Scioto Ribber — Restaurant in Portsmouth

Unfortunately we drove an hour and fourty minutes to realize we had wasted our time, and gas. The reviews/ratings we had read that lead us to make the drive are highly inaccurate.

The restaurant itself felt more like a bar type setting than an restaurant. Their layout is completely backwards. When you walk into the main entrance you are walking directly into the bar/dining area. Then you're pushed to the opposite end of the bar to search for someone with a, "wait list". Once you find the person and get your name on the list, they then tell you there is a waiting area even further back, but with no clear direction. So, now there are 15 to 20 people seeking out this hidden, "waiting area". Once back futher into the restaurant you find another dining area, and cash register where none of the staff make any attempt to direct the 15 to 20 people looking for the waiting area, instead we are wondering around like a pack of lost dogs amidst other patrons sitting and trying to eat their meals. After some sniffing around we make it all the way through the dining area and find a hole in the wall closet with a couple old, broken down church pews, literally, broken. [Seriously no one should sit on the one directly next to the men's restroom, it is a safety hazard.]

After our brief wait, thank goodness, as they would not even serve us a drink while waiting. We were seated clear back up at the front of the restaurant, adjacent to the main entrance, where it felt like we had just been put into a walk in cooler. It was that cold. Our drink order was quickly taken, and brought back. However, the wait between receiving our drinks and being able to place an order was a bit longer than it should have been. After placing our order, the appetizers did come out in a pretty reasonable amount of time, but that was about the only good thing that would happen during the rest of our experience. "The Sampler" appetizer was, meh. The Ribber Fries, they were slightly better than the sampler, but again, just meh. The chips were inconsistent in texture. Some were crispy like the should have been, but most were soggy and greasy. They all did share one thing in common, they were all bland like all of the food we would have this evening.

Now the entrees come out. The plates look slightly appetizing, but that was it. They looked appetizing. We ordered the 32oz New York Strip which in reality are 2 16oz New York Strips. But what we really ended up with was 24 ounces of fat, bland, and just down right one of the worse steaks we had ever tasted. Our friends ordered the 32oz Rib Eye that was also two 16oz steaks and again, were probably 20 ounces of fat, too. The green beans, and baked beans were in about a 1/4 cup serving cup that tasted like store bought canned food. The green beans were sitting in what we assumed was pool of beef broth that had soured. The bake potatoes were safely, and sadly the stars of the plates, which they were again, just okay.

Obviously after having to drive almost 4 hours there and back home, to say we are disappointed would be an understatement. Especially after reading many other reviews online, on a few different sites. I wouldn't return if they offered to give us free food, pay for our fuel, and time. That is literally how bad the food was. I have had better food, and steaks cooked at my home, by my teenage son. And he burns mac and cheese....

I took my Aunt Veda and mom to Scioto Ribber for an early Sunday afternoon lunch. We stopped there because there is such a dearth of anything that approaches a decent place to eat in Portsmouth, Oh (after a long look at Yelp restaurants). The Ribber has pretty varied menu for this are of the country. My Aunt had COD fillets "deep fried" with a sweet potato "nice". Mom had chicken strips that seemed OK . There were certainly plenty. She enjoyed the onion rings as well. I had a steak - my brother-in-law said "they are great". I had to try a ribeye. First one came out medium. I sent it back. The second one came out pretty quickly and it was a bit undercooked - which is better than medium. The steak was well marbled and tasted OK - kinda like it had been soaked in salt water and papain to tenderize the meat prior to cooking. I think I might try the ribs next time.

A couple of notes: You have to ask for butter - they offer up some type of margarine stuff that comes in plastic tubs. I was a little surprised that when you order a $30+ steak and you select a side item, one of them isn't a side salad. The salad was marginal. It cost and extra $3.95 and came with packaged vinaigrette.

The restaurant was busy, a good signal that it's going concern in the area. An outside tour showed large tubs of hardwoods to use in the smokers. It looks like you can get adult beverages as well.

It's no where a favorite but if pressed, and in the area, I would not hesitate to eat there and give it...

I can legitimately say the food was awesome, the ribeye as my favorite cut, was outstanding, cooked med rare was amazing, my girlfriend and I also got the bbq sandwich it was GOD Tier good, onions came out really quick and were smoking hot and great, wouldn't have minded a dipping sauce with them though. We also got the smoked chicken after we returned the ribs, I had no idea what "country style ribs" are and nowhere on the menu did it say they were pork ribs and not beef ribs, I mean the ribs are GIGANTIC and that's awesome, but not a fan of pork ribs and never will be. Smoked chicken was awesome though, super tender, pull apart from the bones and super juicy.

My only real critique, is the sides, because of how good the meat is, the sides are wildly pedestrian. You have the opportunity to really capitalize on the sides but you serve the absolute bare minimum. We got the beans and slaw, which both were in a plastic sauce container on the plate with the meat, presentation was an absolute fail and they were super plain. I mean, if you had some Pit Style beans, or Shipwrecked Beans, made some slaw with literally any seasoning at all. You're missing out on a huge opportunity to make the whole meal experience better. Overall, we had a great time and the food and service were very good, please consider...