Bee's Barbecue OTR — Restaurant in Cincinnati

This is the optimal choice for Barbecue in Cincinnati.

THE FOOD Everyone expects great meats from an establishment with “Barbecue” in its name. And the meats are great. But first the salads and sides.

Bee’s has beautiful collards and cole slaw.

All of the salads are delectable, fresh, creative. My favorite dressings are the hot honey vinaigrette and the smoked jalapeño ranch. I know. You probably do not need to read any further, you’re already on your way to Vine Street.

Now the meat. The brisket is precious. The Cincinnati Hot Link is the sausage dreams are made of. The chicken wings are some of the best in town. And we haven’t even mentioned the ribs. Spoiler: the ribs are great. And there is bbq jackfruit for your vegan friends. It’s delicious.

What holds all the food together is the sauces. Poetic sauces. Many choices of sauce. They them all. Do not miss the sting sauce. There may be municipal fines levied if you do not order the sting sauce.

THE AMBIANCE This is a comfortable, clean, totally unpretentious restaurant with charming details and a buzzing vibe. But the bizz does not overwhelm, you can hear your friends. There is lovely outdoor seating, a very nice bar, plus indoor tables and booths.

THE SERVICE The Bee’s team is delightful, professional, skilled. They are deft. I come alone and with big parties and I get the same friendly and engaged service every single time.

Make Bee’s part of your Cincinnati routine, and bring visitors. All of my visitors from Europe, Australia, and...

As a TX/OK transplant (and amateur pitmaster), I have been pleasantly surprised at the quality of BBQ I can find in Cincy, and Bee's competes for my top spot.

Their brisket (which is not easy to find around here) is very fatty (in a good way) and tender, with great bark. Their wings are outstanding. If you like smoked, yet also crispy wings, then these are for you. I love smoked turkey, and while Bee's is not the top turkey in town, it is very darn close. Their sidewinder fries are unusual yet make a fantastic complement to the wings or rib tips. I could take or leave the sausage, and I have not tried the pulled pork (wife said it was very good). We do not usually get sides when we eat BBQ, but my wife loved the cornbread. I tried the beans, and while they may be great to some, they aren't my style (I like the thick brown sugary baked beans), so I won't be getting them again.

I would highly recommend Bee's to anyone looking for good Texas style BBQ, especially if you are looking to eat at the restaurant.

Note: if you are gluten free, just make sure to ask for no white bread on your platter. While the meats (and fries) are GF, one time they put the bread under my brisket, and that resulted in some cross-contamination. Easy fix moving...

In my search for the best brisket in Cincinnati, a lot of people said it's definitely Bee's. To be honest I'm a brisket snob and have experienced brisket all over the country and especially Texas. The staff was amazing and helpful. The sides we got were mac, beans, and slaw. All were excellent. We also got two types of sausage, the house and a serrano cheddar. Really really awesome sausage. Now for the main reason to visit, the brisket. We ordered half lean and half fatty. It was sliced thicker than most places. The bark was extremely well set. Easily the best bark in Cincinnati. I couldn't even scrape it off! Flavor, also the best I have had in this city. So here is where some points get deducted. All our brisket was way over cooked. The bend test failed easy. The slices just fell apart just trying to pick it up. Not the end of the world. This is unfortunately common in a lot of BBQ joints with long hold times. Definitely, I would agree with others, Bee's is pretty good and I would definitely return...