Great night at the Gruff. Watched two college football games. Cute place and great service. Took home a six pack of local beer too read more

See all

Love this place! Great food, great atmosphere. Lots of beer and bourbon. You can't go wrong!

I came here for brunch one Sunday morning with 3 friends. Luckily we got to the restaurant about 45 minutes after it opened so we were able to get a table immediately. It did fill up fast after that and there was a wait, so I'd recommend coming early. We started brunch off with some mimosas and bloody Mary's. They were good but a little inconsistent with garnish. Our food took a while to arrive but it was brunch we weren't in a rush. I got the homemade sausage sandwich which was really good! I would definitely recommend this menu items. My friends got pancakes and smoked salmon and they liked their dishes as well. read more

The Gruff - Homemade sausage sandwich - Pizza Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

What a great brunch spot! We came on a Saturday around noon and easily found a table for four outside in the shade. Service was fantastic. Our server was so funny, friendly and attentive. We each ordered the fried chicken (with gravy, biscuits and a sunny side up egg). Chicken was moist and perfectly breaded/fried. We had a pitcher of mimosas ($20, and a glass was $5 each). There was way more than 4 glasses worth in that pitcher, so it was quite the deal. Would love to come back Monday night for $10 pizza! read more

The Gruff - Fried chicken, bacon, egg, biscuits and gravy - Pizza Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

The Gruff is a great place to eat. It's got a relaxed atmosphere and excellent food. The chicken sandwich and tots were crispy and tasty. The pizza had a crunchy crust and just the right amount of cheese and sausage. We topped it off with the ice cream cookie sandwich. So good! read more

See all

Had dinner here tonight for the Valentine's Day special. My husband and I had a great server who was very attentive even with having several tables. Our salads and pizza were great. Tried the Truffle Sausage and the Ham & Spinach. Ended the night with a chocolate raspberry torte. So full that we ended up taking it with us. Also cannot forget our four half pours of wine. All of which were good. Only given it four stars as the food is good but never amazing. Glad to have found a low-key, inexpensive evening for the holiday. read more

The Gruff - Valentine's Day special menu - Pizza Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

Tucked just to the left of the end of the Roebling Bridge as you enter Covington, Ky is the cutest little restaurant/ deli/ tavern. The theme is the Billy Goats Gruff and the goats with troll are well represented. I've been there about 4 times and each time, I am happy with my selection from the menu. My favorite is the pickle fries. They are small spears, with a fine fried crust. There are specials throughout the week. Wednesday night is a craft draft beer paired with either the burger or fried chicken sandwich for 10$. The burger is topped with flavorful cheese and veggies so that you don't really need any condiment. Wednesday is also Trivia night. I've shared a pizza, had their chicken salad, and a burger, but like I said, I love the pickle fries. I know they have a deli to the side, which also has yummy looking desserts. (pie a la mode) Anyway, I've had groups of 8-10 people seated and served quickly. The servers are very informative and gracious. You really need to check this little place out- it's worth it. read more

The Gruff has the perfect patio on a sunny day. They are close to Roebling bridge. My favorite is the Brussel Sprouts pizza in the cauliflower crust. So crispy and flavorful! read more

The Gruff - a pizza on a plate on a table - Pizza Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

Four of us from the Union, Walton and Independence areas met at the Gruff to play trivia. Trivia was fun, service was good and pickle fries were great. The parking however, absolutely sucks. There's maybe 10 spaces around the restaurant itself that is bordered by 2 streets. There is some street parking on the one 1 way street but then your car is where other cars are moving swiftly by it and at what exact time does free street parking start anyway? So I paid $6 for parking in the empty parking lot next to it. What I didn't notice (because it was dark and raining) was that this was only for 3 hours (I learned later my other option was $25 for the whole night). Since we got to the Gruff around 6 to get something to eat and trivia went from 7-9, by the time I got out my car I was over the 3 hour time. The day after we went to trivia a second time (and carpooled from Walmart in Ft Mitchell this time and found one spot left on the Gruff lot, because this time there were 7 of us who came for dinner and trivia) I received a note in the mail that I owed $72 to this private parking company for last Wednesday's parking that included a picture of my car going in at about 5:45 and out at 9:15. Yep. Called them and got it talked down to $52 but I sure won't be going back to the Gruff. If you want people to come to your establishment in downtown Covington why not somehow partner with this empty parking lot owner to maybe offer a special deal during the week? Or maybe you don't need 4-7 extra patrons every Wednesday night buying dinner and drinks? Won't be going back. read more

Went to this place while downtown Cincinnati. It was a perfect walk from both stadiums and our hotel. The pizza was fantastic and the price was fantastic about 14 bucks a pizza. The pizza is cooked in a pretty cool fire pit. Which is pretty cool to see read more

The food is good. The setting is nice with plenty of outdoor seating. The service however, is lacking. We have visited several times and only once received great service. Our last visit (5/31/21) we were essentially ignored. It took 10 min for anyone to come take our order. And after the food was delivered, no one came back. At the end of our meal we had to ask another server for our check. We never saw our server again. And requests for drink refills were ignored. Extremely disappointing service. read more

Great Location for a quick bite before a game or a concert! You can walk across the bridge to Cincy and not be bothered by traffic woes after a game. The food is great and servings are large to keep you satiated. The choices are great. They have fresh fruit juices which were sold out by the time we ordered. Maybe next time. read more

Yelp gave me a mixed bag of reviews on this place, so I was hesitant to try it. I'm so glad we did though. Gruff reminds me of the little market/eateries in Queens NY. It's part store, part deli, part bar, and part restaurant. And I dig it. Plus all of their food/beers, etc is local. I'm into supporting local businesses. From the soap to the bakery, its all local to the tristate. The decor is really cute. I love the gruff theme since the restaurant is under the Roebling Bridge. (The prettiest bridge ever BTW) An old college friend's work BLDG did all the neat artwork. The market isn't huge, but has essentials and a good alcohol selection. They also have local art for sale as well. The restaurant itself isn't super big so I could see where it would get crowded during lunch hour being so close to Downtown; but it was perfect for when were there at 4pm. (Yes, we eat at old peoples dinner times so we can take pictures of places when its not slammed.) I liked the picnic tables and kids area. I can't wait to come back and drink happy hour beers too. They had a good local beer selection on tap. Onto the most important part- the food. It's pretty much a pizza and sandwich place. They had a wood fire oven, but we didn't get pizza. I didn't care for the pizza they offered. I'm more of a fig and prosciutto kinda girl; not meat and potato pizza. I tricked Lauren a little bit. She only gets chicken everywhere we go. They had something on the menu called "city chicken". It's pork. I told her they were little pieces of chicken kabobs and she devoured it. By the end she knew it was pork and didn't even care. I got the fried chicken sandwich with the spicy slaw. The coating on the chicken was great. It was like a mildly spicy thicker coating. The inside of the chicken wasn't dry, just too thick. It would have been great with more moisture. The slaw was good, but not wet or spicy. I think if the slaw had been a bit more wet (maybe like Eli's slaw), the chicken sandwich would have been much more successful. But I didn't even care because OMG those fries. When I saw the menu I read pickled fries when I glanced at it. So i was shocked when PICKLE fries came out. They are delicious!!!! I ate all of them with the dill dip before I even touched my sandwich. Perfection. image Since Lauren ate all her "city chicken", I let her get dessert. She went with the M&M ice cream sandwich. They had some killer sounding desserts, like apple maple bread pudding. Again all local foods, even the pies! For sure go here and eat. Let me know how the pizza is when you do. I recommend going after lunch though. read more

See all

Great food great service! We got an arugula and Brussels salad (highly recommend) burger + tots and sausage & truffle pizza. Everything was great! read more

The Gruff - Truffle Sausage Pizza Brussels Sprouts Arugula Salad Classic Cheeseburger - Pizza Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

The Gruff! What a hidden find. Located at the base of the Roebling Bridge this little market/pizza shop/deli is a nugget of gold waiting to be found. Do yourself a favor and just hit those GPS directions right on your Yelp mobile app. When you get off the bridge it makes you take a roundabout in the opposite direction of the store so it's a bit confusion without directions. Once inside, the Gruff offers a ton of options but I almost wonder if they are trying to do *too much.* They have a mini grocery store section with great local craft beer. Probably the biggest I have seen outside a liquor store. They also have fixin's to take home and put a decent meal together. They have a deli counter with the standard deli options and a drive through window? Which was interesting. THEN they have wood-fired pizzas AND a full menu and bar. Or server let us know they were known for their pickle fries and their fried chicken sandwich. I opted for the chicken sammie and it was everything you want in a friend chicken sammich. Crispy spicy breading - not too crunchy where it's stabbing you in the roof of your mouth, but crunchy enough that it has a bite to it. Juicy inside, and a surprisingly delicious red pepper slaw that was cooling and spicy all at the same time. I love the bright tall windows and branding with bright whimsical colors. I also love that they have a patio option as well with a fantastic view of the bridge. I could see myself venturing over here again, but this place is kind of a destination spot - there is not a whole lot around it so when you come here I would imagine you would stick around for a while. Great little hidden find - opt for the chicken sammie and a craft beer and you won't be dissapointed. read more

See all

The Gruff is a restaurant and bar with it's own deli and mini grocery. Like Sprout, only bigger and better. With a great location to boot. Seated at the foot of the Roebling Suspension Bridge in Covington, you could walk from Downtown. They have a full bar and a decent menu selection. My boyfriend and I sat at the bar and had a couple of beers and shared a veggie pizza. The pizza, wow, it's good. REALLY good. Fresh ingredients from the dough to the goat cheese on top. The dough could use a little more salt, as the crust on the pizza was a little bland without any toppings on it. 5 stars for the food. The beer was priced weird though. They offered Left Hand milk stout at $6 a bottle. But as we were leaving we checked out the grocery store side and noticed they were selling 6 packs of the milk stout for $11.50. And the service was friendly but not very attentive. 4 stars for service. Other than that, this place is pretty cool. I'm a fan and definitely will be back. read more

The Gruff - The Veggie Pizza. Fresh and delicious! - Pizza Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

I usually like to give a new place a few weeks/months to work out the kinks. Today I broke my rule and stopped by Gruff for lunch during their opening week. We got there around 11:45am which was perfect and avoiding the huge influx at noon. Great local beers on tap (Zen and Cougar but no Truth?!?) and a great selection of food, snacks, and beverages at the deli. The pizza was great... a nice crispy thin crust. I think next time I'll skip the Meat and Potatoes pizza and go with something with a tomato sauce base, but it was tasty and different. Having arrived pre-rush we managed to check out pre-rush, which was nice. I'd rather be at the front of a 12-deep line than the back. If I lived in the close by apartments I'd be walking here all the time. I'm sure good things are in their future! read more

The Gruff - Pizza Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

I knew they opened in January and have made a mental note to check them out. I don't know why I waited so long!!! I'm always looking for "fresh" food for lunch in Covington and have gotten tired of the same old options. Let me tell you, the Gruff is someplace I won't get tired of eating anytime soon. They have awesome salad options, fresh pizza baked in a stone oven, sandwiches with various bread/ wrap options, craft beer, amazing desserts, and the list goes on and on. They even have a little market inside because their pasta salad & potato salad are just so good, you'll want to take some home. I recommend the chicken salad sandwich with pickle fries!!! (Exactly what they sound like; thin slices of fried pickles.) Or the smoked brisket pizza. Man, I'm salivating now. read more

The Gruff - Check out their brunch on Saturdays.. It's so yummy!!! - Pizza Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

The Gruff was one of those restaurants where I would see it from a distance and always think "oh we should go there.." and then never actually go. WELL TODAY THAT CHANGED. We went for lunch on a weekday and were able to grab a seat right away. The menu had apps, salads, pizzas, and cold and hot sandwiches. I ordered the meatloaf sandwich and let me tell you... RUN to The Gruff and try it. It was phenomenal. My friend had a chicken salad sandwich and really enjoyed hers as well. After today I feel I will be a frequent face at The Gruff. read more

The Gruff - Griddled Meatloaf Sandwich - Pizza Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

As an update, the owner contacted me concerning the mystery window on the side of the building. This apparently is a carry out window which is awesome! If you're anything like me, I don't know how many times I have run out of food in the house and it's pouring rain out. I'm too cheap to pay for delivery, but I have no interest in getting wet. Boom. The Gruff. Also, I failed to mention that they have a mini market on one side of the restaurant so you can essentially order grocery ingredients while picking up your carry out. Genius. read more

The Gruff - Fresh waffle fries with homemade ketchup and a Country Boy Porter. - Pizza Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

Super excited for the concept and location of The Gruff, crossing the Roebling bridge you cannot miss the hoards of people out on the patio enjoying themselves. We went on a Friday night and immediately found a table. They have a decent selection of local brews on draft and the usual available, as well as cocktails. We tried the caprese stack salad, smoked brisket pizza and waffle fries. The caprese stack salad was delicious hearty slices of thick tomato, mozzarella and basil with balsamic served with wheat baguette slices. The waffle fries were super crunchy bit not greasy, I feel like they had cornmeal or something, they were delicious. And the Za! I'm usually a red sauce kind of person but had the smoked brisket pizza per recommendation, and I have no regrets! The pickled jalapeños definitely have a kick, and the smoked brisket pieces were hearty slices. I liked that the onions were shaved purple onions rather than giant thick chunks at some other joints, and the BBQ sauce wasn't over the top. This didn't taste like a BBQ pizza, the ingredients all complimented each other without over powering. I enjoyed the patio, our knowledgable server and overall environment. It is a family place, so expect kids running around...my neighbor's kid was doing cartwheels by me. The bill was a little steep, but the quality of it was worth it, I guess. Draft beers were $6 a piece which I wasn't really used to given Keystone or Molly's usually has a deal. read more

The Gruff - Smoked brisket pizza - Pizza Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

See all

I've only been once, and that was for breakfast on a sunny June Saturday morning. My companions and I chose a table by the window where we had a view of the Roebling bridge, and we were greeted promptly by Jordan who brought a bottle of water and glasses, gave us menus and offered us Bloody Mary's or mimosas on special. We tried one of each: they didn't skimp on the champagne in the mimosa, and the Bloody Mary was peppery and accessorized with an olive and sliced lemon/lime. We ordered the Southern Chicken, Housemade Sausage Sandwich, and the Bacon and Swiss Sandwich. The Southern Chicken sandwich was served open face on a biscuit, with bacon and covered in cream gravy with a perfectly cooked sunny side up egg on top. The fried chicken itself was a home made chicken tender that was crispy and juicy, the bacon was thick and well cooked, and the gravy was flavorful and really brought the whole dish together. My companion said the Housemade Sausage sandwich had some of the most delicious sausage he'd ever tasted. It was a jalapeño cheddar sausage patty and included an egg, cream cheese, and caramelized onions. The sandwiches come with a choice of breakfast potatoes, green salad or fruit salad. His green salad had wonderful accents of red onion and garbanzo beans. I ordered the Bacon and Swiss sandwich, which also included an egg, sautéed mushrooms and spinach - served in delicious and fresh ciabatta bread. The flavor combination was perfect - succulent and savory. The breakfast potatoes turned out to be small quartered Yukon potatoes that had been roasted to crispy perfection and seasoned with salt and pepper. Everything was a hit at The Gruff. Just keep your eye out for the troll under the bridge. read more

The Gruff - The Gruff (of the three billy goats gruff fame) - Pizza Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

We made this our Kentucky stop for lunch and it didn't disappoint. The pun on one of my favorite stories was great! Everyone enjoyed their entrée choice and the store that sold a little bit of everything from spirits to flavor infused extracts. Service was nice as also. I hope people will continue to support The Gruff and enjoy their dishes for years to come. read more

See all

The Gruff has an awesome atmosphere, great food and really friendly service who are on top of things. It is a restaurant and deli market. We went for lunch today and I ordered the burger with waffle fries and my boyfriend ordered the fried chicken sandwich and a side of waffle fries too. Both of our sandwiches were delicious. My favorite thing about their food was that you could taste the freshness. It also wasn't greasy at all for a chicken sandwich or burger. The waffle fries were extra crispy and delicious. I can't wait to go back next time and try and different sandwich or pizza. The servers who were working there today were super nice and helpful. Very familiar with all of the items and drinks on the menu. The market and deli was very nice and set up well. I'm planning on going back one day and getting some meat from the deli which is apparently hormone free. They had a lot of interesting organic and imported foods, spices and other cooking items in the market. They also had lots of local beer, bourbon, and wines. I ended up picking out some organic tea on our way out. I highly suggest going out to eat here. I definitely will be going again. read more

See all

The best burger I've ever had. Service was great. A definite come back again place. The tots were crispy. My husband had the fries and their house ketchup is spectacular. read more

It's not often that a deli/pizzeria/restaurant/bar succeeds at all levels but The Gruff happens to be that place. I've enjoyed a number of various items from the small plates to the pizzas and all were fantastic. The service is exceptional and the kitchen is quick almost to a fault. But the draft list, which changes as often as the weather in Cintucky, is equal to the food and service. The suburbanites should note that there is ample FREE parking just behind the store. This is a perfect place for a draft, a pie, an awesome beet salad, a bourbon tasting, post Reds game meal, or just lunch. read more

The Gruff - Great patio space! - Pizza Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

See all

I rode my bike to The Gruff for a late lunch today around 2pm. I was meeting a friend and four clients of hers that are moving to Cincinnati. I was early and asked to see a menu. I had been wanting to try The Gruff for a long time and was looking forward to their lunch. There was either a patron or a employee on break at the end of the bar and a worker behind the counter. I proceeded a few steps down the counter and turned back abruptly to go find the restroom. When I turned around it was obvious the patron (or worker) and the girl working behind the counter were laughing and making comments about me. They looked like they were caught with their pants down when I saw them and tried to recover with stoic faces. Needless to say, I walked out and will not be returning to this establishment where rude workers and patrons feel the need to make fun of customers. It's really a shame in this day and age that workers portray such a bad image for their employer and lose future business. People need to be a lot kinder in a world with enough bad stuff in it. A Disgruntled Almost Customer read more

Go to The Gruff and eat the pizza. Period. Sausage truffle pizza.. Margherita pizza.. they're all really really good. Also, don't sleep on the deli read more

See all

Great service! Good beer selection! Nice bartenders! Pizza was a win. Nice view and casual atmosphere!

Like the location, the interior and the small shop inside. Did not like the pizza, which was recommended by the server as a specialty. Sorry Gruff, but it just seemed like a frozen one. When I entered, the place did not even seem like a restaurant, because there was no smell of food or sign of kitchen. When pizza was served, it was OK, but did not seem fresh. Please, make it better, you've got more to offer, I'm sure! read more

The Gruff - Brisket pizza. Bit disappointing. Really tasted like a frozen one from a supermarket... - Pizza Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

See all

Typically love the gruff, the pizza, the atmosphere, the beer selection! However, we ordered the snack board for $11 and couldn't have been more surprised. We received 2 Kraft singles wrapped around pepperoni and a slice of Swiss around salami. When our server came back, we asked about crackers and he gave us some prepackaged, packs of various types of crackers. If I'm paying $11 for a snack board, at a deli none the less , I'm not expecting kraft singles or packed saltines to come out. Again, I love the Gruff but this is way below them. read more

The Gruff - Snack Board - Pizza Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

BrittNey our bartender is sooo nice and friendly. She's moving to Florida which I hope she enjoys. The other patrons of the bar were so fun and local. Enjoyed the vibe. Our food was good. We ordered the Italian pizza but traded slices with the people sitting next to us at the bar. They had a Philly cheesesteak pizza.... it was so good! Better than our pizza. I forgot was drink we ordered but we ordered four of em. (It was only us two) good time here good time. Bathroom was clean too. Parking is trash only thing I took a star off for read more

The Gruff - Pizza Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

If you're ever in Coventington and looking for a place to enjoy good food with friends The Gruff will not disappoint. I took my folks there for pizza and beer. They have a good selection of beers on tap and the brick oven pizzas were quite tasty. read more

I've been here twice now and was a fan both times. This time around I met a friend for lunch. It's a nice and easy walk from my office in downtown Cincinnati. I try to eat very little meat, and there were few one-person options here (one sandwich, and two salads) unless I wanted to do some over-priced shared plates. I ended up going with the veggie sandwich (the ONLY sandwich without meat, but it looked good anyway). It had a great creamy goat cheese and hummus and was pretty good. The bread was nice and smokey but it was tough/too chewy and there was too much of it. The bean salad I got on the side was very good, but I was totally not expecting GREEN beans. The last time I came I had a pizza and it was really good! (hence the 4 stars) I wish I could have gotten a small pizza when I came here this time, but they only come in the searving 2-3 people size and my firiend was not in a pizza mood. Overall this place is good, but now that I've made more of a commitment to eat less meat, I see how limited the options here are. And DO NOT tell me to just ask for a salad without the bacon, etc. I still need protein. I am human. The reason I return to restaurants is to try more of the menu, but due to the limited options I probably won't be doing that here. But it was good. read more

The Gruff - Veggie sandwich with a side of bean salad - Pizza Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

I've been in a few times for lunch and really enjoy the place! I've not tried a lot on their menu because I can't get passed their truly amazing chicken salad! I ordered it the first time I came and have ordered it ever since. I get is s a wrap with the pasta salad as a side. The Gruff is right by the Roebling Bridge in Covington Ky and I enjoy the Billy Goats Gruff theme. The also have a little deli and sell different jams and sauces. They also have a small bar and some good craft beer selections. The only downside is I feel The Gruff is a bit over priced. read more

The Gruff - Pizza Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

See all

Loving this laid back delicious new place! With all the random deli and grocery items and the unique and tasty menu you can't help but enjoy yourself. If you love to support local and/or unique items they've got you covered. From the best selection of pickled items like olives and carrots and lots more to bourbon flavored BBQ sauces. Mmmm. To be sure I will be back soon. P.S. I'm cheesy by nature but you should really check this place out! read more

Food was just average, especially for the price. Staff and atmosphere were great though!

Recently while traveling for work I came across The Gruff. The menu stood out to me because I am always on the lookout for fresh, healthy food options. They have an extensive menu of salads, sandwiches and pizza. They also server alcohol which was a bonus for me. I was sat at the bar and got immediate service and suggestions for both wine and a salad. I was really in the mood for a salad! The bartender suggested the Brussel Sprout salad. I got it and added chicken. I was awesome! The flavors were great and the lemon vinaigrette hit it home. I had a glass of red wine with it. Although I didn't have pizza it smelled great! Their prices were excellent. I think I spent about $25 for dinner. I would absolutely go back here. read more

We ordered 3 pizzas to go. I had to wait 15 minutes to get our pizzas after arriving on time. The pizzas themselves were uninspired to say the least. The gluten free pizza was tiny and dry. The Italian Meats was the best pizza but not worth the $17 price point. The Brussel Sprout pizza tasted kind of bitter. I liked the ambiance of the place. Might be a good place to grab to a drink but the pizza is not good. read more

Great food that I got to go. Loved the sausage truffle oil pizza and the margarita pizza. Also the home made ketchup was good and a nice change, although kids do not like it over the usual ketchup. Also salads are good. read more