The Filson Queen City Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in Cincinnati

Update #1: While when Filson first opened they were my new favorite restaurant in the Banks, I have since ceased going to Filson at all. Over time both the service and food quality have degraded. The food is constantly changing flavor, format, and they are often out of many menu items. The service has gotten so bad that the last time I was there we walked out before our waiter even showed up to our table after we sat there for 10 minutes without anyone showing up to wait on us. Meanwhile a table that had just sat down had water and a waitress within a minute of sitting down. Very disappointing to see such a bright spot for the banks go downhill so fast.

I was so excited to finally have a new restaurant in the banks, and having been let down a couple times in the last year by other new restaurants/bars in the banks that didn’t live up to expectation, I was thrilled when The Filson did! I’ve been twice in the few weeks they’ve been open and both times the food and service were perfect. I was shocked at how good the service was at a place that had only been open for a couple weeks. The first time I got Colonel DB’s Crispy Chicken sandwich and as a huge bbq grippos fan, which the chicken was breaded with, the sandwich was absolutely delicious. I don’t know what they put in their honey mustard sauce but I’ve convinced myself it’s the best honey mustard I’ve ever had. On the side I had tater tot’s that were perfectly crispy and had a wonderful seasoning on them. I wish I had twice as many! My dinner guest got the hangover burger and fell in love with it. We also got mac and cheese to share, and while the flavor was good, it was a little on the dry side for me because it was baked. The second time I wanted to try the steak sandwich but they were out so clearly it’s popular! Instead I went for the Bourbon Street Pasta and it was as good as it looked on paper. The sauce was delicious and the shrimp were cooked perfectly! This is definitely going to become one of my go to restaurants on the area!

Update: I’ve now been back numerous times and the mac and cheese the first time I went was an anomaly. It has been creamy perfection every time since! In addition the sweet potato fries and mashed potatoes are delicious (if you like savory sweet potatoes fries that’s is). The Caesar salad with chicken is also an excellent lighter choice compared to most of the menu. I recently found out they have an unlisted dessert menu as well. The apple cobbler with ice cream is amazing, and I’ve heard great things about the bread pudding too but haven’t yet tried it. Continues to be an absolutely great addition to the...

Disappointing Visit - Won't Be Returning

I’ve been to The Filson three times in the last three weeks and, up until this visit, had been really pleased with my meals. However, my third experience was a huge disappointment, and I feel it’s worth sharing.

I ordered the Filson Salad with salmon, a dish I’ve had twice before, and it’s been great each time—filling and flavorful. This time, however, the salmon portion was shockingly small. When I mentioned it to my server, she was surprised as well and took it back to the kitchen. Unfortunately, she returned the same tiny piece, explaining that, due to recent menu price changes, they now only serve 4 oz of salmon with salads. For context, my previous visit during that same week had a salmon portion at least three times that size.

The bigger issue came with my boyfriend’s order. He had originally ordered the Fish and Chips, but we were told they were out of it, so he picked something else. A bit later, the server returned to tell us that the kitchen was making more batter and the Fish and Chips would be delayed by 10 minutes. That was fine, but then, after I finished my salad the server came over to inform us they were now out of cod altogether. At that point, we were over it, and while the server was incredibly kind and tried to make it right, it was hard to overlook the overall lack of coordination between the kitchen and the service staff.

The service itself was wonderful, and our server did her best, but unfortunately, the food quality, portion sizes, and overall communication between the kitchen and waitstaff left us both frustrated. After this experience, I won’t be returning to The...

I will grade on a curb they are still working out some issues I was seated and after 37 minutes I was able to place my order I would say they had about 45%-50% seats filled seemed to be fully staffed. The kitchen is still learning my Medium steak was well done they were more than eager to fix these issues. They have some great pictures of Cincinnati history hanging High in the wall literally out of sight I wish they were lower with a small plaque telling as to what each item is. Being a long time resident I recognize some of the stuff but out of town visitors would not be familiar with most items a description is able to be clicked on Each item on the website I would like it eye level able to be seen. The regular beverages are not listed or prices. The side dish prices are not listed on the . menu either $7 for a side dish. I will say Stop in here while you are in town this place is amazing the patio is fantastic with outdoor cozy fire pits giant Jenga and checkers there are several large TV'S ready to watch the next big game. There Mac and cheese is really good. They are right between the reds and Bengals stadium so when you come from out of town they are right there a block away from the front door they are also located inside the DORA beverage area where you can take your adult beverage from bar to bar. They are right outside the Andrew J Brady icon music center at the foot of the Robling suspension bridge out of all the banks restaurant's this one is in the top 2 I can't wait to go back and try some more of there tasty treats. They also have plant based to go containers as well as plant...