Montgomery Inn at the Boathouse

Doesn't Recommend

Tom G.

Joined 1 year ago

A review of the Montgomery Inn Boathouse. I am a Cincinnati Resident as such I have heard a lot about the Montgomery Inn but only rarely visited any of their locations. Since I was a little boy I have learned the ins and outs of barbeque and as an adult I can put together a pretty decent barbeque meal when I need too. Over the years I have listened to my fellow Cincinnatians rave over Montgomery Inn Ribs and the quality of food serve at the Montgomery Inn Restaurants. Recently at the insistence of my family we took a trip down to the Montgomery in Boathouse. The atmosphere and the service were spectacular however the food was mediocre at best. I did not get the ribs I got the pork chops they were cooked well enough however they were bland. The only real flavor came from the barbeque sauce they served it with and that was overly sweet. My sister in law did order the ribs and she made a similar observation about the sauce. In fact it was so sweet and there was so much of it on her order of ribs that she was scraping it off. Once she was able to taste the rib she noted that it was cooked well and was tender however it lacked the rich smoky flavor normally associated with barbeque ribs. These ribs had to have been baked. For all the hype I have heard over the years I was expecting something extraordinary from the Montgomery Inn. What I got was great service, a fantastic atmosphere but the quality of food was far below what I was expecting and frankly I was disappointed. I am even more disappointed that the Montgomery Inn is recognized as Cincinnati style barbeque simply because it is not very good. I realize I am going to take a lot of heat from my fellow Cincinnatians for say this but I do not understand why the Montgomery Inn so popular. They don’t have good food.

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roxanne m.

Joined 1 year ago

sweet meat treat. NO city has the offficial BBQ stamp and to each there own cincinnatians know and trust the boathouse to deliver a stellar meal every time and it does. Might I suggest that if you dont like sweet BBQ you try the crab cakes they are amazing as well.

Doesn't Recommend

JRichardson

Joined 5 years ago

Overrated BBQ. So I realize I've already started this review off on a bad foot with the title, given that Cincinnatians apparently love Montgomery Inn ribs. I know I've already lost a lot of readers. That being said ... I think you really have to like a sweet sauce to like Montgomery BBQ, and to me, that's not BBQ. I think the taste of this sauce is strangely similar to the "BBQ sauce" that comes with Chicken McNuggets from McDonald's. I don't mean that sarcastically ... there really is a similarity. It's just an overwhelming sugary BBQ blast, with no subtlety of flavor. Ah well, allow me to move on ....

Other meals I've tried at the Montgomery Inn Boathouse have been pretty good. Items are fresh and cooked properly, garnished well.

Service is another matter. I feel like this is a complaint I express often ... is it just me, or are more and more restaurants simply giving up on quality service? Perhaps they're paying their employees less and therefore don't expect as much? Service at this restaurant has been consistently slow through the six or seven times I've visited (and that's probably all the visits there'll be). The servers seem to have an adversarial relationship with the customers; at best sullen, at worst openly annoyed.

If it wasn't for the beautiful view, and the fact that the food is usually good (when you get it), I'd give this restaurant one star. But please, if you really truly believe you know BBQ ... sample your fellow diners' BBQ before ordering your own.

Doesn't Recommend

member2018

Joined 3 years ago

disappointed. I made reservations for a special occasion for a large party. We arrived on time only to be told that our table was not yet ready. A half an hour later and after a half hearted apology we were seated at two tables near each other but not next to each other. Some food was overcooked, some food was undercooked. Some food was so bad that the waitress herself suggested that she get a replacement , and she had to fight the cooks to get it! I will never go back.

Doesn't Recommend

lobo187

Joined 3 years ago

It's bleh... I came in about 1 hour and a half to closing to try the "World Famous" ribs. I'm from Miami, FL so i decided to try the place everybody was telling me about. I had a full slab and a baked sweet potato. It was $25!!! The bbq sauce tasted very ketchupy.. I've had better..

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jennaly

Joined 4 years ago

Good American food. It's a good place to go before or after a baseball game with a view of the river. If you get the ribs, don't forget to ask for a bib!

Doesn't Recommend

pkagobucks

Joined 4 years ago

Many Couples Disappointed for Valentine's Day. For Valentine's Day, my husband and I decided to enjoy the view and atmosphere down at the Boathouse. Yes, there are restaurants who's food we prefer, but you can't beat the view.

We attempted to make a reservation 2 weeks prior. We were told that they were only doing "cal ahead seating." Fine. We called at 5pm and were told that we would be seated about 9pm.

Upon our arrival, at 8:15, we discovered a line out the door and were told that walk-up or call ahead, it did not matter...get in the line. The line was over an hour long, only to get inside and be told it would be another 2+ hours for a table. They would not even let you in the building to use the bathroom while in line. For those familiar with the location, you know there aren't exactly other options.

This was THE single most ridiculous experience of my life!

Gregory family, I realize that things are tough right now. They are for all of us. If you cannot successfully manage to navigate the "call ahead" system....TAKE RESERVATIONS or only do 'first come, first serve'. Do not promise people, who are looking for a special evening out, something that you are obviously incapable of delivering!!! A responsible and competent management team would have realized by 5pm that you already had more people on the books than you were capable of serving. WHY KEEP TAKING NAMES??? Greed!

And to top off our great evening of NO DINNER, the valet people mis-tagged our car and we got to stand in the cold AGAIN for another 30 min.

Great Valentine's Day. Thanks

Doesn't Recommend

DavidAR

Joined 5 years ago

If you want slow-cooked, smoked and rubbed delicious bbq....... ...

Doesn't Recommend

Wasserjb7

Joined 5 years ago

Excellent food but horrible serive. I dined at the boathouse on a sunday evening after having a nice day with friends. We had planed a ladies night out and we all wanted to treat ourselves to a nice dinner. When we arrived at the restaurant the host were friendly and accomodating taking us to our table immediately. When our server finally arrived, his name was Tim by the way if you ever have him ask for a replacement, he was extremely short, had a bad attitude, and didn't even give us the respect of introducing his self. Throughout the entire dinner he was rude, never made eye contact, and mumbled the entire time. At the end of the meal I asked Tim for sauce to go and he responded NO we don't do that the container will melt. Please, your just to lazy too walk and get it. After paying 40 dollars a person and tipping him I was thoroughly displeased and want everyone to know. I know we are a group of young ladies but its no reason to be treated differently or be assumed to not tip. I feel sick with the service, my nice expensive meal isin't digesting right. Thanks for the great dining experience.

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bearcated

Joined 6 years ago

Resting on its laurels. My wife and I have been going to Montgomery Inn for 25 years. It has for years been one of our favorite dining spots. However, over the past few months we have noticed a decline in quality. It seems the rib recipe has changed. The ribs are tougher, salty, and the quality of cuts has gone down. Food is still OK, and some of the other entres are still good (barbecue chicken, for example), but it is not what it once was. It seems that now that Ted is gone, the current generation of owners seems more intent on milking profit than maintaining high standards. And they continue to raise prices. Montgomery Inn is now a rather pricey meal. It's a shame.