Buz

This plays tries but misses the mark. They share a kitchen with the café next door. The dishes were dirty, the celery that came with my chicken had dirt all over it. The beef tacos were gamy. There was one woman doing almost all the work and she was the best thing about this place, nice apologetic and gave all around good service. They have a lot to work on.

I went to Buz with an extra large group of friends for my buddy’s 30^th birthday party (hey Andy!), and we had a good time. They were very accommodating for our huge group, and the menu was diverse so that everyone found something to eat. The food was good, but not all that great… I think for the price I think I would rather go to the Green Dog next door, which serves similar fresh food but at a more affordable price point.
I ordered the house salad ($ 8) with a side of brussel sprouts ($ 4), while my husband ordered the ribeye steak ($ 26). My salad was a good size, and the walnuts and blue cheese went well together, but it was a little over-​dressed. The homemade roll that was served with the salad was super yummy! The brussel sprouts looked great but were sooo big I couldn’t even eat them in one bite, and they had a distinctly burnt taste to them. My husband really liked his ribeye, but I’m not partial to marinated steaks… I prefer a steak with a simple dry rub, S&P, and grilled, but this one appeared to be marinated and was covered in steak sauce. I think that’s personal preference. The steak was cooked well, but it was fatty, so he didn’t eat a pretty big chunk of it. The french fries and asparagus were tasty!
For the birthday party, they baked my friend a big, beautiful chocolate and peanut butter sheet cake, and wrote «Happy Birthday!» on it! The cake was absolutely delicious and extremely rich and chocolate-​y, and was my favorite part of the night. I thought it was great that they were so excited to have a group of 35 for dinner, and they really worked with my friend to make it happen. The restaurant is cute on the inside, with exposed brick, colorful modern art, and a huge bar. I might come back for wine at the bar, but I don’t know if I would stay for dinner.

We celebrated my husbands 30^th birthday at Buz. We had a large group of about 30 people. I worked with the manager a few weeks ahead of time to get everything set up and he was more than accommodating. The whole process was very easy. The service was fast and friendly and the food was delicious! I had the short ribs and they were amazing. The guacamole was delicious as well. We were even able to have a birthday cake made for my husband and it was a big hit! The large parking lot is great. We will definitely be back and highly recommend eating at Buz. Thanks Mark and staff for helping to make my husbands birthday a great time!

I really wanted to like this place — it’s just down the hill from home. Began with the lobster guacamole. Unfortunately they were out at 8 p.m. Tried the bourbon caramel corn which was sweet, boozy but not terribly fresh.
Next the calamari, which was drizzled with an interesting sweet hot chile thai glaze, that was too hot for me, but it was the tough breading that was unappetizing.
The bourbon maple dates with a crumbly fontina wrapped in bacon were cold and dry. The buttermilk fried chicken was bland. Count us disappointed. Won’t be back.

My parents live just a couple of blocks from Buz, and we finally made it over there as a family on Friday night.
We had reservations for 8pm and were seated promptly. There were a couple of tables open, but I would definitely recommend reservations if you’re heading there.
We started with the bourbon popcorn– which tasted exactly like kettle corn to me.
We wanted to have some of the lobster guacamole but they were out, so we subbed in the majool dates, which I didn’t try. They also brought over a couple of dinner rolls for those who ordered entrees (most of us ordered a couple different small bites), and those were warm, fresh and delicious.
For my main dish, I had the butternut squash ravioli, which I really liked overall. The brown butter, sage and parmesean paired really well with the ravioli themselves, but I felt the winter vegetables, specifically the beets were out of place and kind of lacking in flavor (and I LOVE beets).
We also ordered the fried chicken (probably the other ‘best’ item that we tried, but still not an all-​star), a bowl of soup, the calamari, and the Buz burger. Nothing was spectacular, and certainly not for the price point.
The restaurant was super loud, ambiance-​wise, the decorations and art were mis-​matched, and service was just ok– which basically sums up our feelings about Buz– just ok.

I love The Green Dog, so I figured it would be a given that Buz would be amazing. I was in a weird mood tonight where I couldn’t decide what sounded good for dinner. I decided to just grab an order of fries from TGDC and then get an order of buz nuts from Buz. I’d never had it before and was excited. First of all, let me just say that the nuts were out of this world good! They had the perfect amount of kick and were bursting with flavor. While I browsed the menu, I saw many things that I’d love to try. The downfall: the service. My boyfriend walked in for me and placed a to-​go order for the nuts. When he asked the cashier how long it was going to be, she mumbled under her breath. When he asked her to repeat herself, she became rather rude and held up her hand, stating «I said it’s going to be FIVE. MINUTES,» in a sarcastic tone and rolling her eyes. Not necessary. Then, when the total came to $ 4.00, he handed her a $ 5 bill and she simply took it without offering to give him change. The worker next to her even pointed out that he gave her a $ 5 bill to which she offered no reply. I asked him why he didn’t speak up and tell her he wanted his change and he said it wasn’t worth the fight. Sad. I will be back to try more food, but my boyfriend is too nice so I’ll make sure that I am the way to come in from now on so I can speak up if treated poorly.

Hooray for Buz! I have my favorites: beet salad, their burger selections and friendly service — willing to exchange/​substitute items for me. Portions — plenty enough for me to have «take home».

This one is a shame. So much potential.
Truffle fries are good.
But the seats were too narrow and too high for my wife to be comfortable.
Good service and attitude. Unique setting, but just a few too many disappointments. Might give it another try. I could see where they might succeed on occasion but not with our four top.

Buz is located in the same strip mall in Columbia-​Tusculum as Modo Yoga and Green Dog Café. It’s location is definitely unassuming, but the inside is nice. It’s a good place to meet up for a date or drinks.
The service was quick and attentive. The food was top notch. I got the pork belly pizza, which was not that good, but the other things my boyfriend and I got – beef tacos, truffle fries, and lobster guac with FRIED PLANTAINS – were phenomenal and more than made up for it.
If you’re in the area, this place is definitely worth a stop.

I really wanted to like this place more. This was a convenient place because they take reservations.
Service was excellent at first, attentive and quick. By the end of the meal it was slow and inaccurate but our table was a bit high maintenance so overall the service was good and they were able to accommodate all our requests.
I found it bizarre that there were zero signature drinks/​a cocktail menu – only a list of wines, beers, and liquors. I was very excited for the 5 cheese queso dip but was totally disappointed. I love queso but this was a very weird consistency and texture, runny and gritty, and tasted overwhelmingly like blue cheese (even though that is not listed as an ingredient?).
The braised veal ravioli was good, the beef tacos were just okay. Dessert was meh – chocolate cupcake was dry and the key lime was extremely tart.

Meh. We went for dinner here because I’m a fan of the Green Dog. First off, our waitress started off nice but then kept interrupting me every time I would speak. I am pregnant and have Celiac so I had some menu questions and specific requests. She looked at me like I was crazy when I asked for a lemonade. She explained she would have to «go next door» to get it. Made it sound like it would be an issue. Then I realized «next door» was basically 10 feet from our table and the restaurants are connected. She interrupted me when I asked for no croutons on the salad, to tell me that their kitchen is not dedicated GF because they make pizzas. As I was explaining that it would be fine as long as there were no croutons in the salad & that what I was ordering shouldn’t be an issue in regard to the pizzas, she walked away from us.
The food was just not what I hoped for. We got the queso dip which was decent. The salad tastes like they just squeezed a lemon on it. No other dressing choices. I got the salmon wrap without the wrap. The salmon and the sauce that went on it were so heavily salted I couldn’t even finish it.
Can honestly say that I won’t bother going back.

I liked the food and atmosphere but didn’t love it. The service was good. A bit slow and confusing on who was waiting on us. There is room for improvement but don’t pass this place up waiting because there are special items on the menu that are unique.

Buz is a great restaurant in the Columbia Tusculum neighborhood. A unique menu with a great selection of wine and beer. I have tried almost everything on the menu and have always been pleasantly surprised. Highly recommended for drinks or a nice dinner!

I’ve had appetizers at the bar once and full-​service dinner twice at Buz and all 3 experiences were nothing short of pleasant. Buz is not the most ambitious restaurant you will ever encounter. Nor is it the most original or memorable. But it certainly makes for a nice evening out when you are looking for a nice place to get a drink or glass of wine and a very good plate in food in an environment that is both refined and comfortable.
During the many years I lived in New Orleans, I was pretty much a pescetarian. My diet has adapted to the more meat-​centric offerings of Cincinnati. But I still love really good seafood when I can get it. Sadly, it’s not easy or cheap to come by in this town which is totally understandable given the land-​locked geography. But somehow Buz manages to do a really good job with fish and other seafood menu items like crab cakes and lobster guacamole (yes, it’s delicious and worth the trip alone!). They cook their fish exactly right. The salmon comes out a true medium. The mahi mahi (which was the special I had for dinner last night) was cooked perfectly and had an excellent grilled flavor.
The side salad that comes with any entrée for $ 4 is HUGE. If you order it, make sure you have someone at the table who can help you eat it. One small critique is that the accompaniments like the risotto and the grits have a lot going on in them. Maybe one or two too many ingredients? But at least the sides are not an afterthought as they are at so many restaurants of the same caliber/​price point. And given the choice, I will take the cheese grits with 7 or 8 ingredients over runny mashed potatoes or unseasoned rice every single time.

Even though we live only a mile away, it took us more than two years to make it to Buz. We delayed probably only because we’re not exactly fans of its partner restaurant, the Green Dog Café, and because the rather odd name «Buz» and its strip-​center location suggest a restaurant quite a bit less dignified than Buz turned out to be.
Buz ain’t the Green Dog: We found ourselves quite surprised at how much we enjoyed our dining experience here. The restaurant impressed us on all levels: food, service, ambience, décor, etc. Buz is flying under the radar and deserves more credit than it gets, especially on the East Side of town where it does business. The menu doesn’t seek to be cutting edge or to hew along the path of any particular cuisine, but rotates with the seasonal ingredients it features and contains enough variety to satisfy just about any diner (without trying to do too much). We’d heard great things about Chef (and owner) Mary Swortwood for a few years after moving to Cincinnati; this is where, for us relative newbies in town (since 2007), she completely validates her good reputation.
For apps, we had the lobster guacamole (yes, chunks of lobster mixed into a very good guacamole) served with fried plantains and truffle duck fat fries (served with parmesan and caper aioli). Both were delicious, filling finger food for a group of four.
Most folks at the table ordered the «Seabuz» salmon – there’s that undignified nomenclature again – a much better dish than that weird name suggests: a generous portion, perfectly cooked medium, served atop grilled asparagus and a sundried tomato risotto. (The better half had great things to say about all of it but the risotto.) I had beef short ribs, served on a bed of celery root purée, root veggies, and mushrooms; this dish attained the instense beefiness you want to short ribs, and the accompaniments were very flavorful, too. (Beef was a little stringy, though.) Overall, really flavorful, satisfying food, and certainly better than quite a few more-​celebrated restaurants around town at these price points.
If you order an entrée, you can get the enormous, refreshing, and very good house salad for only four dollars extra.
Our server was great: very engaging (and engaged), and completely attuned to our needs without being remotely obstrusive. And the ambience is very nice, despite the strip-​center location: exposed-​brick walls, comfortable seating, pleasant lighting, an attractive bar, etc. (The only problem is that the noise levels were pretty bad.)
Overall, really good: 4.25 stars. Buz deserves more buzz. (And maybe a name change???)

I have been to Buz twice now so this review will reflect both visits.
More recently, we went on a Saturday night with a party of 7 and the place was nearly empty, kind of strange. We got a nice table in the back. Our waitress was so great, wish I could remember her name. She took great care of us (we did order quite a hefty bill of drinks). We got the bourbon popcorn and guacamole for appetizers. The popcorn was SO tasty!!! Guac was good too-​wish we would have gotten the lobster guac but we had a picky group member. I ordered the short ribs for dinner, super tender meat, very comforting, it reminded me of mom’s pot roast. My boyfriend ordered the lamb burger which he liked, but I did not like it at all. Their fries and sauces are really satisfying!
A few months ago just my boyfriend and I went, we got their special fish dish (can’t even remember what it was anymore), which was good. We also got the spicy edamame, which are good but a little too spicy for me. And I like pretty spicy. My boyfriend took care of them however. We did not like their pizza, and would not recommend that (we had pork belly and did not like it).
They definitely have fresh food and I am all about rotating menus, so Buz is a winner in my book.

If you are looking for really good food at a really good price this is it. They do fresh delicious dishes for the price of your standard chain. We started with the tomato soup which came sizzles with truffle oil and fresh Parmesan. It was served with a roll that I wasn’t crazy about. We had the appetizer that was on special. Bacon wrapped figs stuffed with Gorgonzola in a honey rosemary sauce. Out of this world! There was also a duck breast on special that sounded divine but duck is easy to mess up so we shows away on our first trip. Now I wish we had tried it since the chef knows her stuff. We had the Buz fries which were served with an addicting malt vinegar aioli. We split the Hawaiian Chicken Pizza. Spicy and delicious. We couldn’t even eat half of it. We didn’t do drinks and we walked out for just over $ 30 with half a pizza and some fries left over! We will definitely be back to try some other dishes and see what exciting new specials the chef whips up.

The menu is hip and the service is terrific. Great addition to the neighborhood.

Buz is an annex of the Green Dog café (an order at the counter and wait for the food place) and provides a fancier atmosphere, though connected to Green Dog (there’s an open pathway between the two restaurants). The food prices were somewhat lofty and the food mediocre.
We split items from the ‘Buz bites’ menu — the beef tacos and the salmon wrap. The beef tacos were ok, but the meat was so salty! On the positive side, the porcini, chili morita, napa cabbage, mexican crema and salsa fresca combo came together really nicely.
The salmon wrap with black beans and cucumber salsa tasted pretty good, but wasn’t worth $ 15 dollars for the wrap. If you can get past this price point, this dish is great.
The beers were also pricy — the cheapest draft was $ 5.00.
All in, this place is going for upscale, but they need to come down on pricing in order to keep the customers coming back. We also found the ambiance to be very loud, which was a bit annoying.

Buz has surpassed my expectations, I’m surprised the buzz has not spread further.
Items our famished 4 ordered on a Friday 9pm (refer to photos):
+ Popcorn
+ Cheese donuts
+ Duck taco
+ Roasted Pear and brie pizza
+ Pork belly Ho cakes
+ Duck Poutine
+ 2 seasonal beers
= $ 75.62
An eclectic menu but definitely has a heavy southern and southwestern influence. I enjoyed everything we ordered and I think the price matches up to the quality, portions, and special twists made, and we still had leftovers. If I were to pick my top two, it would be the ho cakes and cheese donuts.
If you plan to order all of these in a visit, I would suggest sliding in an arugula salad or guacamole to give your gallbladder a break. Also I would order the roasted pear towards the end, because it’s more of a dessert pizza.
The only suggestion I have is for Buz to have a cocktail menu to match such an exciting menu.