A Review of BrewRiver GastroPub – Sunday, March 4th

To cap off an already awesome weekend (last weekend), my boyfriend’s cousin invited us to dine at BrewRiver GastroPub, another place I had never been. This time I pulled out my phone to get some pictures because I can’t keep having these boring, wordy blog posts or no one will ever come back!

BrewRiver opened in 2012 off Riverside Drive in Cincinnati (the East End). Their menu features classic New Orleans-style recipes, such as Shrimp Po’boys, plus your standard pub food, like burgers. They also carry 23 different craft beers on draft, but strangely, we ended up ordering a couple of beers they serve in cans, including the Monk’s Café Sour Ale (pictured) and the Abita Purple Haze. Both were very good.

The interior features exposed ductwork, and the walls old, black and white photos of Cincinnati, specifically of our riverboat heritage. The bar is setup impressively appearing to be the focal point inside an otherwise smallish space.

We started the meal portion of our night with appetizers. We ordered two: the Smoked Gouda Pimento Cheese and the Crispy Cilantro Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms. The Smoked Gouda Pimento Cheese is served with sourdough crostini’s, but they also brought the untoasted bread, which I thought was terrific. It offered differing textures. The cheese blend was good, especially spread along the toasty bread. The Crispy Cilantro Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms were tasty as well, but I wouldn’t say they stood apart from other stuffed mushrooms I’ve tried.

I’m not sure why I decided against something New Orleans-inspired, but I wish I hadn't. I wasn’t overly impressed with my burger. I ordered the Natchez, which is considered a customer favorite, and it was a bit overcooked for my taste (they only offer “pink or “no pink” as cooking options). It really wasn’t much to look at either. I tend to like burgers piled high with fun! I wouldn’t call it terrible, just not a burger I could recommend based on this experience alone. The fries we ordered; however, were interesting and flavorsome. You can’t find truffle oil-infused fries just anywhere, and I love all things mushroom.

When I go back, I will definitely try something Cajun, like the Shrimp Po’boy. My friend ended up ordering one, and it came out looking very great (I believe she approved).

I’ve recently read that BrewRiver is having some financial difficulties due to construction that took place along Riverside Drive. Apparently, one of Cincinnati’s main downtown waterlines started leaking in 2017, and while the city immediately took action to avoid a major landslide, BrewRiver saw their business decrease significantly as access to the restaurant was interrupted. The restaurant itself also saw some damage.

If you’re so inclined, they currently have a GoFundMe page setup to help with the associated costs: https://www.gofundme.com/brewrivergastropub-com