I had been here once before for a Yelp event, this was visit number two now with their new menu in place. They do take reservations now, which is handy. We had a beautiful night on the patio. But the service was SLOW, and it was not crowded. We sat and sat waiting for the server the first time, it did get a little better after that. I had the chicken sandwich, which was tasty, but the fries were way underdone, they were white. I'd agree with others, I think I'd go back for happy hour on the roof, but maybe just an appetizer. read more

Tried to give this spot another chance (xs3!) and it failed on several levels of service. 1. Not crowded, lots of staff sitting around in the corner of the bar conversing it was weird 2. Had the worst martini I've ever had and I'm no youngster. Who makes a martini with orange bitters? Weird the bartender was sweet and stated the poorly made martini would be comped but I overheard the manager tell him no and we were charged for it. Despite my order was "martini up with olives" 3. Out of Hanky Panky dip on the happy hour menu 4. We ordered chicken bites wings and fries. Waited forever and when inquiry was made we were told one of the servers took our order to the wrong table. Don't know if those folks ordered exactly what we did or if they got free food that really belonged to us 5. Chicken bites when finally received were over cooked dry and unseasoned. Fries are frozen it was apparent 6. Sad because this spot has so much potential. Great location, good happy hour menu if executed and expedited right and hard working staff if trained properly. 7. Sent a group of 12 corporate ladies to eat there and they also had a flurry of mishaps with food and service. They made an electronic reservation for the rooftop and when the party began to show up they were told there are no reservations for the rooftop. The group had to await the person that had proof she had made a reservation for that area. Not sure if the party being an all African American group was the reasoning they were told this on sight. Maybe management should be trained or reviewed for effectiveness. It all starts at the top! read more

Came back because we heard the food menu was revamped. And I'm so glad they did! The food was delicious! Great drink selection, friendly staff, love the rooftop. Now that it's September, it feels so amazing up there! read more

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Our server was great. We were seated at a wobbly table and she moved us right away. My bill was $60 after tip for two drinks and a chicken Caesar salad which is a little pricey. I really liked the ambiance of the restaurant, but not sure if I'll be going back. read more

Rusk Kitchen & Bar - This was after I was finished. I had eaten a lot of croutons already. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

I've been eager to try Rusk, so when a friend suggested we schedule our next group happy hour there, I was all in, including fantasies of a breezy rooftop. Alas, I arrived to find the staff over-stretched and the upstairs closed. Ok, rooftop another time. I was early and order the Buffalo Trace Manhattan, one of the happy hour special cocktails. Although I waited a while for it to arrive, the bartender made a very tasty cocktail with a slight smokiness I enjoy. My friends joined me and by now staff reinforcements also arrived, so we had a server change and eventually the pace picked up, too. We ordered charcuterie and pop chicken. I'm vegetarian and was grateful the kitchen was willing to serve the meat on a separate plate for my friends to enjoy. The hot Bavarian soft pretzel was a nice alternative to the ubiquitous crackers or plain crostini on the board. I also order their Twisted Caesar Salad, a vegetarian version of the classic and it was fresh and filling with plenty of Parmesan shavings. Next time, I'll stick with the half portion. By the time we were ready to leave, the upstairs was open and lively. Note there are a few tables with umbrellas, but most of the west-facing rooftop is in the sun in late afternoon/early dinner. read more

Rusk Kitchen & Bar - $6 Buffalo Trace Manhattans and Grey Goose Martinis M-F 3-6 pm. Yum! - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Yay! Another great night at Rusk! We met owner Troy. He told us about the history of he and his brother opening up the restaurant. Mallory our bartender just moved here from Chicago such a cutie and fun. Great food and service. A must try! read more

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"Strong ice game" - describing the great cocktails down to the thoughtful ice! Recommending the mezcal Paloma and old fashion. Gotta love a happy hour special including old fashions and appetizers! Highly recommend a rooftop happy hour time as it is the perfect relaxation setting with fire pits, game tvs, and sun. Patio is wonderful Crab cakes were great Fondu has mixed reviews in our group, didn't have much flavor for me Brie-chicken sandwich was great Truffle fries were top notch read more

Rusk Kitchen & Bar - Mezcal Paloma & old fashion - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

We had a great lunch at Rusk! The space is beautiful, clean, and uniquely designed! It is a great place for a lunch meeting or date. The pretzel was excellent. A great price and size. And you can tell the dough is fresh. We really enjoyed the Thai salad as well. Great flavor. We're so happy Rusk has joined the neighborhood ! read more

Stellar food menu, extensive and delicious cocktail selection + a great outdoor space. What else would you want? read more

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Been super excited about this place opening and it did not disappoint. Beautiful interior and much more elevated food than you'd expect from a bar. Gonna be awesome coming back here to watch sports on the rooftop! read more

Rusk is great! We went shortly after they opened so there were some small kinks but they have a lot of potential. The rooftop patio is perfect for when the weather is nice. The seating is comfortable, there's shade, and there are TVs. Our server was awesome - I wish I remembered his name. He was helpful and attentive. We ordered the brussel sprouts (not the best but not terrible), calamari (delicious), royal with cheese rangoon (also delicious!), the Parthenon power bowl (more of a salad than a bowl but very good), and one of the burgers (can't remember which but also very good). The drinks were also good. read more

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Rusk has been on my radar for a while now and after finally having the opportunity to experience it, I'm happy to report that it was everything I expected and more. The venue itself is spacious and very well put-together in my opinion. The furniture is comfortable and fitting for the space. The staff is friendly, respectful, and knowledgeable about their offerings which allows for an easy decision making process on the consumer's end. The food came out exactly as I envisioned and tasted like it was made by someone who loves their craft. I am happy with my experience and will absolutely make sure Rusk stays on my list. read more

Rusk Kitchen & Bar - Pancakes, scrambled eggs, potatoes, and sausage - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Overall: will be back! I went for a late lunch on a Tuesday (aka not a typically busy time). I had a hard time deciding what to order bc lots sounded good but settled on Animal Farm which was a chicken sammy with bacon lettuce tomato and pimento cheese. Served with chips (that came warm - yum!). I ordered a side of ranch and blue cheese - the blue cheese is marzetti the ranch I think might have some smokey flavor added to it - very good. The chicken was breaded and cooked to perfection... unfortunately, it didn't have a whole bunch of flavor. Most of the flavor came from the pimento cheese and bacon (delicious bacon) - which, I don't have a problem with. However, this concept might make more sense to use a high quality lunch meat type slice instead of the fried breast. Service was great. Only bathrooms are downstairs (and only 3 stalls). Top floor does not seem to be accessible other than by stairs. Vibes are giving me old European beach-near... exposed white brick, dark wood, coral and dark blue accents. The roof was surprisingly warm (despite solid coverage from the table umbrella) I hope they invest in some fans. Overall, I was a very happy lunch guest. But I'm old so loud and crowded aren't fun for me, so I doubt I'd venture in during peek times. read more

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It was a great meal. The waitress was very good and there was a great feeling in here. The dark tone really sets the mood to be chill and just helps us have a great time. read more

What a great new spot in East Walnut Hills. First, it's a beautiful space with a great feel/vibe. Friendly greeting from the moment we walked in. This was during the 'soft opening', yet we were warmly welcomed and told to look around and check out the space. Settled on the wonderful rooftop to have dinner. So many great choices on the menu. Can hardly wait to come back. And our service from Sarah was top notch. She was friendly, helpful, attentive and efficient. read more

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Enjoyed an incredible brunch on Saturday while staying in Cincy following a Reds game. The restaurant setting is beautiful and our server was very attentive. Every dish ordered was excellent and cooked to perfection. read more

Rusk Kitchen & Bar - The Farm - fried chicken sandwich with pimento cheese...delish! - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Good location. Ambiance is great! Very cool vibe. Great beer, wine and cocktail menus. Food is okay. Service leaves much to be desired. I have been twice and both times seemed short staffed and inconsistent attentiveness. Has potential, hope service improve. read more

The ambience here is great. We had a good waitress on our visit who was very friendly. Unfortunately, the food all sounds better on paper than it tastes. It's mediocre at best. read more

Very nice ambiance. Great service and amazing menu items. I would recommend getting their Rusk Mule, very tasty. read more

Rusk Kitchen & Bar - Rusk Mule - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

What a great new gem in East Walnut Hills. I can't wait to return. The patio upstairs is incredible and the whiskey espresso martini is to die for. You can't just have one (although maybe you should!). I love wonderful and inventive places - and this fits the bill. Excellent service as well. Check it out! read more

I love Rusk. The atmosphere is great for so many occasions. I've been here for an event and dinner a few times, both were splendid. The food is elevated bar food and is tasty. I usually go for the burger on a gluten free bun. read more

We were running errands and needed a beer and a snack. What an incredible surprise we found at Rusk! We were asked if we wanted seating inside or out, we did not expect the beautiful rooftop deck! We sat outside under an umbrella but there is also a rooftop indoor bar area and they had the US Open on large tvs. We had great service, great recommendations for wine and food. I got the Bavarian charcuterie, unfortunately it was missing the liverwurst which they didn't tell me. But it was still delicious, pretzel, 2 cheeses and 2 meats. Hearty snack. My husband got a Cuban sandwich and it was fantastic. Served with run of the mill crinkle fries. The menu has a good selection of snacks, burgers and sandwiches. Really nice place for a sunny afternoon. read more

Rusk Kitchen & Bar - Rooftop lounge at Rusk. They also have tables for 4 with umbrellas. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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The food, atmosphere, and service at Rusk were all great! I would highly recommend this new spot! The upstairs rooftop area is also really cool. read more

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Waited 1.5 hours to get seated. Had to come check and see if they still had my name. They don't serve entrees at the bar. What if I want to watch TV while I eat instead of watching basic Karens down wine? Booooo. This blows. Place is overrated. read more

I enjoyed the atmosphere and look forward to spending time on the roof. The food was good, too. read more

Rusk Kitchen & Bar - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Went there for brunch with a group of friends. When we got there at about 11:00 that morning we were told they were not doing brunch. A lot of us had already look at the menu to choose what we wanted beforehand. Some of their sandwiches come on croissants and they were out of them so you had to get a wrap or brioche bun. I ordered a midnight kiss cocktail was good. The drinks were the only thing good to me. Brunch maybe is better but not sure if I would go back to try read more

Rusk Kitchen & Bar - Midnight Kiss - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

they were some pretty nice people and good food I like this place a lot good food ambiance was very nice good environment From Liam Bowen PS India was a very good waiter read more

The service was amazing and the food was great. We came as a group for a dance, and even though our reservation was lost, they still sat us and the servers were so nice to talk to. Would recommend read more

Service was excellent. Ambiance was excellent. They have done a really great job with the space. Sophisticated, comfortable, spacious. And the 2nd floor deck/outdoor space is just as great as first floor space. But the food, I really hate to have to say this but it was pretty terrible. Cesar salad with fish added (choice, chicken or fish). Romaine was nice and fresh. Chopped. Thats fine. Dressing was literally tasteless (could be worse), the croutons were packaged (description on the menu not withstanding), very little shaved parmesan. And the grilled white fish...it was about a 2 oz serving. Tough and rubbery. I am not a big fan of white fish. I prefer salmon. But I eat white fish. My experience with white fish is that it is flaky, tender. Not this whitefish. This was my first time at Rusk. I live right around the corner. I really wanted to love it. The menu is I would say a little eccentric. I didn't see anything I really wanted to eat. The cesar salad with fish was a default selection, Guys, I really wanted to love you. I would love to have a good (great) neighborhood restaurant. The space is great, the service is great. But the food isn't. I'll keep trying. I am rooting for you, read more

I have dined here four times. The first two times, the food was delicious and generous, with great service and value. The third time, the service was kind, but extremely slow (turned out they "lost" the fish my daughter ordered, and it took about 40 minutes to find it, during which time we were only notified of the problem about five minutes before the food arrived to the table, even though we were one of just two tables seated in the entire restaurant). The food had significantly changed by this third visit and was not a good value. For example, the amount of protein on a sandwich was about half of what it had been the last time I was there. In a strange turn of events, my mother asked me to take her there for lunch the very next day because she wanted a salmon sandwich for lunch. That fourth visit will be my last. The small slice of salmon, barely identifiable on the comparatively giant piece of baguette, was about the thickness of a slice of deli turkey or a slice of lox. It was a complete rip-off in my book. The server forgot my drink, my condiments, and never came back to check on us after dropping off the food, at which point I would have sent back my hockey puck of a burger that I had asked to be cooked medium. There were almost no customers in the restaurant, so I do not understand how the server said she was flustered and forgot to come back. In exchange, she said she would discount our meal 15%, but only took $2 off my burger. I had high hopes for this neighborhood restaurant, but I will only be returning if I can't find another place open with a sunny rooftop--only for drinks, though! read more

Rusk Kitchen & Bar - Burger cooked "medium" - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Nice atmosphere clean and bright, the barkeep seated us at a window table with open windows. She seemed stressed. We ordered, food was served and we never saw her again. We realized we needed to to go to her at the bar to pay our check. It became a nightmare, she rang up on our credit card the bill for another customer. She became extremely stressed, called manager, etc, etc". We said we a4e being patient and understand you are stressed, so let's move on". We then paid cash and left after waiting 30 minutes or more to pay. Called later to speak with Manger or owner, put on hold three times then told to call back later when Manager was working. This place is total CHAOS and likely to be out of business, sooner than later. Not sure her problem but it seems they are unstaffed and she is too hyper to manage minimal stress. My blt sandwich was dry and bread seemed stale. read more

Service. Service service Waited 20 mins before server showed up at table. We're told they were out of silverware read more

Visited Rusk Kitchen and Bar for first time with a friend. Restaurant was nicely decorated and not at all noisy or crowded on a Wednesday. We ordered the whipped ricotta appetizer, it was very good but sweet and rich. I had the Rusk salad with grilled salmon, very good, fresh - had an abundance of cranberries and could have used more goat cheese. My friend had the pork belly quesadilla which he enjoyed but said that it could have used some sour cream to go along with it. They had a wide variety of draft beers and large specialty drink menu. Our server was very attentive and nice. I would most definitely go back when in the neighborhood. read more

The restaurant had a nice atmosphere and is in a great location. We had the ricotta, the pretzels, the Caesar salad, chicken sandwich, and espresso martinis. The ricotta was very disappointing, way too sweet and the pita was mediocre. The pretzels and caeser salad were decent, the chicken sandwich was small and the fries looked/tasted like they were some steak and shake (and were cold). Overall the food was fine, but horribly overpriced. The service was good our waitress was kind, but they must be understaffed because it was slow. read more

Very disappointed. The chicken pita was so dry and flavorless. Half price wine on Wednesday was nice and staff were super friendly, albeit slow. They have some great options on the menu, but everything we had was just meh. Won't be back. read more

We had a party of ten. The service was a mess. Not a single time did the server know who was getting what food or drink. It seems like they don't use trays, because everything was brought out one at a time. The food was mediocre. But the building and the design is the stand out. I'd just like to see them button up their service and food to match the level of design. read more

Horrible horrible horrible service! Every time we go it takes at least 10 to 15 minutes to get a drink. Food is only okay. If you are in a hurry forget about it. Needles to say there was a total of 6 people in the restaurant. They do not even acknowledge you! They will not last!!!! read more

I have given it 3 chances. First time I had hair in my fries. Yes plural. Second and third time the food was just not good. They were out of several ingredients for my salad which I was never told until my meal Came and I mentioned it to the server. This place is just not great. read more

They charge you for ice. Who does that? If you get a bourbon with a big cube, they will also charge you for the ice cube. Bad business.

Our first and LAST Rusk experience. Allergy concerns were "heard" by the server, entered into the ordering system and ignored by the kitchen. The server's response to serving a gluten bun instead of the gluten-free bun was "it will be five minutes." Ten minutes later, I asked the server what was going on, and (because she had already served one of us the same menu item), if there was onion (an allergy we mentioned) in the sauce. After some mumbling, the server admitted that there was onion in the sauce and brought the menu to our table again. Half of our party had already finished by this time. A second order, which we were told would be "five minutes," took only nine minutes, 45 seconds. This time, the broccoli was served cold. After a rather pointed conversation with the manager, our meals were comped, but date night had been ruined by a staff that does not communicate well, has not been trained well and does not work as a team. There are other, BETTER, places to eat in Cincinnati. read more