Cap City Fine Diner & Bar

I had my first visit to Olive & Ivy, and it was an unforgettable experience. The food, particularly the hummus, was outstanding, and our server's kindness, attentiveness, and thoughtful gestures made my celebration feel truly special.

We were celebrating my son's 15th birthday and the experiece exceeded my expectations. The atmosphere is beautiful and everyone was friendly. From the time we arrived and were greeted by the hosts to our OUTSTANDING waitress, we felt very welcomed. All of our guests enjoyed their food and experience. Orders included the brocolli and cheese soup, burgers, salmon salad, beef stroganoff and fish and chips.Everything was delicious.Thank you to all the staff for ensuring an awesome dining experience.

I'm sitting here eating my leftovers from Cap City Fine Diner and it reminded me to get this review going. The headline here is that Cap City adds a great option in the Heights neighborhood around UC. A bit more upscale than some of the bars and restaurants that attract the thousands of students in the area, but not so much that you'd be afraid to go there. The place is brand new, and sits adjacent to a soon-to-open hotel. We tried the Blue Cheese Potato Chips ($12.99) as a starter. Delicious, and the blue cheese is not strong. It was a bit much for 2 people as a starter - would be great for 3-4 or more to share as a snack (Would be amazing to snack on if you were having drinks at the bar). For dinner we shared the open faced Philly Steak sandwich and fries ($15.99). The fries were a nice surprise - great seasoning and fresh. The sandwich was big. Overall, seemed like a good value for a dine-in experience. We also had the Spicy Shrimp Pasta, which I just finished a couple days later. It was as good reheated as it was that night. A generous portion for $21.99. All in, while it's not the kind of cheap eats you'll find in some divier places around UC, the overall value was surprisingly good. After dry January, I hope to come back and try some cocktails!

As this is a 2 rating, let me start with the positives of Cap City Fine Diner because you may very well not share my opinion of the things I didn't like, so maybe it's worth a go.So the positives. From a facilities standpoint, it is a brand new restaurant in the University of Cincinnati area and has a spacious interior, a nice bar, many TVs showing sports, and nice bathrooms. All of the features are nicely done.They have a great website that shows all the menus for brunch, lunch, dinner, and specials and guides on how to make reservations and order online. So they are rocking on the digital media standpoint.Their menu has items for just about everyone and a nice bar menu as well. They have gluten free alternatives if you desire that as well.Our waitress was very nice and attentive. The hostesses were very nice as well. They brought out warm buttered rolls to the table as the evening began.At this point, you may wonder why I rated it a 2. First, let me give my basis for a 2. A 2 means for me is if someone recommends we go there, I would actively recommend we go somewhere else as there are many dining options around Cincinnati. So why would I recommend an alternative?1. Parking. Unless luck is in your favor, you will have to park in a parking garage and pay over $10. Also, the parking process at the neighboring garage with bar code scans, assigned parking and app setup was quite frustrating for a one time dining experience. 2. We were seated in the patio area. Given it was 25F outside and the fact that there are small gaps between the roll-up doors, it made for an unpleasant environment. The radiant heaters in the ceiling kept the top part warm, but my legs were so cold I had to put my jacket around them. This is not a "fine dining" environment. Also, just inside the window, in the indoor seating area, a booth for 4 sat empty the entire time, so there was an option to not sit in the oddly temperature controlled patio. I saw a couple of tables asked to be relocated. I don't expect the customers to have to tell management that the area is uncomfortable.3. Other than some cosmetic references, this is not any version of a "Diner", fine or otherwise, that I would consider accurate as the restaurant name indicated. I absolutely LOVE diners and visit in almost every location I travel to. The ambience, vibe, decor, and food in no way reminded me of diner. Upscale American food is more accurate. For me, if something is important enough to put in the restaurant name, like Pizza, Burger, Fried Chicken, Diner, etc. then the restaurant should 100% honor that in offering and vibe. Not the case here. I concede this may not be relavent to many people.4. The food. Overall the food was just ok. I ordered coffee. There were coffee grounds in the bottom of the cup, which is a brewing problem. My nice waitress brought me a second cup which was good. I ordered the Balsamic Chicken. On the positive side it came with 2 skin-on roasted chicken breasts which is an upscale touch. But the spinach, peppers and mushrooms side item was barely a garnish in quantity. My wife had the crab cakes and they were on the smallish side, but the bigger issue was the green beans were al dente to the point of barely cooked. On paper these dishes were well conceived as Fine Dining offerings, but not well executed.I would say that if parking weren't an issue (maybe I work on UC campus and can walk over for lunch), and if I sat in the comfortable interior, and the food was executed well, I would probably be at a rating of 4, but none of this was the case during my visit.

Very cool addition to the Clifton area. Very familiar with Dublin Cap City and Cincy does not disappoint. Great drink menu, large selection of lunch and dinner meals! Only challenge is parking (area feels a bit "under construction" so just head to the garage behind and use their app!

A great unique dining experience, with upscale diner food. The red booths and 1950's vibes are present. The staff is very attentive and kind.The portions are huge, so don't be afraid to share. Everything is very hearty. I enjoyed the California Club most, which had a nice twist with the addition of guacamole. The desserts are probably the best part, so save room! My only complaint is that the lighting was very dim.

So cool! Innovative take on classic diner food, with boozy milkshakes and abundant portions.

I discovered the other day that they've finally opened! We are huge fans of Cap City Diner and when in Columbus, we at least order a slice of their 24K Carrot Cake to go if we don't find time to dine there. Sammy, our waitress was superb! She and Brad, the manager, were very friendly and informative to our questions about any and everything about the opening of our favorite diner. The lighting was a bit dark this evening, that I couldn't read the menu well enough with my readers. Thankfully, I pretty much knew the menu. We weren't that hungry but ordered the Hot and Sour Calamari appetizer ($16) and salads as our entree. The Two Apple Spinach Salad ($11) for him, and Wedge of Iceberg ($10) for me. We just wanted to experience this place in our residential town. No disappointments here. As always, we topped our meal with the 24K Carrot Cake ($10), even though the Apple Pie was very tempting. We are always satisfied with presentation, pace and taste with Cap City Diner. We'll see you again, soon!

Unfortunate. Not bad but three different chicken dishes we selected (one salad, one sandwich, one entree) had the same flattened, breaded, and fried chicken breast. I appreciate the good service but can't recommend the uninspired and mediocre food.

First visit here, love the Columbus stores. Great atmosphere, food and personal attention. Great spot before and after UC sporting events. The chocolate cake is amazing!