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. read more

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. read more

Been here now a few times , food is good. But still don't like the waiters always try to up sell. Recommendations for food suggestions is great , but it's every time in a pushy way. Feel bad for the waiters they need to do this from management :( read more

I won't be dining at Metropole ever again.... I was here a few years ago and just never wrote a review but feel it is necessary. We went here for my sister's 21st birthday with our boyfriends and parents. When we ordered drinks, they only carded our boyfriends (both are not white) which I thought was extremely racist because they didn't even card my sister on her 21st bday. The service was even more lackluster from there along with the food. We ended up spending over $500 and were basically treated like garbage the whole night. We haven't been back since and I can guarantee we won't ever be going back! read more

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! read more

I recently dined here with my mother while staying at 21c. For a fine dining experience it was good overall with food the caliber you would expect from a restaurant of this quality. My main issue came from the interaction with our server which was not the best. Used to smaller portions in a restaurant like this we ordered and appetizer, salad, and entree. The portions are enormous and we would have been stuffed after the appetizer had we finished it. My salad was the equivalent of a lb of roasted carrots with an avocado, nuts and cheese. I had one carrot and realized that I would not be able to eat my entree if I continued so I had it boxed up to take back to my room. The entrees arrived and were also overly generous. To many people this abundance of food would have been a bonus, so if you are looking for a place that feeds you like a family style restaurant then you would appreciate it and the majority of the food in our order was delicious (exceptional charcuterie and melt in your mouth steak but avoid the johnnycake side and anything your server describes as a 'light' salad). My main issue was that while most of the staff was kind and welcoming, our server was clearly not interested in being there and acted like he was insulted that we left so much food on our plates. His reaction to my comment when I said the portions were large was defensive an there was a marked coldness in his demeanor for the remainder of our meal. He seemed offended by my observation rather than taking it as an explanation of why we were leaving so much well prepared food on our plates. Honestly I would have given this place 4 stars had it not been for the way the server reacted to us. So, the food rates highly but the server really brought the experience down to a sub-par level. I'm sure I will dine here again since I stay at 21c whenever I am in town, but I will know to order way less food and truly hope I am not seated with this server again. read more

The fanciest and expensive place I have eaten at, good thing it was a business expense. Only a few places were open on a Tuesday in cinn. That doesn't serve burgers or pizza. Great place with awesome servers. Got chicken dish with a paul mas wine and tartare. The interior is very classy and lighting was perfect not too dark. One thing we didn't understand... was the large yellow table migrating penguin! read more

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!! read more

Delicious restaurant. Beautiful ambiance. And the life sized penguins were a bonus! Delicious drinks. Good selection of healthy foods.

I won't go back. Cincinnati Restaurant Week Pre-Fix 3 Course Menu ($35.00). The appetizer and dessert were fine but my Pork Shoulder was terrible (Friend ordered Salmon - Great). Served like a NY Strip with grill marks, it was dry and tasteless (other than the smoke of the grill). It was NOT cooked to order, but I suspect, pre-cooked and heated up when placed on the grill as it was only warm. It was served on a skimpy bed of something slimy green that tasted like a little balsamic was splashed on it. There were 2 Purple & 3 White petite potatoes rolling around on the plate. When my server asked how the entree was I told him terrible. I told him if his chef was trying to show off for restaurant week, he better take this OFF the menu..... and he could box the leftovers for my dog. That was the end of that. The poor server got us our dessert, check and we were gone.... never to go back. There are just toooooo many fabulous places in downtown Cincy that prepare 4-5 Star food in this price range..... I did tip our server 20% as his service was very attentive.... but I think a manager should have had a chat with me so I did not feel compeled to WARN the public, I would not expect too much from Metropole's chef. FoodieQ read more

I'll start by saying i've been to the bar once, rooftop 3x, art gallery 3x and i loved each of those visits!! So when friends were going to have dinner here i was thrilled. But big disapointment! Service was friendly but just average for what i thought was an upscale establishment. We Were seated back by the kitchen and we were all burning up it was so hot!!! I had one coctail which was pretty good. My dinner was not what the menu said the side would be (chicken came w/ peas!!! very bland) and the chicken tasted like a lemon chicken of sorts and not that good. The "ember roasted potato" sounds fancy but its basically a baked potato cut open with crispy pancetta on top (best part of the meal) and what i thought was butter (although menu said it was aged cheddar and lemon) Since we had about 14 people or so we had a minimum $ that the table had to reach or they would not make the reservation. (I did not plan this dinner and i did not know this until after dinner). After dinner, My friend informed us that we had $400 more to spend to reach this minimum. And dinner was over!!! So it was suggested that we all get either alcoholic drinks, coffee, and/or desserts. So the server came to each of us asking not IF we wanted dessert, but what would i like for dessert. I Did not want dessert but felt pressured into getting it! (Did not get coffee bc it was already hot in there) So i got what appeared to be an almond shortbread cookie, with a dash of whipped cream and three very small roasted (burnt) strawberries. This dessert was trying to be upscale but again fell short. Not enough cream for the whole shortbread, nor strawberries and the "burnt" side of the berry was not tasty. Spent a lot of money here and i dont mind spending money at other upscale restaurants but not when the food i received was just average. :-( PS the server asked if i wanted to take my leftovers home and i said yes; the next day i opened the box and she gave me the chicken, peas and she did NOT give me the potato (half of it was left!!!) I didnt even bother eating the leftovers the next day read more

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 read more

there were 5 of us last evening for dinner prior to May Festival. Overall the 21 C Hotel concept is so needed for our city. Kudo's on the the look and ambiance. I like the look and feel that is suitable for jeans to tux's. I wish the noise level could be tempered, but that seems to be the trend with most of the recent additions to our downtown dining scene. I applaud the ecclectic and creative menu and wine options. Our table was please with the food and flavors we received. There seem to be plenty of servers but seemed somewhat disorganized. I have a thing about having to guess who ordered what, when courses arrive. Is ok at Frischs, but that is about it. There should be an ordering procedure, that identifies who is who at each table. The order stays the same throughout the process. An entree was missing for one of party, it was prepared and delivered in about 12 minutes, as others were finishing. But that can happen anywhere. Thankfully management did the right thing for our guest. That is the key thing. I would return. It is a comfortable experience. max f read more

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. read more

The metropole made our anniversary dinner a very special one. The service was great, as well as the food. This was my first visit and I'm very excited to go back. read more

It's not that the food was bad, it just wasn't great. $27 for Walleye? The entire menu was a little over priced and the drink prices are high, even for downtown standards. However, the space is beautiful, a must see! The lobby of the hotel has all types of statues and a neat little gift shop. The bathrooms are also very interesting with see through hallways and interactive projections on the floor. I think I'd be more interested in spending the night in one of their suites than having dinner at Metropole again, it's really just a nice place to get a glass of wine after a show at the theater. read more

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. read more

Five of us dined at the Metropole yesterday, Sunday evening. it was a very memorable, even if expensive, dining experience. Everything we had was delicious--and we sampled a lot, from cocktails to appetizers to entrees to dessert! My favorites were the various vegetable dishes we tried, the best of which was the Shishito Peppers. Our service was EXCELLENT,which was somewhat of a surprise after all the poor reviews I had read. Our server's timing was excellent, giving us just the right amount of time to contemplate our choices when we sent him away while we deliberated. A great place, with a great atmosphere, for a celebration dinner. read more

This place is way over-rated. My table was cold and drafty, the food was just ok, the service was slow, and the menu was very hippy-dippy. They are trying too hard to be urbane, different and cool. And it just doesn't work. The atmosphere is very contemporary, but I found it unwelcoming and cold. Absolutely hated it. read more

Went for Breakfast 04/21/13 with an 11:00 A.M. Reservation. Delicious, Hot, Good Portion... We asked for additional condiments and received them immediately. Eggs very fresh, Toast perfectly browned and those POTATOES were so cool and cooked perfectly. We ordered a side of the House Smoked Bacon and it was perfect (not too much fat, not greasy) and a side of Fresh Fruit (wholly worth $7.00, it had Blueberries, Cantaloupe, Honeydew, Raspberries and Strawberries - VERY Fresh, not Froze, cut in small pieces, perfect to share if you are not super hungry). Service was super attentive, restaurant was very clean, hip and modern yet not stuffy. I would highly recommend them for Breakfast! read more

This place is great for Breakfast Lunch or Dinner. The place changes its feel seamlessly for just the right ambiance for each meal and cannot beat the menu options. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

Food was pretty good. We had steaks and duck. The 7 hour eggs seems like just a normal hard boiled egg. Bar chairs are super uncomfortable and so are chairs at table. Thus the three star rating not 4. Seriously GET NEW CHAIRS ALREADY. read more

The hours at this restaurant are so strange and it's unfortunate. They close for one hour during the week. 10:30-11:30 how are you supposed to brunch? Why would you serve brunch or breakfast and close at that time? read more

We ate here twice for breakfast while in Cincinnati. This place is great! We did brunch on Saturday. The avocado toast was awesome!

What a disappointment! Starting with the wine--Bottles begin in the $40 range. Menu has something for everyone. Charcuterie was skimpy but tartar came with a very generous portion of grainy mustard. Too much smokey food. Move on. Besides the food coming out slowly, the entrees were cold as well as boring. Initial service was slow but friendly and well informed. Beautiful space. Need to pick up on the food. read more

Sorry nothing to say good about my experience at Metrople. Went there last Wednesday evening with a party of 8 before going to see FlashDance at the Aranoff. I had the String Chicken that was just ok (I've has as good from Krogers rotisserie take out). My wife had the skirt steak. To be fair the cut of meat was the only thing good. it was wayyyyy over seasoned with adjar, cumin and wayyyy to much salt. I did taste the steak and would have to say it was the worst tasting steak I've tasted. Ever! Out of the 8 meals ordered at the table the only person who admitted there's was good was the Bison burger. The other order was a Walleye which was the smallest portioned fish I've ever seen for that price. Service was off duty. Had to call the water or anyone near by to get bead or water filed in the glasses a few times. One of my dinner mates asked for a glass of Merlot. Not on the menu said the waiter but we have something close to a Merlot. Ok bring me that. When the bill came that one. Yes one glass of wine was $42. No one asked us how things were when we left that evening. Not impressed and very disappointed in the experience and will not be back. There's too many excellent restaurants in Cincinnati. read more

Excellent service, but the food was not good. Thought the atmosphere was interesting, but everything was way to overpriced for what it was.

I've been here before...when they opened and, I guess, were relying on their novelty of the yellow penguin. I agree with other posts when I say, "I hope the manager is reading." We were 30 minutes early, so sat at the bar for a drink. We received a less-than-enthused bartender who took our drink order very late. We sat until WE had to approach the hostess to remind her that we were waiting on our table (20 minutes late). Our waiter was a total misanthrope. He didn't smile, wasn't courteous and at one point I had to clarify if his comments were sarcastic or judgmental of us or just plain out rude. He, upon receiving this feedback, "got nice"...but how disappointing! Especially when the food is super-expensive and pretentious (oh, and not that good!). I'm annoyed that the service sucked and the food was mediocre, but the price tag was $200. I will not recommend this place ever. Go to Salazar, Zula, Table--places that we know to be tried and true for food and service. read more

We were in the neighborhood after a holiday party and decided to stop in to try out Metropole at the 21C. We found the experience decidedly average with some real shortcomings that we hope the restaurant can work out over time. We were a group of four. The setting is quite attractive, modern and a bit edgy which is a style we really like. It was late and we expressed a desire to have a drink and some light snacks. The sitting area outside the restaurant was obviously full and the bar crowded but rather than being graciously escorted in the restaurant that had many empty tables, the host first examined the seating lounge, told us we could sit at the bar and only when we asked to be seated in the restaurant were we shown to a table. The welcome was less than warm. Once seated, we found the service extremely slow. At least 10 minutes before a waiter arrived and then lengthy delays before asking for our drink order or for food. He was also not particularly gracious or welcoming, but rather too forward and intrusive. The food was interesting. There were some nice dishes including fried smelts, good oysters, a good but not memorable carrot salad and thinly sliced eggplant. The sauted kale was far too salty and wilted. There is certainly work to do on hospitality and recipes. read more

We ate at Metropole on 10/14/17 on the occasion of our 15th anniversary. Our server, Jeremy, was so well-informed about the wine, beer, and menu in general. We had lots of questions and he knew every answer. We started with the octopus and the burnt carrot salad. Both were incredible. I loved the combination of carrot, avocado, feta, cilantro, and pumpkin seeds. The crunch of the pumpkin seeds was an added and unexpected bonus. For entrees, my husband got the duck, which he loved. I didn't try it. After Jeremy said the salmon was the #1 seller, I decided to get it, although reluctantly. The menu description made me think it would be a heavy German presentation but that was not the case! The beet spaetzle was light and interesting, the cabbage fresh, and the seared salmon melted in my mouth. As soon as Jeremy mentioned the chocolate ganache with peanut ice cream, I had to have it. The ganache was topped with a sesame seed cookie/cracker and again, the combination of flavors and textures was incredible. Husband got the honey custard, which he loved. My only regret is that it took us so long to go here. We will definitely be back. This was the best meal I have had in years! read more

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! read more