Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery

Rock Bottom Restaurant and BreweryRock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery
Rock Bottom Restaurant and BreweryRock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery
Brewery, Bar, Eatery

10 Fountain Square
Cincinnati, Ohio, 45202
United States

// CLOSED //
BEER STATS
Average:
3.63
Beers:
512
Ratings:
3,386
Linked Beer Listing
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.71
Reviews:
29
Ratings:
60
pDev:
16.17%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by KYGunner:
Photo of KYGunner
Reviewed by KYGunner from Kentucky

3.95/5  rDev +6.5%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.25
This is not for beer geeks looking for rare or over the top selections but for groups just looking for fun. There were seven beers available, all of which were text book for the style but otherwise unremarkable. The food selection is definitely restaurant quality but all four in our group stated the meal was just okay. The aesthetic was excellent and though our waitress wasn't versed in the finer points of ales, she was extremely helpful, punctual and pleasant. I enjoyed my time at Rock Bottom and would definitely hit it up again.
Mar 09, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.75 by zotzot from Vermont

Nov 29, 2019
 
Rated: 3.69 by Manta200 from Kentucky

Nov 02, 2019
 
Rated: 4.1 by dipaslife4me from Connecticut

May 01, 2017
 
Rated: 3.71 by gandres from Philippines

Nov 05, 2015
 
Rated: 3.83 by NeoClassicist from New York

Oct 18, 2015
 
Rated: 3.44 by Gregf51 from Ohio

Oct 06, 2015
 
Rated: 3.71 by LXIXME from New Mexico

Jul 13, 2015
 
Rated: 3.14 by screamking from Ohio

Jun 27, 2015
 
Rated: 3.8 by Eziel from Ohio

May 22, 2015
 
Rated: 3.25 by PassMeAZima from Kentucky

Mar 29, 2015
 
Rated: 3.55 by mwar from Kentucky

Feb 24, 2015
 
Rated: 3.28 by mothman from Minnesota

Dec 19, 2014
 
Rated: 2 by ZJanszen from Ohio

Nov 10, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Kyrojack from Indiana

Nov 03, 2014
 
Rated: 2.75 by Rice_Nate_25 from Ohio

Sep 15, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by MaximumYuks from Oregon

Sep 15, 2014
 
Rated: 4.21 by chrismattlin from Ohio

Sep 14, 2014
 
Rated: 3.32 by West_Chester_Ale_Tester from Ohio

Jul 29, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by TheBeerAlmanac from Kentucky

Jul 22, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by WesMantooth from Ohio

May 29, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Bstrickler from Kentucky

May 14, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by portia99 from Massachusetts

Apr 30, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by beerslushy from Ohio

Mar 12, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by ziggyzoggy from Ohio

Feb 26, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by drdiesel9483 from Ohio

Feb 24, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by patpbr from Ohio

Feb 23, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by DYount80 from Kentucky

Feb 23, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Rod_J from Kentucky

Feb 06, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by target88 from Kentucky

Feb 05, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Chris77McGrath from Ohio

Dec 27, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by bulldogg915 from Wyoming

Nov 10, 2013
Photo of Andreji
Reviewed by Andreji from Texas

4.05/5  rDev +9.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
So this was a rather pleasant choice for a pre-interview dinner ina program I love in Cincinnati. Smack in the downtown area(fountain sq, 200ft from the hilton netherland where i was staying) which was also the epicentre of the city's christmas feel.

The place is massive, with a sort of modernised pub feel you get in some brewoubs across america. A nice feel with the production machinery among the tables, but in itself sort of sterile. It's also hard to define whether it's laid back or upscale at times. But overall it's pleasant.

Service may be quick or slow, depending on the volume of patrons. But slow isnt too slow and their rapport is kind overall. Fairly knowledgeable about their beers and menu and attentive to me.

They sport a generous selection of their house brews (5 or 6) with an akso broad (3 or 4) choice of seasonals (notably at the time, a barleywine and a winter wheat). I tried the IPA and the winter wheat which were very pleasant and fit for their style.

Food is amazing, and probably their best trait. I tried the laredo burger and the bbq pulled pork sandwich which were sublime and generous.

Overall, while not the best brewpub in the land, rock bottom was a pleasant intro to cincinnati for me, and worth coming back to. And if you get the chance, when done with your meal step right outside to grater's for a beautiful icce cream dessert.
Dec 17, 2011
Photo of Treyliff
Reviewed by Treyliff from West Virginia

3.95/5  rDev +6.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3
I love to come here when I am in town for Reds games. They have a great selection of their own brews and pretty good food as well. I love the brewery vibe inside of the restaurant. I usually order the beer sampler, which includes about 4 oz of 6 different beers. I order that as my "appitizer" and then order a full glass as my favorite.

The food is pretty good, I like their Hawaiian pizza and the sandwiches are good as well. Overall a good place to eat if you are looking for some great beers.
Sep 29, 2011
Photo of beveritt
Reviewed by beveritt from Ohio

3.55/5  rDev -4.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 4
Went here a few times while staying in downtown Cincinnati for a few days for business. While not my first choice when going out to get some good beer or food, this chain is fairly solid and delivers above average in all areas.

A: Large dining area with lots of wood that they do a good job of breaking up with barriers and low lighting. Has an outdoor seating area, which is great for listening to live music in Fountain Square.

Q: The beer is pretty pedestrian for most of the uber beer geeks on here, but better than the BMC available at many other chain restaurants. I sampled several and while they displayed minor flaws, they were drinkable.

S: Service was always prompt, friendly and professional. However, they are not beer experts and will just point to the menu when asked about available selection.

F: I had both appetizers and meals here and was always very impressed by the speed and quality. While not world class, certainly well above what I expect from your standard sit down chain.

V: Prices are average; you can have a meal and a few beers for $20.

If you want to it on Fountain Square and listen to music and have a craft beer, this is essentially your only choice. Apart from that, there are much more eclectic and interesting choices in Cincinnati for great beer and food.
Sep 08, 2011
Photo of Brent
Reviewed by Brent from Kentucky

3.63/5  rDev -2.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5
When entering a fairly large chain establishment such as this, you really can't expect a ton of character or novelty. The interior was very pleasant, with something of a craftsman lodge feel. Lots of framed posters depicting the various beers produced. Sparkling stainless steel brewing equipment in a small, glass-enclosed brew house. Take any upscale, casual dining chain restaurant, add the brewing aspects, and you've got this place. Good central location in downtown Cinci - easy to walk to.

Service staff was prompt and attentive. I ordered a prime rib sandwich with kettle chips and au jus. The sandwich was quite good. The cup of au jus seemed to owe more to an envelope of brown gravy mix than to any pan drippings. The kettle chips were quite brown, almost burned, and I'm surprised the kitchen let them go out that way.

The house IPA was good, if nothing special. I also had an expresso porter, which had a very thin mouthfeel, calling to mind nitro Guinness, and a bit overwhelming coffee adjunct flavor.
Apr 29, 2011
Photo of KYBrewgrass
Reviewed by KYBrewgrass from Kentucky

3.7/5  rDev -0.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
This place is in a good spot downtown - right by Fountain Square. It is usually pretty busy. They have a decent selection of their own draft beer and pretty good food (there is a large menu, which is nice). Like most chains, however, it has its drawbacks. There isn't too much 'exciting' or unique about the place, really... The beers are OK but none I've tried are exceptional. The service is hit-or-miss. It's worth a try though, for sure, as it can be fun with a big group of beer-lovers and non-beer-lovers alike. It is kid-friendly I believe as well.
Mar 11, 2011
Photo of chaz01
Reviewed by chaz01 from Ohio

4.05/5  rDev +9.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
Came here for lunch on a Sunday afternoon on a recent visit to downtown Cincinnati. Excellent, friendly service who waited on us right away. Normal line-up of beers (lager, wheat, pale ale, etc), plus as a bonus they had a cask conditioned pale ale. I had a seasonal fire chief ale and the cask conditioned ale and both were enjoyable. The food was top notch -- much better than I expected. We had a couple of special dietary requests and they were more the happy to comply. Will definitely be seeking this place out again next time I'm downtown Cincinnati.
Mar 28, 2010
Photo of ThaBobfather
Reviewed by ThaBobfather from Ohio

4.13/5  rDev +11.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
This place is a staple of Downtown lunch goes in Cincinnati...

The atmosphere retains both the "bar" feel as well as that of an established downtown restaurant, and rapping it up into being a nice brewpub.

The quality of both what Rock Bottom serves and what they brew there is high. All of what Rock Bottom makes is of solid style quality, though perhaps not extreme or strong in some categories.
They brew an example of many main stream styles and always have at least 8-10 of their beers on tap at any given time.
The food there is always good, particularly for lunch.
The prices don't quite get to "bit pricey" range, and it's definitely worth what you're paying.
Apr 14, 2009
Photo of projectflam86
Reviewed by projectflam86 from Ohio

3.93/5  rDev +5.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
Went for lunch on a Friday afternoon and the place was already gearing up for the night life. Had a pretty good selection of home-brews that included The white tiger hefe, The brown bear brown ale, The fire chief Ale, and few others. Total they had about 8 beers that they brew on location. I had the fire chief and the white tiger hefe. Both were great choices, each unique with a good flavor AND since it was happy hour they were only 2$ for a 16oz glass! Great selection of food (everyting from nachos/hamburgers to steaks and salmon). The food was really tasty but it was a little pricey. Overall a nice fun place to relax and try some different regional beers.
Feb 15, 2009
Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery in Cincinnati, OH
Brewery rating: 3.63 out of 5 with 3386 ratings