Going to Cincinnati and not having a drink would be unthinkable. So when I hit the door I was a little taken aback with the rowdy crowd departing. I mean ROWDY. Adding proof to the rowdiness were quite a few champagne bottles lined up and empty. Hummm Turns our it was the quarterly Drag Brunch - The Big Gay Bunch. This folks is why you should do your homework before embarking on an adventure. I would have drug my booty outta bed for this delectable and dirty delight. Performances by local drag queens and fabulous cocktails followed by a family-style brunch for only $35 a person. What's not to love? I'm marking my calendar for the next ...called Hallowqueen on Oct. 29. Who wants to go with me? This will be a hardsell for m y husband...so perhaps a girlfriend trip? Anyone??? read more

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Was easy to get into bar even on Friday for quick drink and small bite. Great cocktails and bar staff was friendly and knowledgeable. The shishito starter was amazing! Highly recommend. read more

Really great service and everything was cooked very well. Everything from appetizers to mains are very delicious

Well I love risotto so as I told the bartender if it's on the menu I am probably going to order it. The staff was very gracious to let me sub out what typically comes with the risotto (the duck which I hear is very tasty as well) as I wanted a little pan seared chicken that night. Service was fast but not rushed and all of the staff was very polite. Next time I will take the dish just as is. Phenomenal meal read more

Metropole - Pan Roasted Chicken - New American Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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We stayed at the 21c hotel and would come back solely for the service we received from Alex at the Metropole bar!! She was the best bartender, knew our drinks after the first night and made the best mojitos!! All around she is what made our stay here worth while read more

Ambiance and vibe was a bit sterile. Food was marginal and overpriced. Wait staff was mediocre and not friendly and kept us waiting forever for dessert when the restaurant had completely emptied. The scallops and beet salad were good but ridiculously overpriced. The complimentary ice cream sandwich offered for a birthday celebration was tiny and about the size of a Oreo cookie. Very embarrassing. Also ordered the cheesecake and the compote topping was distasteful and bad. Told this to the waiter and he did nothing but say "yeah I will pass it along to the kitchen." Unfortunately, we all agreed the dining experience was underwhelming and we won't be returning. Not sure if they care though. read more

Outstanding service, delicious food, beautiful atmosphere. Executive chef Vanessa Miller has created a seasonal menu where every choice is too delicious not to share. Fresh, seasoned and plated like a work of art read more

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I had an all-around awesome experience at Metropole! It was surprising how full we got without even ordering entrees (the food described below if for 2 people by the way)! Must be all the bread (so if you want to try more things don't fall into the bread trap). I made a reservation for a Saturday night and although we arrived early, we were seated right away. The restaurant itself is attached to a museum which is also a hotel. There are a bunch of big, yellow penguins around the restaurant and the staff moves them around from table to table which I found really fun and quirky. Now, on to the food. We started with the 5-choice charcuterie plate. Our 5 choices were Warm Ricotta, Coppa, and 3 cheeses: Dancing Fern, Wabash Cannonball and Urban Stead Tomme. Loved all of the choices! I honestly can't remember which cheese was which but they all tasted super fresh and were not of the stinky variety whatsoever. Next, we got the Steak Tartare after seeing how popular it is here. Great choice! Very fresh beef and well-prepared. Finally, finished off with the Apple Upside-Down Cake which was incredible. It's not on the dessert menu which I guess makes it a special. So yummy! The presentation is great (much like everything else here). It was super nice to be able to go walk off the food in the museum as well so I highly recommend you do that. It's open 24 hours. read more

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Let's get straight to it: Meyropole isn't your everyday hang out bar. This is your top of the line, get dressed in your fancy clothes and go spend 17 dollars on a mixed cocktail spot. That isn't a bad thing-there is a time and a place to treat yourself. What it does mean is that you will drop 60 dollars on 4 drinks and an appetizer, and that's important to know to plan your night right. This is an ideal "pop in for a drink at the bar before you go see the show at the Aronoff" place. The drinks are fun and they make their own ginger beer in house-it is delish. Pictured is the Feels Like a Sunday. Citrusy finish with a touch of sweet, very easy to drink. I also had the Jameson and Ginger and it was equally delicious and easy to drink. My date had two glasses of wine-generous pours, but nothing out of this world tasty. The service gets 5/5 stars-everyone from host stand to cold service prep was incredibly attentive to us, and we were just having drinks at the bar. Why only 4 stars, you ask? We had the Metropole Bread Service. It is 2 dollars per person which translates to: the first serving is 2 pieces of bread the size of a French toast stick, then you get 1 additional piece of bread for every additional 2 dollars. So, we got 3 pieces of bread for two people for 4 dollars. The foccacia came out...charred on one side. Listen, I get it, sometimes we want a little toasty roasty. But this was not the time. And the marrow butter was...fine. Just fine. Not delicious, just really forgettable. If you are going to give an app the name of your restaurant and you are gonna charge a per piece price, I want it to be exciting and fiesty, not burnt and forgettable. So, I can recommend the service and the drinks. I'm still TBA on the nosh bits. read more

Highly recommend the bread, Burrata, scallops, short rib pasta and duck - those were favorites of the table. Every course needed more salt. The Brussel sprout salad was one of the most boring salads I've ever ordered - def pass on this. We had the lemon dessert which was decent. Not in any rush to return. read more

We went there for my sister-in-law's belated birthday. It's Wednesday evening at 6:30 pm, the place is quite empty, only 2-3 table there including us. The restaurant has valet parking which is nice. Also had a museum hotel attach with it. After u ordering, u can walk to the little art display section to take picture or have a tour. We ordered quite some food. I had the carrot salad, good, though few piece was burned. And i had the scallops, only 3 of them with some cauliflower, charge for 32$, i taste one, it doesn't feel fresh, seems like it going bad to me, i gave the rest of 2 to my husband, then i had his chicken, chicken taste good. I didn't mention my scallops issue with the waiter since my husband had it. We had dessert of their candy bar, my husband like it. I felt it's too sweet. read more

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We dined here as part of our combo breakfast and stay at the 21c and the experience was great. The high ceiling with big windows makes it looks open and much bigger than it is. Our waitress was very knowledgeable about the menu which I always love. It shows that she actually enjoys working there. I ordered the smoked salmon Benedict and my boyfriend got the brunch burger. We also shared an order of the beignets and oh that was delicious. Don't be stingy on the calories and get these beignets. They will be a wonderful way to start your Sunday. My boyfriend burger came out perfect, the fries that came with the burger needed a little bit more seasoning. On the other hand, my smoked salmon was way too salty. I would come back here but definitely skip the salmon dish. read more

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Tasty breakfast in a comfortable open space. Service was inconsistent over two mornings.

Artsy chic restaurant in the 21C hotel. Atmosphere is very nice, golden hued lighting and mosaic tile floor add an artsy feeling to the restaurant, in addition to the large yellow penguins. There are tables and booths with some bar style seating too. Metropole offers a trendy take on the classic farm to table setting. Common ingredients are made exciting, local dishes like deviled eggs are deep fried and topped with caviar. While the burnt carrot avocado salad read more

Excellent experience. Food was great, and the staff was very kind. Special shoutout to Jeremy (waiter), who provided my girlfriend and I with a fantastic service. 10/10 recommend. read more

Went in on December 17th, 2022 with a 8pm reservation for 8 people. Food was good, wine was great, our server was very knowledgeable about the menu which made ordering a breeze. He told us that he's been working at metropole since the beginning. It's funny that he said that, however, as our server acted like he hated every minute of serving our table. We had a table of 8 people for my best friends 24th birthday dinner. During her birthday toast where she also wanted to disclose exciting news that we've all been waiting to hear from her, we were interrupted TWICE by our server without any remorse. To top it off, the interruption was to ask about a to go meal. He said many times that they closed at 10pm when it was only 9pm and made jokes that the kitchen made our meal fast because they wanted to go home around 9:30pm. Seemingly wanting to rush us out. Another friend of mine ordered her second glass of sparkling rose which she had originally received in a flute. Her second pour arrived in a wine glass and was obviously flat/still compared to the sparkling rose my friend next to her had. When we asked the server for another glass since this one was not sparkling, he seemed reluctant to replace the glass blaming his manger for confirming that this was indeed sparkling. He also warned that they did not have any more flutes and that it would come in a wine glass. My friend, not wanting to be a bother, told him to not worry about it, and he quickly gives her her glass of flat rose back and walks away. After we spoke up for her the second time, without saying anything, he reluctantly picks up the glass and replaces it with SPARKLING rose in a FLUTE. Towards the end, around 9:45-9:50 he asks us if we wanted any desserts. A friend mentions to him that we do have a birthday, and his response was "ok...?" We ended up getting a birthday dessert after asking. Overall, the food and atmosphere was great, but the server made every single one of us feel like we didn't belong. Will never bring anyone here ever again. read more

This review is for the Rooftop Bar area only! Waited in line in the side alley next to Nicholson for bar to open at 5pm on Saturday 09.14.24. The downstairs doorman sat under an umbrella eating a sandwich while we waited and contacted by walkie-talkie from the bar on the 11th floor -escorted us to the elevator lifting 5 at a time to the roof. This was initially a pretty invigorating experience and made you feel a bit elite, however when we got upstairs, there was NO one in sight to be found, no instructions or signage about "seating yourself" or any hostess to greet you with a smile. We waited over 15 minutes for someone to finally come out and take our order of cocktails. When they finally come out, it took another 15 minutes to get the cocktail with us was given their bill and paid for their drinks FIRST before receiving them! When asking the waiter where the drink was, he said, "Well I I gave them the bill first because it would be faster and all the order tickets are lined up on the bar so you'll JUST have to wait." As we were going down stairs for dinner and had reservations we were very inconvenienced and turned off by what should've been a great experience. A Gorgeous, wonderful view and good (albeit costly @$15.00 for a glass of Leyda Pinot Gr & @$14.00 for a Makers Manhattan) cocktails - BUT not the 5 star level of service you'd expect from a restaurant and bar if this caliber! Waiter #85 Alex CT ch 4426 rang in at 5:19pm 9/14/24 needs a bit of coaching on high end service and what that means to all paying customers looking and paying for a high end experience celebrating a momentous milestone. Definitely not Jeff Ruby's level of expert service. Seems they need to hire a hostess, get some signage, hire an additional bartender, and mentor some of their staff! (Another waiter and waitress brought the cocktails and glasses of water and they were divine, but our actual weight was definitely lacking and skills and time management.) * other kids had a similar experience and they were three different couples who walked out after not being greeted or waited on. People were entering and walking around, asking us if they could sit anywhere and what the "deal" was! Very odd and unsatisfying experience for a high end restaurant business!! read more

Must be a food desert in Cincinnati. Good anywhere is great here? No need to give a blow by blow. Eat here if you staying at the hotel. Or maybe it your best downtown option? But don't kid yourself. Good is not great. read more

had dinner after mamma Mia and was the absolute worst over priced nightmare. Wine was super over priced and ordered the schnitzel which was served blood raw. will never ever set foot in this place again! read more

We came here on a Saturday night for pre-dinner drinks, and this is such a cool spot! We had reservations until the lounge, and that space is nice, but the bar was a little more lively so we opted to sit there instead. My husband got one of the beers on tap and I got theZap! Bang! Pow! cocktail. I really enjoyed my drink, it was herbaceous and bubbly, and not too sweet! The really unique thing about this place is it is actually an art gallery as well, so you can peruse all of the pieces which your drink in hand. Our bartender said the upstairs is really nice too, but that area was blocked off when we were there for a wedding. We'll have to come back sometime to check that out! Overall, fun spot with good cocktails, would recommend! read more

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My biggest recommendation is to eat breakfast, brunch, or lunch at Maplewood Kitchen instead of Metropole; you can walk from 21C, it's cheaper, the staff is friendlier, the service is exceptional, and the food is delicious. I stayed at 21C, so I tried Metropole for breakfast. I had to wait about 3 minutes before being seated because nobody was at the front desk. I wandered around the dining room but nobody was there to ask questions. Finally the hostess appeared and seated me. After being seated, I ordered. Two folks who arrived and ordered after me received their food before I did. A different server from the one I ordered from brought me my plate of expensive avocado toast and side of bacon. All of it was cold as if it had been sitting out for a few minutes. Condensation under the toast made it wet and flimsy-not what you want with your expensive avocado toast. My server showed up after the spare server brought my cold food and refilled my coffee. I would not eat there again. read more

This was the first time I went to Metropole and I would absolutely go back. The NY steak with the truffle mashed potatoes was so flavorful and delicious, I would definitely get again. The chicken was also great. Jeremy was our server and he was so attentive and informative. We ended our dinner with a celebration cake that was a chocolate cake with raspberry filling and a white chocolate buttercream, trust me, get it. read more

Metropole - Celebration cake with chocolate cake, raspberry filling, and white chocolate buttercream. - New American Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

This restaurant is absolutely perfect. My wife and I went here last night and had the most amazing dinner. She had the steak and was beyond pleased with it and she has high standards and know how to cook steak. It made me so happy she loved her food. I had the chicken and risotto and omg. Let's just say we both experienced the kumquat jam (the appetizer) and I have first tried huckleberries, and wow. I was impressed. The drink I tried made me remember how I was a barista (btw, if you are an artist like myself, stay the night at 21cHotel and have dinner here, you will not regret it)... and I experimented with syrups. Let's just say.. this is inspiring me again. Anyhow, GO EAT HERE!!! read more

I've only been to the bar (due to its proximity to the Aronoff for pre-show drinks). They have a Happy Hour M-F 5:30-7:30 and Sunday 7-close. The best part is their "Metropole" cocktail. Let me nerd vent a bit: quinine (you, know, the anti-malarial medication) in tonic comes from cinchona bark. Oddly (and satisfyingly) enough, Metropole has taken it upon themselves to use the extract to titrate their own housemade tonic. It completely changes a boring gin and tonic into something really special. If you're looking for a classy but intimate atmosphere (especially for pre-show drinks) Metropole's the place. read more

Metropole - Happy Hour Menu - New American Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

AMAZING dining experience! Traveling from Cleveland to visit my son in Cincinnati for holiday. This place is chic and classy, but not pretentious at all. Staff is exceptional, friendly, approachable, and knowledgeable about food, wine pairings, and drinks. Atmosphere is cozy and romantic. We also loved the pride flags and ambience made us feel so relaxed and welcoming! Definitely will return and recommend!! read more

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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!! read more

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Oh my what a day!! Food is delicious and unique it was so good forgot to take a pic of the original presentation. This is visit one for day time and two over all!! So excited to eat yummy brunch with friends and new friends!! The fashion show is going to begin soon!!! The the good time begin!! read more

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Great atmosphere and great food. I especially loved the schnitzel and the side of boiled potatoes was excellent. The waiter was very friendly and very helpful. I would definitely come here for a special occasion. read more

Great food! Great drinks! Great venue! The fried chicken eggs Benedict was da bomb. Great mix of flavors and textures and temperatures. Will definitely return for dinner! read more

The food is amazing; get the tuna tartar. Any drink or food you get here will be top tier. Staff was kind, funny, and honestly very real. It's such a cool restaurant and the art will have you motioning all over. read more

Excellent evening! We arrived for a little after 5 pm and loved being the first ones to seat. The menu had enough for a pescatarian selection. The Crispy Deviled Eggs are --delicious combination of garlic, chilli, mustard & egg yolk, beautifully plated with sprouts and black cavier! The charred summer squash with panzanella, honeyrock melon, lime, basil sprinkled with maple-drenched pecans. The entree was spectacular--Seared Salmon done to perfection...moist and flavourful with a crispy skin! I cannot decide which of the divine desserts, decadent Chocolate tart in vanilla anglaise or the delicious Créme Fraiche Ice Cream with peach Compote was better! I cannot wait to return. Be sure to check out the gallery...not to be missed! read more

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. read more

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@Eating.Drinking: While staying at the stunning @21chotels, we treated ourselves to breakfast in bed, by the brilliant @metropoleonwalnut! * Featured here is their 21c Breakfast with a few extra essentials, such as a huge pot of #coffee, and some extra #Goetta! Have you guys ever tried the #Cincinnati tradition of Goetta? If not, you simply must! * Make sure you stop by Metropole when you get a chance for brilliant #breakfasts and #brunches, and stunning main dishes too! While eating here, you can even view all of the artwork that 21c has to offer too! * www.metropoleonwalnut.com * 609 WALNUT STREET, CINCINNATI, OHIO 45202 read more

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We've been here twice. The first time for Valentines after dinner drinks, and the second for Anniversary dessert and drinks. So I can't comment on the actual menu, but both experiences were really great. The staff is really friendly, but in what feels like a warm genuine manner. For some reason, I also appreciate the team approach to serving and they do this well. The desserts we had were the pistachio white chocolate mouse and the chocolate coconut crunch (also a mouse). Decadent! Next time, we should probably split one instead of diving into two, but you won't go wrong with either of these! read more

My husband and I had a great time celebrating our anniversary at Metropole. We received complimentary glasses of champagne for our 5-year milestone. Our server, David, was very attentive and professional. For dinner, we both ordered the house burger and fries. The burger was a great size and cooked perfectly. We ordered strawberry gelato for dessert which was a "sweet" touch. The atmosphere is great for any occasion. Thanks again for the hospitality! read more

Had a hot date night where the lovely Mrs and I had dinner at Metropole. It's definitely something a bit out of our way and a bit more a spendy than our normal hot date dinners but it was all well worth it. The costs included valet parking($8) and we also took advantage of the 'beer for the staff' option that was on the menu($9) but honestly, it felt good to treat the folks who just took care of us for dinner. Oh, the dinner was delicious. We ordered and shared a four course dinner. We started with crispy deviled eggs, then eagerly waited for the highly anticipated burnt carrot salad. Entree was the black hawk smash burger that is served with some of the tastiest fries I've ever had! And finally the citrus olive oil cake that our server(Nikki) highly recommended. So all the food was all fantastic. I really have nothing but good things to say about everything. The ambience is nice, the serving staff is super attentive, friendly and didn't mind the gazillion questions I tend to ask. And the food, it was just so dag gone good. If you haven't tried this place, you need to and give the burnt carrot salad a try. For sure, my 2nd favorite part with the 1st being there with the lovely Mrs. Oh! Word is there is a fantastic patio/bar on the roof of the building? read more

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We ate here with work colleagues (about 12 of us) after a very successful, but long, training day. This place is really quite the spot - artwork which is awesome, sculptures of penguins, you name it - its here! This charcuterie platters was the bomb.. AWESOME! The food overall was excellent - could not fault it at all. There was a lot of variety on the menu and the wine list extensive. We visited some time ago now (so my review is a little rusty) BUT - it was a memorable place to eat! Gotta love that!! read more

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The hospitality this evening was wonderful and started at the front door. Note that the restaurant and museum share an entrance, so if there is a large crowd, a chartered bus for example, they may be heading to the emus. So don't let that discourage you from going to the restaurant. Attended a Fork & Bottle dinner event at Metropole. That evening we had a four course meal paired with wines from the Santa Margherita family of wines which were all delicious. The menu for the evening included Rock Shrimp Fritters, Slow Roasted Fennel, Grilled Lamb Kofta and a Strawberry-Rhubarb pop tart. The fritter appetizer presented contrast between the cold shrimp and warm fritter. The flavor from the fennel was much more than expected and accompanied with a fondue. The lamb was packed full of classic Lebanese spices and was delightfully tender without being firm requiring lots of chewing. The dessert was conceptually simple and wasn't too sweet which left room for our a rosato toast to the close of the evening. Thought it a a fun dessert option, the in-house made pop-tart was my least liked item of the evening. This is because I felt that it was prepared too far in advance and the pasty dough absorbed too much of the filling though the dough was able to withstand it and was still firm but you expect a filling in a tart. It's also something I would encourage to eat with your hands. Which isn't exactly the vibe of the restaurant. On the flip side, it pairs excellent with a Rose. I would recommend this place for a Friday Happy hour or Saturday evening dinner. After dinner go checkout the cocktail terrace where there are great view to Mt. Adams in the evening. Maybe try the pop tart and crisp Rose on a warm evening. TIP: valet is available, however it's just across the street from the Fountain Square garage. But be sure to exit on the right side of the garage as not to have to walk around a city block. read more

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I was super excited to try Metrople. It was our first stop for Greater Cincinnatis's Restaurant Week 2018. During restaurant week a list of restaurants have a 3-course menu for $35. It's actually really good and a great way to take a food tour of the city for a reasonable price. Metropole is located in Cincinnati's 21c Museum Hotel. It offers a contemporary take on old world fireplace cooking techniques. The inside is very simple with simple art decor on the wall. It wasn't as artsy as I thought it would be but I do get an artistic vibe. The staff is very nice and the food is good. Careless Whispers - Sparkling Rosé, Cocchi Rosa, lemon shrub. This drink was awesome! It was fruity and sweet, but not overly sweet. It was almost like a sangria. It was also so pretty and our glasses were full of fruit :) Spinach Salad - It was made up of quinoa granola, manchego, red onion, sherry vinaigrette. This salad was very good. Simple but full of flavor. The quinoa granola added the perfect crunch. Everything was so fresh and made the perfect salad. Carolina Catfish - asparagus, fennel puree, rhubarb jam. This dish was fresh and well balanced when it comes to flavors. It was a smaller portion but filling with the other dishes. The Catfish was cooked and seasoned perfect. It did not have a fish taste so that was good. The asparagus added a great fresh crunch and the purée and jam added some good flavor. A good contemporary twist on an old classic (catfish). I'm so use to catfish being fried that this preparation was a nice change. Black Forest Cherry Cake - espresso pearls, cherry meringue. This unfortunately was my least favorite part. The cake was dry. The flavors were pretty good but in my opinion it didn't flow together the way I think they intended for it to. It wasn't cohesive in flavor. It seemed like a few different stand alone tasting components. Good idea, but poorly executed. Lavender Mousse - honey oat crumble. This was the dessert Tiff D. ordered but she let me taste it. I normally do not like Mousse but this was actually very good. The lavender flavor was not overpowering and balanced well. You could taste it but it didn't slap you in the face. It was creamy and the oat crumble added a nice crunch. A good dessert dish. Surprise Cotton Candy - At the end they surprised us with what seemed to be Lemon Cotton Candy. I haven't had cotton candy in years. This was a nice surprise and believe it or not it was very good. The lemon flavor was perfect, enough to taste but not overpowering. Yum yum! Overall, I'm glad I got to try Metropole. The food was yummy and our drinks were awesome! read more

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We were staying at the hotel so it was convenient while I had work to do. I only had a light bite here (burnt carrot salad, and onion soup), but both were very good. The lemon cotton candy after dinner sweet was awesome. Breakfast the next morning was a bit scant but OK. Good meal and quiet surroundings. Definitely ask for a penguin. read more

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