taste of belgium - over the rhine

recently took a trip to cincinnati and this was a place i'd heard raving reviews about. i got the classic chicken and waffles and it was nothing short of delicious. however, our experience with our server was less than satisfactory. i get that it gets busy at times but that's no excuse to make uswait10 minutes for waters. overall it was a great experience and would recommend.

there's a definitely going to be awaiton weekend mornings, but it's well-deserved. with reasonable prices and generous portions in a trendy location, don't expect to walk in and sit down. 

you could just buy some sweet treats and waffles to take home from the case as you walk in, but why, when you could have the most amazing banana nutella waffles ever? don't be misled by the size of the waffles (about 5" in diameter) and say "yes" when your server asks if you want 2. stick with one. the nutella is sweet enough that you're not going to want a second. i took one for the team, though, and ate a second one. 

if waffles aren't your thing (then what's your problem?) they also have crepes and egg dishes. we also enjoyed a mimosa with our meal. 

they also have a full bar and are open in the evening for food and drinks, too. there is open seating at the bar and at the crepe bar to the left when you walk in. we didn't know this and could have seated ourselves sooner than we were seated while waiting for a regular table.

chicken & waffles and great beers on draft?!? decadent waffles w boneless breaded chicken breast. perfect syrup and even plated split in half! can'twaitto bring the kids back for s'mores!
ps need a little more help w servers. she was slammed!


-----15 feb, 2015-----

chicken & waffles and great beers on draft?!? can'twaitto bring the kids back for s'mores!
ps need a little more help w servers. she was slammed!

went here recently and had a terrible experience. it was at peak hours, told it was a 40 minutewaitfor a party 8. we were fine with thewaittime as we really wanted to try it. after waiting an hour or more, management told us that they couldn't seat all 8 of us together. when we told staff how discouraged we were, their response was to "play musical chairs" with each other. too many hipsters and pretentious management holds this place back.

no sunday brunch!. went to the restaurant today, very busy and loud. longwaitfor food. some of the food that arrived did not arrive as ordered but not sent back because of the long wait. this could be a good place to eat but they need to work on pleasing their customers. the waitress we had seemed to be irritated about the order being wrong. would not recommend coming here with a large group.

will not return.... i understand that the bistro is "under new management". with that said:
-- coffee while waiting, is now charged to your bill; it was complimentary before. 'very cheesy of them!
-- there is nowaitfor bar seating; this is a change. this will cause issues w/ customers who had been waiting for a seat (and are on the list); and observe people jumping ahead (of them) to grab a seat at the bar. this practice needs to stop; bar seating should be just like table seating...i.e., return to this mode before the management change.
-- my husband ordered the chicken, and waffle. well it all arrived (on 1 plate) w/ the maple syrup dripping into the salad, and onto the chicken!! what a mess and not very appetizing. before management change, syrup was served separately in a small pitcher; and i think that the waffle was served on a separate plate.
-- re my blt: the turkey seemed a bit "slimy". i wondered how often the staff rotates/discards the turkey used in this menu item?! 'very little bacon was in the sandwich.
-- our waiter did the least possible service for us. please note that we are not very demanding people. eg., he did not offer to swap out my paper cup (of coffee now being charged to me) with a coffee mug. very disappointing...
bottom line: we will not return. we will discourage friends from patronizing the bistro. ....too bad, the taste of belgium was on our go-to list, even though we often had towaitfor a table.

i love this place; not sure why it gets a bad rep in some reviews, to be honest. i am usually here early in the day, as i work down the street in the evenings. the staff is friendly, assistantwaitstaff is great about keeping tables tidy (even the bar!), and the portions of food are great. that's a point a lot of people may not agree with me on, but chains like applebee's have taught us to expect mediocre food in obscenely large portions for $11 a head. most items are a la carte, and tapa sized. if you bring a friend, you can try multiple items without breaking the bank. they're famous for their chicken and waffle (which, i'll admit, i've never had, but my friends love); i've mostly sampled sandwiches, brunch, and dessert crepes. well, and copious amounts of alcohol, but let's not go there. the southwest waffle is a sandwich that uses the waffle as the bread; the combination of savory and sweet is excellent (it does have tomato on it, not listed, for poor souls like me who can't seem to enjoy them). the hamburger is a must-try. i've had the chicken salad baguette, which is small, but is piled high with chicken. and their frites, featured in many dishes, are some of the best i've ever had! (goetta hash, do yourself a favor).waittimes for food more than make up for awaitat the door (which there will be one during lunch and dinner rush just like every restaurant for you impatient folks), and they provide coffee and cocktail service so you're fortified. if you're feeling adventurous, get the lavender sugar & lemon crepe; very floral and not too sweet. haven't had anything i didn't enjoy; probably why i'm here at least 3x a week.

excellent.. we stopped in hoping for a great experience and we were not disappointed. chris and ryan provided with excellent service and the food was terrific. cannotwaitto try the moules. it was particularly nice to go to a local restaurant and feel like you were not just "a table to be turned over". this was a european experience. service was attentive, but neither pushy nor stifling. this is exactly what we were looking for on a hot, sunny afternoon.

just go for beer and waffles. a little too much hype for it's own good. they are aspiring to good things, but not quite making it happen. but - if you like belgian beer and waffles, then go.

our appetizer was a chicken-mushroom-pastry thing that was good, but i usually love meat pies. my friend had belgian stew with belgian frites. the stew had an odd taste to it (not good for a mostly meat dish), but the fries were crispy. i picked chicken and waffles. the chicken is lightly breaded and just ok. the waffles were thick and great. you can tell this is where they put their love. i love belgian style beer, but i didn't feel like springing for $9 and up for one beer.

the service and atmosphere was good. we had nowaiton a weekday evening and it wasn't crowded. the bathrooms were clean

we went to try something different, but the flavors just were not there. maybe next time will just be beer and waffles.