Cheezburger Cafe

Definitely closed. Drove by there yesterday and the sign was down and the windows all had brown paper over them. So not sure how the food would have been.

Reports that this place is closed are FALSE. While Unilocal works to correct this oversight, head on over and have a cheeseburger. They’re great, you can BYOB, and they probably could use the business this erroneous listing is driving away.

Unfortunately, this place isn’t the same as it’s once former glory. Prices are up (lunch special is now $ 8.50), quality is down (burger and fries were just ok), and service is about the same (just ok). I ordered a single burger with lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, Swiss cheese, and chipotle mayo. The burger was loaded with grease and the soaked bun fell apart. They forgot the chipotle mayo and no ketchup or napkins were provided in my to-​go box. I also ordered the Cajun fries which were just average in my opinion. Honestly, for the money, you can probably get a better burger and fries at Five Guys. This is sad, because this was a once great establishment.

So after reading a few of the reviews, I decided to try this burger place anyway. So, first, the burger itself. The burger was cooked just right. It came the way I ordered it and it was a juicy, filling burger. I ordered the regular fries and they were ok. You’ll like the burgers, trust me.
As for the rest of the joint — well. .. . you walk in and it’s not clear if you take a seat, wait for a maitre d’, or what. Don’t wait for anyone to greet you, look for the cash register in the back and proceed to it.
The menu is on the «big board» at the cash register. There’s not much to it, so you won’t have a lot of choices to confuse you. You order, get your drink, and have a seat. Someone will bring your food to you.
If you’re looking for astectics and nostalgia — this isn’t the place. If you’re looking for a good burger to munch on, you’ve arrived. Would I go back? Yes — for lunch, not for a quick in and out mind you, but because it’s a good burger.

Service is horrible. It took over 30 minutes for burgers to arrive after ordering at the cash register. The employee actually yelled at my friend for not answering her question fast enough. Same employee, named Jessica, came out to ask how our food was– BEFORE we had received any food. Place is filthy– huge chucks of mold came out with the ice cubes. It is a self service type place. 4 employees all too busy goofing off to cook the food in a timely manner. Burgers & fries were good. Onion straws were awesome but too salty. Will not ever go back. It is dirty and a health hazard, and getting yelled at a by a psycho employee is just weird and scary.

Cheezburger Café is a little known secret in Cincinnati. It’s tucked away and adjacent to Skip’s Deli. Upon walking in the décor is clean and pleasing as you would expect a casual non-​fast burger joint to be. There are a handful of tv’s that are usually set to ESPN or a sporting event. Some booths have small tv’s in them even. Most if not all of the tables have checker boards built into the design and I’m assuming they have checkers for you upon request. Another reviewer bashed the ambiance a little. It’s not romantic or overly stylish but it’s clean and a good enough place to pound a beer and a burger.
That’s right… I just said BEER. Cheezburger Café is BYOB!!! You can bring in your own beer or wine and the staff will put it in an ice bucket for you. I think there is a minimal charge of like $ 1.50 for that but I wasn’t charged when my friends brought beer.
The menu is pretty fun. They have variations of fries (fries, curly fries, chili cheese fries, cajun fries) and onio straws. They offer a menu of burger specials (Blackened blue cheese burger, patty melt, etc…) but you can also have your burger made to order. The following toppings are free on your burger; lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, grilled mushrooms, grilled banana peppers and fried egg. You have several cheese options such as blue cheese, american, cheddar, pepperjack and provolone. They have a variety of sauces like onion straw dip, chipotle mayo, etc… You can also add on toppings like bacon, avacado/​guac or chili for a minimal cost. You can also order your burger as a single, double or triple. A single will cost about $ 4 with no side.
The burgers are a pretty good size ¼ and are pretty juicy. The fries are as expected. Cheezburger Café also does offer milkshakes and they have around fifteen or twenty different flavors you can get. (I always get peanut butter!)
You order at the register and sit and wait for your food to be delivered. Technically you are waited on but not like a traditional restaurant. The cashier is often the person who will take care of you but the service has always been friendly, polite and quick.
Oh, they also have a food challenge. A triple cheezburger, fries and a 20 oz shake for $ 14.50. If you can finish in 15 minutes you get your photo on the wall and a coupon for $ off your next visit. Surprisingly many people have finished and the current record if you can believe it is 1 minute and 56 seconds. How is that even possible???
In summary, Cheezeburger Café is a cool, little place that probably won’t be overly crowded but still offers good food at a fair price. There are some tv’s and you can BYOB. This would be a great place for a family dinner if you have kids or if you’re hanging out with friends or out on a casual date.

This was the BEST burger I have had in Cincinnati! The staff were exceptionally friendly and it was such a great atmosphere!

I believe I was served by Dan and ordered a regular cheeseburger (with cheddar and jalapeño). I’ve lived in Cincinnati for a little more than a year and have tried every «top-​ranked» burger joint in Cincinnati (from Terry’s Turf to Zips Café) and Cheezburger Café seriously offers the best burger with the best deal available in the greater Cincinnati area. I strongly believe people are missing out by not knowing about Cheezburger Café. I would love it if they were located closer to UC or Xavier, and admit that their location is not the most convenient. Nevertheless, I will return to Cheezburger when I need a burger «fix.»
I would like to see them succeed, and hope they generate great business so I can continue to have an awesome place with an awesome «well priced» burger in Cincinnati.

I thought the burgers were not that great. The place attached to it may have more potential.

PROS: Large portions and friendly service at a very low price!
CONS: Atmosphere is lacking, tables are messy, and they only have plastic silverware. Burgers and fries are a bit greasy. These are why I give it only 3 stars.
The location is a bit hard to find. It’s next to Skip’s bagel deli in a strip mall on Montgomery Rd. We stopped in for lunch and it took a few minutes for them to seat us, even though it’s a very small dining area. When we sat down, our server was very nice and attentive. They mainly have burgers, and you can get a turkey or veggie burger at not extra cost.
We ordered burgers and fries, and both were good although slightly greasy. The burgers are thick (¹⁄₃ lb), and the fries are hand cut. Our bill was only $ 11, so the price is unbeatable.
Overall, it’s a nice lunch spot. Very casual, no frills, no silverware. Exceptionally priced for what you get. Probably won’t go back unless I’m in the immediate area.

Decent burgers, tons of options. Lousy location, hit or miss service.

This place has the best turkey burgers (so juicy!) and I love the fact there are so many ingredients you can add to your burger for free (grilled onions, mushrooms, etc). The service here can be pretty spotty so we stick to take out and is why I am giving them a 4 instead of a 5.
They have a Great lunch take out special. A burger, fries and drink for $ 5.

No way!!!
I had never even seen the Cheezburger Café until this evening and would have probably never noticed it had we not needed to turn around in the parking lot… I can’t believe that not only has someone reviewed it already but also had an almost identical experience!
We got lost and ended up turning around in a strip mall when we noticed the small restaurant. Hungry, we figured, «Why not?» and stopped in. We thought it was a counter ordering restaurant but were surprised when a sign told us to wait to be seated. An employee pointed to a table for us but never came to take us to the table.
Our server seemed pretty disinterested in actually serving but he was still nice enough. I ordered a Black Raspberry Chip shake from their impressive shake menu but was disappointed to learn they were out of chocolate chips. Damn. Figuring that was a sign from God to save calories, I ordered an Iced Tea instead. My guy got a Strawberry shake. It took a little more than 10 minutes for his shake to get to the table but he said it was worth it.
We ordered, the Blue Onion burger for me (which was good and just as the previous reviewer described it, though I wish there had been some more blue cheese on it) and the LSFD Fireburger for him (covered in Pepperjack, jalapenos, and chipotle mayo). We also had a basket of fries covered in chili and cheese… I loved the chili, it had Cincinnati chili taste but the texture of real chili and beans. Yum!
Tonight, Cheezburger was out of chocolate chips, yellow mustard (they gave us two miniature packets when we asked and apologized for not having any bottles), ice (we, luckily, got in right before they ran out but heard the server tell the table behind us), and, get this, FRIES (once again, the table behind us got screwed… we must have gotten the last of the batch). I don’t know whether this is a good sign for the restaurant because they’ve obviously had enough customers to run out of inventory or a bad sign, ’cause I can tell you right now the table behind us was not coming back to the restaurant.
But, anyways, overall… burgers and value 4 stars ($ 16 for 2), service 2, ambiance 3. So, three stars.

Here’s the quick review: the burgers get 4 – 5 stars, but the service and ambiance gets 1 – 2 stars… hence the three star rating.
The good: My burger was really good and really cheap. Its a good size burger, but its not the size of your head like you’ll get at some other places. I got the blue onion burger which had blue cheese and fried onion straws. It was tasty. The fries were kinda greasy and non-​descript. Also, its cheap. Two burgers, two drinks, and fries for $ 17.
The Bad: This place is located in a strip mall, and there is really no ambiance to speak of. When I read about it online, they said it was diner-​style (which it is), but it doesn’t really feel like a diner except for the fact you sit in big booths. No decorations or anything. You do get a checkerboard on your table though. I’m not someone who cares too much about service, and I’ll just say it was adequate, not good or great.
Bottom Line: Great for burgers. Apparently, there is a pickup special where you get a burger and fries for $ 4.50 or something like that. If I were to go again, I’d get it as takeout and enjoy the burgers elsewhere.