Honey

We went to Honey because a friend recommended it with high praise. I was not terribly impressed by the food, which felt overpriced. In addition, we were surrounded by a ton of fruit flies who were buzzing around and clinging to a curtain that is part of a half-​wall room divider. That was not pleasant!

I was introduced to Honey a few months ago and have been in love ever since!
I love how small and cozy the restaurant is. However, it can get pretty busy during weekend brunch. I highly recommend the biddle (sp?) fries and Huervos rancheros.
The only reason why Honey got only four stars is due to the fact that the friendliness of the wait staff is hit or miss, depending on how busy they are.

I got the tofu and it was disappointing. Other people on my party got the ribs, which they said were good. But I wouldn’t recommend the tofu.

This was my second trip to Honey for brunch. I wasn’t impressed. The service was fine, but the food wasn’t up to par.
I ordered crab cakes eggs benedict. My eggs were overcooked so I sent them back and strangely it only comes with one crab cake so the other poached egg was sitting directly on a brioche roll with no Canadian bacon or anything. The food seemed off a little, not very flavorful.
My friend ordered the fried chicken and it tasted under-​salted. Perhaps everything was under salted, I don’t know, but nothing was great. There were four of us and no one was particularly impressed with the food.
I don’t think I’ll be back.

So sad, North-​side is one of my favorite neighborhoods. I have given Honey three attempts in the past year and not posted a thing, but tonight was so sad I gave up sending my $ 30 steak back twice, My companion how how had a burger his bun was toasted black, never said a thing. The service was really good. Only 8 people in the whole place so was not a crazy night, which I could understand.

I wanted to like this place a lot. 6 of us went on new year’s (with a reservation). Got seated early, as soon as we walked in. I was just not impressed with the food. The flavor combination were there, but the execution was lacking.
The only problem I have was with my steak (and I tasted everyone else’s as we typically do when this particular group dines out). I just don’t understand how you can properly cook a medium rare fillet and have it be dry. The seasoning was okay and the demi-​glacé was quiet complimenting but my steak was dry and charred not seared on one side, the potatoes and greens were just there.
The mushroom risotto was quite tasty i might add.
I just don’t know if its worth another try for the price.

Reminicent of a clean summer brunchery with patio-​esque chairs and simple table settings and wide, consistent spacing out of the place… me thinks it done good.
Honey has a bar too, but I like that it’s unassuming in its place rather than being obnoxious, advertising its availability in the evenings for night crawlers in Northside. In other words, it’s not crowded and pretentious by showing off what liquor they have.
As most brunch menus, it’s simple, but filled with traditional breakfastery or luncheonish items– a rarity in today’s post-​modern world. Honey offers its own type of brunch, but not ecclectic (like Melt calls itself).
So if you want something more interesting, I’d hear the server out with the specials. We ordered the crab cake benedict, which was nicely put together on top of a croissant. It’s a twist to your average eggs benny. Makes you feel like you’re really in the summer groove since you get a bit of ocean in your mouth.
We also ordered the french toast; bread from Shadeau soaked in custard. Some apple/​butter sauce, blackberries, and candied walnuts as a complement. Not sweet at all for a typically sweet breakfast item, so if that’s your thang, go for it.
Definitely order some coffee. It’s delicious. They make sure your cup isn’t even halfway empty before refilling it. Just make sure you go right at 11 (when brunch begins) on Sunday and you won’t have to wait at all.
Brunch items ranged around $ 8 – 15, and they are portioned accurately, so don’t expect leftovers unless you’re a mouse.
I’m curious what Honey transforms into in the evening. But overall, I tip my hat to Honey for bringing me joy in the morning.

Honey is my favorite brunch spot, ever. The ambiance is top notch. You feel classy. The service is excellent. The secret is to get there at 10:50 and not a moment after. I have always gotten a table immediately with that strategy. The specials are varied and you must must start your breakfast with an adorable bucket of binkle fries (I believe that’s what they’re called?) — delicious deep fried potato balls with dipping sauce.
I am dying to try dinner here sometime.
The price is reasonable considering the fresh food, presentation, service and overall experience. When I’m looking to impress someone, I take them here.

A beautiful location, but too much hype kills anything.
I had been meaning to go to Honey for a long time. Tonight I took my mother to dinner and decided it was a good night to check the place out. Arriving just after six I was able to take advantage of the free street parking out front. After walking/​tripping through the black curtain in front of the main entry we were promptly seated.
The waitress informed us that Ribeye was one of the specials of the evening, so I took her up on it. I understand that it is easy to complain about how a steak is cooked, but keeping in mind that this was a $ 32 grass-​fed ribeye, I was sorely disappointed.
I teetered between ordering medium-​well or just medium and finally settled on medium-​well. This Ribeye had simply been cooked too quickly at too hot of a temperature. This was not a thick piece of meat, which may have contributed to the issue. The first few pieces were tough and dry more similar to well-​done, but as I continued to eat I found the center to be nearly blood red. There were many parts of it that were nearly inedible and the sauce did nothing to improve it. I forced myself to eat the whole thing, but thought strongly that I could have had a better piece of meat at a Longhorn for a considerably lower price. The potatoes that accompanied the dish were fine and the asparagus was actually quite good. Perhaps I ordered the wrong thing.
My mother ordered the short ribs and they fell right off the bone, which was impressive. The taste was not really what I’m used to or what I really look for, being more a fan of a barbecue style.
Maybe I’ll go back again and try something else.

Food is always great — you must try the french toast. The service has always been awful. If you can ignore the waiters and just concentrate on the amazing food, this is a great place.

Man I really wanted to give this place more stars but as you will see I really couldn’t, I have been here for brunch as well as dinner now and been disappointed both times
Pros:
1. The honey fries
2. The atmosphere is nice when you want a cool casual sit down dinner
Cons:
1. They don’t take reservations and I can understand that, however when I call and let you know that there will be a party of ten people don’t say that you will hold a table to accommodate us if you can’t, then when we get there don’t tell us that you guys are working on it when working on it means my party waiting two hours
2. I mean I could possibly even overlook Con 1 if the food was actually impressive. In all actuality their food is okay bordering on the good, but definitely nothing spectacular

Visited this place a second time recently to celebrate a friend’s birthday. Despite not officially taking reservations, they had a table ready for our party of 11 when we arrived with just a week’s call-​ahead notice.
Service was a little slow at the beginning and end of the meal (between drinks ordered and served and between check delivered to processed), but the actual meal pacing was very good. I know a party that size can’t be easy on the kitchen, especially of a smaller place, so was pretty impressed that all the food came out at the same time, correctly, and hot.
I started with a salad with pears and blue cheese– the greens weren’t my favorite kind, but the flavors were really good. For my main course, I had pumpkin ravioli with sage brown butter. Wow! So good. It was very rich so a seemingly modest portion really was the perfect amount and the flavor combinations were amazing with each and every bite.
I split dessert with my husband – a flourless chocolate tort with mocha chip ice cream. The portion is quite petite for sharing, but good for when you’re already pretty full from dinner. The tort was just OK, a little bitter actually, but the mocha chip ice cream was really good. I probably would have rather just had a cup of that to be honest.
Other observations: don’t make up your mind before they read the specials – so many to choose from and they do a great job on and off menu of being seasonal; great, warm ambiance – good for groups of friends or something more intimate; the most convenient parking is the lot behind ($ 3 on weekends) and you can enter through the back patio.

I would have rated this higher, except that the customer service of this place sucks. Note that this is only the first time I’ve been here, but based on this experience, I’m not sure I would come again, for these reasons:
1) Everyone who came in after us (a line of approximately 10 people) were seated before us,
2) We had to ask twice for straws for our drinks
3) We waited for half an hour to get our check an another twenty minutes to get cashed out.
4) They must have a birds nest living really close to the patio area — which is pretty unsanitary because my friend got a feather on her shirt and another in her drink. I’m just glad it was feathers and not bird crap.
There were also a bunch of flies everywhere that were getting into our food.
The food was good, but if you want a better brunch experience, go somewhere else.

Yum. So… everything the other reviewers say about the busy-​ness of this restaurant… take heed! It is a very busy place indeed. And we had slight luck in that we found first come first serve tables (we got the last one), however service was obviously bottlenecked as a result of the crowd. This first impression/​experience however could not belie the deliciousness/​creativity of the food.
I do recall that we started with the Binkle Fries, a must if you like a sweet salty or sweet savory combinations. The salted redskins plus thai chili sauce is ridic.
Presently struggling to recall the exact dish I had, but I believe it was the Crab Cake Eggs Benedict. Wow. Will post the picture eventually. I would describe it thusly: Runny deliciousness.
I believe my wife had something salmon like, which is always a welcomed breakfast treat. Great atmosphere, creative food. I’ll end where I came in. Yum.

Honey isn’t a restaurant to confuse you with a million menu options to pair your eggs with sausage (but don’t think you can’t ask for a fried egg to be added instead of poached). The simple one page menu is chock full of goodness — pork belly is a menu staple, and my favorite breakfast (non-​authentically mexican) huevos is doug’s favorite huevos at Honey, also a menu staple. It’s huge and filling and with two poached runny eggs on top. You cannot go wrong.
Beignets (similar to boca’s IMHO) and potatoes are good starters to share with the table. They also do house-‘made granola if you prefer a lighter breakfast option.
On the specials menu this morning was buttermilk fried chicken with a savory bread pudding. The «gravy» was a concoction that i can’t recite from memory but was packed with flavor — scrumptious.
I consider honey the best gourmet foodie breakfast in cincinnati.
Only reason it’s not a 5 is due to the typical wait time. Make sure to go at 11 when they open if you want to bring in a bigger party. The bar is also not a bad place to wait and potential dine.

I had a business dinner at Honey, which was also my first visit. I was very impressed with the clean, modern décor and friendly waitstaff. They were the right mix of amiable while maintaining an upscale environment.
Honey is definitely a place to splurge. Menu prices tend to be around $ 10 to $ 25 for small, yet incredibly tasty, portions of food. I ordered the Honey Fries, as well as roasted eggplant with red peppers, and a four-​cheese tart with artichokes and figs. The Tart was definitely the winner.
This sounds like a lot of food, but as I mentioned, the portions are small… really small!
Eggplant: three, ½ inch slices, with cheese and red pepper garnish ($ 9.00)
Tart: ¹⁄₈ slice of an 8″ pan ($ 9.00)
Fries: a heaping mug full ($ 5.00)
I definitely had enough fries, which are more like shoestring potatoes than traditional french fries. Everything I ordered was delicious and presented a variety of unique flavors with every bite. It was a culinary adventure!
Unfortunately, at these prices, I can’t afford to eat here often. Perhaps if the portions were bigger, I could justify the cost. My compliments to the chef’s creativity, but a $ 9.00, 3-​slice eggplant dish is too expensive, especially when you can get the entire vegetable for under $ 1.00.
Honey is a restaurant everyone needs to try at least once. Be prepared to open your wallet though, or stop by for a snack instead of a full-​course meal.

Honey is one of my favorite fine dining restaurants in Cincinnati. The prices are moderate, but you pay for what you get. They also have absolutely killer beer & wine pairing dinners here. Keep an eye out for them and check one out if you get the opportunity as you won’t be disappointed.
One of my favorite things about Honey is that Shoshannah is always changing the menu around. You’ll always see new specials or seasonal features. Obviously, no restaurant would completely satisfy me unless they had a good craft beer selection, which Honey does. Just like the food, Shoshannah rotates beers with the season. Watch out for the butter she makes with Great Divide’s Hibernation Ale in the late fall and winter. It is amazing.

Pros: My meal was prepared well and was tasty. Coffee was good. Ambiance is great.
Cons: Many.
I won’t blame them for our long wait for a table, as it was peak Sunday brunch time. However…
— The waiter forgot my friend’s pineapple juice.
— We weren’t told they were out of wheat bread until we asked why our SBLT was on white. It’s as if they assumed we wouldn’t notice.
— My friend’s french toast was very hard to cut through.
— We waited and waited about 15 minutes for our waiter to notice we hadn’t ordered yet.
— Dirty plates and stuff in one of our waters.
Overall, this place didn’t live up to the hype. If not for the fact my food was good, it’d have gotten 2 stars.

Honey is beautiful, delicious and intimate, and with a price tag to match. This is not and eatery for everyday, but when you’ve got something special to celebrate, want to impress a date or just feel like going above-​and-​beyond, this is the place to be.
Honey has giant tinted windows, which makes the ancient art of people watching a lot of fun (especially in Northside, where you’re sure to see something amusing. The last time I was there, I watched a woman try to parallel park, hit both cars multiple times and then just walk away). You can also sit outside on their patio, which is equally nice.
Personal recommendation: Try the honey fries. Just watch out — that sweet but gooey sauce has a way of dripping onto fine clothing.
This is a gem of Cincinnati.

Ate there on a friday night with my sister in from brookyln. We both got drinks from the bar. I had the honey-​ginger martini, she had a nice white. The server was amazing. She suggested everything we ordered. I got the scallop app and we shared the honey fries. For the entrée my sister got the Salmon and declared it the best she has ever had. I had the osso-​bucco and it was perfect. It even had a little demi– tace spoon for the bone marrow.
For dessert we had the housemade cookie sandwich.
Noticed Honey was in almost every dish, the only thing I suggest to Soshanna is that you use local Honey and highlight it on the menu.