Metropole

Our dining experience at Metrople this past Sat was a delightful blend of comfort and creativity. We started with the roasted beet salad, a perfect balance of earthy beets, quark and apricot. We opted for the bread which was grilled and not one of my favs (note they do charge for replenishing). On to my short rib with mashed potatoes which was tender and rich, with a mild sauce that could've used a bit more punch. The hubs had the market fish (trout) served atop grilled grits, elevated by a silky carrot beurre blanc that added a subtle sweetness and elegance to the dish. We split the roasted cauliflower which was surprisingly a highlight of our meal.For dessert, we opted to share their vanilla ice cream which was smooth and creamy. The sweet potato pound cake, originally served cold (who eats cold cake?!) but once I sent back to request it be heated, stole the show with its moist texture and warm, spiced flavor.The attentive service and cozy yet refined atmosphere rounded out an enjoyable evening. Metropole is a must-visit for those who appreciate elevated comfort food with a creative edge. Make sure to check out the art at the attached 21C Museum Hotel before leaving.

Food is good but the service was absent-minded. Despite being nearly empty on a Saturday morning, it took a while for someone to seat me. I had to go to the bar to ask if I should seat myself. She went looking for the host but couldn't find her. Sometime later she had to call her on a walkie. My waitress was also a bit absent-minded. She came by to get my drink order so I ordered an espresso. I told her I need more time for food. A while later, she came back and picked up my menu, not saying anything to me, so I just waited to see what was going on. Then she said, oh, I never came back to take your order! Did you want to order some food? Yes, yes I did ‍ I also didn't realize until my dish came out that she never asked me how I want my eggs. She did ask the table next to me how they want their eggs. Another weird staff thing was that another costumer had to come and ask me for the salt and pepper grinders on my table. No problem sharing. I looked around and saw a bunch by the waiter counter so I guess her waitress didn't bring any for her? I ordered the Goetta and Shishito Hash with Avocado on the side. The portion is very large. Easily 2 breakfasts for me. I was worried about the cook on the potatoes because they look really light but they are nice and crispy. They might be fried? The dish is greasy so a great option of you went out the night before The eggs came out over hard. Would not have been my choice but oh well. Next time: I'll try coming at night. Maybe the service is better. Plus I really want to try these fried deviled eggs!

Let's get this out of the way first: kudos to Jeremy, who was AH-may-zing! Totally attentive, gave great recommendations, really understands the menu, provides those special touches.Moving on--previously I only had drinks here. Tonight I got to sit down for dinner. I was unfortunately only able to make it to the site at 9 PM, an hour before closing. I rarely ever enter a restaurant that late, but couldn't be helped this time. Neither Jeremy or management made me feel rushed. They still made me feel like a VIP.I had already had a horrible steak from another restaurant earlier in the day, so I avoided the steak (though I'm sure Metropole would have done it better). My server recommends the smoked chicken with piri piri, smoked yogurt, and pickled carrots, but I am not a fan of airline chicken (generally a thigh served on the bone--it's a me thing, not a them thing). He also recommended the scallops (sweet corn, uni ragout, nori brown butter, and potato chips), but I'm not big on scallops or shrimp. But the description is so appetizing, I might have to try it sometime.I landed on the pork loin "schnitzel," which was well breaded. Crispy on the outside, not over-cooked or burned. Moist pork inside. Outside bacon, this might be the first pork dish I've had in a decade or better. It was served with pickled peppers, herb salad, green apples, and fennel. Perfect blend of crispy, crunchy, savory, tart, spicy. I LOVED this dish. SO creative, fresh, a perfect combo of heavy and light.I also had the smashed Yukon gold potatoes made with rosemary and parmesan. These potatoes were so scrumptious and absolutely effing delicious. Crispy skin on the outside and melt-in-your-mouth softness on the inside. LOVED them.I had two bourbon based drinks that were smoky and palatable. I finished with "Friend of the Devil," a light, perky purple drink made with mezcal, tequila, spicy blueberry syrup, lime, and salt. Great end to the night.They have other sexy dishes and sides such as grilled cabbage with black garlic and beer, grilled asparagus with hollandaise, roasted monkfish, a smash burger, oysters, salads, and other starters.Can't wait to go back over and over during my hotel stay!

We went here for breakfast twice while staying at 21c. The service and quality was inconsistent. The first day service and food was very good. The avocado toast was loaded up and full of flavor. Second day the service was far more spotty and the food not at impressive. The brioche was burnt and there was minimal avocado and onions on it.

I was quite disappointed with my brunch experience here. The main issue was the Eggs Benedict, which was undercooked, and when I asked the server about it, her condescending attitude made the situation even worse.The French toast was equally unimpressive--firm and lacking flavor. I've had much better at places like Kitchen Social and Toast and Berry. The presentation of the food didn't do it any favors either, and given the higher prices, I expected a lot more. On a positive note, the English muffin in the Eggs Benedict was perfectly done.However, the worn-out seats and tables are in dire need of renovation. The area was also dimly lit with minimal natural lighting.There are definitely better brunch spots nearby that offer superior food, service, and value. I won't be coming back here.

There are plenty of great brunch spots in downtown Cincinnati and this is definitely not one of them. I was very disappointed by their brunch service. They are centrally located downtown at the 21C hotel but they were not busy for brunch on a nice Sunday morning. The tables were a bit sticky and our booth seating could use some upholstery, but overall the decor was nice. We ordered the brioche French toast and crab cake Benedict. The yolk of our poached egg on our Benedict was raw and when we brought our concerns to our waiter- she belittled us and asked us if we've ever had a poached egg before. When cutting into the poached egg, the yolk was light/ translucent yellow, slimy and all fell to one side instead of the classic runny egg yolk. The crab cake was crispy but the hollandaise sauce lacked any flavor. The French toast was soggy. At the end of our meal, the waitress did offer to notify the kitchen regarding our concerns.

We love Metropole! We stayed at 21C for a week last year for my birthday. We ate at Metropole once. We revisited this past Monday for dinner before a show. I love the ambiance of Metropole. It's comfortable and low-key, yet still quite fancy. I do love that the dress code is 'casual'. That said, there were some folks there dressed to the nines.Last year I remember the Crispy Deviled Eggs and Tuna Tartar. The deviled eggs are outstanding. I'm sorry we didn't get them again. We did, however, order the Tuna Tartar, which is a little flavor bomb! One of the best bites of the night.We did order oysters with raspberry cocktail sauce. It was a special and it certainly sounded delicious. They didn't hit the mark for us. The sauce was good, but the oysters were the slightest bit sandy and tasted more of the ocean than I'd prefer. I considered giving four stars just because of this dish, but everything else about Metropole is truly great.I started with a Hocus Pocus cocktail, which included a house made curry syrup. The last ingredient on the menu is "magic". This cocktail is truly magical. The flavors are difficult to explain. Suffice to say, it's unlike any cocktail any of us have ever tasted before. For dinner we ordered the Herb Brined Chicken and the Black Hawk Smash Burger. The chicken was fantastic. The chicken itself was moist and flavorful. The burnt carrot risotto was cooked to perfection. Everything else on the plate combined with the chicken was extraordinary. It was SO good! And... it was a LOT of food. Much as I tried, I still left a bit of the risotto behind.Mark thoroughly enjoyed his burger. He raved about everything, including the bun, which was apparently soft and actually had flavor that supported the burger itself. I can attest the fries were great because I stole a few from his plate.On to dessert. Last time we were here they had a corn ice cream that was unique and out of this world. On Monday I had a dip of chocolate and a dip of pumpkin. The ice cream melts exactly how a high end ice cream should. Mark ordered the Mocha Mousse, which as a nice size dessert that was simply delicious. I got a few bites. The mocha flavor was very present and the crunchy crust was fantastic with the more smooshy mousse. I absolutely recommend the Mocha Mousse dessert.Our waitress was kind and attentive with the perfect amount of attention for our dining needs.There are so many things we haven't tried, we will have to come back again and again.

Enjoyed my stay the ambiance was very eclectic and unique. Will definitely return for a staycation

The Cacio e Pepe here is so good and I love the penguin theme. The wait staff is always really nice, and it was a good place to go for my anniversary.

Visited tonight with family for a pre-show dinner. (Just across the street from the Aronoff). We arrived early and took advantage of the hotel museum while our table was being prepared. We were seated on tine for our reservation and given a host (David) who was attentive and considerate about pacing ourselves to get to the show on time.To start, we ordered a bit of everything for the table - bread, deviled eggs, blackened peppers, cheese and jam with toast, and oysters on the half shell. It was all great and fun that the table got to experiment with foods.We all tried something different for our main course and did a little sharing-steak, salmon, duck, and the excellent recommendation of the rigatoni bolognese.While we were pressed for time we still managed an olive oil cake with whipped cream and fig sauce for dessert - YUMWonderful evening, food, and service. If you are headed downtown or to a show at the Aronoff - this would be a place to try!