Montgomery Inn- The Boathouse (Priority Seating)

Went here on vacation with a tour group. There were 42 of us for dinner. The staff was knowledgeable, friendly, and fast! The ribs were tender and fell off the bone, and the chicken was moist and delicious! We've all said we're definitely coming back when we're in town. The outside patio overlooks the Ohio River and several really cool bridges. We don't get that in Texas!

Montgomery Inn is a top-notch dining experience! We had a large group of 14 people, and the service was impeccable, thanks to our amazing waitress Ally. The food was truly exceptional - I had the 8oz filet, cooked and seasoned to perfection. The addition of their famous fried onions was a game-changer, adding a delightful crunch and flavor. The béarnaise sauce was also rich and tasty. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, making it an ideal spot for a special occasion or night out with friends. We'll definitely be back!

Hiko was our server, and he took great care of us while celebrating my Mom's birthday. He is a good reason to go back. I had a plate of the ribs and brisket, I will definitely go for the Brisket again! Lightly smoked and juicy, and was an ample portion. The desert was excellent! Carrot Cake was moist like you want, and not too sweet. The key Lime Pie is homemade, and the custard is almost like pudding, and a good balance of sweet and sour

When you think of the word customer service Bobbi and Ellie are the standard. Both of them provide the excellent experience you want and wish all places had. When you know these two are taking care of your carry out order, no need to wonder if something was forgotten or missing, the order is always correct.Both these ladies are on point. Make sure you tip them. Boathouse you have 2 great employees in Bobbie and Ellie. I appreciate the wonderful service I had today on my carry out order.

Best meal I’ve had in awhile. The king slab with the mac and cheese. Hats off to Stephen who took care of us. My friend was highly impressed by his hospitality and Stephen restored his faith in restaurants. Stephen is the man.

First time here and loved every moment. The waitress was very knowledgeable about the menu, very polite, and friendly. The atmosphere was very interesting as well, with all the athletic memorabilia. Definitely, a must when we return. Did I say the ribs were out of this world !

They were very accommodating for my birthday group amd even gave me some desert! Ribs were amazing!

Several of us had the ribs because everyone had told us to try them. We all agreed they were just ok and nothing to brag about. The pork chop was better than the ribs in my opinion. All of the food was good and service was great. The price was cheaper than I expected. $35 per person seems to be pretty typical to spend on a meal. The view of the river while eating is pretty cool also.

Great place for that special dinner. Reservations would be recommended. I did not have any and it took some time to get seated. Enjoyed drinks in the second floor bar during the wait. Seated by a window table. Food and service were all great. I enjoyed the ribs.

I enjoyed my dining experience here, partly because the people at nearby tables were super friendly, and gave me some great recommendations for the most “ Cincinnati” things to do. The food was very good and the bourbon cocktail with orange was delightful, especially if you substitute new riff bourbon for Makers Mark. Caroline was a server who went above and beyond, giving recommendations for places to visit while I am here. She gave great food recommendations as well, and her service was extremely fast and extremely friendly. The bartender was friendly and efficient and serving me a drink as I waited for my table. All in all, it was a great experience!

This is one fun place to have a great dinner with friends and family. The site overlooks the Ohio River, and while eating, you can see barge traffic and tourist steamboats. The restaurant has valet parking and is relatively easy to get to. The service is great, you should get a reservation, and food arrives quickly. The most impressive point is the food as it should be. Get the Ribs! The sauce is world famous, so anything with it on your food is great. There are so many options, and everything's seems to be well executed. All in all, this restaurant is a must if you visit Cincinnati.

I was given a Gift Card for this restaurant by a customer of mine... Must have been at least a year ago. Just today took my husband out to dinner here for his birthday. WOE. what an awesome place People and staff were terrific, valet parking, huge portions for entrees, and reasonably priced. I had the Beef Brisket Platter. 😋 yummy!!!! give it a try

The beef rib special was fantastic and the food in general was very good. Our server was excellent, and they did a great job with our party of 9. I will definitely visit again and would recommend checking this place out.

Fantastic setting. Most tables had a great view of the Ohio River. There were 7 in our party. The waiter was polite, helpful, and efficient. Food was delicious. Extensive draft beer, wine and mixed drink menu. The ribs with BBQ sauce were flavorful and tender, the steak well prepared, the salmon and Mahi Mahi fish special nicely grilled. Side of baked sweet potato was great. Desserts (especally chocolate volcano cake,key lime pie, and strawberry shortcake) were a excellent ending to our celebration. See photos! We even watched the the paddle wheel river boats float by during dinner!

We went to dinner here after shopping around all day and even though we had a reservation for 5 they were able to seat us at 4. They asked if we'd like to sit outside for the view and said it was covered so of course we did. Was warm but very nice. Had great service and our food tasted wonderful. We got the ribs, salads, and I chose the catch of the day Halibut.

We have the opportunity to swing by there with a couple of friend. For sure, they serve one of the best ribs with amazing BBQ in-house sauce. Mr. Hiko performed an excellent customer service.

I had the famous ribs and my wife had the pulled pork sandwich. Both were extremely good and took a lot not to eat the entire slab for me. Some of the best cole slaw I've had such a long time. Also you have to get the onion straws which are very good as well. Service was top notch and being on the rive was fantastic. Montgomery Inn Boathouse doesn't need my review because their food speaks for itself but I rarely give 5's so this is one of them.

Enjoyed our experience so much that we went back the next day for dinner again!! Husband and I visiting from PA. Food was fabulous, service was great. Beautiful view of Ohio river. As we were leaving hotel next morning I realized I did not have jacket. Stopped by The Boathouse to see if I left it there. They were not opened yet but answered phone and let me in to check for jacket. At first they couldn’t find it but said to write my name and phone and address and if they found it they would mail it. As I was writing down my info the did find my jacket. Dean was so friendly and helpful, he stopped his busy morning preparations for opening to assist me. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

Bone in Ribeye was absolutely phenomenal, cooked to perfection, flavorful and tender. Our server, Amanda was great, taking care of our every need. Even, the busboy Troy stopped by to fill water drinks several times. Beautiful view of the river and prices are quite reasonable. Love the inexpensive valet parking. The "World Famous" Ribs were VERY underwhelming. They are parboiled and swimming in BBQ sauce. Baked potato was undercooked. I'd go back but only for the steak.

I love the location on the river. It's so nice to sit outside in the summer and just watch the water flow by or take in the atmosphere from the river walk. Not sure why it needs valet parking as there is a huge lot right in front but we usually walk here anyways. The ribs speak for themselves. The inside needs to be updated at some point.

Montgomery Inn is a institution in Cincinnati. In 2026, it celebrates its 75 year of operation, an amazing feat in the hospitality industry. We ate at The Boathouse location over the holidays. It's not a mystery of why they are not only in business, but thriving - they have great food, provide excellent service in an ambiance that is warm and inviting. You also don't feel like you are being gouged when you get the bill. The Food - We started the meal with the Pulled Pork Nachos which included their famous Saratoga chips topped with pulled pork, cheddar cheese, scallions and jalapenos. We added sour cream and extra peppers The dish was perfect for four people. If you are just a couple, don’t go overboard with the rest of the meal, or you will have a lot to take home. The pulled pork is slathered in Montgomery Inn’s BBQ sauce which makes every bite a savory treat. For our entrees, I skipped the Pork Loin Back Ribs and went with their Smoked Beef Brisket Dinner. I made this choice, because I wanted to eat lighter. They got me. The brisket order was bigger than any regular order I’ve seen in Austin, Texas for the same price. We moved from Cincinnati to Austin and have become brisket connoisseurs. No, Montgomery Inn’s brisket is not better that Texas brisket, however the serving size for a similar price was at least double of any place in the Texas Capital. It was a dinner portion, not ordered by the pound, but I swear it was at least a pound a quarter of meat. Montgomery Inn’s brisket does not come with the distinctive bark of Texas brisket but had a great overall beef flavor and it was very moist. I ordered it with the Mac and Cheese on the side, which was also very tasty. I took half my dinner home. My wife chose the Grilled Salmon which was served with spinach, sauteed mushrooms, artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes. The fish was served with a creamy dill and white wine sauce. The salmon effortlessly flaked apart and all the vegetables and sauce melded together for a perfect fork full of goodness. Also, Montgomery Inn has a beer called Ted’s Amber Ale on tap. I had two with dinner, and took a six-pack home from the bottle shop by the restaurant entrance. It paired well with the BBQ. Service was impeccable. The ambiance was warm and inviting, even with temperatures in the teens for a post-Christmas meal. #MattGoodEats

We loved the setting. Our dinner was relatively early because of other obligations later in the evening, so it slowly became dark as we sent there. The lights on the other side of the river and the barges past was incredible. And, of course, the food. Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!

​We were back in town for the Bengals/Cardinals game and wanted to take our friend on a "Tour of Cincinnati." It had been a long time since we visited Montgomery Inn, but we told our friend it was a place he absolutely had to try. As always, it did not disappoint! ​The ribs were excellent (as usual), the Saratoga chips were exactly how we remembered them, and the lava cake dessert is to die for. ​Best of all, our server Kim was just an absolute joy. She didn't just serve us; she took the time to actually get to know us and make friends. It made the experience so much better. Kim, if you are ever in Arizona, please look us up! Who Dey!

For world famous, award winning ribs, I found them to be rather uninspired. They are simply oven roasted. Though cooked competently and with a lovely glazed sauce, it's nothing you can't do at home for 1/4 the price. I was really hoping for something wood smoked and kinda shocked it wasn't. 🤷‍♀️ The duck however was excellent and memorable. Perfectly cooked with a crisp skin. Delicate and savory. Coleslaw makes or breaks BBQ for me and their's was outstanding. The bartender made me an "old fashion" which was a rocks glass filled to the top with Buffalo Trace and a cherry in it. I was hammered. Lol 👍 The best part of my evening was our table location. Out on the patio overlooking the Ohio River. Couldn't be much better than that. And for dessert, an awesome fireworks display from the baseball stadium. I highly recommend the outside seating.

As always, the food was great. Service was excellent. Ron has been our server many times and again today. Always start with the pulled pork nachos. So good. We tried the Carmel apple shortcake. It was just okay. Looked better than it tasted.

First off, the restaurant looks cool...it's nice. The view was amazing! The service was top notch. Our waiter, Steve, was great! I got the wagyu burger, pulled pork nachos, brisket sandwich & pulled chicken sandwich for the table. It was all pretty spot on. The fries were decent. The Mac and cheese wasn't the best I'd ever had but also not too bad either. The meal was very good but it felt like it was.kissing something...Ive had an amazing meal at several restaurants and I hoped this would would knock my socks off but it came up a little bit short. Still good though. Definitely worth a try if you're in Cincy!

Attractively designed exterior with a classy dining room sitting on the river. Fantastic view of the water and semakes for a romantic experience. Their BBQ sauce is delicious. They have a good number of options (that are well-sized portions) to choose from. You'll definitely want to have some RIBS with your meal. Also, they make their Peanut Butter Pie in house. It's worth the food-induced coma you might experience as a result of over-indulgence. Great service, great atmosphere and very good food. A must -try if you're in or near Cincinnati, OH.

I have been there before and I felt the ribs weren't up to par but every place has a down day. The sides were excellent! And gorgeous view of the Ohio river!

Make sure you sit outside for an nice view! We sat at the end of the porch and I think the guy kinda forgot about us a little bit here and there but it was a beautiful night so we didn't mind much and like I said we were at the end so I'm sure it was tough to make sure we all were taken care of. Anyways, the food was okay my husband loved it but I am picky! Lol

The boathouse has always had the "allure" to bring people in. Right on the river, the sights, available parking, souvenirs on the walls and in cases, the feeling of an upscale restaurant but with finger food. Well, the service is great. My tea glass never was lower than a swallow. Food came out promptly and hot. Wait staff was so nice and took care of a "going away party" of almost 30 people. The food on the other hand was lacking. Not the taste that use to bring 'em in. Less than seasoned. Cooked well. The hostest was a little rude. When we arrived, we were ask why we were there. Gave the name and didn't know it was under another name. We stayed outside until people trickled in. The people right after us was hosting the event. We didn't know them. Just seemed a little snappy when we didn't have the correct answer.

My husband and I had dinner here yesterday for Easter. The restaurant itself has remained the same over the years, it is a staple of sports memorabilia. We were surprised when we walked in and were immediately seated as the parking lot was full and valet was actually parking cars by the railroad tracks. We were promptly greeted by our server, Katrina, asking for drink requests. The drinks were good and reasonably priced. It had been a while since we have been to the Montgomery Inn Boathouse location. I have noticed some changes in their menu which I believe are cost saving measures on the part of the owners. In the past all dinners came with a salad and bread basket as well as two side dishes. One of my favorite dishes in the past, the beef tornados, was no longer available and I was disappointed by that. Our server was helpful in explaining the size of the dishes that we ordered to help us order the right amount of food. We ended up starting with the shrimp cocktail appetizer which was good but pricey at almost $13 for only four shrimp. We then had a half order of Caesar salad that my husband and I split and it was plenty for us. I was also pleased that I could have my anchovies on the side since he doesn't like them. We decided to order a king slab and split it so that we wouldn't have any leftovers to take home. We were both very surprised at the difference in taste for their traditional barbecue sauce. It is definitely different from the sauce we used to enjoy and still purchase at the grocery store. The sauce on our ribs last night had definitely lost the tangy flavor and seemed more tomato based. The restaurant itself was a very loud with families and not conducive to an intimate dinner. We have been here many times in the past and with these new changes we may go elsewhere in the future.

The food was not as good as it used to be, particularly the Shrimp Cantonese. The dish used to have 4 perfectly fried shrimp with one plum dipping sauce and one hot mustard sauce. Now, it is 4 barely fried shrimp with the two sauces mixed- very disappointing. Also, the “forced” valet parking is nonsense. I bypassed it and had to walk quite a distance. Needs improvement. Our server, Meadow was a delight.

Our server was an older lady, she was awesome...did a great job and very friendly...The tables are way to small. I spent more time trying to make room for everyone, than I did eating...that was very aggravating. One of our family members had to send her steak back 3xs. Absolutely no fault of the servers. The family member didn't get to eat with us and had to take hers home in a box.

Beautiful location overlooking the Ohio River that was very icy at the time. If you love ribs, this is a Cincinnati tradition. If you don't love ribs, you may be sorry you came and you will leave with a much lighter wallet. On the day we were here, there were several large groups, so that may have affected the quality of the food. I ordered BBQ pulled chicken and Saratoga chips. The chicken tasted like it came from the freezer section at Sam's Club and the chips were flabby. Definitely not what I remember when I used to bring clients here. The service was good and the views were awesome, but the food was mediocre at best.

I really wanted to try this restaurant for the 1st time on Wednesday evening on 7-16-25: The place was extremely disorganized and mismanaged at check in with the front hostess. At least one or more of three things were going on: 1. They wanted to make it look busy when the place was half full. 2. The place was terrible understaffed Or 3. The hostess at the front was not trained properly and did not have a clue The 2nd floor was around 30% full. The font lobby was more crowded than the restraunt and then the staff was still delaying people from being seating. After waiting at least 30 minutes for no reason, we were finally seated. I have to say , The view was great! The inside of the restaurant looked very deteriorated and run down. The food was not really up to par. The ribs here are loaded with way too much sauce, more sauce than meat. Steak and meat were dry and over cooked. Honesty, the only positive experience was the view. Very overrated and overpriced for a dilapidated building and bad food. A big disappointment and a waste of money….

It's been many years since we've been here. My neighbors, my husband and I were excited to go here to celebrate two birthdays. The view from the balcony was perfect. Service was very slow, we had a long wait to place our order and for our food. The most dissapointing thing was our meal(s). My loaded baked potato was barely warm. The butter wouldn't melt. My friends sweet baked potato was cold. Her brown sugar was hard as a rock, frozen? My husband couldn't eat his tarter sauce due to pepper. Our Saratoga chips were impossible to chew, unsure why? We won't go back there and were so sad that everything has declined.

We visited the Montgomery Inn Boathouse a few days after a moderate snowfall. The main parking lot is valet only, and even with a handicap placard, we were told we would still have to pay to use the handicap spot near the entrance. There is a free two hour lot about 300 yards away, which we chose to use out of principle. Accessibility was frustrating. The sidewalk was only partially cleared, and getting from the parking lot to the sidewalk was not cleared at all, which would be very difficult for someone in a wheelchair. On top of that, the walkway from the sidewalk to the entrance had not been cleared, so we had to go all the way around the building just to find handicap access. This was all in 7° weather. We had a 5:30 reservation but were not seated until 6:08. When our name was called, we were told to wait for a specific hostess, but we were passed over twice by loud, unruly groups carrying alcoholic drinks. One person even pushed my son out of the way. I eventually had to speak up to get anyone’s attention. Once seated, our waitress was great and did her best. Unfortunately, the food was hit or miss. My son’s fries were ice cold, and the replacement did not arrive until about 20 minutes later, after everyone else was done eating. The mac and cheese was lukewarm and seemed like it had been sitting for a while. My baked potato also felt like it had been prepared much earlier. The cheese on top was hardened, and I had to break through it just to add butter and sour cream. The nachos were very good, but the ribs have definitely gone downhill compared to past visits. No complaints about our waitress, but between the accessibility issues, long wait, and food quality, the overall experience was disappointing.

First time going to the restaurant in over ten + years. The food is flavored with pepper...and lots of it. Unfortunately, this visit did not meet expectations. The coleslaw had a heavy pepper flavor as well as the broccoli. Another guest/ guests in the party, wasn't able to eat the meal due to the pepper. The bbq chicken sandwich was the only thing that could be eaten without an unexpected change in taste. I'm fine with getting the bbq chicken at the store, and the bottle of sauce and buns, and make more food than the cost at the restaurant. The view from the dining room was the best part of the experience. The parking is valet only for $5.00. The staff was friendly. I doubt I'll go back to have a meal. The menu has been reduced in options. The fish was very greasy. Perhaps I had high expectations and was looking forward to the meal and it didn't meet expectations. The primary dining room could use an update with the decor.

We dined at the Montgomery Inn Riverside on 10/25/25. Got seated 15 min early, wait staff was very pleasant and got our dinners literally 8 minutes after we ordered. Both brisket dinners were extremely over cooked. Three dinner's had lukewarm baked potatoes where the butter didn’t even melt and a rib dinner was warm at best. I ordered a ceaser salad with chicken. It arrived looking like a clump of chicken was thrown on top. Although it was the only dinner that was good. The atmosphere is beautiful but will never return or recommend this restaurant. Yes, we should have returned three of the dinners but we know what usually happens. We have dined at the other Montgomery Inn and always had a good experience. Unfortunately, this was not one of those times.

Server made it abundantly clear that we were an auto gratuity party, and her service reflected that. Simple things like water, bread, sauces, extra plate having to constantly ask for and never receiving. Ribs were so overcooked. Salad, chips and onion straws were good. But overall for an $80 dinner, it just wasn't it. This place isn't what it used to be.