Cadillac Ranch

On our way to the Know Theatre and running late, we needed a quick dinner. We walked past the Cadillac Ranch and because we saw there weren’t a lot of people, we figured we would get something quickly. Once we were inside we noticed there were quite a few people, it’s just that this place is enormous, really huge. And lots of people sit at the bar rather than having dinner in the boots.
I read all of the negative comments below, but perhaps it’s the new owners or perhaps we just got lucky… Anyway, we both ordered a pepperoni double cheese pizza and it was good enough. Our waitress was really friendly and she did everything she could to speed up the dinner for us. We got out in under 30 minutes, had a good pizza, so we were happy!
I even hesitated about giving this place a 4 star but then I thought: would I come back? Probably not, only if we would be in a hurry again and when all of the other restaurants are full. The other reason is that the music really is very loud, even at 7pm in the evening.
But still, better than it used to be, I think, from reading the old reviews and definitely an OK from me.

I have to admit, when I was younger I used to go to this place and we had some fun times on the dance floor. I’d dance the night away without so much as a care in the world. Now, I went for a different reason. The food. yikes. We went on New year’s eve and it was insanely packed, which is to be expected. That’s where the 2 stars instead of one come in. The staff were all very nice, and they got to us pretty quickly despite the craziness of the night. I didn’t understand why there were so many bad reviews at first. well, I found out.
We ordered, and they just didn’t have a great selection of food to choose from. I ordered a salmon Cesar salad and the salmon tasted like the bottom of a tennis shoe. Well, what I’d imagine a tennis shoe would taste like anyways. It was dry and tasted like a fish. Yes, I’m aware that salmon is a fish, but it usually has a much lighter taste. I actually picked it out of my salad and put it on it’s own plate.
The salad itself was delicious. I wished I wouldn’t have gotten the fish at all at this point because it cost me an extra $ 6. I could have gone to the thrift store and purchased a pair of nasty old shoes and chewed on them for less than that.
I’d go back again possibly to dance, but I feel like there are better places to head out to now. Very say, I’d say this Cadillac has a flat tire and is falling apart fast.

Eww I did not enjoy myself at this place!
I did not like the staff they were unattentive and rude.
The food here was gross too.
The women that hang out here are trash too!
Too expensive for what the drinks are worth.
Only thing this place has going for it is the location.

I’ve been here a couple of times, and it’s okay. Not bad, not good, just okay. I’m not that big of a fan on spending money at bars, for one the alcohol is just too expensive, and the tab runs up very quickly. Almost $ 4 for a beer here and that can add up quickly, figure in parking, food, and the cover charge if you get there after 10pm, and that adds up as well. I like to visit every great once in a while, usually I’ll DD that evening for the other people I go with, but it’s still fun nonetheless. I’m quite a beast on the dance floor. And I will agree with one of the other Unilocalers, the clientele is kinda douchey there. And the outdoor patio is amazing too, you can sit out and watch all the drunks punching parking meters and then yelling at them, and watch the drunks karate kick the green steel trash cans. Location is good too, it’s right around the corner from Fountain Square.
I suppose I’ll be back whenever my buddies need a DD, but not to drink.

I debated whether I should give Cadillac Ranch 2 or 3 stars. It’s a pretty average club/​bar. The location is nice, but the clientele is kind of douchey. It’s the kind of place you go to pick up girls, or if you’re a girl, get picked up by guys. If that’s the kind of thing you’re looking for, this is a good place. There’s a bull. The atmosphere is pretty standard; dark, red lighting, loud music.
One thing the ranch does have going for it is their huge patio. You can sit outside in the heart of downtown and watch all the drunk people walk by. There is a cool half indoor/​outdoor bar, and the whole side of the club opens up to the outside. For when it’s a little chilly out, there are also a couple fire pits.
Anyway, ultimately I would have given it 3 stars for the patio if I thought that the cover and pricey drinks were worth it, but they aren’t.
TL;DR: Jersey shore style club with a cool patio. Ultimately not worth the cover. Even if you’re in a clubbing mood, there are better places.

BE CAREFUL with this place!
In town for a friend’s wedding, so we decide to come here after the rehearsal dinner. At first, looked like it would be a fun place. There was a bull and a good-​size dance floor. Decided to get a Red Bull-​vodka, and the bartender lied to me about the price. After discussing the mix-​up with her, she THREATENED to have me kicked out then CLAIMED she was a manager. I then found the real manager and he handled my complaint in a nice, calm manner. He gave me a free drink for my troubles. WATCH OUT! These girls are money-​hungry you-​know-​whats! Service overall was pretty poor, which surprises me for a place located in a downtown metropolitan area. I hope Cincinnati has better places than this dump. Will not come back, ever. Hope the bartender who claimed to be the manager on duty gets fired asap!

I only came here to ride the bull (which was fun)… the food was not all that great and it’s pretty loud. I felt like I was at a club, not a restaurant.

One thing I will say for the Ranch is that the building is it managed to score just happens to be beautiful and centrally located downtown among the other «party bars,» which do have a place and serve a very specific purpose of getting blitzed beyond comprehension, and you get a great view of the Contemporary Arts Center.
Otherwise, it’s pretty much the worst place imaginable for anyone with even the tiniest bit of class, style, and individuality. It’s like the Jersey Shore of Cincinnati, minus the amusing lack of self-​awareness. Cadillac Ranch is hyper-​aware of itself, and wants you to get in on the allegedly hot corporate pseudo-​honky tonk action that only plays pop country remixes when they even deign to play country music. You get a bar staff with a terrible attitude problem and an even douchier clientele, and the drinks are too overpriced to even make it worthwhile.
Also, they charge a cover for reasons beyond my comprehension, so make sure you get there before 10 pm unless you want to pay money just to walk into this pointless establishment. I guess that could be considered a bonus in that you could go early and avoid most of what makes this place terrible, but even then, why would you want to?

I was not impressed with this place for a night spot and I’m equally un-​impressed with it as a lunch spot. A few of us from work went there at lunch to grab a bite to eat and discuss some business. We couldn’t hear each other talk because of the loud music. Hello! It’s only noon… cool it with the loud rock.
I’m just not a fan of this place and it was dead at lunch.

Wow. Where do I begin? A lady friend and I were in Downtown Cincinnati last Sunday afternoon and all of the places we wanted to eat at were closed. I saw the Cadillac Ranch and said «Why not?». Here’s why not, The bartender, a 50 year old dude, was a complete jerk. He had a total attitude problem from the second we sat down. We ordered the loaded fries, which were served to us soft, with FAKE BACON, and cheese so hard that it took a huge effort to pull apart from eachother. It was like they had been saved from an order earlier in the day, or had been left to die under the heat lamp for atleast 10 minutes. Horrible experience. I wish I wouldve checked Unilocal before we decided to sit down. The reviews are accurate!

This bar attracts the exact crowd that I typically try to avoid. The girls are usually scantily clad and then think it’s a great idea to ride on a bull. I have seen things happen on that bull that I wish I could erase from my memory. Top reasons NOT to ride a bull: 1. You’re drunk 2. You have a dress or skirt on 3. You are not wearing a bra or underwear 4. You are desperately seeking male attention. Just plain sad. When the bull-​riding is occurring you can usually spot drunken frat guys drooling from the side. It’s disgusting.
The women’s restroom almost always has an extremely long line and is a mess. Several people have mentioned the patio and I will agree that it has potential. My only problem is that it’s usually crowded if the weather is nice and may be full of smokers.
As if all of the above isn’t bad enough… they charge a cover! I have a hard time ever paying a cover but Cadillac Ranch is certainly not worth it.

This is one of my least favorite bars downtown, yet so many of my friends insist on going here. The only real redeeming quality is the outdoor patio, so instead of talking about all the negatives (because there are a lot), I will praise the patio. There is a ton of seating and there are firepits throughout. There is even a bar outside, so when the inside is PACKED like it always is, it’s nice to have that service outside also. Really, I just love being able to watch the hustle and bustle of downtown life while I enjoy a cocktail on the outside patio with friends.
[Side note: the women’s restroom is always a disaster; probably the worst of the downtown bars. I never knew women could be such heathens until the day I subjected myself to that monstrosity.]

I have been here many times for dancing and drinks, but this time, I came for some grub. I had a
coupon and figured why not? Anyways, the food was actually fine and the waitress was nice. As others have said, this place isn’t the best place for a meal, night out, etc. But if you want to chill somewhere downtown and want to be close to the Aronoff for instance, this place will be ok. I haven’t been here during the weekend for some time, so I do not know if there is still a large portion of college people/​crowded/​etc, so if that kinda stuff repulses you, look elsewhere. I tend to find all their antics quite amusing. The bar manager was a bit standoffish about not having drink specials when we nicely asked why they didn’t have any, but whatever. I was also surprised that they do not have beer on tap. Apparently the flooring/​design will not allow for this.

Likely the worst restaurant/​bar in downtown Cincinnati. We have so many great restaurants with fabulous food and bars with terrific tap lists. I’m not sure why a place as terrible as Cadillac Ranch still exists. Location I suppose?
Bland food. Garbage beer list. Terrible music. Idiots on a mechanical bull. It’s an urbanists nightmare.
Effectively, it’s a place for out-​of-​towners to go if they’re looking for something like an Applebee’s downtown. I’d take the Bee any day over Caddy Ranch.
As often discussed, their burn of MPMF bands will haunt them forever, but thereis no fixing bad food, bad drinks & bad atmosphere. Avoid at all costs.

I’ve been to the Cadillac Ranch in downtown Cincinnati twice. This place is a college bar 2 miles from the closest college campus. The clientele is definitely the under-​30 crowd, which is my demographic, but even I find this place to be sort of… overly chaotic. From the mechanical bull to the heinous drinks (why make a Jaegerbomb your special???) to the newly-​released-​into-​the-​real-​world 20-​somethings, Cadillac Ranch is a good place to get wasted and meet Mister or Miss Right-​Now (which is exactly what happened to my friend the first time he went).
Believe me, I like clubs — good music, good drinks, good people, good dancing… but Cadillac Ranch isn’t even up in the high-​traffic club category — it’s a huge facility with more popped collars, slinky dresses, and belligerance than a frat party. If I ever want to get completely obliterated, I’ll go back to the Cadillac Ranch, but I think even at the still-​young age of 24, it’s a little bit too crazy, crowded, and trashy for my liking!

Awful. My wife was out with her friends and I was out with mine and we decided to meet up. Naturally we went where the ladies were… Huge mistake. I got there and had to pay a cover, which I hate doing unless there is live music.
Once inside almost immediately someone spilled beer down my back. When I was able to find my wife I had to scream at her so she could hear me over the ridiculously loud dace music.
When i went to order a drink. The bar tender was rude and I hope you’re a fan of domestic beers because that’s about all they’ve got.
the beer selection is terrible. It’s too loud, it’s over priced and over crowded. Unless you’re single and looking for a one night stand I wouldn’t recommend this place to anybody. I only gave Cadillac Ranch one star because you can’t submit a review of zero.

I am not a preppie, popped-​collar, Budweiser drinking jackhole. If I was, I might like this place. Heck, I might love this place. However, I’m not and I don’t.
This is pretty much everything you could think of when it comes to a d-​bag bar. Overpriced drinks and awful food? Check. Loud terrible music? Check. Rude staff? Check. Bull for college girls to ride? Double check. Oh, it’s all here.
Plus, and I know it’s been mentioned before but I must mention it again, during last year’s Midpoint Music Festival, when locations all around Cincinnati were hosting bands from across the country, Cadillac Ranch cancelled all their bands during the festival. Why? Because they were driving away their normal clientele and the bar wasn’t making enough money.
D-​bag owners for a d-​bag bar. Sounds just about right to me.

Cadillac Ranch pulled out of the Mid Point Music Festival half-​way through, abandoning the bands that had travelled to play on their stage. The following is a letter that I wrote to their management:
I assume you now know about the debacle that was the Cadillac Ranch’s handling of the Mid Point Music Festival. I’m sure that others have commented before me, but I felt that I needed to also voice my opinion on the matter. I was (100% honestly) there last saturday night. Our group consisted of seven people. We sat behind the sound board in a booth with a (large)bachelorette party sitting directly in front of the stage — dildo veil and all, if you want to verify with your waitstaff that I WAS there. All 7 people in our group purchased at least 1 beer as we watched the first band. We left and planned to come back for at least one other band that night. Cadillac Ranch Management shut down the bands slated to play, an obligation that they had entered into until they decided it did not meet their needs. I find this morally reprehensible. I actually went to Cadillac Ranch last year for MPMF as well and they were running so far behind that after finishing at least 1 – 2 beers each, my girlfriend and I left without hearing a single note. Was that the bands’ fault last year as well? Your investment in the community in which you are in helps establish your longevity therein. If you crap out on commitments to your community, they will (and should) treat you in the same manner. The Mid Point Music Festival has been around for years and it is steadily gaining momentum. I’m glad that you have shown your true colors and expressed your willingness to be in no way affiliated with it and its success. I will do my best to spread the word that your establishment does not honor its commitments, and not to patronize a place that has such scant regard for the community in which it serves. I will never again spend one penny in your restaurant/​bar, and I am urging as many others as I can to do the same. Thanks for letting me know who you are. Hope to not see you at MPMF2010.

Such a waste of a great location. Terrible food, terrible service, terrible people. Perfect if you’ve been looking for that hard to find «Miller Lite» or «Budwieser» 16 0z plastic bottle, though. Don’t expect much beyond that.
Would rather screw live bands and book shows, only to pull the plug on them so bachelorette parties can get down to «Don’t Stop Believin’».

This raucous bar is definitely not a place you should take a first date unless you don’t mind screaming back and forth across the table. However, Cadillac Ranch is an ideal spot for parties (think bachelor/​bachelorette parties vs. Grandma’s 80^th birthday) since there’s plenty of table and bar space to accommodate groups of over ten people.
The food is pretty standard bar fare, with only the chicken quesadillas really standing out. Crisp tortillas were filled with a creamy blend of chicken breast chunks, peppers, and onions, and then drizzled with barbeque sauce and sour cream, which was served with salsa, more sour cream, and surprisingly good guacamole.
Though I can’t say much for the food, Cadillac Ranch is a spot I would pick if I wanted a wild night out with a big bunch of my girlfriends.