Element Eatery — Restaurant in Cincinnati

I live in Norwood. First time here, and it's been open for 3 years. They did a really fun job playing off of the science/medical community with their theming. The bar is well crafted and the decor is tasteful, professional, and clean. The facility is clean and well managed.

The place reminded me of an upscale version of a food court you would find at a mall. Except, there are no stores to shop.

We came here with a group of people. These kinds of dining formats are weird because everyone goes to a different shop and no one's food is ready at the same time. Some people walked away with a tray of food. Some people had to give a phone number and wait for a text message saying that their food is ready (could be a while depending on how busy the kitchen is).

A lot of the current food stalls have independent locations elsewhere in the city. You get the same familiar taste here. Cool. The facility has a unique selection of some of my favorite places. However, the fun stops at the affordability.

Anything here seems to start at $11. Then, you add meat, or a side, and a drink and you are out an easy $20. Add a drink from the bar, and that's another $10. At least at a restaurant, you are afforded a table, service, and a dining experience. This type of place makes you work for everything. Stand in line, forgot to order something... Have to go back through the process. Want a drink from the bar? Get up from your table and find an available bar tender. Want dessert? You have to go to a different vendor. As a consumer, going to a single restaurant allows for efficiency in how the food is prepared, ordered, and delivered as the final bill. Because a place like this is trying to be "trendy", now for each kind of food you want, you have to pay the individual stall their portion of the stall rent, food procurement, staffing overhead, etc. These kinds of inefficiencies are probably why the food prices cost so much. Property Investors seem to be the winners in this style of dining experience.

If I want to share a meal with a group of friends, I'd rather settle on a more traditional bar/restaurant format and not have to pay through the nose, serve myself, worry about finding a table and talking over the scheduled entertainment in which our group had no interest in participating.

I'm glad others enjoy this kind of social kitchen environment, but I don't think I need to go back for a while. At least, not until I get more money...

Cool idea but needs a LOT of improvement.

1. Parking is not clearly denoted. There might be “2000 spaces” but only about 75 are visible. There is a parking garage but no signage to direct you to it.

2. The concept of the place is good but its not great if everyone wants different things. I waited for 20+ mins for a burger from Tela and everyone with me got their food 10 mins before me. They were half finished by the time I even sat down.

3. It was the WORST veggie burger I’ve ever had in my life. As a vegetarian I’ve had a lot of veggie burgers and this was the worst one. Just quinoa and chickpeas with ZERO seasoning. No salt. No pepper. Nothing. The “roasted” tomato was the most seasoned thing and it was obviously just fried on the grill. I asked them to withold onions and a sriracha sauce and the result was just terrible. The bun was dry. The lettuce was limp. The burger tasted like nothing. All for $11+. Not worth it at all. And it doesn’t even come with fries (those are $6 more).

4. there is free water available, which helps a bit and is a nice feature but I would have liked to have access to ice.

5. the chairs were SO uncomfortable at the tables.

6. everything is expensive and overpriced for what you get.

The saving grace of the night and the only reason this is a 2 star review was the...

The bar is the winner here. I love that there are so many beers on tap to choose from, often ones I've not tried before. They also have great cocktail options. The bar tenders are always friendly, helpful and quick. The atmosphere is nice. I love the options to sit at a regular table or at a cozy lounge space. There's also nice outdoor seating areas. The food is pretty good. I've eaten from several of the vendors. Nothing has blown me away, but it's all good enough. One time, my meal was a bit disappointing, but it happens. This is a great place for groups, as they have large tables available and everyone can pick their own restaurant to eat from. It's also great if you need something quick. A few times I've been, there was live music, which was nice. Also, they have bingo some nights. One thing I appreciate is that this place is big enough that if you aren't involved in the game night, you don't feel like it's overwhelming you. You can sit away from it and barely hear what's going on. So many places you can't even enjoy yourself if you're not involved with the game. One last thing- they have free sparkling water (along with regular water) on tap. I love a glass of...