Eddie Merlot’s

The only reason this restaurant gets 3 stars from me is that the chef was able to prepare out favorite, Chataux Briand, not on the current menu. This was our third time here. We celebrated our engagement there, were given champagne, desert, and greeted by the manager. We went one year later on our first anniversary and received a desert on the house. Last Thursday we were for the first time in three years to celebrate both our birthdays and our anniversary! The meat was delicious as always but the side dishes seemed much smaller, the mashed potatoes were more like glue then potatoes. We had to buy desert, nothing even offered for us to share! We were there celebrating three significant dates in our lives. They did write Happy Anniversary on the plate for the cake we paid for, I suppose that’s all the special attention you get there anymore! Will not go back. I can get desert for my birthday etc. at many other places.

We have visited this restaurant several times, each time progressively worse until this last Saturday evening, unbelievably awful! Our hostess, wearing such an inappropriately tight, short dress (?) seated us at the only two seater, naughty kid table, ignored as we sat staring at one another in the din. The chairs were so broken in, we both sunk to near chin on table height! Since we were seated in the obvious wait staff pathway, I was kicked with each passing worker, trays passing over my head. Our entrées, I’m not even going into the level of grease…
By the way, I was dressed in heels and pearls with a lovely appropriate dress, while most men were in dirty, saggy jeans. Hmmm, what has happened here?
I’m not going back, too many fabulous choices even in the immediate area. Sorry Eddie Merlot, you have become a super fail! Manager you ask? No where to be found!

Been here many times over the years as I used to live nearby. Loved it over those many years, with minor exception here and there. Overall, solid service and food.
Recent visit was unacceptable. Probably won’t be back and will share experience with my friends and family still in area. After enjoying an appetizer and salads, we noticed our entrees hadn’t arrived. It had been awhile between courses. Before we even had an opportunity to say anything, a manager and our server both arrived separately at our table. Each relayed a similar narrative: one of the steaks we ordered wasn’t up to EM quality standards and they were recooking the meals. We did not ask for this to be done as we hadn’t even seen the food yet; it just was how it was going to be. Bummer, but no problem, let’s enjoy each other’s company at the table. An hour passed. Patrons start clearing the restaurant. We are offered some wine while we wait. One of us orders a glass as we are just idly sitting here, and time continues to march forward. We are offered a free dessert (to eat later) by the manager without our asking. Ehhh, it’s getting late, and the steaks are what we were really after — that were not delivered timely — not dessert. A halfhearted gesture delivered by the manager in a condescending way with no opportunity to respond, similar to, «This is how it’s going to be; take it or leave it.» Our meal had already been extended an hour, the last thing we want to do is sit there and eat dessert.
In the end, the food finally arrives. The steaks are fine. We aren’t that hungry anymore as we’ve been sitting there for an hour. A side of Lobster mac and cheese arrives that had clearly been sitting in the kitchen while they recooked the steaks. It’s so dry we are essentially choking on the noodles. We politely mention it is usually creamier, which was an understatement. The dish is returned to the kitchen, and the chef/​cook personally delivers it back to our table in a totally confrontational and hostile way; we’re talking full on eye contact, almost slammed onto the table, and a disingenuous sarcastic remark that he hopes it’s creamier or better. Haven’t quite seen a backhand like that since John McEnroe. Akin to: «Here’s your #$#@ mac and cheese, I just took a dump in it.» Nice, we didn’t come to dinner for confrontation.
In the end, we are charged full price for the steaks that we ended up taking home because we were hardly hungry after sitting there for so long. We are also charged for the drink (s) ordered while we waited for the entrees to be delivered. I will say this is a clever restaurant tactic: delay the entrees and continue to ply the patrons with expensive drinks. Between the bill, wholly disinterested manager, and hostile cook/​chef, we were obviously unimpressed. It’s unacceptable to go to a restaurant and made to feel uncomfortable during a meal, then cheated after when presented with a bill that doesn’t account for open and obvious kitchen issues. Manager had opportunity to make it right and didn’t. I wouldn’t have taken the time to write this review publicly when the restaurant had ample opportunity to address then and there. It didn’t. Left with a sour taste in my mouth.

It was excellent. From appetizer to dessert the entire meal was excellent. The steaks were cooked well and full of flavor. All the sides were great. The green bean tempura is my favorite. It’s not on the current menu but you can still order it. The waiter, Anthony, was spectacular. He was friendly, funny, but not overwhelming.

Yea, they brought back the short rib stroganoff! Consistently good, Jimmy, one of the bartenders always remembers my favorite. Great food, great service, great atmosphere.

First time here, very impressed with the staff and atmosphere. Bryan K. our server was very knowledgeable about the menu and also very efficient.
The food was fabulous, the filet mignon was cooked to perfection, my husband had the New Orleans mixed grill and said it was wonderful, a great mix of mouthwatering filet, butterflied shrimp and sausage.
A large variety of sides to choose from as well. We will definitely be return customers.

Nice place, nice lighting, average food and service. Shrimp dry and over cooked, steak was not cooked right wanted medium well came out bloody. Once they fixed the steak it was really good. My new Orleans chef creation was sub par. Top it off the waitress forgot our drinks. I expect more when dinner is well over $ 100 for 2.

Very charming and impressive restaurant. The décor is amazing, detailed and elegant while feeling open and inviting. The service was top notch. I felt the waiters would drop everything they were doing to make sure my requests or concerns were addressed. As far as the food, I had the Bourbon marinated ribeye steak, simply delicious. I took half home since it was a large portion, and it seemed even better the next day. The sides are served as family portion sizes. I ordered the sweet potato casserole which had a great texture with a mix of soft sweet potato and crunchy brown sugar crust topping.
Oh, I almost forgot one of the best dishes. For an appetizer we had the filet mignon potstickers which I could have ordered 2 more times and made a full meal out of they tasted so good. The serve also serve Wagyu steaks here grades 5 – 7. They of course are pretty pricey but maybe I’ll return sometime in the future and give one of them a try, but in the mean time I was very satisfied with my USDA Prime Bourbon soaked ribeye steak. It was one of the best I’ve ever had. I think the waiter informed us that all the steaks are aged a minimum of 19 or 20 days. Anyway, it is definitely worth a try but expect to spend some big bucks.

Amazing dining experience. This is my first time writing a legit review on Unilocal,but I was so impressed, I had to leave one. The ambiance is amazing. Live music on Friday nights. Impressive menu. Variety of meats, including bison and waygu cuts. The shrimp cocktail was good, but it’s presentation made it great. I had the bourbon soaked ribeye medium rare, and it was cooked to PERFECTION! We arrived an hour before closing, but Jimmie the Sommelier took his time and suggested several wine options. He even provided samples of some of his favorites. He is a stage 2 sommelier and shared some knowledge with us about wine. A lovely experience and I can’t wait to go back.

Fabulous evening for our 16^th anniversary! Service was wonderful and attentive. Food was all yummy. Bananas Foster table side was incredible. Thanks for making our anniversary special.

My parents chose Eddie Merlot’s for an early Mother’s Day celebration. They had a gift card, and knowing it was pricey and not wanting to foot the bill for a dinner elsewhere, I happily obliged and went. Our movie had gotten out a bit earlier so we arrived at 6:45pm, 30 minutes earlier than our reservation time. Even though I could see empty tables, they were ‘unable to seat us’ and we waited at the bar area. (While I understand there is a method to reservations on a Saturday night, I feel at this level of dining they should have been able to accommodate an early arrival, especially with tables visibly open.)
But, it worked and we ordered drinks and shrimp cocktail at the bar area. I was amused by the shrimp cocktail. They put dry ice in a dish below the bowl holding the shrimp and sauce — the presentation is impressive with the icy smoke rolling over the bar. When finished we closed our tab and went to wait at the entrance for 10 additional minutes until they could finally seat us, after our reservation time.
Once we ordered and the food came, we were not disappointed. I got the NY strip, my mother ordered a special (I think bacon wrapped filets) and my dad got the cheeseburger he had been eyeing since the bar. For sides, we ordered hashbrowns and the lobster mac & cheese. The hashbrowns were crispy on the top, but swimming in oil on the underside. The mac & cheese was fantastic. Being a good daughter, I let my mom take the claw off the top. All of the dishes were good, and since I am their favorite I took the leftover mac & cheese home.
Oddly, while the service was fantastic at our table, we noticed the waitstaff drop and shatter 3 wine glasses while we were there. Accidents happen, and Lord knows I like to be entertained when I go out, but it wasn’t a Greek restaurant. Also, there was a couple near us that once seated, waited for over 15 minutes before someone came to take their drink order. It was a bit embarrassing for the gentleman to get up and find someone to come to their table and take their order. People noticed, making his date uncomfortable. We noticed a manager stop by later on, so hopefully all ended well.
Eddie Merlot’s packs a lot of people in for dinner and has a lot going on. I was impressed with how hard the staff worked. We had a great night out as a family. If Dad offers to pay again, I would return.

Whenever I’m in Cincy, I try to have a group dinner here. Great steaks, all USDA PRIME. Great wine list and sides, everything is ala carte. My fave is the Medallion Trio, served Oscar, bacon gorganzola and mushroom. Great lobster mac and cheese, too!

I am apart of a steak night crew with about 10 members and we switch it up between, At Home Steak Night, Affordable Steak Night and Fancy Steak Night. This outing fell into the Fancy Steak Night class of evenings. Other Fancy Steak Nights have been Ruth Chris, Jimmy Gs and The Precinct. We chose Eddie Merlot’s because one of our members read about it in the Delta SkyMiles magazine.
Overall this was the best dining experience of Fancy Steak Night. My main positive impression was the menu, there were a variety of budget, and more importantly taste options, we typically don’t find at nice steak houses. I am not a big steak guy because I find it boring to eat one piece of meat. However they had a menu item of three smaller filets with three different toppings. This made my evening. They were prepared to my liking at medium rare. And the sauces were not something I could replicate at home.
My wife always gets prime rib which was very good with a little blackened flavor and plenty juicy cooked to a medium. A friend got the NY Strip which came out well-​done despite his request for medium. He was going to deal with it because it was still good but the waitress overheard him mention the issue to me and promptly brought him a perfect medium without being requested.
At steak houses I judge side items in a three grade scale, better than what I could do at home, as good as I could do at home, or just bad. As a group we shared our sides because they are a la carte. All were better or as good grades with the Brussel sprouts, mushrooms and twice baked potato receiving a better grade. The Mac and Cheese got praise but people always like the Mac and Cheese so I don’t put much stock in that. I don’t like eating heavy pasta on steak night. I didn’t have a salad and no one made special mention of them either way.
My wife got a cocktail, the Berry White, which was enjoyable. I grade cocktails on the subtleness of the flavor and despite its fruity name this was enjoyable and not too sweet.
As a table we only got one appetizer, the calamari, which everyone tried and liked. The sauce variety was nice to go with it.
The bread was fine and received proper significance as an afterthought which endeared me to Eddie Merlot’s. I feel that If I am spending money on steak don’t bother telling me how great your bread is I don’t care.
We didn’t have time for dessert as everyone had kids to pick up and put to bed but overall the experience was great.

My boyfriend and I visited this restaurant for valentines day and it was phenomenal. The service could not be beat. My wine menu came on an ipad with a program that allowed me to save/​bookmark the ones that peaked by interest.
The server was extremely polite, kind, and skilled.
The food was ridiculously good. The crab, the lobster bisque, the wine, and prime rib are all items I would order again!
I can’t wait to be back!

My family and I love Eddie’s! My parents would argue it’s the best steak in town (above almighty Jeff Ruby’s), but I can’t stake (pun intended) that claim for certain. I can, however, confirm that they have a killer filet and béarnaise sauce that makes my mouth water just thinking about it. I love their shareable sides, especially the cauliflower gratin o’ amazingness (but seriously, cheese makes everything delicious, does it not?). And, although I’ve never actually ordered it, the Bananas Foster is quite the spectacle at your table side (and always reminds me of being on a cruise ship — is that weird?).
The staff has always been helpful and welcoming, and remembers us when we come in (a sign we go too often? Perhaps.) Added bonus for Bengals fans: Marvis Lewis is a frequent diner and even has his own wine cabinet. So fancy.

I’m going to say this is a 4.5 but wins the 5 thanks to a very professional wait staff.
Eddie Merlot’s is another high end steak chain, working the same vein as Capitol Grille, Jeff Ruby’s Ruth’s Chris and all that. Eddie Merlot’s in my opinion is the least ‘prestigious’ of the steak-​and-​seafood joints in that I don’t get a distinct feeling for the brand. All the others feel distinct from one another… Eddies feels like a nameless ‘fancy’ restaurant in Vegas that’s owned by an old strip hotel that no one cares about. Oddly specific, but hey.
However. Food is king. The beef carpaccio was stupid delicious and incredibly generous on portions. I’m also fairly certain the Macallan 12 I ordered was a Macallan 18… so the waiter brought two shooters, one with a 12 the other with an 18 and had me test, to which I correctly guessed which was the 18 and compared to my glass. That’s pretty darn cool.
Salad was great, bread was good and they have a very good wine selection. Then the dinner comes. Three of us order 14oz Strip Steaks, all medium rare. If you read my other reviews, steakhouses are my favorite and I’ve been to a lot… Eddie Merlot’s was good. Better than Bones, but still not my favorite steak ever. To be honest, Ruby does it better. But Merlot’s is well worth the time and experience. It’s like complaining between an M3 and an AMG C63. I prefer the M3, but that C63 is still fantastic.
We were there at 6:30, but the dessert we wanted was sold out, so we placed an order for the smores… which were also out. They had one that wasn’t to their standard, so they gave us a free dessert and the broken smore. That’s awesome! Then they charged us for Two smores. Not awesome. Fixed immediately with attention from house manager and our waiter. Exceptional job.
Would totally go again if driving downtown was too much a hassle for Rubys.
If anything, I’m told the bar selection plates are amazing. Want to try their short rib offerings, apparently they are stupid good, says a few people.

Pretty much everything about this meal was great. The service was awesome… Jackie was attentive and made great suggestions.
We started with the crab cakes. An $ 18 plate gets you two small crab cakes. We both agreed they were delicious but both much smaller than we had hoped and we didn’t think each was worth $ 9. He got the spinach salad with candied bacon. Omg yum! I had the wedge with ranch. It was classic and well executed. He had the prime rib eye. I got their 10oz filet. We shared the garlic mashed potatoes. The filet was delicious. It seemed too dry the more I ate of it, though. His ribeye was amazing. Full of flavor and cooked perfectly. The bernaise was suggested as an accompaniment to my filet. I’m glad I got it on the side. The flavor was overwhelmingly cinnamon and it wasn’t my favorite.
They asked us if we were celebrating an occasion, which we were. They brought us two chocolate caramel sea salt cupcakes with a candle. It was a great end to an amazing meal. We also both got a coffee which was the best coffee set up I have ever seen. It came accompanied with fresh whipped cream, chocolate chips, cream, sugar cubes, and packets of sugar/​sweetener. A really great meal from start to finish.

Eddie Merlot’s is my favorite steak restaurant in Cincinnati. Everything on the menu is amazing and unique. The décor is gorgeous and trendy but the experience doesn’t feel stuffy and pretentious. The staff is friendly, attentive, and personable. They don’t mind questions regarding the menu and are always helpful and happy to make suggestions. The quality of the food, from the sushi to the steak, is top notch. They always get the temperature of the steak perfect. I highly recommend the sushi rolls, lobster bisque, and the Oscar filet.
Just when you think you’ve experienced the best that Eddie Merlot’s has to offer, it’s time for dessert. You can’t go wrong! If you’re a carrot cake lover, they have the VERY BEST in the city. In fact, it is the best I’ve ever had. Can it get any better? Two words: bananas foster. Oh. My. God. It’s created at your table in a fabulous production that ends with what can only be described as sex on a plate. Think of the diner scene in When Harry Met Sally. It really is that good.

I’m the worst to leave a review for a place like this because I don’t eat beef. But, they do specialize in seafood so I’m rating the seafood!
I’ve been here twice with my SO, both times I got the salmon and both times my SO got the filet mignon. (That’s fill-​ette, mig-​nawn by his pronunciation.). The food is definitely quality stuff. The filet mignon was «good» says my SO, but then he added, «all filet mignons are good». Basically, if you mess it up, you shouldn’t put «steak» in your subtitle.
The salmon was definitely cooked well; fatty and melt-​in-​your-​mouth delicious, but they always put this unnecessary sauce on it.
Their sides are okay, very typical dishes like macaroni and cheese. Again, they’re pretty greasy, which I guess is expected! They make a fantastic beef wellington and most of their appetizers are quite delicious. Their desserts are very typical, very hearty cheesecakes, crème brulees, super duper quadruple extra choco chocolate cake (exaggerated) etc. Having said that, the service is definitely top-​notch and their consistency deserves praise. There’s nothing exciting about this place, nothing that stands out and they don’t do anything cool. It’s traditional fancy and everything met expectations. That’s it.

One of my, absolute, favorite Cincinnati restaurants. If I want amazing steak, this is where I go. In general, I’m not a big steak eater (I’ll usually choose fish) but… when I come here, I know to expect excellence in the steak that I’m ordering. It really IS the best.
I prefer a less pretentious, more trendy, steakhouse — THIS is the place. While it’s, obviously, an upscale restaurant, the servers are amazing and always treat you like they want to be there. Plus, you just can’t mess with the quality of food. We’ve been there many times and it’s, always, been awesome.
My favorite is the filet (I know, such a «girl» choice) — it’s like putting your knife through butter, here. Combine that with some of their tasty bearnaise and it’s a little bit of heaven, right on your tongue.
If you’re looking for a special occasion (or romantic!) restaurant, this is it.