We so wanted to love this place after reading all of the reviews ... but we didn't. The restaurant is adorable - love the atmosphere. Service was not good and the restaurant wasn't even 1/3 full. We ordered three meats and three sides to try a little of everything. The pulled pork was good, the burnt ends were okay and the pork belly was not good at all. We left more than 3/4 of the pork belly and didn't want a box - the waitress asked if we liked it - we were honest and said that we thought it tasted left over and not good - she said oh, okay and that was it - never offered to take it off of our bill. read more

Lucius Q - Barbeque Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

The greens with turkey stole the show for me in Lucius Q. Veggies on steroids. The BBQ was good but not my highlight. Eye catching decor and clean restaurant. Definitely would come back here again. Parking was easy and walking to the restaurant was a picturesque stroll. read more

See all

Delicious BBQ! Definitely recommending the rib tips and BBQ nachos from appetizers. Our waitress was extremely knowledgeable and friendly, and recommended we order our preferred meats in 1/4lb or 1/2lb, since the menu lists prices for 1lb portions. Brisket was very tender. The burned ends were not my favorite as they were super sauced and unfortunately the sauce is all I tasted. My companions enjoyed the smoked turkey sandwiches and all in all this was a very delicious meal! the ambiance is pretty cool, reminiscent of a rock garage venue. We were told that this place is also quite amazing when the weather warms up, and the window panels are opened up. Definitely worth checking out! read more

My first stop for Cincy wing week was Lucius Q. One wing was a korean and the other was a dry rub. I purchased both of course. I love that the wings are smoked. This is my favorite. I am not however able to say which featured wing I like the best. Both are very good in my opinion. The korean has a very good sauce but they are not over sauced. The dry rub is delicious as well and I did but add any sauce. I'm glad this was my first stop and my first visit to this que joint. I'll be back! read more

Lucius Q - Dry Rub Wings - Barbeque Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

See all

We normally go to the Factory 52 location and the food is amazing. Everything we had here was bad. The burnt ends were pretty much all fat, and when I told our server she told me that's how burnt ends are. That's not true. No one wants to eat a cup of sauced up fat. The Mac and cheese had zero flavor. The pulled pork was super dry. I was super unhappy with our dinner, and was extra bummed because I'm used to such great food from the Norwood location. read more

The food is outstanding and I would recommend THE FOOD to anyone. I am sitting here and still waiting for our food for over 45 minutes now. The staff is nice and the food is great but our food has literally not even started cooking yet. read more

Lucius Q - Empty table after 50 minutes - Barbeque Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Great little experience. I went in on New Year's Day. I order the collard greens. They were good, not amazing. They had bits of smoked Turkey in it that was weird, and was a little bit sweeter than what I'm used to! . The sausage was great though, good flavor and dripping with goodness. I won't hold the collards against them because the bar is in Ohio not the South and nothing compares to my Momma's collards. I would definitely come back and plan to come back soon! read more

Lucius Q - Collards and Sausage - Barbeque Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Another great find in the Pendleton area of downtown Cincinnati. It was a quiet night, but the place was inviting. Service was solid and friendly. I had the turkey sandwich with a side of Mac & cheese. There are several things on the menu that will get me to come back! read more

See all

This joint is rockin the BBQ. I ordered a small portion of brisket, pork bellies, and burnt ends - a quarter pound of each - with red beans and rice. My wife got the burnt ends with cheesy grits. Our friend got the brisket sandwich with cheesy grits. I liked trying a sampling of things typically like and had enough to share. I also got three sauces. Every item was cooked to perfection. The flavors were tremendous. The sauces were deep and bold. This was our second time here and we'll be back when we come back to Cincy. read more

See all

Came back to Cinci for work and stopped in at Lucius Q again. Menu on the wall has large variety of meats, ribs and specialties. Considered ribs on menu, waitress mentioned 2 chili specials that sounded good too. Ordered the Carlson and it was perfect. Moist, smoky Turkey with a great blend of toppings. A most unique sandwich. Food came out quickly. Bill was accurate and prices very reasonable. Recommend! read more

Lucius Q - Oops. Thought that slaw was expensive on menu? Wait til you get the bill! - Barbeque Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

See all

Stopped in for dinner when we were in town. VERY good. I got the nachos and they were excellent. Loved the atmosphere too.

Located downtown within walking distance of the casino and many other attractions. Very clean and unique setup. First time trying the bbq here and it was definitely a good idea! I had a pulled pork sandwich (didn't get too adventurous) and it was fresh and full of flavor. Savory, and their bbq sauce was uniquely flavored! (In a good way!) Was a little slow when I went around noon. Grabbed a beer and waited for the other member of my party to arrive. Service was great. Just the right amount of attention. The price was great, too! I think for two peoples meals and drinks plus tips it came out to around fifty bucks. For bbq and beer that's great! As part of my explore downtown Cincinnati goal this was a great addition! read more

This goes toe to toe with Eli's BBQ and maybe even better. The smoked queso was some of the best stuff I've ever tasted and the pulled BBQ sandwich was fantastic! read more

SPOT ON EVERYTHING! We walked in on Friday at 6:30, beating the crowd thankfully. When you enter, there is plenty of seating (COVID friendly). They have the menu posted largely next to where you will walk up to order. Then you loop around and can get a drink (or you can order a drink while ordering your food). A very kind man behind the bar explained how everything works to me so that was extremely helpful! We sat down and waited for our order and they call your name, they did have food runners as well but I'm not sure if that's an all the time thing. There was a Aline out the door by 7 pm and the place was filled. We order ribs, dry rub wings, pulled pork, Mac and cheese and collard greens to split between the two of us. Ribs - incredibly tender and seasoned so well. Pulled off cleanly from the rib. Dry Rub Wings - Seasoning is more sweet (my preference) than smoked. I wish we had ordered more than 6!! Pulled Pork - also very tender and paired well with the 'Bama White BBQ Sauce. I expected this to be spicy but it was more like less tangy Cane's sauce (which is another fave sauce). I loved the bama white bbq sauce and the regular bbq sauce. I mixed them together as well and still delicious!! Sides - cheesy and tender collard greens seasoned nicely. I want to try EVERYTHING they have to offer so I might skip these both next time but still good!! I was very happy with this option for us. I am happy to have finally found a bbq place that is local AND delicious everything. Fantastic place read more

See all

Didn't like the max n brisket mustard sauce but everything else was so good it's still gonna get 5/5.... Beth said OMG when she took a bite of the banana pudding so that was a home run and she said the dry rub wings might be her fav ever in the US (she really liked wings in Thailand) the 3 way they had was really good, I'd get again.... Would like to come back and try more items read more

Came here on a work trip after specifically requesting BBQ for dinner one night :) we were a group of 6 and ordered what seemed to be literally everything on the menu lol We shared pretty much every meat and a few sides. The highlight of this meal was easily the chicken wings. I could have eaten 50 of them myself. The dry rub was smoky with a bit of sweetness - it was perfect. Order these! Skip the turkey, that was pretty dry as one would probably expect. The burnt ends were also not what I was expecting, they were a little goopy for lack of a better word. Loved the wide variety of sauces. The atmosphere was trendy and fun. They also seemed to have a large selection of beer. The waitress that helped us seemed to be a little hot and cold, felt like we were bothering her. Overall solid BBQ and satisfied the craving. read more

Next to craft breweries, the only thing you'll find at least 20 of in a 5 mile radius in Cincy is bbq spots. So when I saw this place was opening I hoped it would stand up to its competitors. Happily, it does. Checked them out for a leisurely lunch and I was happy with everything. The standout for me was the veggie pulled "pork" sandwich which truly gave me the flavor and feel of the real thing. I didn't taste them, but the fried rib special was the bee's knees per my sister-in-law. The sides were great, had the collard greens and grits. The grits could have used some salt, but still were good. They have an ample amount of seating including a lovely patio which is perfect for drinking the delicious adult slushees they serve. Last but not least I had the bourbon balls which were definitely boozy, but not my fave. All in all, I see lots of great summer days ahead for this place. read more

I got the fuego sandwich and it was so hardy that i had to eat it with a fork and knife. It was so delicious though! All kinds of meats, crunchy onions and a spicy queso cheese. Flavors combined very well. read more

I am definitely going to update this when I go back for round two because I definitely see the potential for a delicious meal but unfortunately my carry out special was not good, at all. Stopped in while I was in the area to take home a late night (like 9pm ha) snack for hubs and I. Went with the Thursday special, 2 sliders for $8. Somehow made it all the way home, smelling this delicious food, without eating it beforehand. Once I was home, disappointed was an understatement. I highly recommend not taking the sliders home for carry out, especially if you have a 25min drive home. Maybe it's better if you eat it in house because this meat tasted like it had been sitting for hours on end. Super chewy and dry. So, so sad. However! The sauces are probably some of the best around. A couple other BBQ joints pop into my mind and LQ definitely takes a top two rank. The vinegar sauce is drinkable, no joke. Absolutely delicious! I will 110% be back because this space is amazing and the guys cooking are super fun and cool. I love everything about the physicality of this restaurant from the outdoor space, center bar, wood slices, pig paper towel holders... great aesthetics. Looking forward to going back, just avoiding carry out. read more

See all

The empty plate writes this whole review. Great service. Great people delish brunch. 10/5 read more

Lucius Q - Brunch - Barbeque Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

See all

Great time at Lucius Q tonight in Pendleton. Loved the space layout lots of natural brick with several glass garage doors to let light & to enjoy in warmer weather. Stood in line to order food, quite a selection of smoked meats while also including vegetarian option and sides. I love turkey & their turkey does not disappoint it was melt in your mouth delicious with just the right amount of seasoning. My friend enjoyed the Fuego with brisket, pork & sausage with quest & onion straws, she enjoyed every bite. The Mac & cheese waffle sounded good, but was very dry would have loved for it to be oozing with cheese. Will definitely return to Lucius Q and excited to see live music in the space this spring, summer & beyond read more

See all

Slap my momma this is devine! You can smell the smoker from the parking lot and follow the scent. Walk up to order. The big sign is a little confusing to me, but the menu on the counter was what I ordered using. Plenty of seating! We just ordered a couple trays of food to all share. Party of 7 at a high top and ready to chow. We started with dessert while are food was prepped but it was FAST! We started with a Lucy Q and boozy balls in key lime and bourbon pecan. All were delicious! Food arrived before we had time to finish our sweets. So, here is a run down of all we tried out... Pulled pork - tender and delicious. Brisket sandwich - BAM! So yummy. Burnt bellies - thick bites of fat... in a delicious way! St Louis ribs - tender and falling off the bone. Mac and cheese waffles - gooey goodness with crispy edges. Corn muffins - moist and full of flavor. Pendleton Pork Sandwich - DANG! Will not regret it unless you forget your indigestion medication. Fuego - Love those onion straws on top of the tender meats. I tried the mild and the gold and would have taken a bottle of each home. My 9 year eats nothing but Tyson chicken tenders on a regular basis, but today she ate ribs and mac and cheese waffle. She ate more food than I did today. I could not believe it. We were in and out in 30 minutes. I really hope nobody was watching how fast we inhaled our food. My husband joked that we could take home whatever we didn't eat, but there was nothing left. Final bill was $90 bucks-ish including soft drinks and a three Rhinegeist. Well worth every penny and will be back. Much continued success to Lucius and gang. Can't wait to check out that beautiful patio that is screaming for me to return on a sunny day. read more

See all

Finally made it to the spot after many recommendations, and they did not disappoint. I had the rib tips, collard greens, and baked beans. All were absolutely delicious, and that's saying something since good collard greens are hard to find at a restaurant. The baked beans were made with three different types of beans and had a more savory, mustard taste. It was very good honey simple syrup. My husband even tried the red beans and rice, and pork rinds. He's a pretty finicky eater and he gave it a thumbs up. I would highly recommend this spot if you're in the mood for barbecue and southern cuisine. By the way, DO NOT skip the banana pudding! You won't be disappointed! read more

Fantastic brunch experience at Lucius Q. Genius move opening for brunch to catch the overflow from Boomtown. We were so happy with our pulled pork hash, the queso was amazingly extravagant. And the brisket was so tasty I never wanted it to end. read more

Woah! Yeah. This is worth the stop. We had a big group and ordered The Farm. Great amount of food and you get to try everything. Worth the stop to get your BBQ fix. read more

This place is THE best!!! I love the chili and greens.. oh and the wings and the burnt ends and the hot mess. Everything rocks and the staff is also amazing - shout out Mira. read more

Lucius Q - Brisket Chili Cup - Barbeque Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

We were wanting bbq for our last meal on this trip to Cincy. I ordered a turkey sandwich with a side of grits. The cost was a bit high at $12. The turkey tasted good, but there was not much of it in the sandwich. The bread-to-meat ratio was way too high, with too much bun & not enough turkey. The sauces were good. I couldn't tell much difference though between the regular sweet & the hot sweet. The grits turned out to be the big hit. They were flavored with blue cheese & Parmesan. read more

See all

I've been here several times for drinks, but never had a chance to try their food. After several good reviews from friends, I decided to give it a try. I'll start off by mentioning that I generally don't buy meat menu items. Maybe that has a little bit to do with my view of things, but overall I still stand by the notion that this place is overpriced. I ordered the Carlson and have to say, other than the very small amount of food it contained, it tasted delicious. The buns were toasted, meat was tender, and the sauce was full of flavor. I really enjoyed it. I also ordered the corn muffin because it was the only side item I could rationally purchase ($1.50). All of the other sides were $4-6 dollars which felt a little crazy to me. Space was really nice and the aesthetics were pleasant. I enjoyed the bar area, the second tier balcony, as well as the outdoor patio. My only complaint is the layout is a little nonsensical where people are kind of running into each other in the main dining area near where you receive your food. Overall, this place is a good experience. Just be prepared to spend a couple extra bucks. read more

Lucius Q - The Mr. Carlson - Barbeque Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

See all

Lucius Q: Come here for the trendy drinking space, stay here for the gender neutral bathrooms and keep coming back here for the delicious, fragrant meats. I am always sniffing out the next gluten free option in Cincinnati and Lucius Q did not disappoint. So, of course, the sandwiches were out of the question - but my dining mate had the pulled pork sandwich and was over the moon for it. I, on the other hand, had the pulled pork nachos & queso. The pork was moist, tender and delicious. I was a huge fan of the salt & pepper seasoning on the chips, and the queso was creamy and a bit spicy with the jalapeños. Overall I would come here again for it! The overall ambience was great. The multi level design and industrial look is a great use of the space. One thing I wasn't (and never will be) a huge fan of is eating off of aluminum pie pans and plastic forks/ disposable utensils. This seems more than just a bit wasteful these days. They also didn't have coffee which although might not pair well with BBQ, certainly would have been nice on a cold March day. I'd like to check back when the outdoor seating area is open. The whole neighborhood has the smell of delicious smokey BBQ wafting through it from the patio, and I could imagine this would be a great place to have a drink on a summer night. read more

Lucius Q - The menu - Barbeque Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

See all

The best smoked stuff in the city. Great vibe, friendly and personable staff and great selection of meats and drinks. Highly recommend!

The layout with the second floor seating facing the front door/stage area is cool. The restroom area is also cool in that the toilets are separate from the sinks so that if you just need to wash your hands, you're not taking up the whole restroom. And they are unisex. read more

I had really high expectations for this place, but I'm sad to say it just didn't deliver. Between everyone in our party, we tried the pulled pork, the brisket, the turkey, broccoli salad, cheesy grits, baked beans, red rice and beans, and 3 different sauces. The brisket was dry, the broccoli was super mushy, and everything else was just fine. I wouldn't recommend this place, but it's fine in a pinch. read more

Went to Cincinnati for my cousins wedding and the day I arrived, the wedding party dinner was at this place. I'm from Chicago so my expectations were LOW. LOL The location was live and bustling as the weather was nice for the end of March and something was going on at the venue across the street. My party was located on the 2nd floor and it had a view of the outside overlooking their patio. The staff was friendly and efficient. Now none of the guests in our party paid for the food or drinks so I don't know about the cost. However, we had a little bit of everything from their platters. Everything was GOOD! Will visit again on my next Cincinnati trip. read more

I would have given more stars had they had my type of beer. They probably have forty or more beers available almost all of them ipa's. Not one Porter or Stout. I wonder if they would let me bring my own beer. nice atmosphere, good music. Excellent Fuego sandwich. It was very filling good tasting tender meats. Very bland Coleslaw. I would still go back. read more

My family of 4 dines out often and have never experienced what we did at Lucius Q. We came on Labor Day and were completely understanding of the restaurant being understaffed. After waiting 15 minutes we were seated, no problem. The drinks came out quickly as did the food. My daughter's sandwich, The Carlson, was good. Everything else (Chips and queso, pulled pork a full slab of ribs, greens, grits an baked beans) was mediocre. I ordered a drink, the Lady Liberty which I took one sip of then returned as I didn't like it. My son ordered a lemonade which he never received. Overall just an average dining experience. When the bill came, I asked the waiter to remove both the Lady Liberty and lemonade from the bill. The manager came over and indicated they would remove the lemonade (duh) but wouldn't remove the Lady Liberty as it was "made to spec". Not only that, because we complained about the drink and asked for it to be removed, she said she would pay for the whole meal (not what we were asking). But the kicker? She asked us not to return again. No problem. Not only will we not return, ever, but I will encourage others not to as well. Completely unexpected, 100% rude, poor customer service and simply not good business. Think carefully about where you spend your money and ensure people respect you while there. It would've also been nice if the food was better! read more

Lucius Q - Barbeque Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Great bar-b-q atmosphere, and location downtown Cincinnati. Prices are above average but not unheard of, servers were friendly and welcoming. read more

I thought I had taken a picture of my food, but apparently not! Luckily, I was able to recover a picture from Instagram. I LOVE TECHNOLOGY. TLDR: the meat were cold and dry; the side were underwhelming. I haven't been to other bbq joints in Cincy yet, so I don't know how it compares to other bbq joints. Pretty much self-serve (which is fine and in honestly don't care), so the service was pretty minimal. You walk in and go to the counter to order your food, from there I already know I probably won't like what I'm about to order, but YOLO, I try everything at least once. They showcase all their meat next to the cashier. On the day that I was there, all the meat options look very dry. I even said to my friends, "the meat looks dry and cold, I hope they at least reheat them". I don't own a bbq joint so I don't know if that's normal to have all the meat just laying around, but I didn't like what I see. We got the smoked pork bellies, sausage, brisket, and St. Louis ribs. For the sides, we got cole slaw, queso corn, baked beans and Mac and cheese. Smoked pork bellies - they were dry and tough. When you do pork belly, the different layers of fat should be highlighted. However, in this case, they would buried. The fat layers did not do the pork any favor, nor did they have any flavors. Sausage - the sausage was nothing noteworthy, the flavor was underwhelming. Again, rather dry. Brisket - this was the only meat option which the smokiness came through. However, the meat was, again, dry and lack flavors (the only flavor was smokiness). It's like chewing on tree shavings. St. Louis Ribs - the only meat option I liked. This is not the fall-off-the-bone (overcooked) kind, kudos on cooking the ribs just right! We didn't like any of the sides - both coleslaw and baked beans were way too sweet. The queso corn was ok but the corn tasted like frozen corn thrown into diluted queso, the Mac and cheese was the only side that our group finished. Personally, I wouldn't come back again. read more

Lucius Q - Barbeque Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Excellent brisket! Depending on your take, maybe not as good as the Holy Brisket Brought By The Lord But Served With No Alcohol up the hill, but still very very good. Excellent sauces. BBQ with beer: it just makes sense. No shade to The Other Place. Very nice. Very friendly. Very correct (often hard to find with so-called "bbq"). There was this *one* time that it wasn't perfect, but (and the #Blessed BBQ place never did that to me), but I will Forgive. read more

Oh my goodness this food is AMAZINGGGGG! I've been 3 times in one week! This place has the best freaking brisket I have ever had! This title was held for years by a place in Vegas until I tried LQ. All 3 times I had brisket. The third time I had pork bellies which was also very tasty. Collard greens were on point, broccoli salad was different but it was very good and I also had mac and chz which was yummy! The next time I go back, I'll try another side and meat. I'm sure everything at this place is good because so far everything I've had has been 2 thumbs up! Oh...they also have a few different sauces. I only tried 3 but honestly the meat is so dang good you don't even need sauce. read more

Lucius Q - 1/2 lb brisket, collard greens and pickles. - Barbeque Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

The place is cool. They always have friendly staff who welcome you and are fun. Just ordered a quick bite of the queso and the red beans and rice and they did not disappoint. Not like the other franchises around this place really gives you your money's worth of food. Definitely will be coming back and I've heard great things about it. The venue is fun and they do live music which is awesome. The venue almost feels like a big barbecue in the backyard. A place for a date, families just by yourself I ordered my food online and by the time I got there it was hot and ready. They didn't look to busy. It does get busy in there though. read more

Lucius Q - Red beans and rice - Barbeque Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

See all