Washington Platform Saloon & Restaurant

Went here on a Saturday afternoon, when OTR restaurants have 30 – 90 minute waits & were seated immediately. There were only a few other people in the restaurant/​bar. We chose where we sat & had a table where the waitress was constantly walking by us to go to the kitchen, so she was quite attentive– though we weren’t too demanding. As we weren’t in any hurry, we sat back and enjoyed the ambiance of the place. Some people have said it was dated, which I tend to agree… but in a strangely comforting sort of way. I enjoyed looking at the decorations that record the place’s history (t-​shirts, posters, etc of their events)
My husband ordered a pretzel sandwich with fries, while I got the jampastalya with a side salad. Although the salad was nothing special, the garlic buttermilk ranch they served it with was delightful. When they brought out our food– I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of food on our plates! My bowl of pasta was literally over-​flowing to the brim (thankfully there was a plate underneath). The pasta was very good– though the crab flavor was a little strong. The shrimp in it were HUGE. Although I have a very healthy appetite– I took home enough for almost another meal. It is very rare that do I not finish my plate!!! This was a LOT of food. My husband also took home a good portion of his sandwich (though that is more common).
Overall– we were quite pleased with our lunch.

I’ve been here twice. Once meeting a friend for appetizers after work the other for lunch. The staff is very friendly and always making sure everything is alright. We had Oysters parm for the appetizers, they were great. Also while we were there after work there was live music!!! For lunch I had the oyster Po Boy and fries, Also very good. I will defiantly be back and would recommend if you have at least checked it out, you should stop by. The Atmosphere here is wonderful!!!

Came here for date night on a recommendation.
We were seated less than 5 minutes after our reservation time and the hostess was very attentive. Honestly, over our entire experience, the hostess did almost as much for us as the server.
Food: We went for Crab Carnival. We had stuffed artichokes, he had a filet and I had the crab cake dinner. The food was all quite good, although it seemed to take a while to come out of the kitchen.
Service: We were disappointed in the service we received from Keysha. As a server, I tend to be pretty forgiving, but also have a critical eye. It looked like she had 5 or 6 tables relatively close together, but she seemed unable to keep track of all of us at once. We had to stop her to ask to order entrees, only the hostess ever offered or brought us drinks, and Keysha did not stop by to ask how our food was until my boyfriend was completely done with his meal.
Overall, we wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to someone, but we thoroughly enjoyed the food.

Can’t believe this place doesn’t have higher reviews. The oysters are the best you’ll find in cincy. The drinks are cheap, and crap fest is awesome definitely worth a try. Tracy was a great waitress.

Two words: OYSTER FEST. I can back any restaurant that goes all in with a specific food group, so I fully support Washington Platform and their quest to become the King of Oysters. While I’ve never dined here for the Crab Carnival or the Wing Fling (though I plan on doing so), I can say that you will not be disappointed if you are a fan of oysters and come during their Oyster Festival, which is typically from March through May. They offer a huge variety of different oysters (including some with crabmeat, crawfish, or bacon!) cooked in a variety of ways (fried, grilled, sauteed, baked, broiled you name it), so realistically any oyster fan will have a field day here. It can get busy during peak hours though so just remember the old quote, «The first man gets the oyster, the second man gets the shell».

Man, I hate to give a low review for a place that has Wing Fling, but the service… the service just leaves way too much to be desired, way too often.
Let me start with the good– their wings are the BEST in the city. I’ll never pay for the tiny, dry wings from Buffalo Wild Wings again. They have a variety of sauces, and, during their Annual Wing Fling, that variety increases, and it’s just awesome. I’ve also had their lobster mac & cheese and their black bean burger with the bbq sweet potato fries, and they’re also really good.
However, their service can be slow & unfriendly. So much so, that I often just take out my food instead of sitting in to eat. In particular, a taller blonde woman has been quite rude to a couple of my friends on more than one occasion. When the owner is there, or pretty much any other waitress, the service is swift, attentive, and friendly. The taller blonde does not embody any of those qualities and unfortunately works there often. She gives curt answers, and I’ve balks at any requests (for instance if she brings out blue cheese instead of ranch, she will have a not-​so-​pleasant attitude if you ask her to go back for the ranch).
I had the pleasure of meeting one of the owners a few years ago, and he was wonderful. He told me more about how the place came about, and I love its rich history.
The bald guy behind the bar isn’t friendly but isn’t mean. He didn’t rub me the wrong way, personally, but I’ve had many people tell me they won’t be back because of his lacking personality.
Last time I visited was about a month ago, and I was introducing friends who had never been to Wing Fling. The waitress got nearly all of our orders wrong, but the kitchen was closed so we couldn’t get the sauces corrected.
Overall, I’d rate a 2.5 or 3. Great food, but service is very important to me.

Why didn’t I get the fried oysters!!! I usually do but wanted to try something different… MISTAKE! I decided to try the Charleston Crab and Cheese Grits. This dish needs a major overhaul. It had way to many onions and the wine sauce was to over powering.

Fish tacos to die for. Gobs of wings to satisfy every possible preference. You can do mild, medium and stinkin’ hot. And the wings have a TON of meat on them.
Then, there’s creole gumbo that will change your life. We finished with fried oysters that didn’t disappoint. A must stop place to eat in Cincy.
How often do you go somewhere and not have any disappointments? Everything was a five.

Overall, I was not impressed. We went for burger week and was disappointed to learn they were out. Unfortunately, no effort was made to identify a replacement or recommend another burger. That combing with a server that wasn’t every attentive led to a disappointing experience.
I will say their menu is varied, from the traditional salads and burgers to the more adventurous on their Road Kill Café menu. I believe there is even kangaroo.
The inside is great, the history of the restaurant can be found on menu. It’s been around since before Prohibition days. The dark colored wood, low lightening and exposed brick walls really lead to the ambiance. It seems to be geared more towards adults enjoying the evening out, perhaps before a show at Music Hall since it’s just down the street. There weren’t any kids, nor do I recall seeing a kids menu.
Again, between not having the offering we went for and lackluster service, I didn’t truly enjoy the experience. It’d still be worth checking out for oyster fest or their fall wings festival… if they don’t run out!

Finally had a chance to make it down to Washington Platform & enjoy a meal with friends inside the restaurant. I’ve always zeroed in on their booth during previous years at The Taste of Cincinnati but never made it to the actual location till tonight.
Originally my group of friends was going down to partake in the Cincinnati Burger week special but they had run out of the special burger. Since we were already seated we decided to stay and explore the rest of the menu. My friends stuck with different types of burgers & I branched out with the crab cakes which were delicious. The service was good, our waiter was polite & friendly. The atmosphere is nice probably b/​c it’s not geared towards kids. It was a nice ambiance where you could have a large group of a table for two & still be happy with the sound.
Overall, I would definitely recommend Washington Platform to others & come back myself. You can also do online reservations which was nice. Also, there is convenient parking lot across the street if you are not find of street parking.

Decided to try the wild boar burger for burger week. Not a good choice. Bluck… It was charcoal black! It was thin like goetta. The owner decided to make a «stand out burger.» It stood out, but not in a good way.
If you are looking for the Monday ½ price apps, don’t!
Three of the apps. are half price. Anything that includes seafood is not included in the half price appetizers. Although it isn’t marked anywhere. You may be paying full price. The chicken tenders are great! They are actually a chicken tender (not some frozen thing.). Blue crab and bacon Mac and cheese was wonderful but spicy, which I like.
Beer special are$ 2&$ 3 domestic and craft.
The dessert was good. It was from Bön Bonerie.
The atmosphere is fall and quaint. They have a very large and different menu. I’d say it’s a little pricey.
I might try it again.

Decent, no-​frills neighborhood place that serves a wide variety of food. They do have seasonal themes like oyster fest and lobster fest. I think the food is much better during those festivals. I came this week and had the blue crab pasta. It was decent although maybe too cheesy for my tastes. I knew it has blue cheese so it was a risk. The garlic toast though was goood. I ate my wife’s share before she could realize that I ate it. Service is great and friendly and they usually have live music during dinner.

I went with my girlfriend on a Thursday around 7. It was pretty dead so I can’t judge service being there was no rush. The first thing that struck me was the prices. They were pretty high for a place with such lackluster options and décor.
It didn’t make sense why there were $ 30 seafood entrees but there were cliché bathroom posters that said «relax, soothe, rejuvenate». It’s a public bathroom not some ones house, so decision making is questionable right there to begin with.
The main concern is the food of course. My gf got crab cakes. They were deep fried and bland. I had the Charleston crab and cheese grits. They had some weird sauce on them and was overall underwhelming.
Spend your money elsewhere.

I really want to like Washington Platform but I don’t. This history is incredible and it’s a local institution so I really did try. I revisited Saturday night because I knew someone playing in the band and my first impression (bad) was even worse the second time. I loved the music and that they offer a lot of entertainment and events like oyster festival and crab carnival, but you can’t pull it off unless the service is there. My first visit the bartender was so bad people were walking out in droves and I was disappointed to see her behind the bar again. We opted to sit in the dining room to enjoy the music and (and avoid bad service) but the experience was no better. The one thing I kept wondering is who owns this place and who is managing it? I really can’t blame it on the staff because it doesn’t look like they have any support or direction. Our waiter’s apron was so dirty I’m sure it influenced my taste buds because I took two bites of Fisherman’s salad plate and decided I was done. I started with the gumbo which should have been worthy but it wasn’t. My friend had the apple walnut chicken and it wasn’t awful, but couldn’t rescue the evening.
My final complaint is the atmosphere. I love an old bar but I found the dining room very unappealing and once we ate I couldn’t wait to get out of there. T-​shirts hanging from the ceiling and dirty fake plants are not inviting and I think the place could use a good cleaning and decluttering. I hate to be so critical but I think it’s a shame because the potential is there. I could even overlook everything I reviewed… except for the service. Their website states they aim to please and if you don’t like something they want to know about it. Sorry Washington Platform but I won’t be back.

The oysters are worth trying. We had an early dinner on a wintery Thursday and it was nearly empty. Overall, this restaurant feels like it was once great but has fallen throughout the years. It could feel vintage but instead feels dilapidated.
The service was fine. The menu was interesting but something about this place made me worry about the quality of the food. Maybe it’s the bad lighting or general atmosphere.
The raw oysters were fine. They’re my first in Cincy so I can’t compare.
This restaurant has a lot of potential but doesn’t seem to get there.

So if you know me, I HATE writing low star reviews. Especially on places like this. This place has been around a long time and I honestly don’t know why.
Everyone that worked there was great, so nice and helpful and accommodating. The food was just not worth it. I really felt like I would have rather just grabbed a sandwich at home.
Side salad was ok, but nothing special.
The soup was way too spicy, and also not great.
We went here during oyster festival, and we had a dish that sounded very interesting: Oyster & Shrimp Curry, cooked with veg and apples and served over brown rice. It was also way too spicy and just not good.
I could be MAYBE talked into going back and trying their staple dishes, but I don’t know. For the price, I would honestly rather go somewhere else.

Went for ‘oyster fest.’ Not sure that’s the best term to describe it, it wasn’t much of a ‘fest,’ rather just an extended menu with oysters. We arrived quite early so not much was going on, maybe it’s better in the evening as there was no live music when we rolled in (~1pm). I definitely would not go back for food again but perhaps for drinks and music since there’s not much else around that area.
I’ll start with the good:
–raw oysters (it’s hard to screw up raw oysters unless they’re spoiled)
–decent beer selection
Next, the bad…:
–very slow service, very slow
–the bartender forgot our buffalo style oysters and when we finally asked him he ran back an immediately brought them out, luke warm, and mushy, implying they had been sitting there for some time
–my water was served with a bug in it, which I pointed out
–the oysters Rockefeller were pretty underwhelming and served luke warm
–at least three oysters we got were spoiled and left a nasty, nasty taste in my mouth and our guest’s mouths. (we ordered several different oyster dishes, so my guess is about 3 – 4 in ~36 were bad)
–our wings took close to 35−40min to arrive, but when they did they were hot at least and overall tasted fine
^The bad greatly outweighed the good, unfortunately, but I’m not really sure what I should have expected from an ‘oyster fest’ at a bar in Cincinnati. Full disclosure, I live in New Orleans and have high expectations for seafood, however we went because our family, who lives in Cincinnati, really wanted to get oysters and thought this would be fun.

I like to use Downtown Cincinnati Restaurant Week to check out someplace I’ve never been, so this year, I picked Washington Platform.
The interior feels quite dated, and aside from the cool bar up front, is in need of a major design face lift. Our server was energetic and friendly, if not terribly observant. I chose the crab cake for my first course followed by seafood bisque and then salmon as my main entrée and 3^rd course.
The crab cake seemed to contain lots of filler and not much crab and was overall pretty heavy and greasy. The bisque was pretty good – more like a chowder, very rich and creamy, and definitely not light. The salmon was just utterly disappointing taste-​wise and hands-​down, one of the worst presentations of a dish I’ve seen. The side of ‘steamed vegetables’ was 98% cauliflower with one or two tiny rounds of carrot and was weirdly inconsistent in size: a few enormous florets mixed with tiny shredded flotsam bits of cauliflower. The salmon itself seemed to be cooked to an appropriate temp, but had an off-​taste.
There were also a couple pretty bad ick moments. My water glass had very noticeable lipstick marks on the rim so I had to request a new one. Then, the spoon that came with the soup had unidentified dried food on the underside of the handle. More annoyance than ick, but the women’s bathroom was also completely out of all paper products.
I love to support local businesses when I can, but I struggle to find anything redeeming about this one. Perhaps the «festival» events (oyster, wings, etc.) are more of a specialty, but I wouldn’t choose this spot again otherwise.

We went for the Oyster Festival and really wanted to like it but were quite disappointed. The menu was extensive and everything sounded delicious but what we ordered was sub-​par. The Oyster Stingers had an odd texture and the flavor was just OK. The Oyster Sampler Plate was similarly underwhelming. Perhaps we should have ordered more traditional dishes but we wanted to try some of the more original combinations.

I’ve been here twice. For dinner and for lunch. A couple of years ago we had a coupon from the entertainment book and I got the Salmon Dinner. It was okay, no great taste that stands out.
A month ago, I got the Salmon Salad. That was okay too. It lacked taste as well.
The service was great and staff was extra kind and quick.
Restaurant and bathrooms clean.
I want to like to like this place, but I wasn’t pleased with the food.