) and several sides- burnt carrot salad, seared octopus, roasted cauliflower, shaved kohlrabi, and green bean 'chaat'. This was probably a little bit more food than we needed, but we managed to make a pretty good dent in it. The favorite- kohlrabi. Least favorite- roasted cauliflower and burnt carrot salad (both of these could easily be recreated at home). The meaty entrees were all wonderful and cooked perfectly. Shout out to the pork chop- so flavorful and juicy- and also a huge portion!! For dessert the server informed us that French macaroons are their specialty birthday treat, but we also added on the flourless chocolate cake and the warm apple fritters. Everything was spectacular, but the macaroons were actually my favorite- so much sugary goodness!! The banana white chocolate mouse on the chocolate cake tasted like mashed bananas to me, so that wasn't my favorite. Great place for a special occasion and to bring visitors in town. We spent a little bit going through the exhibit after dinner too.
(5)Marcie V.
Five members of my family enjoyed dinner at Metropole for the first time last Saturday evening. The atmosphere is fun...felt like we were eating in a New York City restaurant. Service was good and prompt. We heard that there is a wonderful roof-top bar (we did not go up there) that is very popular. At the end of the meal we had fun discussing each item that we had ordered and "rating" the items. We started by ordering 4 items from the charcuterie bar. We tried the following: 7 hour egg - tasted like a typical hard boiled egg kantwurst - slices of sausage - good...not necessarily special cabot clothbound cheddar - very tasty St. Angel Cheese - very tasty Next, we each ordered a main course and 4 side dishes to share. Side dishes: Grateful Greens Mixed Lettuces - gave it a 3/5. It was very plain, the vinaigrette did not have a lot of taste. Burnt Carrot Salad - 5/5...we all enjoyed this. The carrots were slightly crispy with good flavor Chaat Salad - 5/5...we all loved this. A mixture of chick peas, cauliflower, potato, cilantro and onion. We "fought" over this! Quinoa fritters - 3/5....not as flavorful as we had hoped! Main dishes: 3 of us ordered the string roasted chicken. We all gave it a 4/5. Good flavor, the skin on the chicken was roasted to a crispy finish. But it was not as flavorful as we had hoped. Sea Scallops - 5/5 delicious and melt in your mouth tender Ricotta Ravioli - 2/5...very small serving with very little taste
(4)Pamela F.
great lounge bar in smartly chic urban space across from the Aronoff. 20 of us for cocktails after CAC event got great service and interesting craft cocktails. Tried the annie hall and Annie Hall Rye, Dolin Blanc (vermouth), orange bitters & mango-cayenne shrub. Rose had good minerality served crisp and cold. On the pricey side for cocktails, and perhaps over the top for wine, in the $9-12 range.
(4)Charity G.
We tried Metropole during restaurant week. The food was good. David started with the chilled corn soup, which I of course also tasted, it was delicious! I stared with a salad which was good but would recommend the soup instead. For the main course I hade the potato gnocchi which was very good. David had the grilled amberjack which he said was alright but probably wouldn't order next time. The lemon cotton candy is also a fun touch! Over all a good meal but what actually sets the restaurant apart is visiting the museum in the 21c hotel attached. Makes for a fun night, nice dinner and drinks and some fun wacky art viewing!
(4)Mike M.
i can only give 4 stars because i have not eaten here yet. but i loved it. very nicely done, and i really dig the original floor tile. i shall be back and review the food asap!
(4)Annie S.
Had a wonderful dinner @ Metropole w/ family home for holidays. Excellent service from the bartender (Ryan) to our waiter (Matthew). Chef Paley does an amazing job - we all loved the brussel sprouts & kale even though many of us thought we didn't even like brussel sprouts & kale! The potato soup & swordfish were excellent. Loved the environment and eclectic feel of the hotel & artwork. What a wonderful asset to Cincinnati!
(5)Hannah C.
Last weekend was only my second vist to the Metropole, and I wasn't disappointed. We reserved a table for an evening out with some older family members in town for the weekend. We were hoping for a quiet atmosphere conducive to talking with our hearing-impaired guests, which is not what we found at the Metropole on a Friday night. Any other crowd dining with us would not have minded, but it was hard to chat with our elderly guests over the loud chatter that surrounded us. The food more than made up for the noisy environment. During my last visit, I had ordered the oysters as an appetizer and the bison burger for my entree. I was disappointed to find that the oysters had been rotated off the menu, but the waiter suggested the burnt carrot salad instead. It was rich and savory, the carrots cooked to allow just enough crunch, and the soft, creamy avocado gave the salad a perfect texture. I didn't enjoy the bison burger the first time around, so I ordered the strip steak and it was fabulous. The chef cooked it to a beautiful medium rare, and the presentation on the plate made it almost sinful to eat. Dessert was umemorable: a brownie that I could've eaten anywhere else for half the price. Delicious food, expensive but worthwhile. The seasonal menu will bring you back over and over to see what's fresh and new.
(4)Caroline C.
I couldn't wait for Metropole, so I went as soon as I could once it opened. I must say, it completely met all my expectations even in its first week of operations. The food was totally delicious and there were some very unexpected items on the menu (hearth baked oyster, yes please!). In fact, I wouldn't recommend poring over the online menu as it's more of an example of what they offer. The wait staff (sorry, wait staff) is sort of like the hipster creme de la creme of Cincinnati. They were all very nice, talkative, informative, etc, but ya know, hipsters. And the building! The floor! The entryway! The art! The Cracking Art Group's Yellow Penguins! Made just for us! I die. Absoutely fanastic job to the designers, architects, blah blah blah whoever was involved. Nice work. There was a list of craft cocktails, but I did get any. There was a well-curated wine list, but I didn't get any of that either. Instead I took my server's beer pairing recommendation (there's local options on tap!) and thoroughly enjoyed my beverage. I can't wait to go back and try more of the vegetable dishes (definitely my favorite food items we tried) or perhaps get some charcuterie at the bar. Excellent addition to downtown Cincinnati.
(4)Sushi B.
I have mixed emotions on this dinner. Parts were fantastic and parts we well off the mark. Everything from the charcuterie was great. The St Angel cheese is divine. My favorites starter was surprisingly the burnt carrot salad. The octopus didn't live up to the hype. We ordered the seafood stew and it was awful. Very fishy with very chewy hunks of octopus. All in all we left pleased but the kitchen missed a few times. Service and atmosphere were excellent.
(3)Melissa W.
Growing pains. Went on a quiet Weds night after New Years. The bar service was great and the house cured charcuterie was delectable. Beyond that, things got dicey. Undercooked pasta, DRY chicken. The pork was delicious, but nothing I can't do at home. I will try it again as the atmosphere and bar are fantastic. I will give it some time to settle in.
(3)Elizabeth S.
When our food was served, it was pretty good. The coffee was also good. Maybe it was a fluke and we hit Metropole during a rare lapse in service. Enough people seem to have enjoyed this place, as documented in prior reviews. But for us, it was just an upsetting and unpleasant experience. We arrived at Metropole for breakfast and were greeted by an empty front desk. We stood there for 10 minutes, while we observed employees scurrying past us in every direction without any acknowledgment. A couple emerged from the dining room and were heading toward the exit. Someone who appeared to be a manager came after them and pleaded with them to stay. From the sound of their conversation, they had been waiting for a long time and decided to leave. After conferring with these customers, I expected the manager to acknowledge us. But they just turned and walked away. I considered leaving at this point, but we had explicitly driven from our Mason hotel in order to eat there. So we wait another several minutes and finally someone shows up at the front desk. She offers no apology for our wait and tells us that it's going to be probably 15-20 minutes to be seated....despite visibly empty tables and nobody else waiting....because they're "busy with room service orders." In the interest of time, we elect to sit at the bar. Our server there was very kind and friendly, but overwhelmed. And there were just constant little things...coffee was delivered, but with no spoon. I had to sit and wait, unable to drink my coffee. Looking and waiting for help was a constant feature of our visit. The coup de grâce was when I eventually had to lean over the counter and pour myself some more coffee. Overall, service was just a mess. Maybe my expectations are unreasonable....but 21c/Metropole prices would presumably draw a pretty affluent group of people, and the service fell way short of the polished and efficient operation it should be. Personally, I find it very off-putting when hotels or restaurants provide an excuse for bad service....an excuse that is, at its core, a reflection of a deficiency in management and organization, and then we are expected to just be satisfied with paying for a thoroughly unpleasant experience. Telling us that we were being ignored because the kitchen couldn't keep up with room service orders is not helpful. It's offensive. The restaurant has been open long enough that they should know how to address these kinds of issues - e.g. hire more kitchen staff, hire an outstanding expeditor, or make sure you have more staff on duty when the hotel is packed because of a local sporting event. In-house restaurant guests shouldn't be paying the price for these inefficiencies.
(3)Carolyn B.
Being somewhat of a foodie, when I read an article about a restaurant that I'd like to try, I tack it on my bulletin board in my kitchen. This became of great use as we were going to the Aronoff with friends & were looking for a place to eat downtown. After I checked Yelp for downtown restaurants & the one name matched one on my board, I called the restaurant called Metropole to make reservations - the article I had saved was from The Cincinnati Enquirer in January of this year. Conveniently, it is right across the street from the Aronoff and they offer a pre-theater prix fixe 3-course for only $35. Our waiter, Clinton, was a huge help in deciding what to order and we will seek him out when we go again. He let us know that the menu items change quite often, but one food that has never been taken off is the Burnt Carrot Salad. Clearly that says a lot, so I (along with everybody else) ordered it. You know what - parts of the carrot did look burnt, but didn't taste like it at all, plus they added goodies like avocado & goat cheese to it. No wonder it is a staple there. However, the Sunchoke Soup sounded very appealing primarily because I've never heard of sunchoke before. (Can you tell I like to try unique things?) Clinton explained that it is the root of a type of sunflower. The 3 entrees offered were String Roast Chicken, Roasted Walleye w/gazpacho and NY Strip Steak, which was my choice. Honestly, it was one of the most amazing steaks I've had in a long time, (sorry Precinct ) - tender, flavorful and cooked exactly as I requested. I don't normally even order strip steak. Luckily, my husband shared a little of his String Roast Chicken and that was quite delicious, as well. The divine ending to our sumptuous repast was a malted chocolate mousse bar! Almost as a postscript, they brought a mug filled with lemon cotton candy. Because it is a part of a museum hotel, you will find contemporary art all around. Although that genre of art isn't my thing, it was fun to seeing the iconic yellow penguins being moved around the restaurant. One joined us for awhile & made for a great photo op. As we say in our household, this one's a definite do-over!!! Do yourself a favor and try it!
(5)Darwin D.
Food and service was very average. They rely more on being popular and trendy then actual uniqueness and quality. A very cookie-cutter experience. Not a bad place but just definitely didn't live up to the hype.
(3)Boo M.
I do research before I go into restaurants, hence several 5 star reviews. (I don't give out 5 stars whimsically. ) I ask friends, read reviews, etc. This one, I did not. Our concierge insisted we try their NY Strip. Mother of cow that was exceptional. Better than Mastro's. Better than Smith and Wollensky's. And maybe even better than (please, Lord, don't strike me down tonight) Peter Lugers. It was that good. Service was great too. Oh, and it was almost half the price of all those I mentioned. Maybe I got it on their best day ever, but that steak is worth taking a flight for. For real.
(5)Adolfo N.
So you want to wander a little and impress a lady on a date? grab a drink at the bar and wander around the mini museum, bonus points for playing with the interactive exhibit and getting on the elevator and seeing the displays on every floor. Great for a quick 30 minute intermission on a planned outing.
(4)Shawn M.
After having my socks knocked off at Proof on Main (Louisville) I expected Cincinnati's sister restaurant to be great as well. I came away disappointed. The menu is inventive and the food tastes great. Our server was personable and seemingly efficient. The room is beautiful. So where's the disappointment? First, the place is loud. Hard surfaces everywhere makes sure that sound never dies and the result is an echo chamber. We couldn't hear half of what our server said. Fortunately my wife and I were seated diagonally or we couldn't have heard each other. Loudest high end restaurant I've ever dined in. Disappointment 2: Slow. Our appetizer came out ok but the salads were 20 minutes later and entrees came out a full 45 minutes later. The food quality was good, but not good enough to overcome the ambience and slow service issues.
(3)S L.
I stayed at the 21C for my 5th anniversary in March 2014. The hotel set reservations for me at Metropole. We got a wonderful seat at the counter and watched burnt carrot salads and cheese appetizers being prepared. Fun. We chatted with the chefs and a couple sitting next to us, which was very enjoyable. Metropole has great atmosphere, a wonderful bar, friendly and attentive staff. I can say that my night was quite fun and enjoyable. Why do I only give Metropole three stars? I ordered the pork loin, only because I would never order pork loin. It's something I grew up eating and isn't an entree I would associate with an upscale dining experience. I know it sounds unfair to complain that my pork loin was too "porky," but I can honestly say it didn't taste any different than the stuff my mom made. Now don't get me wrong, my mom was a perfectly fine cook, but she was no master chef or anything. Her pork loin was ok. Metropole's was about the same. I guess I expected the chef to transform it into something better. This was nothing more than a hunk of pork and it took me back to my childhood days of mom's porky pork and fishy-tasting fish. I suppose this review isn't going to influence anyone. Maybe a hunk of pork shouldn't weigh so heavily on my mind. But this was an expensive piece of pork, not the stuff mom got on sale at Kroger.
(3)F M.
We've recently made a habit of trying a new establishment as often as possible, and Metropole was next on the list. Of the beverages we tried, the Tiny Bubbles was the hit. Our starters included the sweet potatoes, the charcuterie board and the wagyu tartare. The tartare was a very fresh and generously sized appetizer, but the charcuterie board was the favorite. So delicious! Two of us had the burger, which was delicious, and the other had the chicken, which was good but not nearly as amazing as the rest of the meal. Overall, great experience!
(4)Debbie P.
I always do my research if I have the time, and was looking forward to a special meal at Metropole prior to seeing Wicked across the street at the Aronoff. The interior was sleek and modern, with fun, animated art on one wall. I had reserved through Open Table and mentioned we would need to be out in time for the theater, and was pleased when we were met at the hostess desk that she had that information. Our reservation was at 5:30 for a 7:30 show. Plenty of time, right? Read on.... We ordered a special cocktail from their menu, and it took a good 10+ minutes for it to arrive. Again, it was early, we were one of only 4 or so tables, so the server apologized. I was disappointed with the offerings from the 3 course prix fixe (choice of salad or soup, choice of salmon or pork, nice options for dessert) menu, so we decided to order off the regular menu.Smoked butter and bread came to the table right away, and I really enjoyed the flavor of the butter. Interesting and a lot of flavor. I liked it more than my daughter, but not a surprise because I am a big fan of smokey flavors. My daughter ordered the grilled broccoli and the double cheeseburger, and I ordered the burnt carrot and avocado salad and the double cheeseburger. The salad was fabulous and should not be missed! We got the broccoli also as a first course, and it, too, was delicious with a lovely aioli. After a rather lengthy wait, our burgers and fries came out. Very tall burger, and we didn't want to drop food all over, so we both decided to eat it with a knife and fork. Burgers should be picked up with the hands, but it would have been impossible no matter how much one would smash down the bun...we tried. Fries were good, no surprises there except that our food was at our table for a while before the server offered ketchup. Some foods go well with ketchup, like french fries, and that would have been nice from the start. We finished about 6:50, and when offered a look at the dessert menu, we decided to share the flourless chocolate cake with a praline and ice creams. This is when our experience went downhill, fast. We waited nearly 30 minutes for the dessert to arrive, and even stopped the server to ask for our check before the dessert came to the table. It would have been nice to have had some checking with us at this point to see if we wanted to skip the dessert, but it was already on the check and the server was no where to be found. I decided to go ahead and pay now, regardless, in order to get to the theater on time, and when I got out the cash (to make it faster) the dessert finally arrived. We noticed every other table got a lovely cup of lemon cotton candy (I'm a big fan!) but we, for some reason, never did get any. A disappointment, as it looked fun and and nice little treat. The server never returned to the table after the dessert was brought, so we left the money/tip on the table and ran across to the Aronoff just as the final bell was sounding. Likely not to return to the Metropole, and I did love that burnt carrot salad, but a shame not to take just a little better care of the guests.
(3)Jennifer H.
I really want so much to love this restaurant. I love the ambiance, love love the hotel. The service is always great. But the food. There are just not enough vegetarian options. If we are paying $120+ for our meal then I want a choice of entree and not just to feel like I'm getting stuck with the only thing available. And the food I've had the last two times has been lackluster at best for entrees. Even my meat eating husband was less than impressed with his expensive steak dinner. Honestly the cheese plate and burnt carrot salad were the best parts of the meal... I expect more.
(3)Nicholas A.
Food: Charcuterie plate was amazing. We got the 7 hr egg, blue cheese, goat cheese, and pate. All choice quality with interesting accents, the goat cheese in particular. The house mustard and blue oven bread didn't hurt either. For dinner I went with the pork shoulder con polenta. Served with a stake knife, it was slow cooked to fall apart with a spoon. The rich smoky "health" of the buttery cut of meat was nicely balanced by the sweet roots. Service: couldn't expect better. Knowledgable and excited about the food. There was a drink spilled at our table, and after a brief whirlwind of activity, the table was dry and the drink was replaced. If they were any faster or on it, they would have caught the drink as it tipped! Ambiance: One word; penguin... There was one staring at me for a good portion of my meal. It is one of the most interesting places in the city. There is alway something that you didn't pick up on each time you look up. Why wasn't it more crowded on a Friday night! We will be back soon, and I hope to have a wait when we are.
(5)Bridget S.
Always fantastic. Great service, inviting atmosphere and amazing food. The museum is really a treat and well worth the visit. This establishment really knows how to treat their guests. Happy to have such a great place to dine in such a lovely location! Bravo!
(5)Jeff S.
Went there this past Saturday. The service was weak. The staff wanders around looking hip and cool but continually failed to come to the table to ask if we wanted anything. This meant we only ordered our initial drinks and we're never asked it we wanted to order more. Oh and we did so they lost out on at least 2 more rounds of drinks that could have been ordered. Also the waitress failed to write down our Ala carte vegetable order. We did not get our grilled sweet potatoes until after our entree was finished and I had to ask a table busser to find any waiter to help us with that because we could not find our waitress. The dishes were delivered by other folks who dropped the plates and ran so we didn't have a chance to point out we were without our ordered side dishes. Oh and they didn't even offer to comp the veggies even though they came out as a dessert course. Enough on the lousy service. The food was bad too. The octopus app was burned, the special grilled oysters were cold and had weird flavorings not fishy weird but unrecognizable weird. Had the salmon it was decent but the pickled beets were unappetizing. The grilled sweet potatoes while really late were ok. The dessert was toasted marshmallow and was bad. Sticky non fluffy marshmallow rectangle that had a weird coating and was cold not toasted with a mini ball of chocolate ice cream and a dry ring of what was supposed to be banana bread. Bad dessert. The best thing offered in the meal was the free dollop of lemon cotton candy at the end. This place is a wanna be trendy restaurant that tries too hard to be hip and cool (with the weird video on the wall of a where's Waldo look alike pretending to eat a large bowl of porridge all night).... definitely not hip and cool more like never to be repeated.
(1)Maddie G.
Service: Terrible. Our table of 4 people was not approached for 15 minutes after seating and the manager had to take our drink order. We were seated out in the open, close to the kitchen where servers were constantly walking by, yet we were frequently neglected. Dirty plates sat on the table for a ridiculous amount of time. Even the food runner was visible peeved when she came to place dinner plates and realized the appetizer dishes were still scattered around the table and no one had picked them up. Ambiance: Pretty cool decor and buildout. The contemporary feel and art showcased is a unique experience for the area. Food: Average to Blah. Not much to say. Nothing innovative or particularly delicious about any of the numerous plates my table shared. As a matter of fact, several dishes were overall unappetizing. The menu wants to be a hip, sustainable, farm-to-table type of deal, but the actual plates fall short considerably. Value: None. Quite overpriced for the mediocre taste and portions, especially considering what you can get for similar cost at the restaurants within a block radius of Metropole. Update: I appreciate management reaching out and may give Metropole another try. It's still a cool place for drinks, as the ambiance and location are terrific.
(2)Missy M.
Whatever else you may order, do yourself a favor and get the chaat. My significant otter and I visited Cincinnati for a short weekend and decided to see what Chef Michael Paley is creating at Metropole. We enjoyed his dishes at Proof on Main so we were sure we were in for a treat. Service was stellar, as is the case with any 21c affiliated business. The cocktails are inspired, as is the food. Metropole's focus is farm to fireplace, with locally sourced ingredients cooked in a custom-built wood-burning fireplace. The otter began with the gazpacho soup which he very much enjoyed. He had the duck for dinner and now he knows why people rave about duck. When cooked by someone who knows what they're doing it's an excellent dish. I went with the buffalo burger which has great flavor that was enhanced by the condiments: green garlic & onion marmalade, aged cheddar & truffle fried shallots. I ordered a side of chaat, and much like the Weisenberger Grits in Louisville at Proof on Main, this veggie side was my favorite part of the meal. Though, everything was delicious.. I ended with a glass of port and the otter had dessert (I can't remember which dish). To cap things off, we were offered lemon cotton candy which was incredible - truly melted in your mouth.
(5)Lauren J.
Metropole is absolutely one of my favorite go-to restaurants for lunch! Located in the contemporary and artsy 21c Hotel, the staff has never been anything but fantastic. From the polite and charming doormen who welcome you, the hostesses who greet you with a smile, to the waitresses and waiters who give great recommendations, and even management who constantly show their presence, remember your face and ask if there is anything they can do. The atmosphere is bright, with light tile and detailed touches. I love the large windows that are reflected in giant mirrors. The museum hotel's giant plastic penguins also make an appearance. I was late meeting a friend there for lunch the other week and she mentioned the host sat her with a friend so she was fine waiting. I was confused but glad she wasn't annoyed or bored. When I arrived, a giant yellow penguin was also at our table! They keep the place fun and remind you not to be too serious in the middle of the work week. My typical menu favorites are their take on a Caesar salad with grilled chicken (hold the anchovies) and the double cheeseburger with fresh homemade fries. The burger is so big I eat it as 2 open-faced sandwiches! Friends have enjoyed all of their meals, including the carrot salad and cheese panini. Everything is so fresh and flavorful! Don't forget to save room for dessert- the chocolate mousse with homemade caramel sauce is killer- and gives you something to dream about at your desk later on. Lunch prices are very responsible and I love being able to relax and be attended to without sighing when the bill comes. Metropole has proven great service and great food make you want to return time and again. Bravo Metropole- I always look forward to my lunch dates here!
(5)Rick S.
I've eaten at the Metropole several times and I'm not certain how to put this. It's okay, but I'd rather eat at home. It's very noisy because it has no carpets. So, it's not a great place to eat with more than four people. The larger the table, the less you will hear each other. The menu has also been OK. It's just that there are so many better restaurants nearby. It's a good place to go for a drink and walk around their museum lobby. Their bar has jumped on the gin and house tonic bandwagon and I recommend you try it. It's not your father's classic gin and tonic.
(3)Lucas W.
Metropole was a very good dinner. Everything I tried was good, tasty, and perfectly portioned. Started with a cocktail, the Chester Copperpot which was wild turkey based. I love wild turkey but the cocktail basically tasted like wild turkey neat, would've expected some other intricacies to the drink. We had the seared octopus for an appetize which was fantastic. Wonderful flavor to it and a pretty hefty portion of octopus as well. Also really liked the spice added from the hot peppers. Octopus was marginally chewy but that's because it's seared and not grilled, but I would definitely recommend the octopus. For the entree, I had the gnocchi and pork confit. Not generally a big confit fan - certainly prefer meat to be warm and I think had the dish been warm it would've been better. Would've turned into some gnocchi and pulled pork in a tasty sauce at that point, but it was a confit and as it was it was good but not great. The sauce had some interesting flavors as well. I'd recommend the dish overall. Metropole is a good place for a business lunch/dinner. The food will always be good but not truly great.
(4)Teri D.
I assume room service comes from here for the hotel, if that is true then they were amazingly fast with our breakfast room service order and even though they charge $3.00 for deliver and then add in a 20% gratuity (WTH) to the bill...having breakfast delivered quickly and tastily (loved my French press coffee) was worth it. Now when we went downstairs to have a bit of a snack (we split a $15.00 burger - again WTH) with fries and two sodas ($3.00 each). The place was filled with noisy hipsters clowning around with the penguin, I don't get the big appeal of the place especially with burgers that expensive, and we had to wait and wait for our server to come and give us some ketchup for the fries. Tsk tsk tsk....
(3)Aaron H.
We stopped at the bar one evening after dinner at Local 127. The bar has a good bourbon selection, and they make a tasty Old Fashioned. We didn't realize they had a restaurant, so a few weeks later my wife made reservations for a Tuesday at 6:45. It wasn't too crowded at that point, but did fill in quickly. It is open environment, seating very close together (European style) with a lot of eccentric art. The kitchen & wood fired oven is open to the dining room. Beware: Like most restaurants that use local, seasonsal ingredients the menu rotates. I believe they cook the majority of the food in the fireplace. Everything has a hint of smoke, but it is not over-powering like a traditional smoked method. If you don't like that taste, this place isn't for you. We read many solid Yelp reviews, in particular the The Burnt Carrot Salad which is a mainstay (the recipe is also posted on their website). I ordered this as my starter, and it is as good as it gets The carrots were perfectly cooked and it is packed with flavor... cilantro, avocado, etc. My wife ordered the Beet Soup. She loved it, but it wasn't my thing, It's a hot beet soup served with an cracker that is topped with apple, crème fraiche & caraway. The entrée list is limited, 6 choices with one special. My wife went with the Grilled NY Strip Steak. This is served with one of the most unusual but delicious foods we have tried... smoked grapes! It may sound strange, but please try them. I ordered the Smoked Amish Chicken which is served with grilled leeks, ash cooked onions & spinach dumplings. It is a massive serving... leg, thigh, and breast. The skin was crispy, has a slight wood fired taste, and the leg & thigh juicy. The breast was over cooked and the dumplings weren't the best. A surprise is the Lemon Cotton Candy served with your bill. Nice touch. We really enjoyed it, and will be back.
(4)Ron C.
Seven adults for evening meal. All but one first timers. Loved the "repeal prohibition" drinks list. Cincinnati sidecar was a nice throw-back. Everyone enjoyed the service and festive atmosphere. Lively, yet we could hear each other in conversation. Items ordered and enjoyed were: Salmon Octopus Charcuterie Pork shank Red Drum Sides were nice as well. Grits were good, but not great. Pate, cheese, and bread from charcuterie selection were very nice. Recommended and I'm looking forward to my next meal there.
(4)Elaine W.
I'd been wanting to eat here for a long time and was immediately wowed by the decor, spaciousness, and hostess's severely arched eyebrows. Food, unfortunately, was also eyebrow-raising to put it mildly. Bread: Blue Oven Bakery! Win. Chaat: Deliciously garlicky, but nothing special. And hey, I could get much cheaper, authentic chaat at any of the dozen or so Indian restos in town. Ricotta Ravioli: $20 for 4 pieces of ravioli? I almost whimpered when the waiter brought out the plates. First bite: Couldn't even taste the ricotta until I cut it in half. And the edges were... al dente to the max, like they were still frozen. Peas were also undercooked. I did whimper. Luckily my friend shared some of her String Roasted Chicken, which incidentally, will soon be off the menu despite its popularity (Whaaa? Don't ask me). It was a nice, tender piece of chicken, but I've had tastier meat. What made this chicken special was the sauce, which was flavorful and surprisingly sweet. My other friend was disappointed they ran out of the monk fish because he wanted the golden beets, which he got as a side and promptly declared that the best thing he ate. Last but not least, Cotton Candy: Yes, they give you cotton candy to end your meal. I haven't had cotton candy in an eternity, so this was a refreshing surprise. Flavor was lemon--even better. They do have a nice rooftop bar, though, with cocktails and "poptails" (popsicles dipped in shots). The restaurant's bathroom is also nice, and there's a small art space off the hall that people rave about for some reason. But don't let the hype get to you if what you're looking for is no frills, good food.
(2)Bob D.
Went to dinner and breakfast here since we were staying in the attached hotel 21C. Dinner was outstanding. Service was excellent. We started with the Charcuterie Board - "7 hour egg" (highly recommend), Finocchina, Duck Pastrami and Warm Ricotta. One little tip - spread the ricotta on the toasted garlic bread and top with the delicious apricot jam that comes with the board - Wow it's a whole new take on grilled cheese...! Wife got the Braised Onion Soup and I got the Burnt Carrot Salad. Both were yummy. The Carrots had an amazing mix of flavors and the feta, cilantro and avocado mixed for a really delicous dressing. We split the Grilled NY Strip which was good and flavorful and done to perfection but if you are looking for a Ruth Chris/ Ruby/ Morton sort of steak I'd recommend other options from the menu. The chief sent out a serving of the seared octopus and Plancha Shrimp which were actually outstanding in taste and presentation. Ended the night with a really nice touch - Lemon flavored Cotton Candy! Part of their tradition. Really nice place and Chef Jared Bennett has done a really fantastic job in creating a go-to restaurant in Cincinnati.
(5)Karen M.
My bad for not looking at the menu before choosing this restaurant but they lacked a vegetarian entree option. Is that so hard to put together? Tried to piece a vegetarian meal together with the carrot soup (very nice complex flavors) and a couple of the sides but was left with - Ok but not so fine overall meal. When I roast asparagus at home and mistakenly overcook a few that end up black and shriveled - I don't serve them - no such scruples here. The avocado semifreddo dessert was enthusiastically recommended by a passing server for dessert, we were less enthusiastic after trying it - landed squarely in the its OK but not great pile. Service was excellent.
(2)Lizbeth T.
Way to go Metropole! Metropole gets the little things right, and all of those little things add up to a totally enjoyable experience. From the very beginning, when they listened to specific requests for our reservation, and fulfilled those requests graciously (nothing crazy, mind you), we knew that the Metropole staff would make our evening special. We visited in February, so I can only comment on the winter menu. Since the chef changes the menu seasonally, check the website before you go to get a sense of what your options will be. Our waiter was warm, personable and extremely knowledgeable. Had he not recommended the burnt carrot salad, I don't think we would have ordered it, and it turned out to be a highlight. The cocktail and wine list are excellent, and I appreciate the quartino option for wines by the glass. Bourbon fans - check out the I-75 cocktail. I chose the scallops entree and my boyfriend had the burger. Both were generous portions, perfectly cooked and enlivened by seasonal and fresh ingredients. My only disappointment was a less than exciting dessert menu, but we were full from sharing an appetizer and two entrees. And since the cocktail menu was more enticing, we decided on one more drink instead of dessert! The Metropole is a great looking room, but it doesn't necessarily have a "wow factor." Nevermind - it's more about the whole experience. We were never rushed, the noise level is lower than in most of the other popular restaurants in town, and every member of the staff we encountered offered the highest level of service. I can't wait to go back!
(5)Bill E.
This review is based on my lunch experience. I met a friend here for lunch a few weeks ago and since she knew the bartender we ate at the bar. The bartender Chris was very knowledgeable and super nice to us both. I ordered the Metropole drink and it was very good for my lunch I had the beef tongue with pickled red onions and arugula on blue oven bread and also ordered a side of fries which were served with pickle dressing. The tongue was great and not tough at all, the fries however were a disappointment. I also ordered a Beet Shrub and I highly suggest getting one. After lunch we got a personal tour of the terrace.
(4)Rodney S.
Our second visit this year. The poorest of service. Had reservations... Checked in and host forgot about us. Reminded him...told us oh ya...will seat you at nice location in a minute. Forgot about us again. Gave our name and told us he thought we had been seated. Assured everything would be perfect once we got seated...not. Forgot our cocktails...had to remind waiter. And so on... Food was fantastic, however. Not certain we'd come back...
(1)Rory B.
I had only heard bits and pieces about Metropole before I was informed of a friend's birthday celebration. The rooftop bar really started the evening off right. The weather was perfect and the sun was just starting to set over the city. The peanut hummus far exceeded expectations. After a few drinks and a lot of fun we descended the magic elevator as our table was ready in the main restaurant. When a new place is available I try to give it a little time before giving it a try or review. Let them work out the kinks. Not the case here As a group we were 175% satisfied. The food was fantastic and minimum and spectacular for the rest. There were 8-10 of us and we pretty much ordered one if everything and shared around the table. The atmosphere was inviting and fun. The staff didn't just put up with our mildly drunken shenanigans they seemed to really push us deeper into a good time. Metropole gets top honors from this reviewer.
(5)Santeri P.
I have been to Metropole twice now and really enjoyed the food both times. The first time I came here was with my wife. They have a long white padded booth-like bench on one side lined with small tables and we were seated in the corner. This was nice because the bench turns the corner and we were both able to sit on the bench and still face each other. We ordered the octopus and burnt carrot salad to start with and both of these were fantastic. The burnt carrot salad was easily one of the best salads I have ever eaten. It is not like a standard salad with lots of green leaves but more like roasted vegetables. For the entree, I ordered the roasted chicken that had been roasted over an open fire and it was delicious. My wife ordered monk fish but unfortunately they had run out as we had a later reservation. They offered her the same dish with salmon as a replacement and it was still very good. The second time we stopped in was recently for my wife's birthday with my parents and grandmother. We once again started with the burnt carrot salad and octopus because it had been so good the last time and it was just as great. The octopus was lightly charred and delicious with garbanzo beans and currants with a couple slices of a hot pepper. I ordered the grilled NY strip steak which came with burrata (kind of a cross between mozzarella and ricotta), root vegetables sliced like chips, smoked grapes, and charred tomatoes. The steak was perfect (ordered medium rare) with a little charring on the ends and red and juicy inside. The smoked grapes were great with an intense smokiness when you put it in your mouth followed by a burst of sweetness when you bite into it. My wife had the smoked chicken which is a half chicken with grilled leeks, onions, and spinach and cheese dumplings. The smoke flavor was strong throughout the chicken and was amazing. Everything that was smoked that we ate had more smoke flavor than anything I have ever had (we asked and they use chicory to smoke with). I also tried (from other people) a bite of salmon that was perfectly cooked and a bite of porgy (type of whiter fish) that was also very good and came as a whole fish with bones and all. For dessert, we shared a pineapple upside down cake with coconut ice cream, pineapple anise jam, and coated almonds with tarragon. The cake was good and moist and the ice cream and almonds were also good. Since it was my wife's birthday they also brought out two macarons (which were twice as big as the small macarons I often see) and they were delicious. So far, everything I have tried at Metropole has been fantastic and the service is always great. We have always ordered wine by the bottle and while the wine is pricey we have always liked what we drank. I will note that I found the chairs we sat in to be somewhat uncomfortable, but that was the only negative. At the end, when you get the bill they always bring some lemon cotton candy too. I will definitely return and enjoy more food at this great restaurant.
(5)Mike W.
There are few places in Cincinnati where the quality justifies the price, but Metropole delivers in quality and ambiance. The wait staff is attentive and jovial, presenting your meal with reverance by acknowledging the high quality of of the expertly crafted food. This is a new, favorite spot for us and we will certainly be returning for more experiences.
(5)Alicia B.
Wow. This is the quality of cooking I've longed for since i moved to Cincinnati. I'll start with everything besides the food. The decor was awesome, especially the bathroom lol. I thought I'd just stepped into a CGI movie. Then they've got cute little penguin that"move" throughout the restaurant. The waitstaff were all very nice and service oriented. Now, the food. We started with the charcuterie- cheddar, goat cheese, ricotta, fennel salami, roasted grapes. Everything was delicious. Then at my table, i tasted the swordfish, pork chop, the chicken, sides of leeks, and eclairs and fennel cake desserts. Yeah! And it was all 10/10. The chicken and pork chop were my favorites.
(5)Dave M.
Hard to beat Metropole breakfast. My wife and I have tried dozens of breakfasts across the city and keep coming back to Metropole. We realize that all the fancy egg creations and pancakes cannot trump great eggs, pastries, and breakfast meats. Keeping it simple at Metropole will not disappoint. They use high quality ingredients to deliver on breakfast staples. Also make sure you try a french press of some local coffee. Hard to go wrong with Deeper Roots or Carabello.
(5)Holly M.
The staff are always friendly and knowledgable, the food is delicious, and the atmosphere is chic. The charred leeks are my favorite thing currently on he menu.
(5)Ben N.
If Metropole isn't quite the metropole of Cincinnnati dining, I'm ready to say after two visits that it's one of the five or ten best restaurants in this metropolis. Metropole's quite similar to Proof, its sister 21c restaurant down in Louisville: It's one of the more striking rooms in town, taking great advantage not only of the old building in which its housed but the natural light from its big windows and the effect played by the surrounding building stock. It feels sophisticated without being pretentious, and it's comfortable and spacious. And it's one of those 21st century upscale restaurants where, for some reason, the restaurant staff dresses far less formally than the clientele. Plus, you might get to dine with a big yellow penguin. As with Proof--a restaurant we've been to only once--a single meal is likely to have some ups and downs. The first visit, at least for me, was pretty much a five-star experience, though. I can't remember everything I had, but I remember the charcuterie plate and a braised pork shank especially--that was pretty much a perfect update of a country French style, hearty and delicious--and my wife's burnt carrot salad, which is way better than it sounds. That meal was pretty much all ups. Second visit was not. Maybe it was because we ordered off the Restaurant Week menu, which we didn't know was on offer at the time we made our reservation. First course was the main problem: This is going to sound ridiculous, but cucumber salad and Ohio corn soup--I had the soup and sampled my wife's salad--were just too damn cucumber-y and corn-y, respectively. By that I mean they were far too one-dimensional for a restaurant of this sort. (My wife said the soup tasted like cornbread batter. I'll have to take her word for it.) We also ordered the wagyu beef flank tartare from the regular menu; I'm going to assume that this particular cut of meat just isn't appropriate for tartare treatment, because it was relatively flavorless and chopped too fine. (The flavor of the beef was mostly overwhelmed by capers.) By the time I'd gotten through these items, I was suspicious of the main course, a pork shoulder chop, which sounded a little bizarre. But this was actually very good, more tender than I would have thought and very nicely seasoned, and served with braised kale and a very good romesco-style sauce. Very good plate. Dessert was great, too: a salty semi-sweet chocolate tarte with blackberries, executed about as well as you can expect. Given these two experiences, my takeaway is not to judge restaurants by Restaurant Week menus. Service so far has been excellent--informative, efficient, smooth. And pleasant and congenial without being remotely ingratiating. Metropole and the hotel itself have been great downtown additions, especially when you consider that the previous tenant of this building was more or less a seedy flophouse only a half-block from Fountain Square.
(4)Alex S.
One of my favorite lunch places. This is my go to place for 'business lunches' with the younger and/or more gastronomically adventurous types. The food is good (never great), but the decor is interesting (i.e., giant yellow penguins) and service great. I heavily recommend their "shrubs" (fruit and vinegar based drinks).
(4)Nolan L.
Let's start with the good. Service was exceptional. All of our interactions with staff from seating to check were great. Unfortunately the food didn't match the level of service. We had the Johnnycakes to start with. They were ok and probably the best thing we had at the table all night. For the meal price I expected better than ok. I can make ok food at home. I ordered the burger. I ate half which tells you how I felt about it. My lovely SO ordered the pork which she said left her disappointed. Now, the real kicker and reason for this review. I just went to eat other half of said burger and as I dig in I see a long black hair. I'm not a neat freak and assumed it was my SO. Go to brush it off and it's actually in the lettuce/sauce mixture. No way it's my SOs this hair came from someone preparing the meal. Now, I know things happen. But, you cannot be a premium restaurant and serve food with hair in it. That's just nasty. Again, huge disappointment for the price. Tl:dr I found a hair in my burger that was obviously from the staff. Even if it was a one-off the food was disappointing.
(1)Lynn N.
Highly recommend the ordering the steak tartare and dining with a yellow penguin! This is a great little date night spot or for a girls night my BF surprised me so this is also good for surprise dinners for your significant other too The pace of this place is really enjoyable, it's not a typical hurry up and order eat and leave kind of place, you order everything as you go and the servers aren't pushy but really take cues based on your readiness. We were able to engage in conversation and really enjoy the time there. *FOOD* the smoked butter served with grain bread which was really good the smokiness is different in a good way. We shared the charcuterie platter--finocchiona, duck pastrami, and Mimi's smoked blue, to start and the Waygu steak tartare, which I highly recommend. It is also a regular menu item so if not anything else I will be back for that. It was served with fried onions and a egg yolk, and it something I'd certainly not be able to recreate myself. The main entrees we had were the grilled duck breast and the grilled NY strip steak both by recommendation. The steak was flavorful and chipotle peppery flavor, and the duck was perfectly fleshy, fatty and crispy and served with blackberries and tiny little potatoes. I would definitely order this again. For dessert we had a almond eclair served with coconut ice cream. Ending the moderately inebriated with cocktails in hand checking out the art exhibit was great. There's a lot to check out and interesting tidbits behind them. We thought to check out the rooftop bar but based on tips by most of the staff its really only enjoyable on week nights, so we'll def have to come back for that.
(5)Eli D.
Definitely enjoyed our experience here. This is a long overdue review, as we dined here a year ago. Our server seemed a bit withdrawn, quiet. He wasn't snooty, but almost. Our dinners were fun and tasty. The setting is definitely contemporary, and visually stimulating. We will, of course, dine here again.
(4)Ann W.
We were on our way to a dinner reservation but stopped by to visit, relax and snack after checking into the adjoining hotel. The long bar was filled that evening, but we managed to find a spot to accommodate our growing group. I was hungry despite the large handfuls of gummy bears I snacked on all afternoon so we ordered a few appetizers just to take the edge off. The Metropole Fries were recommended highly and I could see why. They were crispy and tender, perfectly seasoned. I could not stop munching on them. The charcuterie tasting board included: Cabot and Humbolt Fog cheeses and chicken pâté topped with a sweet/savory jam. Thin bread slices, grilled grapes and truffle honey were a nice accompaniment to the cheese. I especially loved the jam that was a surprisingly good complement. Others loved the truffle honey. Finally, the charred octopus was great. Served with garbanzo beans, it was a very well prepared. Service was fantastic. The chef preparing food at the bar provided small bites of food throughout the course of the evening. Yum!
(4)Kaley C.
Nice rooftop space with cozy seating. They have used the upstairs space well and it is a very comfortable rooftop cocktail. Our server was great and the drinks were made quickly. The Oxy-gin was good and although the Alfonzo was recommended, it was much to sweet for my taste. Drinks were a little pricey, but it's to be expected for the location and the view.
(3)Michael F.
Was lucky enough to choose Metropole for restaurant week tonight. Paired with free Wednesdays at the CAC it was an indulgent semi-frugal night. The food at Metropole was amazing. Started off with a chilled corn soup that was well-executed. The burnt carrot salad my friend ordered to share was even better than the two starters offered on the prix fixe restaurant week menu. For the entree I chose the seared pork shoulder steak. It was insanely good. The seared outside layer tasted like bacon and everything else was a deliciously tender and fatty succulent chunk of pork. Perfectly seasoned and perfectly cooked throughout. For dessert the apricot semifreddo did not disappoint (though to be honest I was still coasting from the high of the pork entree). Seriously one of the best meals I've had in a couple years.
(5)Adrien M.
Great food, really enjoyed the ambiance, art and shrubs. I would totally recommend this place. My husband and I went here for date night and it was great. Had a great meal and went and saw an exhibit opening in the other side of the hotel!
(4)Stephen G.
A few years ago we went to Louisville, visited the 21c hotel there and enjoyed a FANTASTIC meal at the in-house restaurant, Proof. Despite finding nothing vegetarian on the entree list we had been assured in advance that the chef would be able to concoct something special for my wife to enjoy. They did not disappoint, she still raves about what they cooked for her to this day. So, with the 21c Hotel opening in Cincinnati, we waited until a special night - our wedding anniversary no less - to try _its_ in-house restaurant, Metropole. Upon booking the reservation we were given a menu which, like Proof, showed zero vegetarian options amongst the entrees. But, just like Proof, the staff at Metropole verbally assured us - on no less than 3 separate occasions - that the chef would be able to put something special together for my wife. The difference between 21c Louisville and 21c Cincinnati was one of the veritable chalk and cheese variety. Let's start at the very beginning, a place Julie Andrews assures us, is a very good place to start... When initially booking the reservation, I requested a specific table I had spotted, over in the far corner from the entrance. It not only enjoyed good views and some sun-setting daylight through the nearby window but it was also the furthest away from the barely separated bar area which spans one entire side of the restaurant Upon arrival, I immediately noticed the requested table was occupied. To be honest, we should've walked out there and then. Instead, and with NO apologies or excuses whatsoever, we were seated .... you've guessed it... right next to the extremely noisy bar area. Which rendered all 'romantic anniversary conversation' impossible. Here's where I maybe nitpick a little. I don't know who chose/designed the furnishings for the restaurant area but they evidently didn't have much of a clue. If you get a chair to sit on you're fine, but if - like us - you end up perched on the upholstered benches, you'll find the table is too high to eat with any comfort. Basically, those bench areas have been constructed too low. Also, every single table in the place is supported by a centre leg with a wide/tall contoured plinth, making it impossible to place your feet comfortably on the floor in front of you. I witnessed loads of people around us constantly shifting their feet to try and find a 'sweet spot', none of them successfully. I'd expect this kind of oversight from a cheap burger joint, but an upscale restaurant? Klaxon alert! Then came the food. "Disappointed" is an understatement. I tried the Steak Tartare as my appetizer, assured by our server it gets "stellar reviews". I cannot understand why. Tellingly, I left 2/3rds of it behind on the plate, the taste of the ingredients surprisingly bland. My entree was the Metropole Cheeseburger, a definite step-up from the appy, but far from the magnificent flavor sensation suggested by a recent Cincinnati Magazine article. As generally 'mediocre' as my own eating experience was, it still towered several hundred storeys above my wife's. Having been promised the 'vegetarian earth' by no less than 4 people now - including our server who told us the 'pasta dish' could be made without the crab and other meat, but with lots of vegetables - she was served... a small plateful of pasta with a sauce and a few herbs plopped on top. THIS was their $25 vegetarian option? Lots of people now eat vegetarian food, not all of them on moral grounds, but because they know it's better for them. To not have a single veggie option on your entree list is incredibly remiss in this day and age. To then pretend that this pasta variant is a credible alternative just paints a poor "zero imagination" picture of your kitchen staff. To her credit, my wife sent the laughable pasta dish back. She was then forced to order a couple of sub-standard items from what was basically the 'sides' as her Wedding Anniversary meal. The whole event became so unromantic in nature we humorously wondered at one point if we could actually sue the restaurant should the meal lead to our eventual divorce. After we'd had our dessert I guess news of our general dissatisfaction had reached the restaurant manager who came over, apologized for the shortcomings over the order and comped us our shared dessert and my wife's pot of tea. It was extremely easy for me to contain my excitement at the gesture. Sadly, it was all too little too late. Metropole officially goes on our "sh*tlist" as somewhere we will be sure to tell other people about... but for all the wrong reasons. I've said this before and I'll say it again, if you turn away a vegetarian diner by not offering a credible vegetarian option you ALSO turn away all of their carnivorous friends and family members who would/could dine with them. Based on our experience, Metropole proved itself as not only somewhere that does not comprehend a vegetarian's needs, but also a restaurant that undermines its own assurances.
(1)Darcy W.
For the bar and drinks only.... Damn good selection of Bourbon... I could stop there but I would not do the specialty drinks justice. I would categorize the bartenders as mixologists! I had the Ziggy Stardust... Something prosecco and star fruit it was tasty! We also had the Annie Hall which was smooth and finished with a bite! Great place to go before a show, but give your self some time and check out the art gallery some very interesting and freaky stuff! Walking to the bathroom is cool... The floor has images projected on it that look like some sort of virus. Yes of course I said Ebola... The Ziggy's might have made me extra funny! Check my pictures out! Art is definitely in the eye of the beholder! Lol and cheers!!
(4)Angela C.
I've now tried Metropole for lunch and dinner. The space is awesome- elegant, modern, with lots of windows and a big bar. There are big yellow penguins hanging out at some of the diner's tables and a funny little art projection installation on one of the walls. Service is great. Lunch: when I went, ordered an avocado toast. It was.. avocado toast. I was completely underwhelmed and still hungry. I don't think something I could replicate myself for about 3 dollars is worth what it cost for a lunch. However, I didn't give up! I'd heard of the tasty dinner so we went for date night and were not disappointed. Delicious! Loved the charcuterie board, especially the duck pastrami and the smoked grapes. Yes, smoked grapes. They are delicious. I had a chai bourbon cocktail which was truly delicious. I had salmon and the husband had a strip steak- both were well executed and tasty. Really loved the lemon cotton candy! You're not walking out of a dinner at Metropole for under $100, unless you eat like a bird... and don't drink? But, very nice for a special night out.
(4)Crystal H.
My husband and I dined here tonight, and were more than a little disappointed. The food was good, but not as savory as it should be given the prices - worse, my pork chop was composed of nearly as much fat as meat. The service, though, was what really ruined the dinner for us. We were seated immediately, and drink orders were taken promptly, but we clocked 27 minutes from being seated to being asked for an appetizer order. I'm a fan of not-overbearing service, but we felt completely ignored. Later, when the server came by to check that our food was satisfactory, he failed to notice my husband's empty glass. A relatively small detail, but we expected better. If they put as much effort into their service as they do into maneuvering the yellow plastic penguin about, it might have turned out better.
(2)Vincent O.
Haven't had a chance to fully sit down and dine in here but for the view and drinks alone I'll have to give this place a 4 star. We started up at the terrace rooftop bar and ordered the white pea miso toast ( which I do not recommend). The manager greeted us and asked hw we were doing and offerer to take our picture. He was courteous, friendly and easy to talk with. Great service made up for the taste of the pea toast. We soon headed down back to the bar because the weather was a bit chilly ( the heat lamps weren't too effective with the wind the evening). The bar has a great feel with a knowledgeable staff, which is always a plus. The triple fried fries was a great choice to accompany my late night drink. Crispy on the outside, yet light, airy clean and moist on the inside ! Great stuff, definitely will be back to enjoy the full experience !!
(4)Tiera A.
Metropole is a beautiful bar/restaurant located on Walnut St. inside of the 21C hotel. It's very hip and trendy and would be a great place to take someone you may be trying to impress. Walking into this place, you will immediately experience a feeling of being in some swanky lounge in NYC or Chicago. The bar area is galley style and gets packed very quickly. It can be very crowded on Friday or Saturday nights. If you can't find a seat at the bar, the lounge area is available as well. The lounge has plenty of couches and seating, which is great for large groups. My only gripe about Metropole is that everything on their menu is rather pricey. They also do not offer any happy hour specials which is a bummer because the menu items are rather expensive, in my opinion. Overall, the ambiance is great, our service was fast and the craft cocktails were wonderful. I really enjoy Metropole.
(4)Kimberly J.
I came here as a surprise for my birthday. It's a beautiful restaurant. There is a lot to look at, including the bright yellow penguins. The open air kitchen it stunning and the decor here just screams posh. The menu is seasonal and had a few tempting options that I had a hard time choosing between. I eventually chose the Woodland Farm pork while my boyfriend chose the "basted" cheeseburger. He chose best, for sure. This burger was amazing with sharp cheddar, broadbent bacon, frisee & apple butter. So good. My pork was also tasty, but seriously that burger... The waiter was fantastic and I wish I got his name. He would glide in and out almost without notice to refill drinks and check on us. The check came with bright yellow cotton candy, how fun! Also, they made my birthday extra special with macaroons and a candle.
(4)Katie H.
This place absolutely rocked my socks today! I took my dad for an early birthday lunch and we enjoyed every bit of food we ordered!! We started off by sharing the Burnt Carrot Salad. I would totally recommend sharing this dish because it was huge! (In fact, everything we ordered had generous portions of food.) Although the carrots are cooked, this salad is served cold. The natural sweet flavor of the carrots paired perfectly with the sharpness of the the feta. I also enjoyed the creamy texture of the avocado and the crunch of the pumpkin seeds. For the entree, we each ordered sandwiches and shared. We got the Basted Cheeseburger and the Roast Beef. Both were great! The roast beef was tender and sweet. The swiss cheese provided a salty creaminess and the lightly pickled cabbage gave it a nice crunch and zing of flavor. Now, the burger! This was a friggin' good burger! The patty alone had great flavor and was super moist. The toppings just took it to the next level - pickled onions, sharp cheddar and thick cut bacon. Both sandwiches came with fries. What the fries lack in crunch, they more than made up for in flavor. Forget the ketchup, these spuds are addictive on their own. I can't wait to bring my husband to this place. We'll probably order the same thing all over again!
(5)Thomas C.
Modern, spacious place right near Fountain Square with some outstanding food Ambience/Service: While I'm a big fan of the OTR revival and the new restaurants there, this place is nice in that it is just spacious. There's a lot of seating and doesn't feel cramped. I love the decor, trendy with lighting that is not too bright or dark. The noise level is not too loud or soft. The service here is great. I don't remember our waiter but he was totally on top of his game - attentive but not obtrusive. Food: We started off with the charcuterie menu where you can pick from a listing of 12-15 or so items. While I know this is becoming a trendy thing to have on a menu, the execution is legit. It's very clear the chef has thought all of those items through. We ended up getting a Cabot Clothbound Aged Cheddar, which sounded pretty "ho-hum" but ended up being a great crumbly aged cheddar that we both love. We also got roasted radishes, which were very interesting. Usually radishes have a pretty bitter taste but these came out perfectly tender and actually quite mild in flavor - perfect for mixing with the other items on the charcuterie board. The last thing we ordered was a 7 hour egg - which is effectively like a tea-infused egg in Chinese culture. However, the inside was perfectly infused and not dry at all. All of those things came with some crusty bread, a truffle-infused honey, a house-made fruit chutney, a big dollup of fresh mustard and smoked grapes (really interesting). Everything on that board went well with everything else. The whole board was pretty amazing. For entrees we both got a mushroom spaccatelli, which is basically a hand-rolled pasta. The hen of the woods and oyster mushrooms that were in it were delicious and the sauce was perfect. The pasta was a bit too al dente for my taste but was fine. The cocktails were great too. They make their own bitters and mixers. Overall a great great dinner. I was really impressed and will probably want to come back again when I visit.
(5)Joe Y.
katsuandgravy.com/#/metr… This restaurant is very peculiar to say the least. The yellow penguins, the odd projection of someone eating soup at a table, and the mod chic bathrooms made this a memorable dining experience. Aside from the ambiance, the food was equally great. Unfortunately, I was with a large party, and as a result, we had to pare down our menu. In exchange for the smaller menu, the portions were large for the type of restaurant. I ended up trying the wagyu steak tartare as an appetizer, which was paired with the grain mustard that added a nice flair. The crispy shallots also provided a nice crunch texture. For my main dish, I had the mushroom pasta dish, which had some very unique flavors. There was a bit of a citrusy-lime taste along with juicy mushrooms. There were some peppers thrown in to provide a kick, and of course, the ricotta topped it off. After my two dishes, I felt like I ate pretty heavily, so I decided on ice cream for dessert. They paired white chocolate with orange, which was a delectable ending to the meal.
(4)Megan A.
I absolutely love Metropole! My man friend and I came to Cincinnati for a weekend getaway and ended up staying at the 21c. We ended up here a few times. Our first experience was for an after dinner cocktail. The initial service at the bar wasn't great, but it was late and we only needed a drink so neither of us minded it. We then came here for a Saturday brunch. We came in around noon and it was fairly empty. Both of us ordered the drip coffee and I don't think I've ever had better coffee! For our meal, we both ordered the Quinoa Hash and I also got a side of bacon. The Quinoa Hash included sweet potatoes, quinoa, avocado and two sunny side eggs. It was by far one of the best breakfasts I've had in a long time and I brunch a lot. The third time we returned was for the rooftop cocktail bar. You enter around the corner in the alley way and take an elevator up. They card you at the door and let you know how crowded it is. We were told that it was standing room only. We went up there and realized there is no bar, but they come around frequently to get your drink order. Fortunately for us, a large group was leaving so we were able to sneak a corner spot. The view is unbelievable and going around sunset just adds to the experience! After we had a drink up at the lounge we went back down to the bar for dinner and drinks. I ordered a martini, the 7 hour egg, and the cheese plate (all five cheeses) and my friend ordered the Johnny Cakes and the Burnt Carrot Salad. I also should state that my friend found a cocktail that he loved called the Rhymenocerous and this is was inevitably kept bringing us back. I'd highly recommend coming here for dinner, drinks and apps, or even a night out up on the rooftop.
(5)Ben D.
Abby and I came here with her sister before a show at the Aronoff with reservations. Ambiance is intimate and charming; original floor tiles are a nice touch. We started off with cocktails: Grand Budapest, Mama Knows, and Bite the Bulleit. I had the Bulleit, and it was fantastic. I didn't try the other two, but Abby and her sister enjoyed them. The three of us split a Cannellini Bean & Buratta Toast appetizer. It was pricey for just one slice of a bread, but they cut it into three pieces for us, so it was easy to share. It was absolutely delicious. Each piece had fresh mozzarella with their house made bacon and the romesco sauce. Abby got the Verlasso Salmon, which looked fantastic. Well prepared. Simple and tasty. She liked it a lot. But it's a pretty small piece of fish. Her sister got the chicken with a side of grits. She said, "Best chicken I've ever had." It looked marvelous. I tried some of her grits, and they were outstanding; the cheese and pine nuts give it a great kick. I had the "Basted" Cheeseburger, which sounds boring, but was not at all! It was perfectly cooked, and came on a delicious bun. It also came with a side of apple butter, which was amazing on the burger. It came with fries. I try to avoid those, but I ate a few, and they were quite tasty! We wanted dessert, but ran out of time, as we had to get to our show. So we'll have to save that for another visit. Service was friendly and gave good recommendations. Heads up: No glass pours on the wine. They do quartinos, which is fine for us because it's rare we only have one glass anyway. It's pricey, especially for what you get. But we loved everything we had, and I'm already looking forward to our next visit!
(5)Marc M.
I am fortunate that I have an awesome Sister and Brother-In-Law who love it when I visit Cincinnati and treat them to a night out. Last night we tried Metropole and I get to write another 5-star review. I also am fortunate that I get to pick where I eat in so many cities - thanx to Yelp it yields a lot of 5 star reviews by me. Normally, I wouldn't eat a restaurant in a hotel, but this is not a normal "chain" hotel. 21C Hotel is a converted apartment building with a theme similar to Kimpton or W hotels - think ultra-modern chic. It's the kind of place that makes me feel 1) old and 2) not hip enough. Case in point is the art gallery in the lobby. Is a large yellow plastic yellow duck one day going to be featured in the MoMA? Incidentally, the servers set a yellow duck (they stand 3 feet tall, so it's hard to miss them) next to your table when you have a celebration. The food menu is not large - the alcohol menu was more extensive. There are bigger items and smaller ones. I elected for the four-course menu (Pork & Bottle which was $40 plus $15 for alcohol pairings). The theme was all pork: three ham fritters to start, roasted pork belly and greens second, pork tenderloin as an entree and pork-sugar-coated donuts with cherry sauce for dessert. The servers made a big fuss about how much the donuts hinted of "pork" because of "pork-sugar" but all three of us could not taste any of it - maybe it was because I was "porked-out" by the time dessert rolled around. My sister had the sea scallops, which were good, but not as good as my pork tenderloin. My brother-in-law has a pork chop, but I didn't try it. He read Yelp and tried the burnt carrots. I would say those are a MUST-TRY dish here. They are roasted carrots with avocado, pumpkin seeds and other goodies. Service was excellent - not rushed at all. My sister took a while to make up her mind and our server (Cari) kept checking back to see if we were ready to order. He accommodated all of our little requests and was quite personable. This is a great special occasion place or a business meal place - we saw several of those. The place was quite busy for a cold Tuesday evening in January downtown Queen City. I would definitely comeback. When I mentioned my visit the next day to our local customer, they were jealous.
(5)Amy D.
Metropole is an impressive restaurant tucked in the 21c Hotel. The most impressive thing about this location is the ever changing cocktail menu. Currently the menu offers shrubs, delicious vinegar, fruit, spice, and sugar mixtures that wonderfully compliment various liquors my very favorite of which is the DL (tequila and grapefruit shrub)- although by the time you read this review the menu may have changed. The small plate offerings are also changing and quite impressive. I would also recommend trying a charcuterie board which also has changing and often in house made options. The charcuterie board usually has fantastic smoked grapes. Each time I have dined here I have been able to order warm ricotta which I would definitely recommend. The offerings here are on the expensive side but they are fantastic. Service is friendly and seamless and the lounge is a great place to enjoy drinks with friends. As a bonus, most recently a friend celebrated her birthday here with me and they brought us both delicious macaroons as a part of the celebration- yum yum!
(5)Larry S.
Ok if your into spending $200 for a small ate of food, this is the place. Portions are tiny and prices are high. Nice place, clean, good service, prices are just crazy high. Friends ordered a bottle of wine with our dinners, total for the 4 of us was $400+, it was crazy for what we got. Will NOT go again. I understand these places can charge that much and I expected to be paying that much, but not for the tiny amount of food we got.
(3)Kelly O.
Classy spot with an interesting and well-executed menu and excellent service. We stopped here for lunch to have a nice relaxed meal in an artsy environment. I went with the burnt carrot salad, which had pickled onions, feta, pumpkin seeds, avocado, and added grilled chicken to it. I'm a sucker for an actually filling and delicious salad, and this one definitely delivered, with a great combo of flavors and well-prepared ingredients- I was very satisfied. The boy's grilled cheese and tomato bisque was also solid, fancified enough with the high-end ingredients but still as comfortating and familiar as you'd want it to be. We topped our meal off with some house made shrubs to drink (very refreshing), and left happy.
(4)Anna S.
I've dined at Metropole a total of four times since they opened in Cincinnati. All four times they have nailed it on service; 3 out of 4 times the food has been on point. I love the location, I love the affordable (and always friendly!) valet options ($8, just skip the garage), and the decor/ambiance is crisp, modern, funky-fun but still elegant. The yellow penguins crack me up (but why yellow? Why not red? Or orange? The deep thoughts that haunt me...); and I like that the restaurant can either be upscale or chill (hello, denim-clad scenester servers!). And speaking of servers, all of my experiences at Metropole lead me to believe that it has some of the best service in the city. They all collaborate to complete your dining experience, but you never feel shoved off on someone else; they unobtrusively are always present to refill drinks, clean the table, etc.; and the best thing is that while they offer impeccable, classy service, they seem very warm and without a hint of snootiness. This is saying something, since three times I was there with large groups, and our servers weren't overwhelmed or snotty, and even the hostess that I called to increase our guest count had made sure that the restaurant accommodated our needs. I had a younger dinner guest voice her concerns that her general experience with finer dining establishments is that she felt looked down on. However, after eating at Metropole, she agreed that the staff were courteous and friendly (hence one of the reasons we have chosen twice to have group work dinners there with out-of-town visitors). The food is crazy inventive and flavorful. Sometimes the combinations sound unappealing to me on paper (i.e., the menu is seasonal, in the farm-to-table style, and changes frequently), and it bums me out when they get rid of favorite items. However, some of the dishes the chef creates are sometimes just mind-blowing good. You cannot go wrong with their cheese plates and charcuterie as starters: for example, their grilled toasty bread, topped with cheese, eaten with smoked butter or smoked grapes, the honey, the coarse ground mustard - oh my goodness! I also always get the grilled octopus, which is heavenly (the 7-hour egg is for the bravehearted, IMO). The last time we were there, several people ordered and raved about the steak, but I don't think you can go wrong with their chicken, in whatever style they are serving it at the time. And get dessert! Hopefully they will still be serving the blackberry shortcake with lime ice cream (one of my new favorite desserts, and it doesn't even contain chocolate!). Another weird-sounding combination but it was just so, so good. Metropole is definitely on the pricey side, but I think it makes a great date night spot or an impressive place to take guests.
(4)Shachar M.
Great fine dining place in the heart of downtown Cinci. I was super surprised by the decor and the hipsterry vibe of the place. The food is really good, comes in great portions and very fresh. This is my new go to place when I'm traveling to cincinnati
(4)Aly S.
Well, we went to Metropole for a birthday dinner with a group of 7. I was put off by the prices of the drinks, too steep. A beer for the same price as Makers on the rocks seems disproportionate. But alas I ordered a Maker's Manhattan (11$). It was ok, too much cherry juice but I'm spoiled by Japps' cocktails. It seems as if the waiters are their own bartenders, which is kind of cool but also could be too time consuming. The food prices were high too, we did know that coming in, I just wish they were lower. I read that the octopus was really good on Yelp, so I split it with the birthday girl. Ours was not chewy which some people said happened to them, it was crunchy and delicious, but really small. I tried a bite of the steak tartare, it was pretty good, very herby. I also tried the burnt carrot salad and mmmm that was yummy, I love anything with a lot of avocado. For dinner, I asked for a recommendation, he affirmed what I was thinking, and I got the red drum, it was a fish I had never had before but I knew I would like it, and I did, however the side of fennel was just not enough of a side for me. I had a few bites of the NY Strip cooked medium, it was a little over done, but tasted good. Also we split the sweet potato with pomegranate seeds, it was a weird flavor combination, I wouldn't recommend it. For dessert they served the birthday girl complimentary macaroons. I think they were vanilla with chocolate in the middle. I usually gush over macaroons but I didn't like the chocolate part very much, good texture though. As for the service, I read good and bad things on Yelp, our service seemed to be both. At times they were too attentive and other times we couldn't flag anyone down. Service is not usually a deal breaker for me though. We also walked around the hotel/museum part for a little afterwards and noticed a few people drinking wine, so just saying, that would make a nice end to a date ;-)
(3)Kelly M.
Very unique spot, the menu is different, but usually everyone can find something. The drinks are a little pricy, but the free art museum you're hanging out in makes it worth it. The rooftop bar is a winner, too.
(4)Leif H.
We visited here before the show at the Aronoff. We had somewhat higher expectations after reading the reviews. The atmosphere was trendy and waitstaff more than friendly, but the seating was a little tight. Ask to be seated at a table (not the booth portion), unless you don't have a personal space boundary. We started with the steak tartare based on a recommendation from our waitress. It was nothing special. By looking at tables around us, I would get the charcuterie bar instead. For entrees, we got (some kind?) of fish and a pork dish. I would like to give more detail about them, however, they were not that memorable. A highlight was the grilled cauliflower. I know, cauliflower. I don't like it normally. I only ordered it because my girlfriend likes it and I'm glad she does. It was really good. If it were still on the menu, I'd get it again. The menu changes too often. We visited earlier in the month and already there is a new menu. We like the trendy atmosphere, but the inconsistency in the menu means it will be on the tail end of our list to visit again.
(3)Petunia L.
I somehow overlooked the Cincinnati opening of Proof's (Louisville) sister restaurant! I can honestly say the best thing I have ever eaten came from a plate at Proof and I haven't found a place with the same ambience over the years. After finding out this morning, I new I had to go for lunch immediately. We arrived a little before 1pm and lunch ends at 2. The place had a few tables with business folk, but the dining area wasn't crowded at all. Our waiter was friendly and dressed as casually as we were, which was comfortable. The decor is simple, contemporary and clean. It's larger than I thought it would be and lots of open space with wooden dividers breaking up the surrounding areas. Being a charcuterie fanatic, the open kitchen was my absolute favorite feature. We ordered the Ploughman's plate, fries with pickle aioli, seared olives, cauliflower soup and the fried shrimp poe boy. Nothing disappointed. After reading reviews about small portions, I was surprised that the charcuterie plate was pretty substantial and ended up taking half of it home. It came with house salami, aged cheese, a 7 hour egg (delicious), some relish, mustard and amazing smokey bread. The olives were of many varieties and served warm after being seared. I hate taking pits out of my mouth and putting them on my plate, but I would order them again. The fries weren't anything special, but they were cooked perfectly. The aioli was mellow in flavor, but rich and yummy. The cauliflower soup was thick, silky and had a very sweet garnish that worked well. I'm not sure what it was, but the bite I had tasted like sugary pickled raisins. The shrimp were cooked perfectly in the poe boy although by the time I tried it, the breading was soggy. It ended up being $40 for a two person lunch with coffee. Kind of pricey, but I can't wait to go back. I highly recommend this spot for lunch and will be back for drinks soon in the evening. Bottom line...is it Proof on Main? No. But this is the closest thing to it I've experienced and am so excited Cincinnati has a restaurant of it's kind.
(5)Ella E.
Good menu, fun location, and good drinks. The prices could be better especially since their portions are small. This place is good if you are looking for a trendy atmosphere with somewhat high prices and small portions.
(3)Anne F.
I have been here several times - both to the bar in the evenings for just a drink with my husband or friends, and twice for lunch, and it has always been extremely delicious - the cocktails, the food, the service - all great. Everyone I take here enjoys it as well.
(5)