Alley Baby — Restaurant in Norwood

I read about this place from Cincinnati Enquirer's food writer Keith Pandolfi. I was in the area on a Thursday and stopped in to take carryout for lunch. I had no idea where to park, and chose the lot to the east of the building. I followed the sign out front, which is actually the loading dock and had to walk down the alley to the rear of the building where I finally found the door. I walked into a brewery looking room and just stood there not knowing what to do. Alex, the owner, quickly came to greet me. I told him I read about the wings, and ordered those, and also the coconut chicken sandwich and the fish sandwich. As he politely poured me water at the bar, we chatted for a while and he explained how this place came to be (very interesting story, he won best of Taste of Cincinnati fried chicken and decided to open this place). The food still comes from the truck out back, but there is a full bar inside. He is admittedly not very active on social media, so he said word of mouth will be how he gets business. I am a little worried that his location might be his downfall. Nothing about it seems like folks would gravitate to, which is a shame with the quality of food he is putting out.

The wings are FANTASTIC! They are on the small side, but perfectly brined, smoked just right, and seasoned lightly with a delicious dry rub. Then, they have just a kiss of the fryer to finish. The chicken sandwich looked over-fried at first glance, but it was not at all. The chicken breast was juicy, the breading was well balanced and crunchy. The sauce and pickles on it were perfect. The fish sandwich was a huge piece of cod, a delightful breading with the same yummy sauce and pickles. The fries were on the greasy side, even after we cooked them in the air fryer when we got home, but they tasted great. I will definitely go back to get the wings and try other food when I am...

We heard the food was good at Alley Baby and all made from scratch, so we thought we’d check it out. Low key restaurant/bar, comfortable chairs, TV’s on silent. I won’t say it was quiet, but music low enough that you can talk without yelling, which we appreciated. Service was friendly and attentive enough. All fine and good, but we came for the food. My wife got the Alley Baby burger which she said was excellent. What we most appreciated though, was the small bun that actually came bakery and that she said was delicious. What a concept. You can enjoy your burger without consuming a gigantic bun. Very nice. The burger is the focus here, not the bun. Excellent indeed. I had the Green Vegetable Curry with three Coconut Chicken Tenders for five bucks extra. The menu said the vegetables were grilled aldente. This was a true statement and I appreciated the freshness with some crunch in the vegies. Curry sauce was very good without being predicated on sugar like you find in most Thai restaurants. Once again was very much appreciated. The Coconut Chicken was awesome and very tender. There was only one dessert choice on the menu: Bourbon Bread Pudding, which we split. Two things. First, I regretted having to split it with my wife. Second, we really appreciated the flavor not being completely predicated on sugar. Just sweet enough. Absolutely delightful. I normally do not write restaurant reviews, but Alley Baby was worth taking the...

Our group of six, including two children, dined in on a Friday night. We were quickly greeted after seating ourselves and started off with an order of the Tater Bombs - which turned out to be a fantastic choice. For our main entrees, my friend and I split a 3 piece order of Coconut Chicken Tenders and the Bussin Burger. Both options were really tasty— we could not pick which was our favorite! The food even came out with adorable mini paper umbrellas, and you could tell everything was made from scratch with fresh ingredients and attention to detail. While enjoying our meal, the owner, Alex, checked on us to ensure everything was perfect. He told us the story of how the restaurant was started, entertained the kids, and even brought out a bread pudding for one of the kids who had recently celebrated a birthday. Overall, we had an amazing experience and can’t wait until...