The South Street Grille - Ashland, OH — Restaurant in Ashland

Went to The South Street Grille in Ashland for dinner on a busy Saturday evening and the place was packed with people with about a 30-minute wait for a table. The restaurant is over two floors and fortunately there was plenty of room at the bar located in the downstairs area so I was able to get right in. They had two bartenders working the bar and would tag-team the customers (something I wish more restaurants would do). Despite being extremely busy, I had virtually no wait for my drink and food order. I ordered the meatloaf with fries, something I would never usually have at a tavern-style restaurant. By my timing, the food should always be served by the time I'm finishing my first drink. I was again surprised by the speed--the food came out well before that first drink was gone. The three generous slabs of meatloaf were hot and tender, topped with a BBQ sauce instead of traditional ketchup. Very delicious! The fries were perfect as well. Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. My two bartenders/servers checked in on me throughout the meal and offered more drinks every time my glass got shorter. The place was so busy it was difficult to take in the decor, but I did note it was very clean (including the restrooms) and the general vibe was similar to a sports bar. I was very satisfied with the whole experience. The food was excellent and the servers/kitchen brought their A-game. The price was on par with other restaurants of this type. I'll definitely be back again (at a less busy lunch time) to see the rest of the restaurant and try out some more...

What a pleasant surprise! On a whim we searched for somewhere to eat in Ashland when we visited Grandpa's Cheese Barn. This place is a gem! Great menu selection! Steak was done absolutely perfect and came with a mound of seasoned butter melting over it. It was very good and very tender. BUT, the absolutely AMAZING dish was the grilled brussel sprouts! I have never, ever experienced a more flavorful vegetable in my life! They are caramelized and seasoned then grilled to a slightly crispy texture. They were so good that for days now I have to fight the urge to drive the hour south just to get them again! Along with the great food everyone there was VERY pleasant and our server was very attentive and and very personable. As for the ambiance, it is located in what appears to be an old renovated shop or warehouse on the side of a hill downtown nestled beside a small creek where there is a very nice outside dining area provided. Inside you have your choice of a downstairs bar area for drinks with friends or if you prefer a more quiet, slightly more formal dining area you can go upstairs and dine in one of their several dining rooms. The background music was perfectly balanced by volume and music selection with a wide range of music from the 70's, 80's and 90's. Overall we came away with that feeling you seldom experience that tugs at you saying " find an excuse to go back!" Haha. ...

I don't want to be too harsh in my review. My family who lives in Ashland comes here often and usually have nothing but good things to say. But after being here a couple times I personally haven't been too impressed.

A group of seven of us went here last night for my birthday dinner. Our server was friendly enough. We did have to wait quite a while for our food but they were really busy and it gave us time to socialize so it wasn't a big deal. However, once the food did arrive we all noticed our food was cold. The French fries were warm but everything else was room temperature. My fish and chips were not good at all. Besides being cold, the fish was dry and overcooked. My Mac and Cheese was actually cold, like cooler than room temperature. I will admit that the fries were pretty good though. Everyone at the table said their food was also cold. So overall it was just a really disappointing experience.

I personally would cut them more slack and chalk it up to a one-time thing since I normally hear really good things about their food but the last time I was there I had the Carolina chicken sandwich and thought it was subpar and then another time I had the pulled pork sandwich and just thought it was ok. Maybe I just have bad luck...