Garden on the Rock Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Cincinnati

I haven't been in to this spot in a while. I loved the owner two owners ago but you could tell that her heart just wasn't in it anymore. It was hard to get and keep staff and the service and menu were suffering. My coworkers and I would frequently pop in after work, anywhere between 4-8 of us, for drinks and sometimes food. The wait times were painful and the food quality was declining. Cue the second owner's. I believe they also owned a pizza joint in Northern Kentucky. We had high hopes, but sadly, food and service got worse and myself and coworkers found a new spot in Northside to wet our whistles. It had been nearly 6 months since I had ventured in, sadly tucking this once vibrant watering hole into the crevices of my memories. On a whim, I took a chance and stopped in this past Wednesday for a work meeting. It was obvious from the second I walked in that something was very different. The tables were rearranged, giving it a more open and inviting feel, the music was different: less thrash more mellow vibe, and then it happened...... we were greeted almost immediately with a smile and a welcome vibe. It was like she was happy to see us come in. We had our drinks within minutes. She would have taken our order quickly too, but she wanted to get food to a table while it was still hot and fresh. I needed a minute anyway, the new menu had me looking around again and again just to make sure I was in the right place. A great mix of traditional bar food, but also street tacos! I love street tacos. Apparently so does everyone else, because my first request, the Korean beef, had sold out the day before. Both my companion and I got the salmon tacos and let me just tell you, they were amazing. The salmon was plump, juicy, and cooked to perfection. Cabbage and a variety of bell peppers accompanied the scrumptious fish, and some sauce that I could not quite put my finger on, but added the perfect amount of acidic contrast. I can't wait to try all of the other menu items! Look, I will always have a tender spot in my minds eye for the Boswell's that was, but I am very much looking forward to seeing what Garden on the Rock blossoms into. The passion and attention to detail was obvious and I just know with our support they will become thriving members of the...

Under new ownership, come check it out! We had the loaded tots, chicken sandwich and burger. Fantastic! Great and attentive service! New vendors for meat and it is fire! Get in here!

I apologize in advance for the length of this post. So. I've waited over a week to share this because I wanted to give myself a chance to cool off. Last Wednesday, I invited 14 of my Pickleball friends to my favorite bar, Boswell's, after play. When we got there, there were 2 people inside and 3 outside on the patio. We chose to dine on the patio. I have had issues in the past with service there but continued to return because I kept hoping the service would get better. Not that night. We cleaned our own tables, got our own menus and silverware and at the end of the evening had to tell him what we had so he could cash us out at the bar. Did I mention he neglected to put my order in? Everyone was finishing up when I went to check on my food. Needless to say, I didn't tip well. He sarcastically thanked me for coming in. I informed him that I tip on service. He then called me a c@nt, rhymes with bunt, and said he was banning me from the bar and would never serve me again. I informed him that he hadn't served me that night or the last 2 times I'd been in. His idea of service has been neglectful, at best. I contacted the owner and when she asked what she could do to make the situation better, I requested that she fire him. She did not do so. I have been a regular customer at Boswell's for over a decade. I have too much respect for myself to continue to give my hard earned money to a business that continues to employ someone who would treat a solid customer that way. Do with this information what you will but I had to let people know what happened to me. We deserve better than this. P.S. I have a witness who saw and heard this entire...

lots of brick on the walls and stuff with cool brick. floors: wood worn. floor in bathroom felt like sink hole of wood, as if they keep it very wet. the paper towels felt as if they had been moistened. everything was incredibly wet. i tried to pull out the paper towel and a whole stack of towels came out and i didn't want to waste them so i set them by the sink and they were immediately wet. exiting the bathroom, you are blasted in the face by a cloud of smoke from the kitchen where many grease pans are strewn about. i fear for the health of the workers due to the smoke. i've heard of black lung but these guys might have burger lung which is also black with some pickles mixed in. food: eh. my burger was smashed into the shape of the state of ohio, i don't know if it was intentional. lettuce was brown. i don't know if all the condiments need to come in plastic containers, seems kind of wasteful. i didn't ask for honey mustard or regular mustard or ranch or hot sauce. made me feel like i had to eat them. wondering if i was served reused mustard? also, fries good but in the bottom of the fry bowl there was a little puddle of something and all the fries there were cold and soggy which was only like 3 fries but i still couldnt eat them because they were so wet. server was nice, very quiet. a little devious. puddles of grease in the alley. many doors. overall, eh. very wet. fix your moisture problems and maybe we can talk about another half star. thanks...