The Gruff

Best fried chicken in town beats the Eagle by a long shot. Also try the beef brisket pizza, you won’t be sorry.

I got to try The Gruff about a year ago for a stop on the Tour de Pizzannati* and really enjoyed my experience. I recently returned since it is also dog friendly, and enjoyed it even more than the first time.
The Gruff features pizza and deli-​style sandwiches, plus salads, soups, sides, and desserts. It also has a pretty bitchin’ view of the Suspension Bridge from most tables at the restaurant — inside or out. On my first trip, I’d heard the Pickle Fries were a must, so we started with those before our cheese pizza, Philly Cheese Steak, and Smoked Brisket pizza entrees. I liked all of the pizzas we got, but I really liked the cheese pizza, which was great, considering it is the flagship dish of the Tour*. When I recently returned, I sat on the patio with my dog and my guy, where we enjoyed Philly Cheese Steak pizza, beer, and a beautiful view of the Suspension Bridge.
In addition to the food I’ve gotten to try, our server brought Franklin a bowl of water (with ice!) when she brought out drinks, which I loved. There was plenty of parking, the food was really good, they had a decent beer selection, and the location was pretty awesome — prime for taking a short stroll after our meal (the Riverside Drive Historic District is only a short walk away). I am a big fan of this place, and would love to come back for brunch sometime, which is served on Saturdays.
*The Tour de Pizzannati came to life when a friend and I set out to determine where in the Greater Cincinnati area has the best cheese pizza. If a restaurant cannot master the basics, how can it be considered quality?

I have been excited for the Gruff for months. Upon entering the Gruff my boyfriend and I discovered it was seat yourself. We choose to sit outside given the nice weather. This was our first mistake. After sitting outside for about 30 minutes, I was annoyed that no one seemed to notice us so I went in and asked if there was some where we were suppose to order, the lady at the front apologized that I had been waiting and brought us menus. Sadly after receiving our menus and deciding on our order we waited yet again another 20 minutes for someone to come and talk to us. Finally a waitress came out and took our order quickly. The food was really great, as long as you have three hours to spare and are prepared to wait.

I’ve only been once, and that was for breakfast on a sunny June Saturday morning. My companions and I chose a table by the window where we had a view of the Roebling bridge, and we were greeted promptly by Jordan who brought a bottle of water and glasses, gave us menus and offered us Bloody Mary’s or mimosas on special. We tried one of each: they didn’t skimp on the champagne in the mimosa, and the Bloody Mary was peppery and accessorized with an olive and sliced lemon/​lime.
We ordered the Southern Chicken, Housemade Sausage Sandwich, and the Bacon and Swiss Sandwich.
The Southern Chicken sandwich was served open face on a biscuit, with bacon and covered in cream gravy with a perfectly cooked sunny side up egg on top. The fried chicken itself was a home made chicken tender that was crispy and juicy, the bacon was thick and well cooked, and the gravy was flavorful and really brought the whole dish together.
My companion said the Housemade Sausage sandwich had some of the most delicious sausage he’d ever tasted. It was a jalapeño cheddar sausage patty and included an egg, cream cheese, and caramelized onions. The sandwiches come with a choice of breakfast potatoes, green salad or fruit salad. His green salad had wonderful accents of red onion and garbanzo beans.
I ordered the Bacon and Swiss sandwich, which also included an egg, sautéed mushrooms and spinach — served in delicious and fresh ciabatta bread. The flavor combination was perfect — succulent and savory. The breakfast potatoes turned out to be small quartered Yukon potatoes that had been roasted to crispy perfection and seasoned with salt and pepper.
Everything was a hit at The Gruff. Just keep your eye out for the troll under the bridge.

We loved The Gruff! We went during brunch, so they had their brunch menu and their regular menu. There was so much on the menu that I was a little overwhelmed. I settled on the veggie sandwich with fries. It was delicious. Plus, with hummus and goat cheese it was pretty filling. The waffle fries were awesome as well. They had a bunch of local beers on tap, including a few varieties of pretty common local beers I had not heard of.
We stopped by their market afterwards and I picked up some coffee (they sell Carabello whole beans) and a cookie. We almost got an amazing looking carrot cake muffin — but decided it might be a challenge to eat in the car.
We both can’t wait to go back, try some of the other things on their menu and sit on their patio!

Two stars for the restaurant but four for the little market. So we will call it a three. I have been wanting to try this place for a while and we happened to be in the neighborhood so we stopped by. Love the theme. Very clever. We shopped in the little market while we waited for our food. That place is awesome. Chocked full of fun gourmet food products and snacks. If you want to put together a fun charcuterie tray in a hurry this place has all the accompaniments. Fun picked items. Condiments. Local items. Very well curated. Unfortunately, the food did not live up to the market. We started with the gourmet deviled eggs. I love interesting takes on deviled eggs so I always want to give them a shot. These were odd. There was a regular one which was ok. Somewhat lacking in flavor. Then there were two that were the egg white filled with other things. One was a chicken salad and one was and olive tapenade. They were pretty awkward without the yolk to tie it together. We had the Belgian Pizza. Crust was meh and the flavors were pretty good. Not my favorite. Previous reviewers were on about this though I didn’t want to believe them as they do have a pizza oven out front. Come to think of it though I didn’t see them use it. We also tried the chicken sandwich which other people raved about. It was not good. Slaw had made both the bun and the breading extremely soggy. It was falling apart when you ate it. Flavor was ok. We got the pickle fries with it as well. They were awful. I think they had been fried a while ago and reheated. They were not very warm and with next to no crisp. At 7 on a Thursday and with a pretty good crowd this seemed very odd. I was still hungry and didn’t want to eat the other items so I ordered the potato salad. It was good. Sweet and vinegary which was different but tasty. Overall though a very disappointing meal. We will not be returning though if you are near by I would recommend a swing through of the market.

We made this our Kentucky stop for lunch and it didn’t disappoint. The pun on one of my favorite stories was great! Everyone enjoyed their entrée choice and the store that sold a little bit of everything from spirits to flavor infused extracts. Service was nice as also. I hope people will continue to support The Gruff and enjoy their dishes for years to come.

A well kept secret-​at least to those on the other side of the river, The Gruff offers a menu of pizza, sandwiches and such for dining in at the foot of the Suspension Bridge.
The experience was good, the food was great and ambiance friendly. There’s parking as well and a small grab ‘n go and deli counter. Great addition to the COV.
Point of note: it’s a table service/​menu kind of place. We sat ourselves and waited just beyond an awkward amount of time upon arrival before being those guests who were obviously looking around waiting for service.

I’ve been here twice now and was a fan both times.
This time around I met a friend for lunch. It’s a nice and easy walk from my office in downtown Cincinnati.
I try to eat very little meat, and there were few one-​person options here (one sandwich, and two salads) unless I wanted to do some over-​priced shared plates. I ended up going with the veggie sandwich (the ONLY sandwich without meat, but it looked good anyway). It had a great creamy goat cheese and hummus and was pretty good. The bread was nice and smokey but it was tough/​too chewy and there was too much of it.
The bean salad I got on the side was very good, but I was totally not expecting GREEN beans.
The last time I came I had a pizza and it was really good! (hence the 4 stars) I wish I could have gotten a small pizza when I came here this time, but they only come in the searving 2 – 3 people size and my firiend was not in a pizza mood.
Overall this place is good, but now that I’ve made more of a commitment to eat less meat, I see how limited the options here are. And DO NOT tell me to just ask for a salad without the bacon, etc. I still need protein. I am human. The reason I return to restaurants is to try more of the menu, but due to the limited options I probably won’t be doing that here. But it was good.

Tried for lunch today and was not disappointed. The décor is updated and fun, as are the waitstaff. I ordered a cheeseburger with pickle fries. The burger was huge! All of the dressings were fresh and the aoli was flavorful. The pickle fries were my favorite part of the meal. The breading was well seasoned and crispy, while the pickle still held a bit of crunch even after being deep fried. I would definitely visit again.

The Gruff! What a hidden find.
Located at the base of the Roebling Bridge this little market/​pizza shop/​deli is a nugget of gold waiting to be found. Do yourself a favor and just hit those GPS directions right on your Unilocal mobile app. When you get off the bridge it makes you take a roundabout in the opposite direction of the store so it’s a bit confusion without directions.
Once inside, the Gruff offers a ton of options but I almost wonder if they are trying to do *too much.* They have a mini grocery store section with great local craft beer. Probably the biggest I have seen outside a liquor store. They also have fixin’s to take home and put a decent meal together. They have a deli counter with the standard deli options and a drive through window? Which was interesting. THEN they have wood-​fired pizzas AND a full menu and bar.
Or server let us know they were known for their pickle fries and their fried chicken sandwich. I opted for the chicken sammie and it was everything you want in a friend chicken sammich. Crispy spicy breading — not too crunchy where it’s stabbing you in the roof of your mouth, but crunchy enough that it has a bite to it. Juicy inside, and a surprisingly delicious red pepper slaw that was cooling and spicy all at the same time.
I love the bright tall windows and branding with bright whimsical colors. I also love that they have a patio option as well with a fantastic view of the bridge. I could see myself venturing over here again, but this place is kind of a destination spot — there is not a whole lot around it so when you come here I would imagine you would stick around for a while.
Great little hidden find — opt for the chicken sammie and a craft beer and you won’t be dissapointed.

Very cool spot and busy! I ordered a truffle sausage pizza to go and it was worth it! Plus the employee who took my order was extremely nice — warned me about the possible wait since they were so busy and got me water while I waited! The pizza came out within 15 min and it was delicious! Get your pizza here!

I can’t believe I had never been here before… Started a serious day of binge drinking here. I got the fried chicken sandwich and, I kid you not, it was the best fried chicken sandwich I have ever had. Seriously… So. Juicy. I had to ask how they got this piece of chicken so damn juicy… (apparently soaking overnight in buttermilk helps). Anyways they have a pretty sick view and dope location so I know I’ll be back to try more things on the menu.

Friendly open space venue with boutique gift shop. Simple menu selections include comfort food like meatloaf sandwich and fried chicken sandwich.
I have had both and are well prepared.
Clean
Small draft selection– bonus
Full selection of liquor but not cocktail bartenders to be found
Great place on a rainy afternoon
Will enjoy again and again

The Gruff is a cute deli/​restaurant located at the foot of the John A. Roebling suspension bridge. I’ve been here a few times, the last being with the Queen City Running Group. They have bar food, pizza and brunch all at very great prices. They are also known for supporting local businesses and hand-​making their food. We recieve a 10% discount after our runs and they have free yoga classes on Saturdays with Yoga Bar (out of OTR) and offer 10% off brunch after that class. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that deal out, I will be hitting it up once I’m done marathon training.
A third of the store is a deli and specialty foods area and the rest of the restaurant has a big bar and tables for dining. The big open space is has fun murals at the walls with a billy goat theme, but I find that i am cold every time I come here. Not sure if it’s me or the concrete restaurant around me; I just don’t find the place super warm.
I have eaten pizza every time I’ve been here and it’s been so good every time. Bar pizza (in other words, pizza that isn’t from an «Italian» or true pizzeria) makes me nervous and oftentimes is a sad example of what pizza can look like. Not at this place. The crust is light and crispy with just enough ooey-​gooey cheese that is the perfect balance on your palate. I want to come back for brunch to sample the breakfast pizza… One of my first thoughts was how good this crust would be with an egg on top.
The beer list looks great and so do the rest of the appetizers… I need to come back and try more things. Fun fact: they have hanky pankies on the menu. How often do you see that? Brings back warm memories of being at my grandma’s and referring to it as «Sh!t on Toast,» the more common name for the hanky panky :).

Went this past summer. SO review is a bit late.
But this place is great.
PET FRIENDLY
We went for a sunday breakfast and it was all very good with good service.

I’ve been in a few times for lunch and really enjoy the place! I’ve not tried a lot on their menu because I can’t get passed their truly amazing chicken salad! I ordered it the first time I came and have ordered it ever since. I get is s a wrap with the pasta salad as a side.
The Gruff is right by the Roebling Bridge in Covington Ky and I enjoy the Billy Goats Gruff theme. The also have a little deli and sell different jams and sauces. They also have a small bar and some good craft beer selections. The only downside is I feel The Gruff is a bit over priced.

As an update, the owner contacted me concerning the mystery window on the side of the building. This apparently is a carry out window which is awesome! If you’re anything like me, I don’t know how many times I have run out of food in the house and it’s pouring rain out. I’m too cheap to pay for delivery, but I have no interest in getting wet. Boom. The Gruff.
Also, I failed to mention that they have a mini market on one side of the restaurant so you can essentially order grocery ingredients while picking up your carry out. Genius.

Like the location, the interior and the small shop inside.
Did not like the pizza, which was recommended by the server as a specialty.
Sorry Gruff, but it just seemed like a frozen one. When I entered, the place did not even seem like a restaurant, because there was no smell of food or sign of kitchen. When pizza was served, it was OK, but did not seem fresh.
Please, make it better, you’ve got more to offer, I’m sure!

I knew they opened in January and have made a mental note to check them out. I don’t know why I waited so long!!! I’m always looking for «fresh» food for lunch in Covington and have gotten tired of the same old options. Let me tell you, the Gruff is someplace I won’t get tired of eating anytime soon. They have awesome salad options, fresh pizza baked in a stone oven, sandwiches with various bread/​wrap options, craft beer, amazing desserts, and the list goes on and on. They even have a little market inside because their pasta salad & potato salad are just so good, you’ll want to take some home.
I recommend the chicken salad sandwich with pickle fries!!! (Exactly what they sound like; thin slices of fried pickles.) Or the smoked brisket pizza. Man, I’m salivating now.