To get into this place on a Tuesday night you must have a reservation. It's crawfish boil season through Mardi Gras and this is the only place in Cincinnati doing it right. We showed up very late to a six top table with our buddies already there for 45 minutes. They had already smashed two crawfish platters when we showed up. The server was shy at first knowing that we were going to screw up his table turn and finally came over to get our catch up order. I gave him everything all at once and told him to roll it out. They have great oysters on the half shell which I started with...moved on to their very tasty bleu cheese on the salad... and finished with a 3 lb platter of crawfish with corn, potatoes, and greens. I took two fat boxes of crawfish home as to not camp out at the table and we left in plenty of time to give the server his table back. Highly recommend this place, just book ahead and be prepared to order early so you don't miss out on the crawfish. They do run out later in the evening from time to time. read more

This place is snuggled up in a hill. We sat at the bar which the bartender made the best dirty vodka martini. We are off to a fantastic start. I had the special sautéed scallops with a creole sauce. The sauce was filled with crawfish. I have never eaten them before. What a treat. read more

Knotty Pine On the Bayou - Dirty vodka martini - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Cold Spring, Kentucky

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Went there with my family thinking it would be a change of pace of our annual eatery. I ordered the Chicken jambalay. I asked the waiter what that all comes with in he said it was loaded with you sasuge chicken etc. As the waiter came putting the plate on the table i looked and was disappointed. There hardly was and sausage and chicken. Basically chatged me 18 dollars for rice and gravy. My wife got the red bean and rice with sausage and she told me she barely had 3 pieces in her bowl. Very disappointed read more

I really wish we would have been able to try this place. I called a week prior to Mother's Day, confirmed a reservation, to call the day of to confirm and they had no record of our reservation. We had to do a last minute scramble to find another restaurant at 5pm that wasn't slammed for Mother's Day. Super disappointing experience. read more

We are long time customers of the Knotty Pine but hadn't been here in quite some time due to COVID. For hubby's retirement dinner, I made reservations at Knotty Pine. We both ordered the sea bass and WoW! Might be the best sea bass we have ever had. Pan seared with a crunchy crust and flaky bites it was delicious. Large portion of sea bass with salad, potatoes, green beans and their delicious bread. Server was very attentive and friendly. What a wonderful welcome back to in restaurant dining for us. Of course we'll be back! read more

Last week, my wife and myself celebrated her birthday at Knotty Pine on the Bayou. This is one of her favorites! Our server this evening was Autumn, whom was very good!!! We ordered the sampler, which is a favorite of ours!. We drive from Cinti here for the great food, service, and their drinks. My wife loves their Voodoo Punch! Don't leave till you've tried one! And always, ask for Autumn as your server. Being a regular here is a good thing!!! read more

I made birthday resevations a week in advance. I arrive on time and am told my table wasn't ready. It was a Friday night, but i figured table for 2 with reservations would be easy. Nope! I left after 30 mins of waiting past my reservation time. I am sure the food is great....the service left much to be desired. read more

Fantastic Cajun and seafood. Definitely try the alligator, sea bass, and scallops. The Cajun sampler is another favorite, and the crawfish boils in the spring are amazing. read more

The Best Cajun food outside of New Orleans that I've ever had. Stopped in for dinner on a random Thursday night and had great service. Asked our waiter about the specials and his recommendations. We got the crab cakes as an appetizer and ended up splitting the Cajun Sampler for dinner. We weren't disappointed on either choice. Everything was fresh as can be with just the right amount of spice and kick. Gotta give a call out to the steak strips. It is unusual to get beef this tender outside of a 5 star restaurant. I would love to know how they do it. Just a great meal overall. Will definitely come back. read more

came here to celebrate someone's anniversar, only reason for 3 stars was our server. if you want good Cajun food go to swamp water if kellogg ave. Food was decent, prices were okay. but selection, flavor and quality was subpar. read more

Food was meh. Too busy. Have given this place several chances but disappointed each time unfortunately

Good food and nice atmosphere! My only complaint would be the lack of room at tables. 4 plates took up the entire table. Other than that great food! read more

If your doctor allows you to have good, spicy Cajun foods, stop here! When I had a blood test done to determine what foods my DNA predetermines me to eat, somehow the results came back that I need to Cajun 10% of time. When I'm not making Gumbo at home, we come here. Oh boy are you in for a treat! There is nothing like sweating while your eating with a Ice cold Abita Springs beer (Brewed just north of New Orleans )to help cool you down. We always get the crab cakes to share, they are not spicy, then we usually order the sampler, which has red beans and rice, gumbo, spicy Cajun shrimp, chicken and steak and when I really feel like getting punished, we get the Cajun fries. For dessert Ill get the key lime pie which is home made. This helps put out the fire, plus the sweet / tart flavor complements the Cajun aftertaste that is in my mouth. They always have a special of the day or some sort. Pretty much anything Creole / Cajun you can think of they have, all the way down to crawl-fish. Sometimes. ( I cant do those). The staff is friendly. This is one of the few restaurants I make reservations for. Usually I don't care if there is no seating but I would be very very sad if we showed up unannounced and couldn't be seated. There are a few other Cajun restaurants in town that have popped up, this one is still the best. You'll be saying N'awlins when you leave. Eat local. read more

Finished my [awesome] halibut to discover a crawling stink bug on the lettuce beneath. Told both server and manager. They comped the halibut itself but we still paid over $100 for a dinner that ended with a large live bug. Server said "what do you WANT? Mistakes happen..." Manager said "yeah he's a problem we are aware of..." They had every opportunity to make it right. read more

Food is good, great service. The only downside is size of portions is small. Otherwise great!

The food here was expensive but plentiful and delicious. We were there on Sunday at dinner time and they were not too busy. Our waitress was in a bit of a mania. We felt rushed and there was always someone taking something off the table it seemed. We constantly had someone at the table asking if they could take this or fill that. Too much. We felt interrupted all the time. Then our waitress was rushing our order onto the table and spilled my dinner all over my pants, shoes, and leg. She felt bad, but if she was not so rushed she may not have spilled my order. She gave me a free dessert which was very nice. Unfortunately, after the meal three staff members came to our table at once and started clearing our table. A clear sign that our time was up. Get out. Not in a hurry to go back even though the food was good. $300 bill in total and rushed through like McDonald's. There are better for the money. read more

This is the second time eating here The first time was 3 days ago and the food was fabulous! We had a dozen cooked oysters Chilean sea bass, and the Cajun combo. The Chilean bass was cooked to perfection and the combo steak was perfectly cooked to rare with excellent seasonings!! We came back on Saturday and ordered the same thing except added lobster bisque. Omg. The oysters were good, but when the Chilean Seabass came out .. it was the saltiest thing that I've ever had in quite a few years. And the combo was no different...., so much salt omg.. ok. We sent the Chilean sea bass back as it was way too salty to eat. I toughed it out eating the overly salty chicken and steak strips.... And no I did not take the left overs home this time of the steak and chicken - it was too salty and the beef was way over cooked for being rare.... I felt sorry for the cook do I did not send mine back... Our server Chelsea was so awesome - she was as attentive as any 5 star server. The Chilean sea bass was reordered and asked that the sdd as lt was reduced and it came back perfectly cooked. Thank you so much Chelsea!! read more

I have been to this restaurant before and loved the food. The hostess staff though is as stupid as they come maybe hire professional adults instead of young girls who barely are in high school. We walked in and didn't have a reservation, the hostess said she couldn't get us in until 7:45, it was 5:45. There were open tables all over the restaurant. As I said I love this restaurant truly one of kind but the staff not being able to accommodate large crowds is so disappointing! I won't be back! read more

This place is noisy on a Friday night. A lot of the food was good but sort of generic. Easily a place to like if you want some well cooked meats. I got the Cajun sampler that had a bit of everything but it almost all meat. The shrimp was cooked perfectly but had a very spicy bite. If you like spice it's a decent level but if you're not a huge spice fan it might be too much. The chicken was cooked well but could have been juicier. The steak was cooked to perfection and really chewy in a good way. The red beans had a perfect bite which means they aren't from a can and obviously soaked but still could have been imparted with more flavor. Not a favorite place nor one I really wish to return to. Overall food was okay, but it was really loud and cramped. read more

First time here and food was incredible! New server named Noah was awesome. Had the Chilean sea bass served over pasta with a Cajun Creole sauce. It was phenomenal. Alligator was also delicious! I will definitely be returning! read more

Knotty Pine On the Bayou - Chilean sea bass served over pasta with a Cajun Creole sauce - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Cold Spring, Kentucky

In case you didn't know it but this place is a gourmet secret of Northern Kentucky. There are few finer dining places in the area and serving cajun cuisine is a plus in my book. Its not very big and slightly hard to find which lends to the secrecy but the meals are what i'd expect to get in New Orleans without leaving the zip code. Prices are also what you'd expect for quality meals with good service. read more

Knotty pine is so delicious. Ive never had a bad meal here. We like to get a sampler to share with some oysters bienville. My ultimate fave is the Chilean sea bass, pan seared. Some of the best greens around. And dont forget about the opera cream cake with raspberry sauce. read more

Great service, great food. Crab cakes were unbelievably good. Awesome experience! Back deck had some gnarly trash bags from the kitchen on it though. Sort of rough but I just didn't look at them lol. read more

Food is amazing!! A little on the expensive side though, but great for authentic seafood dishes.

One of my favorite restaurants! The scallops on Saturday nights are amazing!! The fried gator, crawfish boil, frog legs, cajun sampler and the fresh Mahi are all solid choices. Their hours are seasonal so definitely make reservations. They have a nice wine selection by the glass or bottle at very fair prices. Enjoy read more

There was a small fire the day we went but staff did everything to accommodate and make sure everyone was safe and then happy. It was taken care of quickly, FD verified and then we went back in to eat and the alligator was fantastic. read more

Wonderful wonderful wonderful. Can't wait until I can visit again. I like it spicy and Knotty Pine delivers.

The food here is amazing! We had the crab cakes, scallops and the Cajun sampler. It was all so good! I highly recommend the Knotty pine!

My husband and I are visiting all the way from Las Vegas to see our son and his new wife who both swore by the great food here. The decor was definitely something I had never seen before... except in the French Quarter / Southern Bayou area of Disneyland. We sat in some very comfortable rattan chairs overlooking the deck outside by the Licking River. I started my dining experience with a Voodoo drink with 5 rums and it was delicious and surprisingly not too strong. I was surprised though when I gave the bartender a 10 spot and I got 50 cents back in change. When we were finally seated to our table, the waiter was not only attentive, but knowledgeable and accommodating. The food took a little too long to come out however and the fried alligator was actually pretty good. I had never had it before. Tastes like chicken. My crab cakes were sweet, hot, and well fried ( not burned). Although the red potatoes that came with it were spiced Cajun style and I did not care for them prepared like that. There was so much food I didn't order something different. I'm certain they would've accommodated me on that too. My husband had the sampler platter and everything was delicious except for the flavor on the steak strips. The waiter offered us more of something else or perhaps steak strips with no seasoning. That's what he went for. My son's étouffée was also very delicious and was served fairly hot ( heat wise). Finally.... we just had the try the Opera Creme Cake, So each couple split a piece. Decadent, melt in your mouth warm cake with amazing, creamy, soft icing and a raspberry drizzle. Worth the $5 easy !!! Prices in my opinion could have been somewhat less, but you get a lot of food for the price. $210.00 for all four of us with dessert. Lovely experience. One I won't soon forget. Thank you. read more

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We had a very fun 43rd Anniversary dinner there. It was our first visit and we will be going back

I was in town and wanted to get some seafood. I searched for seafood and this place came up. Once I saw étouffée on the menu I knew this was the place I wanted to eat at. Before I begin talking about how amazing the food was, I would like to thank Joannie from behind the bar for the best customer service I ever received. She really took care of me and made my experience here worth a review. (The food was really good too) She let me simple some of the beers, étouffée, frog legs, spinach and gumbo. I ended up ordering all of them. I was completely satisfied with the portion and price mark. This was my first time trying the frog legs and I got to say they taste just like chicken. Pretty good. The étouffée was AMAZING!!! The gumbo was also Amazing!! I would definitely come back here again when ever I'm in town. read more

Good and service is great. All the staff are very friendly and helpful. We will definitely be back.

Stopped by on Tuesday for the crawfish boil. We were seated promptly. It took quite awhile for our server to make his way over to us. Despite having what looked like having 3 hostesses none of them offered us drinks or told us about the specials. We come to realize that our server had 2 tables that were requiring all of his attention. Totally not his fault. When he finally got to us, he took great care of us. He apologized profusely at the end of the evening and thanked us for our understanding. The food was absolutely outstanding. Can't wait to go back. Son wants to try the frog legs neckline. read more

Very disappointing. We've been there in the past and it was good, not this time. Chicken so dry you couldn't cut it with a steak knife and sampler was salty. read more

Hands down best Cajun in the tri state area. Not well know but once you try it it will be on your regular rotation. Well worth my 45+ minute drive every time. read more

If you like Cajun food this is definitely for you. They have an excellent happy hour at the bar. It's not advertised so you must ask. Last time we were there the bartender did not know they had a happy hour. Food is always great! read more

I don't frequent the Newport/cold springs area much but after an event at NKU, my son and I decided to try Knotty Pine on the Bayou out. Pulling up to this spot off the beaten path initially had me second guessing our choice but I'm happy that we went in. The place was somewhat packed for a Thursday night but the staff were immediately welcoming ands we were seated without a wait. The place was clean, our server Christie was amazing and our food was delicious!! I'm definitely adding this Cajun/creole gem into my rotation!!! read more

We purchased a Groupon to try out the revamped Knotty Pine. It is very expensive for what is offered on the menu. I could never see paying full price for any of it. I had the crab cakes with roasted red potatoes. They were both spicy which kind of overwhelms the entire entree. My mom ordered the catfish with potatoes. Her catfish was greasy and we have both had better seafood elsewhere for a fraction of the cost. For dessert, we had the opera cream cake which tasted like Duncan Hines chocolate mix. The icing and raspberry sauce on top made it pretty good. Not really worth $6 though. The atmosphere is very 90's and they didn't spend much on furniture. We were literally sitting on deck chairs with table cloths inside of the restaurant. Very eclectic decorations but I understand that they are going for Cajun/New Orleans style in Northern Kentucky. The parking lot is extremely worn down as well. Service was decent but I will not be a regular customer at this establishment. Once was enough for me. read more

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Service is top notch and so grateful to know it's not extinct Food exquisitely delightful. I am a regular connoisseur of fine dining and specialty restaurants. This one surpasses all others in northern Ky Greater Cincinnati area. No problems when I wasn't happy with my wine selection. It was replaced with another choice. Oh. Did I say how amazing the service was !! read more

If there is a phrase that sums up this evening's dinner at Knotty Pine, it is "rather disappointing." After reading so many complaints about service, I was afraid of what we might encounter in that department. However, the food was the real stinker. In the spirit of saying something kind, there were some good things worth mentioning. For example, the Bleu cheese dressing was VERY good, as were the collard greens. Paul enjoyed the chocolate Kahlua pie. In the okay category fell the following: my sea bass, which was under-seasoned, and Paul's lobster bisque, which would have been much better had it not been both under-seasoned and served lukewarm. Also okay was the atmosphere, which would have been good but for the constant draft coming from God knows where. The disappointments began with butter and ended with my dessert. Putting slightly warm bread on top of stone cold pats of butter does not defrost the butter. Also, sauteing catfish in butter and then loading it up with Cajun seasoning does not make it blackened catfish. Serving it undercooked does not help either. I would have sent it back, but Paul is too nice. In addition, you can't cover up waterlogged red potatoes with Cajun seasoning and fool patrons into believing they are meant to be eaten. Finally, serving "the most widely ordered" opera creme cake with a raspberry sauce that tastes like cough syrup might prompt Chris Rock to shout, "Put a little 'Tussin on it," but it does not make for a tasty dessert. Service ranged from poor to good. The bus boy removed plates from our table without asking but then later redeemed himself by keeping drinks refilled. We waited far too long for our main course, especially considering the fact that there were only two other parties there when we arrived. The manager stopped by to ask us how our meal was, which was appreciated. It's worth mentioning that I visited the Knotty Pine several years ago and enjoyed everything about it. Unless Robert Irvine visits this place and helps them overhaul it, I don't imagine myself returning. read more