So it's been literally 45 years since I lived in Findlay and as a kid, my parents took me to New Riegel cafe for ribs. My wife and I went tonight because we drove from Florida just to have them. I wanted my wife to try them. I have bragged about the ribs to her since the early 80's. I could distinctly remember how much I loved the tangy, garlicky BBQ sauce. Well that recipe is gone unfortunately. I guess the restaurant has been sold and the food is changed. All I can tell you is the sauce tasted exactly like celery seed and nothing else. The ribs didn't taste like anything BbQ that I've ever had. It's been a few hours since eating them and I can't get the taste of celery out of my mouth. I couldn't even eat half of my order: Oh well. At least I won't ever crave them again. There was nothing wrong with the inside of the place and the service was fine. read more

It was a busy night but the waitresses were definitely on the ball. The ribs were cooked to perfection and our food delivered promptly. Prices getting high like everything else so probably won't be visiting as much. The owner is super nice and out helping on the floor. read more

New Riegel Cafe - Our receipt on 5/2/2026 - Cafes Near Me - New Riegel, Ohio

Make the sauce right. The meal sucked. Too bad they had to spoil a good thing. Been coming here for 40 years. Today was my last.

Update. Had to go see if the new owners changed anything, and they did change a few things, but kept the ribs the same, thankfully. They're my favorite. I'm not saying they're the best in the world, but they're objectively pretty good and definitely unique. The sauce, to me, seems stewed- tomatoes and onions and seasoning, with little chunks left in it, not smoothly pureed like most bbq sauces. I think that's what throws some people off. They don't like it; I do. I grew up eating it, so I'm biased. It's different, but how different is Carolina vinegar from KC tomato from Carolina mustard from Hawaiian? The ribs themselves are meaty and tender, and you get a good portion. The fries are pretty generic, but: skinny and crispy and left under some ribs, the sauce softens and flavors them, and yum. You also still get little buttered bread and some celery. That's the tradition here. That plus washcloths at the table, which all bbq places should use. So. Changes. You can use cards now! For a 3% surcharge, but still, a nice option. The gift shop used to be huge, is now tiny, and that space is an ice cream parlor. We had already had Dietsch's, so we passed. No more rib/rib and a half, etc. Industry standard half rack/rack. Prices have gone up, but that's true everywhere. Service was good. The place was just picking up when we went, 430 on a Thursday, and we plan it that way. It can get packed at peak times, so I try to go at 430 on weekdays (which is when they start serving ribs, except Sunday it's at 1130am.) Baby K got the kid's ham dinner, which is pretty much a ham steak, or Easter ham, cut into big chunks. She liked it. And liked the fries, and she can be picky about those. Also liked the Ms. Pacman game. I miss the bowling shuffle thingy one. Oh, well. read more

I returned to Ohio in 2024, my mouth watering for these ribs. 55 years experience with a lot of different family. it was one of the most disappointing culinary experiences of my life. i am not a culinary expert, but they were NOTHING CLOSE to the vinegary, tangy taste i had experienced for 55 years..... Kind of bland and awful. They definitely did not receive the old recipe. Shame on the old owners. read more

Ribs were fantastic as always. Get the extra sauce it is worth it. Service was quick in and out in an hour. Nice people in there, quiet environment. Only reason it is not a 5 star is because of the glaring problem with the water and ice they use here. Been going here for a decade and the water always tastes funky and if you get a drink with ice it does the same. So you are best off getting a bottled drink or beer. Overall food is worth the trip. read more

Best ribs ever! I've been coming here for 60 some years. The food is always superb. The service is always fast. The wait staff have been there for years. I've never had a bad meal here. read more

The best. Worth any distance to get there. Best service. Best ribs. Never been??? Go!!!

Excellent service tonight, Friendly Staff,Food was delicious and on point, Ordered the Ribs ,light sauce.Very good texture and flavor.Nostaglic feel made the experience well rounded ...... read more

Used to be the bomb. Started going there as a teenager. Yesterday, I called in an order at 5:30, was told to "come in, give your name and we'll drop the fries" when I arrived. Long story short, I waited for 45 minutes before a waitress came out of the kitchen to say "no chicken for (my name)". So I waited another 15 minutes. New owners, ribs were dry, prices raised..... nah. read more

Don't expect anything fancy here or cheese in your salad but do expect some great ribs and chicken! read more

New Riegel Cafe - Ribs! - Cafes Near Me - New Riegel, Ohio

This is truly an Ohio landmark restaurant. You need to check this place out. outstanding chicken and ribs. Old time atmosphere with the wet towels on the table for easy cleanup! Family friendly. A favorite place for the locals. read more

The food at the New Riegel Cafe came out hot and plentiful,we had ribs they were very tender and sauce was tasty,Smokey flavor sweet yet spicy goodness,very generous amount of fries,we order the salad,not so special,needed fancied up a bit but edible ,would go back again,nice staff - read more

First of all food is subjective, everyone has an opinion of what they like & why. I have heard about this place for years & years, always good comments. There were 7 adults in our party, we ALL agreed... it definitely did not live up to the hype. Yes "fall off the bone" ribs but the sauce was not good, definitely not BBQ sauce & the meat was average at best. My sister described the sauce best, "overcooked spaghetti sauce". French fries were frozen shoe string fries ( very commercial) nothing special. We were all disappointed and said we had been there twice.... "First & last time". On a positive note... the cup of cole slaw was excellent. read more

Not your typical BBQ. Some type of "midwest"style but grew up on it and always look forward to it.

I've been eating here for 40 years and the food has remained the same. Excellent blue cheese dressing and the ribs are very tender. 100% recommended to anyone I know. read more

New Riegel Cafe - a sign for the restaurant - Cafes Near Me - New Riegel, Ohio

The ribs were great, but the extra sauce was very watery. The French fries were like day old fries left in a vehicle over night. Maybe the worst fries that I have received in a restaurant! read more

The food was not bad The little of that they have anyway their selection sucks. Service sucks. Ambiance sucks as well.

Very comfortable with excellent tasting ribs. Some of the best ribs I have ever had. A little drive to get there, but was very rewarding to us when we got there read more

It's not as good as it once was, but still worth checking out in this small town. Ribs and chicken are great.

Well they have alcohol...........can't go wrong with that but back when they had a cop that's where I got my first speeding ticket...

I've been going to New Reigel Cafe since I was a toddler, my parents since they were in grade school. This isn't a typical BBQ place. If you are searching for common this isnt it. Their sauce is AMAZING. I could cover anything in it and love. Its a chunkier, tomato based sauce so it may throw you off. I am pretty sure they par boil the ribs and then slow cook them in the sauce. They are fall off the bone. I prefer the chicken but it is all delicious. I recommend their sweet and sour dressing, they home make all the dressing. Not your run of the mill place, but worth a drive and every bite is a dream!!! read more

The best place ever Thanks Tom for a great night with friends! Food was great! The Ribs, Ham, and FF's. Nothing like being there in a winter storm and they still take care of you. read more

Located in New Regal Ohio, the New regal Cafe is the anchor for the entire town which consists of another bar and a couple of shops and now, a single stop light. I arrived around 5:30 PM to an almost empty cafeteria-style dining room. By 5:45 the place was mostly filled up. The New Regal Cafe is a slice of the Midwest that is almost unchanged for over 70 years. To be more specific, it is a slice of middle Ohio where the look and feel is palpable. It is a "salt of the earth" type of place for sure and worth visiting just for, dare I say... the ambience. I love this timeless quality of a place. It has not changed a bit in the many years I've been stopping in. People come from miles around for one thing - the pork ribs. A specific type of rib that as far as I can tell is available nowhere else. I've been trying to figure out the recipe and method for years. It appears to be smoked and then baked in a puree of vegetables that includes tomatoes, onions, carrots and maybe celery - celery seed for sure and garlic. Plus some other ingredients that have been detected through intense taste-testery. I don't care so much about the recipe for the awesome sauce, but if anyone knows the cooking technique, hit me up please. read more

See all

Food was great. Service - not so much. Just left from having a party of 20 for my granddaughter's birthday party. First we were told we had to hurry and order because they were running out of food. There were very few people in the restaurant at that time. We brought in a cake and our server was not helpful at all. We had to ask for plates, and she reluctantly brought out small paper plates, which was fine. She then disappeared and we had to cut the sheet cake with a fork and unless your fork was not taken away when the table was cleared, we had no utensils to eat the cake. Then as we were leaving, my husband heard her complaining about us to co-workers. I have eaten hear many times and have never been treated so rudely. read more

Great salad and great quality of meat. The sauce was god awful and ruined the ribs. 1 1/2 Rib

This place has the best ribs in the state hands down. We commonly travel from the Columbus area up to eat here. No frills. Food is delivered in the paper trays you see at the fair, but you don't come here for the fine dining or white linen tablecloths. You come here for the RIBS! Their sauce is a thick garlicky base and not like the standard BBQ you'd find at the store. We always get extra sauce on ours. Ribs come on top of French fries and they soak up all the goodness so well. They make their own salad dressing, but don't expect a fancy salad. Just lettuce in a tray with their dressing. But it is so good! It is cash only. The same staff have been there for the 20 years I have been going, and they can come off as grouchy sometimes. But I love them they are actually nice people who don't put up with any BS. Give em a chance! If you want the best fall off the bone ribs you've had in a long time, go to the small 1 light town of New Riegel and go to New Riegel Cafe!! read more

New Riegel Cafe - Single Order of Ribs with Extra Sauce. My goodness SO GOOD!! - Cafes Near Me - New Riegel, Ohio

Jerry and Cindy the owners are fantastic owners. Ribs are juicy and tender. Food comes out quick. Rooms are quaint and great atmosphere. You can follow up the meal with ice cream or a specialty cocktail at the Corner "T" Pub. read more

My parents had fond memories that were shattered. Everything was served on paper plates and in paper boats. There were no refills on the rather small fountain drinks. The wet sauce on the ribs was not BBQ, but rather a tomato sauce The ribs were partially tough, partially fall off the bone tender. On the other hand, prices were cheap and thank god for that because they don't take credit cards per one sign on the wall no one noticed. read more

Ever since I moved to Ohio, I've heard about this place. The reviews I've heard from others have either been LOVE or HATE. Going in, I was pretty sure I wasn't going to enjoy my meal. First impression of the place was interesting, it was very busy but atmosphere was kinda dingy. I ordered both of the main entrees to try (ribs and chicken) and instantly saw why people were so biased one way or the other. The sauce they're famous for is very odd, it's like a sweet tomato, onion relish, similar to a sauerbraten. The best part was how tender the meat was, both the chicken and the ribs were great. It's worth experiencing at least once. read more

New Riegel Cafe - Cafes Near Me - New Riegel, Ohio

See all

Don't bother ordering extra sauce. They charge you extra, refuse to put it on the side so you can actually see it and most of the time you still barely even get sauce at all. Speaking from years now of both dine in and carry out experience. read more

I had heard good things about this place from friends so I decided to check it out when my daughter was playing volleyball in town. I had the ribs with fries and salad. I declined the celery. At this point, the waitress maybe should have picked up on the fact that I don't like celery. The rib meat was nice and tender and "fell off the bone" but the sauce was horrible. I'm not sure what was in it, but afterwards I asked the waitress. She replied that it was a secret but probably has some celery in it. I think it was tomato, onion, and celery based - definitely not like any BBQ sauce I've ever had. I wasn't expecting my hometown KC BBQ but this was nowhere near any BBQ sauce I'd had in the past (not in a good way either). As others have noted, they serve the fries partially underneath the ribs, so most of my fries were coated in this horrible sauce as well. The salad was just a bowl of lettuce drenched in dressing (no ranch available). I also assumed that a small town BBQ place would serve their own ice tea, but I was served a glass of ice with a bottle of Pure Leaf tea. Not impressed at all. They only get the 2nd star for the tenderness of the meat. read more

Might be a bit bias on this one. Coming here as long as I can remember. A trip to Ohio is a fail without the ribs. The sauce is made by god himself. Ask for sauce on your fries. Ribs ain't your thing? Get the chicken, with or without skin if you like. They make hotdogs, bolonga, and dressings as well. Gift shop is interesting enough too. Cafe is located next to the only stoplight in town. Can't miss it. read more

I get tired of hearing all the talk about how you have to go to Memphis, Texas, or Carolina to get good ribs. This tiny little Cafe in downtown New Riegel, Oiho, is the best place I've had ribs ever. By far. Not even close. Nothing fancy, food comes in paper bowls, menu is printed on the wall, and waitresses are hired for their ability to get orders out not personality. However the food is a show stopper. The "Cafe" is open for lunch with a very limited menu (no ribs or BBQ) but dinner time is when the party starts. It isn't unusual for the wait to be longer than mass at the nearby Catholic church on a weekend night. Ribs or chicken are my favorite with "wet" fries (extra BBQ sauce poured on fries) and wife loves the fried shrimp. All said you can't go wrong. How much do we like it? Had our Rehersal Dinner here in 2003. read more

I have been going to the New Riegel Cafe before I was old enough to walk, I'm now 47; on any minor holiday we'd take the hour drive from my Grandmother's house to New Riegel for ribs. I live nearly four hours away now, but anytime I am in the general area and by general I mean Put-In-Bay, I make a stop and pick up an order of ribs for everyone in the family and dutifully drop them off as I had back down I75. It's a simple place, a diner really. Your meal will be messy, thus the washcloth next to your basket of ribs (or chicken/shrimp), you'll get a salad with great dressing but it's really just some iceberg lettuce with a little carrot and maybe radish for color. The Cafe does not profess to be the Ritz, it's a rib joint. This is not Chicago or Memphis, it's New Riegel - a wonderful little town that developers haven't ruined - except for the enormous school just down the road. It's a reminder to slow down, enjoy a well-cooked meal and create some great memories. read more

I've been going to New Riegel since I was a kid. My father and his family grew up in this town and this restaurant was the first place my father took my mother on a date. It's safe to say I was raised to love this place. That said this place is not without its faults, but you look past those faults and enjoy the delicious food. The ribs here are unlike any ribs you've probably had. These are pork ribs, not beef, and they have a sweet tangy sauce that is like nothing you've put in your mouth. The ribs are always fall off the bone tender. With your meal of ribs, chicken, or shrimp you get a salad, a piece of buttered bread, and fries. If you want to blend in like a true local in this place make sure you ask for sauce on your fries. If you follow that guide line you will have a great time here. Now with all that said New Riegel is not without its faults. So here are the negatives. -This place only excepts cash, they are very old school here. NO Credit Cards! - The drink choices here suck. There are no free refills on pop, and pop comes in very tiny glass cups. The beer choices are even worse. Don't expect to come here and find Sam Adams, leinenkugel, or even something like PBR. They serve Bud, coors, and yuengling in bottles. One beer on tap- Old Milwaukee which is a old garbage/piss flavored beer incase you've never enjoyed it. Look past those things and this place is great. I recommend getting an order of 1 1/2 ribs with extra sauce on the fries and water to drink. Then after the meal go across the street to the grocery and get a drink because New Riegel has a terrible drink arrangement. read more

If ever I am placed on death row, and given the opportunity to choose my last supper, you can believe New Riegel Ribs are going to be at the top of my list! These are not traditional barbeque ribs like most people are used to but dang they are yummy! The sauce is a meaty tomato sauce, with garlic and other spices. It truly is unlike any other. The only downside to this restaurant is that they don't take credit card, and they don't have free refills. Get the full order of ribs, double sauce, with a salad (house dressing of course) and you won't leave disappointed. I have been eating here for MY ENTIRE LIFE and I have no intention of stopping read more

I'm surprised that people are calling this place inexpensive. For the poor quality, I would call it overpriced. My ribs were dry, tough and full of fat and gristle. The sauce did not taste good to me and was nothing like any ribs I've ever tasted. The "salad" was nothing more than a little paper boat of chopped iceberg lettuce ... again overpriced at over $2, with extremely limited choices for dressing (no Italian?) People really rave about this place and how much they love it, but I don't understand why. I won't be going back when there are so many places that have good ribs at fair prices with decent side dishes and salad bar. read more

Ribs is the name of the game here. Fall off the bone goodness. They do have other things on the menu like chicken and hamburgers to name just two but the ribs is the reason we come here. It is not fancy just good food! read more

New Riegel Cafe - This is a single order - Cafes Near Me - New Riegel, Ohio

First off, the food is pretty good, especially the ribs, They are not the traditional style bar-b-que. I do not know quite how to describe it, they are different but delicious. In my opinion they are not the best in the area though. With the ribs come french fries, celery and butter bread. It is all served in a paper basket, think fair food style. The fries are on the bottom and the rib sauce soaks in them and I enjoy that. The regular rib basket is about $10, 1 1/2 basket $15, double basket $20. This joint does only accepts cash, no debit, credit,checks etc. They do not give free refills on drinks (a pop is $1.10 and it is about 10 oz) The wait staff is grouchy. They do not have ranch dressing and fyi the "salad" is a paper basket filled with lettuce and dressing. The decor is circa 1980. This is not a fancy restaurant and not worth going out of your way to experience. If you have never been its worth trying, but all in all it is over priced and over hyped in my opinion. If you want ribs go to Findlay to any number of restaurants. read more