After reading all of the previous reviews, we were looking forward to The Gruff. BIG disappointment ! We sat at the bar and waited, and waited, and waited. I wanted to leave, the hubs said "they are new at this, let's wait a bit longer." It took forever just to be acknowledged and then even longer to ask for our drink order. It was painful to watch the bartenders make cocktails/mixed drinks, they looked clueless and very inexperienced. No sense of order behind the bar at all! We each ordered a pizza. The hubs: red sauce-mozzarella-pepperoni. Me: Margherita and add sausage. When they arrived (fairly quickly) they were not hot by any means and mine did not have any sausage on it. When I told the bartender the sausage was missing he shrugged his shoulders and said " well they're new at this". Really, really!! The crust was not good at all, no chew like a brick oven should and definitely lacking any flavor. The hubs said there was something "off" about the red sauce. The tomato on the Margherita were pitiful!! If you are going to offer a Margherita then your tomatoes should be tasteful and ripe not some unripe no taste tomatoes. I had to take them all off of the pizza, that bad! There are soooooo many other places in the area with great pizza. Yes I get it, they are new, but we won't be back. They'll be fine though, the place was packed by the time we left. It makes me wonder though, what place the other reviewers were dining at??? !! read more

The Gruff - Pizza Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

Love this place. Great staff, locally owned. Food is awesome, from pizzas to sandwiches and salads. Full bar with nice wine, beer selection. Not a huge menu but perfect selections. Great deli available to go and nice wine, beer and liquor selection to go. When weather turns, outside patio at foot of Suspension bridge, dog friendly. Can't say enough good things about perfect casual place. read more

A little bad/deli/pub on he Kentucky side of the a Roebling bridge. It serves pizza, sandwiches, burgers. Basically a great place for a meal at a super reasonable price. We came on a Saturday night for dinner for the first time. They have a great selection of beers, decent selection of wines and a fantastic food menu. Our server Brie was super helpful and explained their menu. We ended up ordering an Italian pizza, chopped salad, fried chicken sandwich with fries and vegetarian sandwich with pasta salad. The pizza was really great although the crust wasn't as good as a brick oven pizza place like Strong's. But it was still really good. The highlight for me was the chicken sandwich. Perfect crispness and juiciness ratio with a super delicious picked vegetables and aioli. That sandwich is probably one of best things to eat in Cincinnati. The waffle fries were good although they are more on thin and crispy side vs the crispy soft inside version like what you would get at Chick Fil A. Still good though altho maybe not my preference. Maybe I'll get the pasta salad next time. To end it all, we had the ice cream sandwich, a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream between two warm homemade cookies. Fantastic meal for a great price $30 for 2 people. Definitely would come back for a casual good meal read more

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Sub par experience overall. Dirty tables, long wait. I ordered the waffle fries and the meat and potatoes pizza. Fries came out cold and chewy, and the pizza was passable, but no worse than something from a chain. Not a lot of flavor and the crust might as well have been pita. The kicker was eating a slice of a buddy's pepperoni pizza. The sauce had an off smell and the crust was so covered in carbon I though I was eating a charcoal briquette, except I could tell I wasn't by the ridiculous amount of flour. Stick to Strong's, light years better. read more

I decided last minute to take an out of town friend here for dinner. This place is so perfect. You get the urban downtown feel without the chaos or commotion. Also, it's situated in a historic area that boosts gorgeous view and homes. While it's right below the suspension bridge, I sat outside the the noise wasn't bad at all. For dinner, I had the simple house salad which was ultra fresh and the fungi pizza - to die for. It was the brick oven type of crust. I can see how this would be a family friendly place as well. Totally recommend. read more

I would have loved to rate the food and drink, but ALAS, after sitting there with my buddy for 20-minutes and being ignored by not 1 but 2 waitresses, we got up and left. They all walked right by and ignored our attempts to get their attention. At a MINIMUM, if they were busy (which they wouldn't) they should have dropped off a menu and said they'd be back. With so many restaurants and options in town, this is one place I've scratched off the list. read more

Great atmosphere and the best chicken salad I've had at restaurant. The service is always great and they sell wine, baked goods as well as some of there popular menu items. This place is one of kind and must go to in Covington. read more

We were here recently for a rehearsal dinner. The pizza is good and the staff make you feel welcome. The space is cool with it being so close to the bridge and really walkable to and from Cincinnati. I am glad we were able to visit this spot as I may never have noticed it otherwise. It is an unsuspecting gem. read more

My husband and I stopped here on a whim while staying in Covington. We really enjoyed our experience. I like the idea of a one-stop-shop. The shop was smaller and less impressive than I expected, but we did not really come for the shop, so that was OK. The restaurant and bar side were hopping on a Friday night. The vibe was fun and upbeat. We chose to sit outside since it was a nice evening, and the view was quite nice. The staff were very nice, and I like the self seating.They had a good beer selection, with several local brews, and a decent sized menu. We asked our server what she liked best, and she recommended the brisket pizza. We had the Caprese salad, the pickle fries w/yogurt dill dipping sauce, and the Brisket pizza. The caprese salad was good. Tomatoes are not in season, so I cannot say it was amazing, but that is the the restaurant's fault. The mozzarella, basil, and balsamic were yummy. I did not care for the bread it was served with, but my husband did. (It was too grainy for my taste.) The pickle fries were OK. I was not crazy about the breading on them. The dill sauce was delicious. The brisket pizza was fantastic! The server nailed in on that. The crust was light and crispy, the mozzarella fresh, the BBQ sauce nice and smokey, and the addition of pickled jalapenos gave it a nice little kick. My only suggestion would be to offer some of the BBQ sauce on the side for dipping. Since there is no sauce it was just a tad bit dry. Overall we would come back if we lived closer. :) Next time we are close by, we will definitely stop in for some more brisket pizza. read more

This is a very scenic place with a great beer selection, good food, and a good grocery as well. The service is good, and you can sit outside in nicer weather. read more

I was very much looking forward to The Gruff and for loving it, but it wasn't all-that. I'll start with the good news! The owners are AWESOME! They let our running group meet there and socialize, and it is a great environment. The service was really nice an the prices aren't too bad. BUT, the food was just not worth it. My veggie sandwich barely had anything on it-about 5 leaves of spinach, a few peppers, about 3 cucumbers. I could have gotten more from Subway. read more

I love it here and it's right across from where I work, score! The pizza is fantastic and their pickle fries are to die for. There's always one waiter I see who is very good at making sure everyone's water glass is full. Bravo to him! The Gruff is a great place to stop before or after a Reds game, since it's right at the foot of the Roebling bridge. Make sure you sit on their patio during the warmer months...you'll get a great view. read more

Never in my life have I felt the need to write a review of a restaurant until today. The Italian Meat Pizza I got today was hands down the worst pizza I have ever had in my entire life. Everything else about The Gruff is fine, but please don't order the Italian meat pizza. It will ruin your day, like it has ruined mine. read more

The food at this place is awesome. Made it over last night and sat at the bar. Ordered the cod sandwich (not on the menu but a lot of people seemed to be getting it) and pickle fries. The fish was perfect, the bun heavenly and the pickle fries were a revelation. They also have a nice beer selection and a few big flatscreens for watching a game. My friends ordered the brisket pizza and were highly satisfied. read more

It's been a few days since I had lunch at the Gruff, but I am thrilled to have this restaurant in Covington. We sat at the bar when we came in for the first time, and the server was very friendly and attentive. I had a basic roast beef sandwich and my wife ordered the chicken salad. My roast beef sandwich had super high quality meat and the bread was excellent. My wife's chicken salad was the star of our visit, as it tasted fresh and certainly homemade. As sides we ordered the potato salad and the pickle fries... Both had different twists that we weren't expecting (In a totally good way). In addition to the solid lunch, I was able to walk over to their small market and picked up two four packs of of Bells Two Hearted for my fridge at home. All around it was a great experience and I'll be a regular. read more

Excellent chicken sandwich with a nice spicy slaw. Pickle fries took me by surprise. They grow on you. Comfortable atmosphere. Friendly staff. Next time might try their brick oven fired pizza. Check out their specialty foo. read more

Great new joint! Friendly staff, delicious food, and a great revolving craft beer selection. You can also pick up beer and liquor to go-along with all kinds of deli takeaway stuff. Awesome to see a new local joint with a cool vibe in the Roebling neighborhood. read more

Very cool atmosphere. I've had the chili and burger and both are great. They have craft beer, plasma TVs and great service. Cool view of the suspension bridge with parking in rear. read more

The menu states a side comes with your sandwich. NOT!!!!! They charge extra for a side, so you are paying at least ten bucks for a chicken sandwich. Chicken was ok, but wasn't worth the money. Clearly states from their menu: Sandwiches come with one side; Fruit or Fries add $1.5. Any sandwich can be served on a wheat wrap or on a bed of greens. read more

I ordered the margarita pizza and the hot pastrami sandwich, it was dank! The pizza was made in a wood fired oven right in front of me and all the ingredients they use are local sourced and organic. Awesome place to eat and great service, the food came out quick! Also got a couple pieces of pie, they were out of this world. 5* well deserved. read more

Came in for lunch and had the pickle fries and Marghetia pizza. Pickle fries were very good and the pizza crust was to die for! We will definitely be back. read more

Date night ruined! First the food was cold. They took it back to "reheat it" instead of making a new one. After returning the pizza it was stuck making it impossible to remove from the pan. So as any person would do I proceeded to grab the pan causing me to burn my hand. read more

We tried this place because we were staying nearby and from the outside it looked fun. We sat on the patio which was really nice. We liked the vibe of the inside too. The food choices were unique and different. We ended up getting the truffle sausage pizza and it was really really good. We also got the cheesecake that was also good. I'd recommend this place to friends and come back to try more. They also have some good nightly specials. read more

At first, I did not like this place. My first visit was to dine-in on their opening weekend. The burger I got was mediocre and the waffle fries came out cold. I held off on reviewing though, since I don't think it's fair to judge a place when they're still working out the all the kinks. Since my first dine-in visit I have gotten pizza to-go on three separate occasions. All three times, the pizzas have been nothing short of phenomenal. I've tried the margherita, the Italian meat, and the smoked brisket. I cannot decide which one was best, they were all so good. I also bought some chicken salad from the deli, which turned out to be some of the best chicken salad I've ever had. I cannot recommend it enough. The staff are friendly and pleasant. The ownership is clearly very enthusiastic about being a part of the Covington community, which is awesome. The only thing holding me back from 5 stars is the atmosphere. The place is really loud and echoey and sort of feels like you're dining in an airport concourse or a convenience store. Speaking of which, the market only carries extremely overpriced staples. Still, the pizza and chicken salad earn this place 4 stars. read more

Read the reviews was impressed by what I read. Walked in to a market/cafe style sit down place read the menu and was not impressed. Thought about leaving but ordered the Italian meat pizza an my buddy ordered meat loaf sandwich. The food was on point. The old fashioned drink could of been a bit better. read more

I love this place. My husband and I come here probably once a week and never have a bad meal. I love the turkey sandwich and my husband loves the Reuben. The bean salad is delicious even though it seems like an odd combination at first. I've only had the BBQ pizza (can't remember the name) but it was good too. I'm also a fan of the chicken salad, and fried chicken sandwich. Did I mention their waffle fries are freaking delicious? My only complaint is that they aren't open on Sundays. It always seems like such a good place to go for Sunday lunch and then we remember they are closed. Otherwise, go here! read more

Best fried chicken in town beats the Eagle by a long shot. Also try the beef brisket pizza, you won't be sorry.

Two stars for the restaurant but four for the little market. So we will call it a three. I have been wanting to try this place for a while and we happened to be in the neighborhood so we stopped by. Love the theme. Very clever. We shopped in the little market while we waited for our food. That place is awesome. Chocked full of fun gourmet food products and snacks. If you want to put together a fun charcuterie tray in a hurry this place has all the accompaniments. Fun picked items. Condiments. Local items. Very well curated. Unfortunately, the food did not live up to the market. We started with the gourmet deviled eggs. I love interesting takes on deviled eggs so I always want to give them a shot. These were odd. There was a regular one which was ok. Somewhat lacking in flavor. Then there were two that were the egg white filled with other things. One was a chicken salad and one was and olive tapenade. They were pretty awkward without the yolk to tie it together. We had the Belgian Pizza. Crust was meh and the flavors were pretty good. Not my favorite. Previous reviewers were on about this though I didn't want to believe them as they do have a pizza oven out front. Come to think of it though I didn't see them use it. We also tried the chicken sandwich which other people raved about. It was not good. Slaw had made both the bun and the breading extremely soggy. It was falling apart when you ate it. Flavor was ok. We got the pickle fries with it as well. They were awful. I think they had been fried a while ago and reheated. They were not very warm and with next to no crisp. At 7 on a Thursday and with a pretty good crowd this seemed very odd. I was still hungry and didn't want to eat the other items so I ordered the potato salad. It was good. Sweet and vinegary which was different but tasty. Overall though a very disappointing meal. We will not be returning though if you are near by I would recommend a swing through of the market. read more

The Gruff - Deviled Eggs. Awkward dish. - Pizza Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

EZ walk from Marriott or Embassy Suites. Craft Beers. Great Deli Sandwiches or Artisan Pizzas. We had the Fried Chicken Sandwich and the Chicken Salad Sandwich. Both GREAT! Order the Pickle Slaw on he side though, it was a bit much. read more

Good food, TERRIBLE service. Lived across the street from here for the last year and have been here well over a dozen times. The food is decent- good pizza and sandwiches, nice drink selection. Location is great, especially before the Roebling closed. However, service is consistently bad. Expect waiting for a half hour to be even be greeted, orders always (always!) messed up, to straight up rude servers. There's a half a dozen restaurants nearby serving basically the same food, save yourself the trouble and go somewhere with halfway decent service. read more

My husband and I live super close and been wanting to try it out! We went on a Wednesday which was super fun bc there was live trivia and a special to get certain sandwiches and a craft beer for $20 total. I got the fried chicken sandwich and it was outstanding ! Excited to come back ! read more

Fun spot, they handled our rather loud rowdy group perfectly. When presenting checks they were attentive to get everyone correct and quick. The food was great and no attitude about special requests. Thanks Gruff! read more

Props to the manager of this establishment and the cook who made our fabulous meal today. Visiting from Florida for the University of Central Florida football game against the Bearcats. Would definitely visit this restaurant again. read more

Stopped in for lunch upon the recommendation of the Leugers Group nearby. It was our first time there. Shared the fried chicken sammy and beet salad. Both were awesome as was the service. Picked up some smoked chicken salad to go and it was delicious. Planning to go back next week! read more

The food was great and the service was wonderful. I would have given it more stars, but the inside is so noisy that I could not talk to the people who sat across from me. The music was too loud for the small space and it has one of those horrible ceilings that bounces every sound around and amplifies it. It was very kid friendly with activities and toys so it would be good for parents. They allow dogs on the patio which is cool. If I ever go back, I would make sure it was on a day when I could sit outside. It seemed much more pleasant out there. read more

The best tuna salad I have had at a restaurant. Simply delicious. Came with very ripe roma tomatoes and crispy greens.

What a fun, laid-back place! I came here for lunch during a training at a nearby hotel. Sadly, I did not get to sample any of their beers since I had to go back to the training after lunch....but we had some good food! The weather was beautiful, so we opted to eat outside on their deck. It's pet-friendly with a water bowl for your furry friend. Love that ingredients are locally sourced. I ordered the BLT sandwich with a side of pickle fries. I'd never tried them before, and the waitress said they were really good. She was great, though we did have to ask her for more water at one point. My sandwich was a triple-decker! The bread was delicious and on the thicker side, but it was too much for me. Taking out the middle slice made it perfect. The sandwich was packed with bacon cooked to perfection. It was more thickly sliced with just the right amount of crunch. Yum! Green tomato slices were layered, along with arugula. I could have gone with more tomatoes and arugula, and a bit less bacon - but overall it was very good. The pickle fries were crispy and crunchy, served with a dill sauce. I am not a really big fan of pickles, though I like a spear with a bagel sandwich, so there was no way I could finish the serving of pickle fries. I am glad I tried them, and if you're a big pickle fan - have at it! Or, order some for the whole table. I would definitely go back, but I need to go when I can drink a beer with my meal :o) read more

The smoked brisket pizza was very good. The spicy cilantro adds a nice kick. A most welcome change from pizza selections on other menus.

Fried chicken sandwich with pickle relish and black pepper aoli ....spicy heaven on a brioche bun. The beet salad was exceptional, I would bathe in that dressing (pick around the duck proccutio) lost a star for indifferent service and my dinner mates turkey Ruben that didn't even get grilled enough to melt the cheese. Good wine list...wish we had this in Spokane, I would be a regular. read more

Nice enough spot, good beer selection, but food was just OK. Burger and fries were marginal, salad had too much dressing on it. Charcuterie plate was micro. Nice open space. read more