A nice neighborhood gathering spot. Family friendly on weeknights and before about 8 on a weekend night. After that it’s mostly an adult beer drinking crowd. Plenty of televisions showing whatever games happen to be on. Known for different types of mac and cheese. Also have a fair selection of appetizers and several burgers to choose from. This is one place where I’d give the atmosphere a 4 or 5 star rating, the beer selection 4 stars and the food 3 stars.
Alli R.
Place rating: 3 Cincinnati, OH
A great little White Oak hangout — the perfect spot to grab a beer and a bite after a LaSalle game. The food is great and priced well and I was very impressed with the selection of craft beers available. I highly recommend the buffalo or the lobster mac and cheese. There are plenty of TVs to watch whatever game your heart desires and oftentimes there’s live music. A great spot to hang out for a little while with friends.
Laura T.
Place rating: 3 Erlanger, KY
Tavern on the Bend… how I really want to like you SO much more than I do! It is a beautiful restaurant in a weird shopping center… parking always seems somewhat like a pain. The tap has a nice selection of beverages, in addition to what they have in bottles. I was happy with the options. My husband always wants the most German sounding wheat beer on a menu– which is rarely kept in stock. Happened here, too. We’ve been here a couple of times. I’ve tried the burger– which I must say is a bit disappointing to me. Mainly because none of their options include PICKLES!!! I complained about it– and was told I could have a pickle spear on the side… but they have hamburger pickles for a reason! The fact that I have to ask for a pickle is quite disappointing to me in the first place. The burgers are very greasy– as in dripping grease down your hands. The meat is a little crumbly for my liking– and they serve it medium rare. While I love my steaks barely cooked– I get a bit nervous about ground beef. I’ve read the reviews– so I tried the Tavern Mac. Dang– it was good! I see myself going back for more mac n cheese! Just have to get my hubs on board that cheesy pasta is the way to do this restaurant!!!
Robert H.
Place rating: 3 Kansas City, MO
I don’t think I’d have noticed Tavern on the Bend if it weren’t for my brother and sister-in-law taking me in, but I’m glad they did. As I understand it, Tavern on the Bend is known for their macaroni & cheese… and they have more than a few options to select from. I got the chili mac. It is not on their menu, but apparently they routinely make it anyway. They use their house chili and it was awesome! The main area of the restaurant is around the bar with tables off to the side as well. There are televisions around the restaurant showing news and sporting events. The noise level is as expected, but it is a bit loud for my preferences. We were visiting family and they had a band playing… The band was pretty good, but it was impossible to carry on a conversation. Because of our number, we also had to sit on high chairs without backs, which was not the most pleasant experience. We typically go once per visit to Cincinnati. My brother and sister-in-law seem to really like the place… and who can say no to the macaroni & cheese.
Sunny G.
Place rating: 4 Cincinnati, OH
Great choice of craft beer, decent food, laid back atmosphere, and the staff I’ve met have been pleasant!
Erika M.
Place rating: 5 Cincinnati, OH
The only bad thing about this place is that it is only open for dinner. The Mac and Cheese is way better, compared to a lot of places in Cinci known for Mac. Mac of the month is always fun and different, but lobster mac and buffalo mac are two of my favorites. Great beer selection, and wonderful ambiance to stop by for a few beverages and dinner after work. I would also highly recommend the hanky panks or the pretzel’s for an appetizer(which you don’t even really need because the Mac is so filling!) Way to go Tavern… one of the best places on the westside!
Patty C.
Place rating: 3 Cincinnati, OH
This was our 3rd visit here — the husband and I needed something close that served fries. I can’t say that I’ve ever been wow’d by the food here. I love that the menu is simple and they keep it basic. I would enjoy just a couple more appetizer choices, however. The service, this round, was good. Tonight, we got pretzel sticks(so good with plenty of salt), the chuck norris and a Mahi sandwich with apricot goat cheese. My fish sandwich was good — not awesome but good. Our food came out and my husband tasted the fries — he put a ton of salt on both of ours. If HE thinks that they needed salt, they must have had nothing on them. My jaw dropped when I saw the salt shaker in his hand. His burger was super undercooked — like the beef was red, bleeding and not even warm. Our server was prompt with taking it back. It came back out — as it was… cut in half, soggy bottom bun(from the previous blood) and the same toppings. I found it odd that they didn’t even try to make it better and freshen it up. He ate it without complaining. I really want to like it here but I just find the food to be average. If you have a limited menu, you better make it rock.
Ashlie F.
Place rating: 1 Cincinnati, OH
A Jon Taffer bar rescue waiting to happen! I really wanted this place to be great. I was excited to try some of the various mac and cheese offerings and was pumped for hanky panks, which I haven’t had since I was a kid. The hanky panks were super greasy. They were basically a scoop of ground sausage on bread with cheese melted on top. Not at all what I grew up with. The mac and cheese was terrible. My husband ordered the lobster mac, which tasted like mac and cheese with old fish in it. The sauce was thin and watery. The burgers were decent but nothing to write home about. I wish the food was the only problem. Our server acted like he wanted to be anywhere but there, when we could catch him. This is not a place I would normally order an Old Fashioned, but since it was on the drink specials menu I thought there was a good chance the bar staff would know how to make it. WRONG. So. Wrong. I was served a glass of cloudy lemon-flavored dish water. Half our table’s food came out about 15 minutes later than the other half. I’m talking burgers, fries, and mac and cheese — food that should take 15 minutes to cook total. I wanted to like this place, but sadly will not be back.
Sean M.
Place rating: 5 Cincinnati, OH
Been to Tavern on the Bend twice. I really enjoy their menu. The beer selection is really good as well. For an appetizer, start with the hanky panks or potato soup. Both are great. The house salad is a nice mix with a tasty dressing. The Buffalo chicken Mac is filling and delicious. The only weird thing(and it wasn’t enough for me to knock down their rating) is that they use plasticware for everything.
Hark J.
Place rating: 3 Cincinnati, OH
Been here twice. The first time was pleasant the second time was less so. Pricy meals and the beer selection(for having so many taps) is mediocre at best — too many generic national brands.
Lisa w.
Place rating: 3 Cincinnati, OH
Meh. Chuck Norris Buger was okay — like the other review noted — it was really mushy. The ambiance was good but more formal(dark wood bar and booths) than the menu and service warranted.
Woody K.
Place rating: 2 Middletown, OH
Well first time burgers were good. Decided to get the Marilyn Monroe — what a disappointment burn was a mushy waste chicken was not fresh but probably from Cisco, gets on the greasy side. Buffalo Mac and cheese was good but now not sure how fresh ingredients are. All the paper products they use is a huge cost to business. Do I think they will be in business in 2 years — no not great food mostly frozen not fresh and paper products are huge cost eventually this will cost them. Tonite service waiter didn’t seem to be on the mood to do job… Going thru the motions
James B.
Place rating: 3 Cincinnati, OH
Had not been to the Tavern on the Bend in a long time. Overall my dining experience was just OK. The Mac and cheese was tasty but not hot, and the friends salmon was WAY over cooked and hard as a rock. However, the beer selection was good!
Joy D.
Place rating: 2 Cincinnati, OH
Good food, great burgers, locally owed, but serves on paper/styrofoam with plastic ware. Decent bar. Usually happy with customer service, but have had an occasional«snobby» experience with staff over what qualifies as good customer service.
John W.
Place rating: 5 Cincinnati, OH
Good food st a reasonable price. No complaints. A little pricy for disposable dinnerware. Love the Angry Bird. Great potato soup. Always loud.
Grace R.
Place rating: 5 Cincinnati, OH
Best salad at a bar you could imagine! Great drinks! Only problem is they don’t open for lunch. Macaroni and cheese is great. Don’t get the lobster it stinks like canned sardines. Its the closest to keystone’s mac n cheese you will find!
Amanda H.
Place rating: 4 Cincinnati, OH
We were early to Laurens soccer game on the west side of Cincinnati and decided to stop into this little restaurant/bar in a strip mall. From the outside I had no expectations of the food being any good, but I was very surprised. The décor is just like a typical tavern would be. Bar, booths, sports memorabilia; the usual. The menu was on the smaller side but they had a great mac and cheese selection. I love mac and cheese! I went with the goetta mac because well, I wouldn’t be a Cincinnatian if I didn’t try it. But the Westside mac sounded awesome too. It was so good. I would put it on par with Keystones mac and cheese. There was more than enough meat and the rich beer cheese mixed perfectly with it. The portion looks small, but the meal is so rich, you’ll definitely be taking some home. The one things I was surprised with, was they dont carry wings. Lauren was disappointed, but she ended up with the pretzel sticks. They were good. Same bier cheese that was in the mac. You should check it out if you ever find yourself over in the north bend area. I read that Mondays are half price mac too!
Nikki E.
Place rating: 5 Cincinnati, OH
Buffalo mac n cheese is to die for! Great beer selection and very friendly staff. Great place for dinner or just to grab drinks.
Matthew A.
Place rating: 4 Cincinnati, OH
I love the half priced Macaroni that they have on Mondays typically. They also have a nice selection of beer on tap and keep up with some of the seasonal selections. It does tend to get a bit crowded for happy hour of course and is a little small, but the service and food are great as is the music.
Sean B.
Place rating: 4 Cincinnati, OH
This is a 5 star concept with a 4 star execution at present. The beer choices and food choices keep me coming back often. I’ve found the lobster mac and cheese and goetta mac and cheese to be my favorites at this place so far. I always get the mac & cheese so I can’t recommend anything else food wise here. If you don’t mind eating with plastic and on paper plates /bowls then you will like the food here. I typically sit at the bar here and get good service. I’ve had other friends come here and get poor service when they sit in the booths or at the tables. Not sure why, but the bar seems to get the best quality of service in my experiences here. Beer choices are of all varieties. IPA’s, dark, light, domestics, and imports. You like beer, you will like this place. Guess what, I like this place!