CRG Burger

8/4/2024

Fabulous food, atmosphere, & menu. Stopped in while visiting from out of town and I surely didn't leave hungry or disappointed. Can make reservations online and it's a fun, modern vibe inside where you're greeted promptly by friendly staff. Went with 3 other people and it was a busy Friday evening but service was excellent. A fun menu of different craft cocktails/mocktails, beer, apps, small plates, and entrees. Started with the duck fat hummus & everything knots. Both incredible and great to share with the table. For dinner I had the CRG burger which was super tasty and huge. The others at the table had the spinach cavatelli pasta, steak & frites, & a wedge salad & the smoked wings. No one was disappointed. If you're visiting Cincinnati and looking for a great, unique place to eat I 10/10 recommend you check it out. Close to the Bengals & Reds stadium and easily walkable to both and several nearby shops and hotels.

2/16/2024

The prices at Crown Republic are a little high, but the food and atmosphere made up for that. A group of us made a reservation to go for brunch on a Sunday morning before a play at the Aronoff and we would certainly go again. I ordered the CRG burger with fries and the serving was HUGE but delicious. I'd love to go back sometime for dinner.

3/9/2023

Stopped in for a late lunch before catching my flight back to Charlotte on a Thursday afternoon. Ordered a beer and a CRG burger with bacon and fries. Good beer. Great burger. The burger had Pickle aeoli and the bartender suggested dipping my fries so she brought me a cup for dipping. Only down side was the bun was falling apart halfway through the burger. I think a newer type of bun would be a good upgrade but ultimately the burger was very tasty even the second half which required a fork and knife. The beef was seasoned and cooked perfectly. The bacon was quite thick and was a generous portion.
The bartender checker on me a few times while she was learning the ropes from the manager. Service was good.
This place is on the ground floor of a newer residential building. The high ceiling and glass store front on the long side make this place seem larger and more open.  
Good relaxed place for good meal. Cheers!

3/25/2020

My roommate and I decided to support local throughout the COVID-19 craziness and this was everything we wanted and more. Did an online workout and ordered in between rests so it arrived as soon as we were done and we basically inhaled the food. We split the CRG burger, duck fat hummus, and broccoli with garlic aioli. The super flavorful burger came with a generous amount of crunchy fries (just how we like them), the hummus and pita was yummy, and you could basically call the broccoli crack. Don't know how we won't be ordering Crown Republic every night for the rest of quarantine. #supportlocal

1/16/2020

Date night on Saturday with my husband. Reserved on OpenTable earlier that day and was seated right upon areival. Ambiance is nice, not loud at all. We were seated at a high top table near the front. Drink selection was decent. Started off with the Duck Fat Hummus (3/5 stars - nothing stood out with taste) and everything knots bread (3/5 stars - bread was alright, veggie  butter was delicious). Husband and I both got the Crg Burger (I got mine with the egg) and fries and it was superb (5/5 stars for both). As a side I got the Farro Salad (5/5 - never had anything like this as a side, very tasty). Dessert was influenced by what a table next to us got - Mama's Chocolate Chip Cookies (3.5/5 stars). The raw cookie dough came with a hand mixed beater - very cool twist.  The cookie sandwich itself was alright. Cookies were stale and nothing to write home about. For a gastropub away from the hustle of OTR, this place was a solid choice.

10/15/2019

We came for dinner before Blink Cincinnati. My friend made reservations, to help ensure our table was available upon our arrival. They actually were not very busy when we got there. Within 15 minutes the dining area was full.  

One does not need to sit at the bar to partake in their happy hour. Happy hour food menu is well priced. I ended up ordering the single patty CRG burger. I did order it without the pickle aioli. Burger was cooked to medium rare. Bun was soft, and had an outer skin like a challah or brioche bun. It all went well together. The burger also came with shoestring fries. I liked that the fries were skin on. Their cocktails are a little overpriced. I ordered the Pineapple Express. While I was able to feel the alcohol a bit a little later, I was unable to taste it. The drink tasted more like pineapple juice, with a hint of mango. My friend ordered a drink with mango. I am wondering if they accidentally mixed some mango with mine rather than the passion fruit it was supposed to contain. I'm sure if I would have said something, they would have remade the drink. Still, it was a tasty drink, so I opted to drink it as is.

Decor is modern yet still welcoming. The staff was welcoming as well. From the greeting we received upon walking in, to the helpfulness of our waitress, and the manager (maybe owner,) walking around asking how everything is, and thanking patrons for coming in. Staff put a high emphasis on service.

11/14/2018

What drew me to the Crown Republic Gastropub was the dessert known as "Mama's Chocolate Chip Cookie". I saw the pictures..I thought it looked amazing..I knew I had to try it.

Crown Republic is located right downtown. There are plenty of parking areas in the surrounding areas..or if you don't mind a nice walk you could always park at Fountain Square. I found a spot right out front, directly across the street for the restaurant, during lunch hour, on a random weekday afternoon. I thought it was too good to be true! Alas, it was, I was parked in a truck loading zone and had a ticket waiting for me when I got back to my car. Oh well.

The inside of Crown Republic is really nice. Like a cool little upscale Bistro. Very open and inviting. The staff here was really nice and efficient too.

Now lets get down to the food. For my appetizer to the dessert (aka my meal) I went with the CRG Burger topped with American Cheese, Pickle, Aioli, and Bacon on a Brioche Bun..and a side of fries.

The burger was good not great. It definitely had some interesting flavor combinations going for it. The bun held things together well enough. I don't know, I liked it but I wasn't blown away by it. The fries were crisp and flavorful. Pretty top of the line fries overall.

Now onto the dessert. First of all, it's just beautiful looking..I have shown pictures of this dessert to so many people at this point and they all just lose their minds over it. I mean, it's a simple dessert, two chocolate chip cookies sandwiching vanilla ice cream, and a side spindle of cookie dough (nice touch..definitely makes the dish that much more appealing).

I'll tell you what, it was pretty good..but maybe not quite as good as I wanted it to be. It was extremely frozen and pretty tough to put a spoon into. When you did get a chunk of it, it was very hard..very frozen again. The chocolate chip cookies were very good and flavorful and the ice cream was sweet and perfect. The cookie dough was great too. A very good dessert that I would recommend and try again for sure..but maybe my expectations were too high..not quite sure exactly what I expected honestly.

So yeah, while I wasn't completely blown away by my burger or the dessert, I still really liked both of them..enough so that I would without a doubt recommend this place. Maybe after reading this review your expectations will be lowered enough for it to really impress you. I hope it does!

11/4/2018

I was looking for an interesting new restaurant to visit for my wedding anniversary dinner. Thanks to Yelp, I learned that Crown Republic was trending in the top 10 "Best Trendy Hip Restaurants" in Cincinnati and I decided to reserve a table. I made the reservation online several days in advance, noting in my comments that my wife and I would be dining there to celebrate our anniversary.

Upon arrival for dinner, we were greeted warmly and guided to a reserved table in the back of the restaurant. Our server was very friendly and took our drink order right away. My wife had the Pomegranate Mule and I had the Sycamore Street Old Fashion. Both were heavy on the ice, but in different ways. My wife's glass was filled with small square ice cubes, while my glass contained the largest single ice cube I've ever seen in a drink (seriously, the ice cube was probably 3x3x3 inches). The drinks were wonderful, just a bit icy and pricey.

Since we intended to have dessert, we skipped starters and went straight for entrees. My wife had the Pappardelle and I had the CRG Burger. It was obvious from the taste and quality that both dishes were made from scratch; they were unbelievably delicious. Tip: If you order the CRG Burger, be prepared for an avalanche of thin-sliced fries covering 75% of the plate--you may need an eating assistant!

My wife finished her meal first, and the server removed her plate while I was still eating (this seems endemic in American restaurants, but what can you do?). While I was finishing my mound of fries, the server informed us that the restaurant wanted to help us celebrate our anniversary by giving us a free dessert! She then brought us an order of Mama's Chocolate Chip Cookies. What a fun dessert! The cookie dough, cookies and gelato were a great combination, although I must admit I felt a bit like a contestant in a food-eating challenge after having finished the CRG Burger and fries.

Our server wished up a happy anniversary as we left, as did several other staff members and the manager. We will definitely be back for more food adventures. Five stars!

10/15/2018

What a meal! My dining companion and decided from the get-go that we would each split our entrees so that we could sample more of the menu. As a result, we were able to try: the kale and celery caesar, the CRG burger, the half amish chicken, and "Mamas' chocolate chip cookies." Each of these dishes alone were truly remarkable and unique. Here's the rundown:

Kale and Celery Caesar (Herb & Lemon Croutons, Pecorino, Roasted Tomatoes; $12) - even without protein, this salad was brimming with flavor. The salad had the PERFECT amount of dressing and each bite packed a punch without being overwhelming. This salad could easily be a meal on it's own and is the perfect size to split before a main course.

CRG Burger (American Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Pickle Aioli, Brioche, Fries; $12) - This burger was a monster, and for $12, definitely felt like the best value on the menu. While it may be the best value, they definitely didn't cut and corners with the burger either. The pickle aioli is really what set this off for me. The aioli, mixed with the other toppings, tasted like a slaw of sorts and provided a truly unique and enjoyable flavor. I would be strongly tempted to order this again my next time around.

Half Amish Chicken (Root Vegetable Hash, Mojo Picon; $20) - The mojo picon (mildly spicy sauce) is really what brought this dish to life. The presentation was stunning and the flavor definitely didn't disappoint either. The spice level was relatively mild, but definitely had some zing to it. The root vegetable hash was pleasant as well and provided some texture variation.

Mama's Chocolate Chip Cookies (Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwich, Vanilla Gelato, Cookie Dough Spindle; $10) - We had no plans to order dessert... a server walked by delivering this to another table. Our food envy got the best of us. The chocolate chip cookie sandwich had clearly been stored in the freezer, as such, the cookies were only a little less cold than the gelato. As the dish thawed a bit, the cookies' texture got more and more pleasant. The gelato in the sandwich was heavenly. The best part of this dish is definitely the spindle filled with chocolate chip cookie dough. I'm sure there weren't raw eggs in it... but I honestly don't think I would care if there were. I would have signed a waiver.

This meal was really a treat. I can't wait to venture back to CRG and try out more of the menu. Nothing we ordered was less than remarkable. Cheers, CRG!

9/21/2018

My husband and I decided to stop in on a Saturday late in the morning to grab a bite and finally give this place a try.

The space has an open and airy feel with lots of windows to provide some great natural light.

My husband tried the kale salad and I went for the CRG burger. It was fantastic! Built with two patties, cheese atop each slice on a nice warm butter bun. Sounds pretty simple but it was the blend of beef that I immediately noticed when I took the first bite. HOLY COW! What's in this? I had to know.

I asked our server, Mexico, and he wasn't sure so he asked the chef. It's a nice blend of chuck and brisket (and maybe another type of beef that I've since forgotten). My husband calls me a burger snob, he may be right. This burger was the s#^%.

And yes, our server's name was legit Mexico. He was super nice and friendly.

Overall a great experience for both food and service. And one of the best burgers in the area too!

8/18/2018

This place was very good. We ordered the CRG Burger with fries, the chicken gobbets, and the everything knots. The burger is a double patty with the traditional lettuce, tomato, and pickle toppings and is one of my favorite burgers in the city. The chicken gobbets were very juicy and tender with a delicious hot honey, but were just a bit too coated and fried. We had also heard amazing reviews about the cookies for dessert so we ordered that as well. It was very very good as well so don't skip dessert if you come here! They also have an awesome rotating wine special- they have a $5 glass or $20 bottle of a white and a red each week.
We'll definitely be coming back!

8/9/2018

I absolutely loved this place!

My wife and I stopped after the Reds game on a whim and were pleasantly surprised.

Initially the decor made us worry that this place might be a little too "millennial" for us, but that thought quickly disappeared as soon as we started talking to our bartender.

He was fantastic. He was able to discuss the opening of the restaurant and ideas behind the menu and style. He was very knowledgeable about the food and even offered beer pairing suggestions.
They had a Tecate special so we wound up capitalizing on that, but it was nice to know other pairings.
We started with the chicken gobbets. They were done in a malt brine and served with honey hot. The malt causes the batter to fry a little darker that you typically would see. The honey hot was just sweet enough and compliments the dish well.
We also zeroed in on the cauliflower side dish. It was the best in show out of everything we had. The blend of Fresno peppers, Parmesan and raisins was amazing! Topped with some mint the entire dish was a beautiful medley of flavor! We almost ordered a second dish.

My wife ordered the beet toast for her main dish and loved it. The beets were laid out upon a honeyed goat cheese and topped with a walnut tapenade. It was absolutely scrumptious! The ciabatta is made in house too!

My main dish was the CRG Burger with fries. The burger was cooked to perfection and the fries were wonderful. My only tweak is that the pickle aioli was a little heavy handed. Next time I would get it on the side and adjust how much I put on the burger.

The entire meal was complimented by a wonderful bartender who constantly made himself available to chat with us about the new place.

Great food, beer specials, and friendly staff. You can't ask for more in a place.

7/29/2018

Trying out a new restaurant in Cincy. We got one of their famous appetizers and entrees: everything knots with veggie butter and CRG burger. The knots were good (pretty much like everything bagel); the skin was very crunchy and the butter was tasty. The burger was okay but the side of cauliflower was amazing. I heard the chicken popcorn and hanger steak are popular as well. Service is good and the ambiance is very nice. I love the way the restaurant is set up and everything is clean. It is a good place to check out. I would go back to try other dishes on the menu

6/22/2018

by far my favorite restaurant in town!!!!! the duck fat hummus and garlic knots are delicious appetizers and for an entree the crg burger and pastrami on rye tase devine!! i highly recommend this restaurant for any occasion! the staff is wonderful and servers are so kind and down to earth with the guests. i was so delighted entering this pub and sad to leave! i'm so excited to enter this tasty restaurant again!!