Relish Modern Tapas
5947 Deerfield Blvd,Ste 101, Mason, OH, 45040
Relish Modern Tapas Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Mason for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Mason for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Mason for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
5947 Deerfield Blvd,Ste 101
Mason, OH, 45040 - Phone (513) 204-6925
- Website https://relishmoderntapas.com/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 9:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : No
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : No
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
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Eric M.
I went to Relish for the first time today with friends for lunch. We ordered the deviled eggs with bacon and the grilled sirloin with caramelized onions for starters. After eating those we were skeptical about how the rest of our meal would turn out as the bacon bits in the eggs were too hard and the sirloin was slightly overcooked. We ordered the asian barbeque ribs, fried fish tacos, and lamb kabobs as our main entree. They brought out each plate one after the other. The ribs came first and they'll fell off of the bone and were incredibly tender. The ribs were definatley the highlight of the meal. The fish tacos were some of the best I have ever had because I am kind of particular about my fish, but these were very good. The last dish for our main entree were the lamb kabobs. The lamb was very well cooked and I felt that it was one of the highlights of the meal. We ordered creme brulee and curries for dessert. The churros were just okay as I felt that they were crunchers than I like them to be, but the creme brulee was quite refreshing as uhh t had a hint of orange and lime. I would go back to Relish for the ribs and creme brulee alone.
(4)Chris G.
The food is good, but sometimes it can take a while to get it. Service is generally good, but can be a bit slow at lunch when sometimes there is only one server. Portions are small, but that can be a plus. We come here relatively often and really like the ambience and the food.
(4)Caroline W.
I've been to Relish a handful of times since they've opened and have yet to really find a good reason to keep going, I just keep going hoping they get better. It's a modern tapa place (tapas being small plates, so you buy a bunch of things and eat a bit of several dishes) except that the plates are too large for tapas and too expensive to truly be a tapa place. Our meals average about $50-$60 pre-tip for two people, two starters, two "entrees" and two desserts. This is not tapas, it's just a regular restaurant that gives you small portions (but they are big for tapas.) I've never been super thrilled with anything we've gotten either - some things have been good but while others have been bland. Service has always been alright but never anything worth writing home about. Overall it's an underwhelming, "just ok" experience. The location is great, but I can't honestly say the food is worth it. If you are around to see a movie at Regal (GREAT theater by the way) there are much better restaurants to go to nearby.
(3)Mike O.
Food is ok. Pork tacos and Asian BBQ sauce is very salty. Pork was dry. Tomato soup was good. Very very pricy. Service was slow and there was only 5 tables. Fish tacos were grilled some hours before and kept warm as they were overlooked and dry.
(2)Michelle R.
Some food is good some bad, but for the price, there are much better food options out there. I love Tapas and wanted to like this place. I have been a few times, getting coupons from Restaurant.com , but am always feeling like I should have gone elsewhere. Slow service, but the drinks went down well.
(2)Brad W.
My wife and I ate at Relish before a movie at Regal next door. We were surprised that the restaurant was mostly empty at 6:30 on a Friday night. We were greeted promptly by the hostess and seated in the bar area. The bartender was our server and did a nice job picking out a couple of his favorites when we asked for suggestions. We ordered several items to split (tapas of course!) and a pitcher of red sangria. Having spent some time in Spain, our expectations were high. The first dish to arrive was the Italian flat bread. It was tasty, however at $12.95 a little hard to swallow. The rest of our order arrived soon after (not too soon), consisting of the Relish tacos (Asian Spice Shrimp and Pulled Baby Back Ribs) and the Stuffed Breast of Chicken. The tacos are very, very small. About two bites each. The Spicy Shrimp was a little gummy. Pricey at $8.95. The Stuffed Breast of Chicken was also tasty, however the listed ingredients (serrano ham and asparagus) were tough to find. Would have been much better if it had a spear or two of asparagus running the full length of the chicken breast, not finely chopped bits. Also pricey at $13.95. The sangria was the biggest disappointment. First, $30 for a small pitcher, seriously? Second, the wine used was nothing special. Third (and most disappointing), the fruit in the sangria was pitiful. The fruit consisted of finely diced apples and CANNED mandarin oranges. The glass was garnished by a big, beautiful NATURAL orange slice. Why go cheap on what you taste and expensive on the garnish? All told, the food was OK, the prices were way off base and the atmosphere was above average. I agree with other reviewers that Relish is a little confused on what type of restaurant they are, small bites vs. big, Spanish/Asian/Italian/Fusion. My suggestion... price all the tapas at or below $9.95, average the portions size out between dishes, and fix the sangria (start over!) BTW, $80 for a party of two is unacceptable if the experience is average.
(2)Ann L.
Thanks @YelpCincy for having your recent "Yelp Wines & Dines" at A Bottle or Two. That is where we met Relish Modern Tapas and had the pleasure of sampling their delicious tapas. Once we tasted - we knew we would go visit soon. It was so nice to meet Francis, the owner of Relish. We really enjoyed talking with him. We liked it so much, we decided to go there for our 6th yr anniversary (special times call for special places). We are so glad we did. It was a perfect dining experience! I love love the idea of Tapas. My favorite way to be entertained at parties is lots of small dishes & finger foods, so you get to try all different flavors and textures. I started off with their French Kiss Martini - wow - it was extraordinarily amazing. Then we tried the Trio of Cream Soups: Asparagus, Bacon & Potato, and Lobster Bisque. It was fun to share with my fiancee to see which was his favorite. We loved them all - but Asparagus was definitely my favorite. The server Shaun was very accomadating and took great care of us. He suggested the Baby Back Ribs. So we ordered that for Chris and Stuffed Chicken Breast for me. These were both succulent and satisfying. I still say Mmmmmmm out loud when thinking about how it melted in my mouth. We went late afternoon so all the warm lighting was not on yet - so we will have to go back to experience the night moods and live music. It was very stylish and clean. Princess room gets 5 stars too. The delicate Lace Cookie was a nice way to send us off for the rest of our date. Sweet!
(5)Amy C.
First of all, tapas are supposed to be small platters, so I can't really complain about portion size at all, especially since the portion sizes at Relish are actually big for tapas. On the other hand, this is 'modern' tapas, or more like fusion food, so I think it's excusable. I would say that the prices are priced a bit high given what you get (not really tapas, but fusion-y and still smaller portions). I don't think the food is good enough that I need to spend about $25-$30 to get comfortably full. On the food itself, it's really hit or miss. I've liked their steak dishes in the past, and their empanadas are reliably delicious. I think the calamari is spot on (just the way I like it), but the paella just tends to be a bit dry for me, and a little too salty. The mushroom risotto flavoring wasn't my cup of tea (seemed a bit bland).
(3)Rafael L.
This is my second review, because I feel Relish has declined since I wrote my original review. Frankly it is over priced for what it is and some of the newer dishes leave a little to be desired. Mason is getting better restaurants and if relish doesn't pick up its game it will go the way of Polo Grille (closed).
(2)Christiaan T.
Great good. nice contemporary decor. great service well worth the trip.
(5)Nathan V.
This place had a lot of potential, but sadly, failed to deliver. I really like the idea of grabbing a drink and a few small plates of food to share with a group. What a great opportunity to try something different without a ton of commitment, but at the prices ($12 for a plate of 2 small tacos and drinks at $10+) it adds up way too fast. And at that price it better be really, really good, and it just wasn't.
(2)Michael D.
Have you ever been to the grocery store to pick up just one or two items? As you head to the register, someone with a full cart jumps in front of you. Usually, it's unintentional...but crappy, nonetheless. Imagine that situation, but at a restaurant. Imagine, also, that it is most certainly not accidental. As I'm walking into Relish from an otherwise empty parking lot with my wife and kids, a guy runs in from the parking lot ahead of us. I think that he is doing so to hold the door for us. Not so. He then ties up the hostess for the next 10 minutes, working out the details of what must be some very special meal. To my astonishment, he then motions through the glass entry doors towards the parking lot. What follows is a clown car escapade....20+ people stream in the front door, most of them wholly-undisciplined children that immediately start hollering at the top of their lungs. The hostess, finally able to welcome us, attempts to seat us close to this group. No thanks. What follows from there is actually a really good meal...varied menu and great presentation. I wouldn't necessarily call it tapas, though...unless I really don't know what tapas actually are. They are relatively large portions, and you order just one as you would at any other restaurant. They had a good kids menu, too. The server was polite and knowledgeable, but extremely slow. She apologized on multiple occasions, and I have absolutely no doubt that the crew that so rudely entered the restaurant was surely also causing delays for the entire staff in other ways. I'll be back again for sure to give it another go.
(4)Todd L.
Not so much... Very over-priced for what you get...pretty average food. We stopped in on a pretty slow Tuesday night. The guy that seated was very slow, despite only two other people being there. The guy who waited on us was quite nice and was helpful (the rest of the experience went down hill from here.) Beet Salad ($8) - very sloppy (big chunks of romaine lettuce), fried goat cheese and just a couple beets. Mushroom Bruschetta ($10) - good flavors, terrible presentation - a few small pieces of bread, pile of mushrooms over the plate and a few crumbs of goat cheese - best eaten with a soup spoon. Asian BBQ ribs ($14) - (waiters reco) - they have potential, good flavors, but expected more for the price. Tres leches desert was pretty decent, but my mind was already made up at this point. It's too bad because the restaurant location is pretty good and the outside seating looks perfect for summer...hopefully they read this and clean up the meal presentation...and drop the prices (they're supposed to be tapas for god sake...)
(2)Dave D.
Love it. Good interior design and any of the chorizo dishes are good. Try the date dish as well. Yumm!
(4)Amanda S.
First and foremost, the waiter didn't really seem to give a crap about our experience. The whole thing felt hurried which would've been understandable if the place was really hoppin' but we were one of four tables in the whole joint. Clearly, the guy didn't have a lot going on so...why the rush, buddy? Secondly, their pintxos seemed as though they were a day old. The one with the date and some sort of cheese (I think) was dried out, the grilled squid was fishy (gross!) and the others were uninspired. And, all in all, it's a little spendy for what you get. The pintxos would be worth their price if they were freshly prepared. And some of their dinner portions leave something to be desired (like, say, food). To be fair, not everything was a complete failure. Our sangria was refreshing and chock full of fruit. Their signature salad is good. The goat cheese, cranberry, pecan combination is tried and true and you can trust that, at the very least, you can get a good salad from Relish (although, there were so few pecans, my husband and I were going to arm wrestle to see who got to eat the last one). My mother-in-law had the watermelon salad which she loved but I thought the dressing was more sweet than citrusy thus making it a little flat in terms of flavor. Some of their mains are okay. The chorizo and Medjool date dish was tasty despite the stale tortilla chips they felt the need to place on top. My mother-in-law had something that was pretty good but I can't for the life of me remember what it was. My husband, however, was not taken with his chicken and rice dish. In his opinion, the rice wasn't freshly prepared, the chicken wasn't very well seasoned and it could have used some sort of sauce. All in all, a lackluster meal which is really disappointing because I love to support local, independently-owned restaurants...just not this one.
(3)Anh L.
Went here after work for a friend's casual birthday dinner. She is a vegetarian, so the options available on the menu were great. My girl friend got the grilled zucchini, asparagus, red pepper, and portebello mushrooms. I got the scallop, ahi, asparagus w/ fried mashed potato (in a patty). Our other friend got the spicy Asian shrimp tapa. Of the three dishes, the spicy Asian shrimp was the most flavorable. The other dishes were just okay. The selections were good. However, the quality of the food was mediocre. Great atmosphere with outside seating options. Very contemporary decor. That's about it. Just so-so. If I didn't return there again, I wouldn't cry about it.
(3)Nashville T.
Not sure if Relish wants to serve small bites, medium bites or big bites. Pricing varies too much for value. Too many menus. Needs a better focus. Usually tasty. I like their ingredients but they don't seem to know what their image is.
(3)Eric F.
Relish is definitely one of my favorite spots in Cincinnati for dinner. I love the atmosphere and the philosophy. They were really the first in the area to bring the small plates idea into dining, and I have loved this place since I first stopped in just after they opened the doors. The food is amazing. The Chorizo Mejdool dates and Asian BBQ ribs are both outstanding, and I love the fish tacos (get them grilled, not fried). The flatbreads are always a winner, along with the beet salad, which may be my favorite thing on the menu.
(5)Kristen W.
You guys, this place isn't very good. I'm not one to write bad reviews, as I usually research my food options pretty well before going and generally find some really good places. I also try to give places the benefit of the doubt if I read some bad reviews, because you never know who is writing them. This is a case where I should have listened to the nay-sayers. Went on a Wednesday night on a business trip. We were looking for a place near Mason, where we were staying, and the options around are pretty limited, especially if you don't want to go to a chain. We wanted something light and more snack-y, so we thought a tapas restaurant would be perfect. We ordered a pitcher of red sangria and some one-bite items from the daily special menu to start. The sangria was good - dry, but with plenty of fruit and fresh flavor. It was the best part of the meal, and probably the only reason we stuck around. We got our plate of 4 small bites - a date stuffed with manchego wrapped with serrano - good, but not the best version of this dish I've had. The next bite should have made us cancel our orders and ask for a check - a dish described as "tuna poached in olive oil on avocado toasts" was a toasted baguette topped with canned tuna. I really wish we would have run at that point. We ordered many (around 8) more dishes from the main menu, all sounding promising, but not one delivered. Everything tasted re-heated and looked sad, like it had been prepared the day before just waiting for someone to order it (salads were wilted, etc.) Dishes came out way too quickly for things to have been freshly prepared. We didn't complain about anything, but our waiter seemed very nervous because we didn't touch any plate after trying one bite. However he was very nice and a high point in the dismal food offerings that we were offered that night. The next day we told our business partners in Mason about our experience the night before, and they were upset they didn't get a chance to warn us - they've all had similar experiences, so I feel confident that this wasn't just a bad night in the kitchen. Next time I'm in Mason and I just want small tastes, I'll probably just go to the Whole Foods salad bar.
(2)Justin A.
I blindly took my wife to Relish for our 3-year anniversary this past fall based on her love of tapas, our desire to try new places in Cincinnati and reading a couple of yelps. We sat outside and tried 5-6 items on the menu. Everything was delicious! The flavors are fresh and full; service was excellent and we now take anybody we can there with us. I highly recommend asking the server to combine the fish and meat in the paella. Apparently we've been the only couple to ask for that. The desserts are very good, but even if you don't have room they give you an amazing flat cookie cooked fresh with the bill. My suggestion is to try everything. We are working our way thru the menu.
(5)Kristan H.
We hadn't been to Relish in a while, and it was even better than we remembered. There's an even greater variety than before, and we really enjoyed the new pinxtos (sp??) platter of tapas from Northern Spain. Portion sizes seem to be bigger as well -- at least, the paella was twice as big, if not more-- so we were quite full! All in all a great night, and we'll definitely be back sooner rather than later.
(5)Ray L.
Very good food. Ribs were excellent and fell off the bone. Loved the chocolate mousse.
(4)Ryan O.
Tired of chain restaurants during the weeks I travel here for work...I saw the reviews for Relish Modern Tapas and decided to give it a try. I was surprised that the actual Tapas menu was very small...and certainly not the traditional and standard Spanish tapas items. Most of the items on the menu are full sized entrees. This was disappointing... We ordered a bottle of wine and a selection of tapas and the humus. The wine was actually a different vintage (year) than what was printed on the menu. I really dislike when restaurants do this...as wine does vary from year to year, is not interchangeable and shouldn't be at the same price point. The food was ok...the portions are very small as mentioned by other reviewers. There was nothing that we ordered that was memorable. The shrimp was overcooked and the half deviled egg was bland and basic. The humus was probably the best thing we ordered. Probably wouldn't see myself coming back here anytime soon.
(2)J U.
I am born and raised in Spain and my wife wanted to experience this Tapas restaurant some months back. My wife ordered paella. When the food arrived I was in shock; maybe the cook has his/her own style but please don't call it paella, maybe arroz con tomate. If you think this restaurant serves Spanish cuisine do yourself and your dinner party a favor and go somewhere else -drive down to Columbus and eat at Barcelona Restaurant. On the contrary if you think tapa is ordering small portions of overpriced culinary inventions them go for it.
(1)Zach S.
Decent little place to go, the food is very tasty, but as most people point out it is a bit expensive for how little the plates are. Come here if you want something tasty, but don't want to eat a lot. If you are hungry however, go else where. I spend 24 bucks on lunch when I went and I got two tacos that I could finish in four bites, half a deviled egg, some hummus and fresh pita (probably the best thing), and four deep friend shrimp with a lite salad. I also left still hungry.
(3)Eric D.
2 stars for the price to quality ratio. The food isn't bad but a lot of it is bland and overpriced. Had the empanadas and they tasted like fried, that was about it. Had the seared ahi tuna on a crustini with sirracha aoeli but it tasted like mayonnaise on bread with some type of protein. The one good thing was a skewer of beef sirloin with caramelized onions and a horseradish sauce. While small it wad easily the best thing we tried.
(2)Sue L.
Slloowwwwwww service
(1)Monica W.
Over priced and too small of tapas! I had always wanted to try Relish it looked like such a cute little place with what I imagined would have great food. But to my surprised I was very disappointed. I ordered the flat bread tapas with the Shrimp tapas. The food was just okay and the portions were very small. I will say that I would have had a terrible experience here if our waiter didn't make up for it. Our waiter was super nice and helpful. I also really liked the atmosphere here too it was really cute and trendy. Overall i was kinda disappointed but I will say that I would actually give this place a second chance as long as I'm not the one paying.
(2)Angela H.
I just returned from my first visit to the new (and only) Tapas restaurant in Mason...and one of very few in Cincinnati. My friend who is a server wanted to eat lunch late enough that it would tide her over through her dinner shift. In light of this, we got to Relish at around 2pm. When we got there, there was one other table of diners eating on the patio. It seemed to warm to eat outside so we grabbed a table inside, where we had the undivided attention of our server. The menu wasn't particularly large but I still had a difficult time choosing what I wanted to eat...each dish described was so unique I didn't want to pass anything up. We ordered large to sample as many things as we could. I ordered the Crab cake entree while my friend went with the Filet Wrap with the signature salad. We also ordered the Hummus and the asparagus from the tapas menu to share. (Almost) everything was fabulous. We both decided that my crab cake was the most delicious thing on the table. It was almost entirely crab, very few fillers, and was served with a sweet sauce and a nice mixed green salad. She loved her wrap which had plenty of steak, goat cheese, and flavored sour cream. The wrap came with the same micro salad that my crab did but she chose to substitute the Relish signature salad for a slight up charge. The signature salad was my least favorite dish, the dressing was way too sweet...it would have been better with straight balsamic. Hummus was very peppery but tasty and served with nice pieces of crostini. The asparagus was grilled and topped with feta, basic but good. We were stuffed by the end of our smorgasbord but still could not resist the chocolate mousse. Three little scoops of thick, brownie-dough-like mousse were arranged nicely on a long plate. Our meals also came with one of Relish's lace cookies each, they were so soft they crumbled in our hands...delicious! The damage was pretty big after our meal...$45 before tip and we didn't have any cocktails. I would go back in a second, though! The Enquirer recently gave Relish a bad review but I'd say it's one of the best new restaurants to open in awhile!
(4)TJ O.
Everything is cheap but adds up fast. Fish tacos were good not great.server was new so can't really judge him yet. I can't remember what it was called but out I'd covered in bacon and it is why this review is as high as it is.delicious
(4)Emily Y.
Pretty good. I remember enjoying the food, which came out fairly quickly. But now that it's been a couple of weeks since we ate there, I really can't tell you what we ordered. . . . so I guess, it didn't really make an impression on me. Kid friendly place, and I really appreciated how friendly the wait staff was, and how they did not rush us.
(3)Mark C.
Braised spareribs Paella Chorizo meatballs washed down with a white Sangria
(4)Adam W.
Relish Modern Tapas offers some classy tapas dining to the Mason/Deerfield area, and is really the only restaurant of its kind around. We had a small feast there and, while everything was good, it was nowhere near great, particularly since they charge full meal prices for tapas portions.
(3)Christian L.
This place really need to try harder! The setup has all the possibility for success, but when you make crappy overpriced sangria, you are really off to a bad start when doing a Spanish tapas restaurant. White sangria: hardly any flavor, but at least it had fresh fruit in, $30 WTF! Humus of the day: was definitely not made that day and it felt like some one just scooped it up from a big ready made can. Taste was bland! Baby back ribs: good flavor, but was served on a cold plate, so was cold within 2 min, which is not very preferable when you are sampling other dishes at the same time. Mahi Mahi tuna with scallop and crab cake: serve also on a cold plate, but dish was again bland, even the sauce did not have any flavor... Paella, with chicken and chorizo: looked really good when it came in, on a hot pan. But it tasted, yes you guessed it, bland! And I counted 4 small pieces of chorizo, which is just not enough to make a big dish like that. I did think the portions was a descent size, just too bad the chef was out that night and it was the dishwasher boy that was reheating the food, because that was how if felt like! The service was also not very good, he did not ask us how the food was, maybe because he knew what the answer would be. I decided not to complain, but will never go there again! The one star is for the baby back ribs, which was actually really good.
(1)Nancy B.
Well I thought this place was pretty good. The waiter was a bit absence at the beginning and my boyfriend and I were extremely hungry. But once he finally took our order the food came out pretty quickly and it wasn't half bad. The flat bread was by far the best thing I ate. As far as the paella....not so much. I had never tried it before but it definitely wasn't worth the money. If you are sick of all the usual chains I would suggest trying it out.
(3)Gary S.
I came across Relish looking for something different. After reading the reviews through Yelp, it seemed Relish was worthy of the drive from Downtown Cinti. its out in Mason, which is a bit of a drive and its nestled away from the main street but I didn't think it was too much of a distraction. Relish offers a wide variety of food choices. Last night I delved into the chicken and chorizo paella, a tapas staple. The paella was a bit sticky but the flavor was quite savory. The steamed spinach (with garlic, cranberries and almonds) was quite the surprise as the combination was pleasant to the palate. The salmon cakes (on the specials menu) was extremely flaky and not greasy like some crab cake-alikes are. Finally, the tip tip steak was very tender and . Each of the dishes was generous for tapas size and yet wasn't overpoering either. I tried the white wine sangria, which had a liberal portion of floating fruit but the wine seemed a bit rough. My server (Ron) was very attentive for a Saturday evening and I have no complaints about the service. I received several "thank yous" upon my departure as well. Sorry Lori, no bleach on my visit either. Overall, I think Relish is a welcome departure from the usual culinary fare in Cinti. The varied dishes offer plenty of choices to anyone who comes in. In my book, Relish deserves another look in a few months when the weather warms up and the sangria will be a welcome change to bring summer on.
(4)Vern C.
very good food...enjoyed several dishes...would return...
(4)Kimberly K.
I used to go to Relish a lot when I worked in Mason 2 yrs ago. It was my first time back & overall it was fine. Nice space (great weather so we got to sit outside), good service & nice specials. We enjoyed 1/2 priced martinis, a few of the choices on the $1-$2 small bites menu & the Italian grilled vegetables (delicious, but for $10, a few more pieces of veg would be nice) . For our main course, my friend ordered the flatbread with gorgonzola, pear, proscuitto & greens-it was very good. I ordered the grilled fish tacos-disappointing! 4 small pieces of dried out tilapia (eachpiece of fish took up 1/2 the tortilla), 4 flour tortillas rolled on the plate (how about putting these in a tortilla warmer so they don't dry out & get cold?), some browish chopped lettuce & the smallest containers ever of sour cream & an avocado/tomato salsa rounded out the plate-no lime to squeeze on the dried out fish, no cilantro, no color, no flavor. Want great fish tacos? Go to J.Alexanders to see how tacos should be served, how the food should be portioned, & how they should taste. The dish should not have left the kitchen looking the way it did. Relish shoudk get 3 or even 4 stars b/c everything else was good, service was solid & I love the cookies at the end. But, Relish needs to work on portion size & how the plates look leaving the kitchen-you can see when fish is dried out & when lettuce is brown, so 2 stars it is.
(2)Christopher K.
I must be spoiled for living in Washington DC and had the opportunity for good Tapas. I felt that they were overpriced for the size food that they serve. The environment is sharp, definitely modern. The staff are great. The food is average.
(3)Brett E.
Food was just ok. For the price range I expect better. Food wasn't particularly hot and not very flavorful. The empanadas looked like they were pre-made and reheated. The luke warm centers added to that impression. The paella was just ok. The stuffed chicken breast was also just ok, without a lot of flavor, and also luke warm.
(2)Sharon H.
I am a fan of tapas and in this area, tapas restaurants are few and far between so I decided to try this for my anniversary dinner (22 years with my best friend). I had heard great things about the food here and I was not disappointed! The fact that this restaurant is located in a shopping mall hurts this business. They were not crowded and they should have been. Our waiter was friendly, amusing and extremely attentive. Great way to start our experience. We started off with cocktails and I had the mojito martini - BEST COCKTAIL EVER! I ended up having two. The hubs had one of those IPA beers that every serious beer drinker (I am not) is talking about these days and he was happy. We started our meal with the single bite tapas and they were reasonably priced and so very, very good. My favorite was the pepper stuffed with short rib and the artichoke with pimento on toast. I had the filet mignon meal as my main course and at $19.99, it was well worth the $$. It was simply delicious. Even my salad (the signature salad) was good enough that I could have made a meal out of it. So tasty! Hubby had an assortment of empanadas and he agreed that we would be returning to eat here. The entire experience was flawless. The dessert we shared was the tres leches and it was also perfection. The waiter also gifted us with two complimentary "lace cookies" and they were so yummy. My only fear is that this place will go out of business because of the location and lack of clientele. They were not busy at all and this was a Saturday night! I hope they stick around because I want to come back here again and again.
(5)Rey M.
The food at tapas is very tasty, I have been there several times and haven't been disappointed. I am not that impressed with the fish tacos but all other dishes are very good. Be sure to leave room for the tres leches dessert. The service can be a little bit hit and miss and the restaurant suffers from poor location and often appears to be empty/closed. Food portion sizes are a bit big for tapas, but if you have a larger crowd it proves to be enough for all.
(3)Chris C.
This is a great place to eat. It is perhaps a little pricey but you do get what you pay for! We've been there a few times and no doubt will be going again! Nice place!
(4)Cheryl P.
The service was excellent. The waitress was very helpful with ordering. The atmosphere was good for a date night. And, our food was very delicious. We ordered a couple of tapas plates and also a filet mignon dish. We asked for it to be cooked medium rare--it was perfect. I highly recommend.
(5)Bree P.
Wow! This place impressed. I have been meaning to try Relish for a long time now but it has been falling off the radar due to closer options. Let me tell you, after my meal last night I am planning for when I can go back! I went with a friend and we both started with the signature salad...I couldn't even talk because I was shoveling it into my face. I have no shame. Creamy goat cheese, cranberries, candied pecans, and the perfect dressing. Then came the potato spheres. Think hush puppy, but with mashed potato, and the wasabi sour cream sauce was addictive. I ordered the med. flatbread because I am veg, and my friend ordered the seafood paella. We were both incredibly happy and stuffed but not too stuffed to eat dessert. She had the chocolate mousse, I had the churros. Food should come with rollerskates so I could get back to my car without walking. Didn't think I would get this full at a tapas place, but yeah, that happened.
(5)Joel J.
their tapas portions are generally much larger than traditional tapas restaurants. their menu doesn't differentiate between the traditional tapas orders versus the items which are personal meal options food quality - B facility - B service - B overall - ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. go to jaleo
(3)Stefan H.
This is our typical date night meal paired with a movie at the Regal in Mason. Great food - love the spicy shrimp and the rissotto is great. The butter lace cookies they serve at the end are really good too!
(5)Kelly M.
Love the half price martini night on Wednesdays and the new vegetarian menu items, especially the Quinoa
(5)Thomas J.
And now for something completely different....trendy, tasty, friendly, thoughtful. Describes Relish believe it or don't. Lunch recently found us looking for something new. Our Foodie daughter recommended Relish. Excellent choice. We had our pick of tables (a slight concern) and perused a barrage of menus to find our choices - fish tacos (wife), pick 2 empanada and soup (potato & beef, spinach & mushroom, French onion). The broth of the French onion soup was worth the trip by itself, the provolone beret just icing on the cake (how's that for mixed metaphors)? The empananda were light, flaky and tasty with a salsa with just enough heat to let you know it was there but complemented the pastries beautifully. Fish tacos and salsa disappeared from my wife's plate without even an offer for me to "try this"! Service was polite and competent. A large group of loud people threatened to fill the vacuum of our quiet repast, but were placed in a separate room for larger groups. They had fun we had fun. An experience to Relish again and again.
(4)Andy D.
Came here during happy hour (which is 4p to 6:30p) and ordered a pitcher of white peach sangria (about 5 glasses worth), the signature chorizo in medjool dates, trio of empanadas ($6 happy hour special with chorizo, beef, and spinach), chorizo mussels, original flat bread, and 2x happy hour tacos with one pulled pork BBQ and the other Asian spicy shrimp (another $6 happy hour special. Happy hour drink special is $6 for select glasses of wine. The food here is FLAVORFUL with each dish having strategic combinations of sweet, salty, and tangy which made for a fun experience for my taste buds given the tapas style (small shared dishes) allows you to try a little bit of everything. My favorites were the signature chorizo in medjool dates and the Asian shrimp taco. The "comfort-food" dish was the original flatbread which is melted herb cheese inside of a toasted flat bread sandwich topped with basil and balsamic vinaigrette, aka yummy-in-my-tummy carbs and fat. Service was friendly and prompt with our water glasses always staying filled, and we really enjoyed our sangria. FYI there is an outdoor patio for when the weather is nice. Might have to try it sometime!
(4)Emily P.
Not impressed. The tastiest food during our dinner was the complimentary amuse-bouche at the beginning of the meal. Frankly, we should have stopped there. Overall, the food is bland and overpriced. Hot Pockets had more flavor than the empanada trio, and the best part of the chorizo with dates dish was dry French bread on the side. The overpriced wine list was brought just within normal range with the extremely limited happy hour discount.
(2)Audra S.
This place was the worst! Deviled eggs- worse than mine and I'm a no frill egg maker. Chorizo? Overcooked dog food. Mushroom bruschetta? How does putting sautéed mushrooms on a crostini equal bruschetta? Seriously, that's all it was. Sabra hummus is better than theirs. The white sangria, though pretty, tastes like Carlo and Rossi Rhine ($12 for a jug at Walmart). And the steak with onion and horseradish? A tolerable piece of meat on a stick. I haven't even started with the service. We were literally the girl's only customer- we know this because the place was D.E.A.D. We thought maybe she got fired, because she vanished at a crucial drink refill time. She was MIA for roughly 25 minutes. We had to go inside and find her- and it took the staff a minute to find her. Just. Wow.
(1)Elaine W.
So tasty! I came here with two friends after work last week and enjoyed a light dinner. We went with one pintxos (small finger food), two tapas, and the seafood paella. Sounds like we feasted, but to be honest, we ordered exactly enough to be pleasantly satiated because the food was so flippin' delicious we practically licked off every last morsel. We could not go wrong with the pintxos we chose. Listen to this: "Medjool date stuffed with almond slivers and goat cheese, wrapped in bacon." If I were giving points, this phrase would receive a gazillion points just for the goat cheese (and another gazillion for the bacon). Sure, "medjool" is a nice word to throw around, but the only thing I care about is how much deliciousness can be stuffed into one description. Our only misfortune is that one order came with just two of these thumb-size entities. We sliced them into four pieces and entered a Zen-like bliss. Wow I can't believe I just wrote a paragraph on bacon wrapped dates. Ok, so onto the tapas: we got spicy asian shrimp and the original flat bread. -- Spicy Asian Shrimp: Eh, I love shrimp, but I'm not big on the "sweet and sour" flavor combo a la General Tsao's Chicken. The shrimp is fried to a juicy crispiness though, so I can see how people can rave about this dish (Pleebs. Jkay!). -- Original Flat Bread: Hallelujah. Despite the insipid name, it is one heck of a tapa (fyi - singular for tapas). The bread was warm and pillowy, enclosing the greatest tasting cheese I've had... ok maybe exaggerating just a little, but this cheese was so good I was tricked into thinking it was goat cheese (it's actually "herb cheese"). And what sealed the deal is the balsamic vinaigrette drizzled on top. Give me this over a margherita pizza any day. Hands down my favorite dish. The seafood paella was pretty good: fragrant rice with a decent amount of seafood (shrimp, fish, scallops, mussels). However, I don't have anything to compare it to, as I don't think I've ever had paella before, and it wasn't as fantastic as that flat bread. We came early, so it was not too busy or noisy. Friend had a coupon, which is always great. I believe you can get them in Cincy Savers and also Groupons.
(4)Tim S.
First quibble: Villainously overpriced for sub par food. And their cheapest wine was $10 a glass? Come on. Secondly: Lousy craftsmanship. The paella was a sad affair. I've had better insta-box rice pilaf dishes found in cafeterias. Where was the saffron? Hell, was there even any salt and pepper? Between three people, we only ate about a fourth of it, and no one wanted to take it home. The stuffed mushrooms were another unfortunate casualty of the kitchen. Reading the description inspired us to order a plate, but what we received was a pale shadow. Just like the paella, we didn't finish them and none wanted to take them home. Again, on the menu, these stuffed fungi sounded delicious, but what we were served was under seasoned and uninspired. The only thing we all three enjoyed was the hummus + pita bread, which ironically enough, was the cheapest item we ordered, and furthermore, was removed from the bill after the waitress noticed how disenchanted we were with the fare. Poor Mr. Hummus became their patsy. We punters must be paying for their rent, because the money doesn't appear to be going towards ingredients. C'est la vie.
(2)Darcy L.
Anywhere that crams a ton of bacon, Medjool dates, and wine onto my table is off to a great start. Add a modern setting, pleasant service, and a quiet spot for me to catch up with friends, and I'm definitely a fan. Relish Modern Tapas has an awesome menu with lots of Mediterranean and Spanish-inspired small plates with a fairly extensive wine list. Pretty much every bite I've tasted has been very good, and there have only been a couple dishes that have been not-so-exciting. Service is usually attentive, although because it's so small, I've often had to wait upwards of 5 minutes for someone to even come out to seat me. However, downside is that the prices are really steep for portion sizes. The wine list, while large, is also quite expensive. Bottles range between 25 and 40 dollars, and while that's not bad for imports, there are a lot of local restaurants that offer similar menus for a much lower cost. Happy Hour is helpful, since they have some drink specials, including a $4.00 red and white option on wines. My girls and I will continue to pop over occasionally when we don't mind spending extra money on a special evening out. But it's definitely a "celebration night" for us, and we're unlikely to become regulars any time soon.
(3)Marcus K.
The food was okay. The service from the waitress was terrible. Management was very nice. I would return, however, if we get the same waitress I would ask for another. Very long wait time with only 8 tables being served. Not sure if it was the kitchen or the waitress but I would expect chicken to be served in 5-7min, not 15min, with that many ppl eating. The place was basically empty and the wait time was extremely long.
(3)Anita F.
Started wirh red sangria & french onion soup, both were delish. Had the Paella and it was DIVINE. We really enjoyed the food!
(5)Agustin A N.
First visit, from hostess, to servers, great attention to detail, superb recommendations and excellent, very authentic tapas. Cocktails are awesome too. Definitively, will come back!!
(5)Amy W.
Food was wonderful, as always. Have been several times over the last few years. The flatbread was a delightful departure from the expected. More like a dinner bagel with delicious herbed cream cheese. Would have been 5 stars were it not for the last 5 minutes of my stay. Relish regularly has deals on Cincy Savers and on Restaurant.com . I paid in part using one of those certificates. When presenting me with my check my waitress awkwardly reminded me, and the rest of my table, of the original amount of my bill. While I understand that some diners may tip only on the remaining amount, that was not my intention. Bringing that issue to the forefront seemed in poor taste and I hope is not the norm.
(4)Sarah M.
Every time I come to Relish I am pleasantly surprised. The food is good and so is the atmosphere. Fun for dinner out with the girls!
(4)Eric S.
The outside of this place looks very trendy -- that vibe vanished once we walked through the door. First of all, there was a distinct and lingering sulfur smell, as if there was a backed up sewage pipe somewhere. We decided to persevere, based on all the good reviews and the enticing menu items. Pita bread served with the hummus was so salted, it was inedible. The soup was decent enough. The epanadas (sp) were okay. I've never eaten them before so I don't have a baseline to compare to, but party in my mouth it wasn't. Our server was also blah. Dressed in yoga pants and a tshirt as if she'd rolled out of bed, with a personality to match. There was a set of dirty dishes (probably from the single party to visit lunch hour) that sat at our adjacent table and were never picked up. To top it, she was actually talking to someone on her cell phone as she served our food. (no, it wasn't a reservation call) I can understand based on all the above as to why there was no one there in the afternoon. I'm stunned by all the lavish reviews of this establishment. Either we went on an uncharacteristically off day for the hired help and the chef, or they sprinkled something magical in the food all the 5-star reviewers ate.
(1)Ron C.
I really regret writing this review. I have visited this restaurant about 10 time over the past two years and each time the experience has lessened. The last time was two weeks ago and I believe I am now finished. It has great ambience and ambition, but the food quality, and service consistency are just so poor compared to when I first dined there, that I can no longer recommend the place. It's too bad, since it has festive outdoor seating, with local entertainment from time to time. But whoever is cooking is not paying attention.
(2)Tabitha W.
I've found that I like the idea of tapas more than I actually like them themselves, but I headed out to Relish Modern Tapas on Friday just as excited as I usually am at the prospect of digging into tapas. They have a separate vegetarian menu, but there are also vegetarian options on their main menu. We ended up going with Wild Mushroom Risotto Spheres, Spinach Stuffed Wild Mushrooms, and a Spinach, Mushroom, and Goat Cheese Empanada. Portion sizes were fairly small, as is appropriate for tapas, so we had enough room for some delicious Tres Leches cake. The meal also includes complimentary butter lace cookies. Still I felt disappointed. The spheres were $9 each and the stuffed mushrooms were $10 - I would rather half the price and the serving size so that you have the opportunity to try more dishes. That said, the food was all very tasty and tastefully presented.
(3)Dominique L.
This cute and modernized restaurant has quite a few unique menu items that are very delicious. I've had lunch here and a few work events in the big party space and sampled a few of the tapas. The short rib one may have been my favorite and the potatoes were cooked to perfection. The service is nice and friendly. I loved to see how attentive the servers were and even being greeted at the front door so pleasantly made quite the impression! Give it a try something new and affordable... I'm anxious to hear what others think!
(4)Sasan A.
We were invited to this place by our host, at first I was not expecting much based on the reviews it had on Yelp, however I had to say I quickly changed my mind. We tried family style, tried a variety of different items including seafood paella, Moroccan grilled lamb chop, grilled lamb kabob, and signature baby back ribs. I enjoyed every single dish, and I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Mason.
(4)Marianne H.
Saturday night and it was empty. I can't speak for the others at the table but my chicken and pasta dish was nothing special. It was perhaps a 4 -5 ounce chicken breast with a side of basil pesto pasta. The pesto was heavy raw garlic and the pasta was dry food service brand. My entree was 18.00....we also shared a flat bread that was made out of a somewhat sweet dough. I could not help but think the menu was a Rachael Ray version of tapas. Nothing outrageously wrong just had that suburban mom trying to be cool sort of feel.
(2)Lisa C.
What ever you do don't come hungry. You will be left wanting for more and you will.; I had vegetarian lentil soup that was thick and substantial. The flavor of the soup came alive and burst flavor and you think Oh my God this is the best soup you have ever had. The only problem is portions. Hello! I wanted some soup for my spoon. That said it is heavenly. The salad was the same, with a light dressing and creative and lively mix of flavors you will enjoy every bite of it. Just that there isn't that much to bite. They should not be so stingy with the goods. Loved the food, disappointed in the scrimpy portions and would I go back... not for my money. They need to order some bigger plates and bowls and take the ones they got to a garage sale. I give it a 3 star - 2 stars are too little and three is tad too much... but like a kind hearted school teacher who hopes her student will somehow improve I graded up even though I know better. A very small cup oif soup, salad, soda $13.00 plus tip. I won't go back.
(3)Thomi M.
I have been to Relish twice with a large group of friends. We always enjoy our time. The drinks are great (the white wine sangria is our favorite) and the food is delicious. I got the vegetable paella on my first visit. It was well done and tasty. One my second trip, I got the Moroccan lentil soup. It was spicy and flavorful, it really hit the spot. I also ordered the quinoa lettuce wraps. I have never been able to find something like that at a restaurant and they were so good! The balsamic drizzle is fantastic, I need the recipe!
(4)Mike T.
My girlfriend and I were here last week, and had outstanding service. We used a Groupon, which definitely added value to the experience. Cameron, our server, was fantastic. Friendly, attentive, and offered great ordering advice. The place is a little overpriced, in my opinion (hence only 4 stars), but we will be back.
(4)Monica P.
This restaurant is on its downhill journey. We went on a Tuesday evening for dinner. The whole place was empty. Except us. We had ordered quinoa lettuce wraps, mushroom risotto, Thai chicken tapas. Quinoa lettuce wraps- bland. Mushroom risotto- hard sticky ball of rice. Thai chicken tapas- I think the chef added the salt of all 3 dishes into this one. For on a scale of 1 to 10 the saltiness of this dish was 15! I don't know how this place was before, but now its not worth it at all. Avoid completely. Food- 1/5 Ambience- 2/5 Service-1/5 Price - 1/5 It was 56$ for 3 of us :/ avoid avoid avoid !!
(1)Stavro M.
If you're the sort of person who's ever said, "Hey, you know what would be cool? If TGI Fridays opened a tapas restaurant," YOU are going to love Relish. Everyone else, move along--nothing for you to see here. After swearing I'd never go back to Relish, I went a second time to be polite to some friends who invited us. I figured they deserved a second chance. Not so much. The "tapas" served at relish bears little resemblance to actual tapas served in, say, real tapas restaurants (except maybe for the still-subpar chorizo stuffed dates. It's really more of a small plates selection that you would find on a bar menu at a place that wanted to look trendy but also didn't want to work too hard. Each dish is poorly executed and amateurish to a nearly comical degree. The super dry fried risotto balls (arancini, really), for example, are ridiculously served in a pool of tepid bechemel. The "empanadas" resemble something your aunt Margaret puts out at her Super Bowl party in the hopes of looking cosmopolitan, but at least Aunt Maggie's empanadas are made with misguided love for her guests. You can easily imagine the cooks at Relish shrugging and saying, "I don't know, I guess this will do" with every dish they pass to a runner. The wait staff is chipper and friendly but completely without sophistication or understanding of the dining experience. Frankly, they seem like people who have never actually eaten in a restaurant, themselves. They appear to have little to no knowledge of anything having to do with the bar or their wine list. I'm astonished that this place has been in business for so long.
(1)Mike L.
This was my first visit. I ordered the short ribs and the empanadas. The ribs were luke warm. The empanadas were okay. Service was slow and food was overpriced. Don't think I'll be going back.
(3)Jim H.
This is more than just about the food, which is always fresh & delicious. It is about taking care of their guests. We had lunch on Sunday, 9/7/14, and I accidentally redeemed a $50 Restaurant.com certificate when I meant to use the $25 certificate. I went by today, and Brandi was able to issue a store gift certificate for the unused portion. Fantastic job. We will definitely be back!!!!
(5)Clay M.
Great atmosphere and service. Lots of different choices on food and the empanadas were great. Her Ahi Tuna was so-so, but we will definitely come back and try something new. Also, the chocolate mousse was amazing.
(4)Steve L.
No need for a long disertation. Just go!! Great for a group of friends to gather!!
(5)Lisa C.
What ever you do don't come hungry. You will be left wanting for more and you will.; I had vegetarian lentil soup that was thick and substantial. The flavor of the soup came alive and burst flavor and you think Oh my God this is the best soup you have ever had. The only problem is portions. Hello! I wanted some soup for my spoon. That said it is heavenly. The salad was the same, with a light dressing and creative and lively mix of flavors you will enjoy every bite of it. Just that there isn't that much to bite. They should not be so stingy with the goods. Loved the food, disappointed in the scrimpy portions and would I go back... not for my money. They need to order some bigger plates and bowls and take the ones they got to a garage sale. I give it a 3 star - 2 stars are too little and three is tad too much... but like a kind hearted school teacher who hopes her student will somehow improve I graded up even though I know better. A very small cup oif soup, salad, soda $13.00 plus tip. I won't go back.
(3)Thomi M.
I have been to Relish twice with a large group of friends. We always enjoy our time. The drinks are great (the white wine sangria is our favorite) and the food is delicious. I got the vegetable paella on my first visit. It was well done and tasty. One my second trip, I got the Moroccan lentil soup. It was spicy and flavorful, it really hit the spot. I also ordered the quinoa lettuce wraps. I have never been able to find something like that at a restaurant and they were so good! The balsamic drizzle is fantastic, I need the recipe!
(4)Tabitha W.
I've found that I like the idea of tapas more than I actually like them themselves, but I headed out to Relish Modern Tapas on Friday just as excited as I usually am at the prospect of digging into tapas. They have a separate vegetarian menu, but there are also vegetarian options on their main menu. We ended up going with Wild Mushroom Risotto Spheres, Spinach Stuffed Wild Mushrooms, and a Spinach, Mushroom, and Goat Cheese Empanada. Portion sizes were fairly small, as is appropriate for tapas, so we had enough room for some delicious Tres Leches cake. The meal also includes complimentary butter lace cookies. Still I felt disappointed. The spheres were $9 each and the stuffed mushrooms were $10 - I would rather half the price and the serving size so that you have the opportunity to try more dishes. That said, the food was all very tasty and tastefully presented.
(3)Mike T.
My girlfriend and I were here last week, and had outstanding service. We used a Groupon, which definitely added value to the experience. Cameron, our server, was fantastic. Friendly, attentive, and offered great ordering advice. The place is a little overpriced, in my opinion (hence only 4 stars), but we will be back.
(4)Michelle R.
Some food is good some bad, but for the price, there are much better food options out there. I love Tapas and wanted to like this place. I have been a few times, getting coupons from Restaurant.com , but am always feeling like I should have gone elsewhere. Slow service, but the drinks went down well.
(2)Ann L.
Thanks @YelpCincy for having your recent "Yelp Wines & Dines" at A Bottle or Two. That is where we met Relish Modern Tapas and had the pleasure of sampling their delicious tapas. Once we tasted - we knew we would go visit soon. It was so nice to meet Francis, the owner of Relish. We really enjoyed talking with him. We liked it so much, we decided to go there for our 6th yr anniversary (special times call for special places). We are so glad we did. It was a perfect dining experience! I love love the idea of Tapas. My favorite way to be entertained at parties is lots of small dishes & finger foods, so you get to try all different flavors and textures. I started off with their French Kiss Martini - wow - it was extraordinarily amazing. Then we tried the Trio of Cream Soups: Asparagus, Bacon & Potato, and Lobster Bisque. It was fun to share with my fiancee to see which was his favorite. We loved them all - but Asparagus was definitely my favorite. The server Shaun was very accomadating and took great care of us. He suggested the Baby Back Ribs. So we ordered that for Chris and Stuffed Chicken Breast for me. These were both succulent and satisfying. I still say Mmmmmmm out loud when thinking about how it melted in my mouth. We went late afternoon so all the warm lighting was not on yet - so we will have to go back to experience the night moods and live music. It was very stylish and clean. Princess room gets 5 stars too. The delicate Lace Cookie was a nice way to send us off for the rest of our date. Sweet!
(5)Amy C.
First of all, tapas are supposed to be small platters, so I can't really complain about portion size at all, especially since the portion sizes at Relish are actually big for tapas. On the other hand, this is 'modern' tapas, or more like fusion food, so I think it's excusable. I would say that the prices are priced a bit high given what you get (not really tapas, but fusion-y and still smaller portions). I don't think the food is good enough that I need to spend about $25-$30 to get comfortably full. On the food itself, it's really hit or miss. I've liked their steak dishes in the past, and their empanadas are reliably delicious. I think the calamari is spot on (just the way I like it), but the paella just tends to be a bit dry for me, and a little too salty. The mushroom risotto flavoring wasn't my cup of tea (seemed a bit bland).
(3)Rafael L.
This is my second review, because I feel Relish has declined since I wrote my original review. Frankly it is over priced for what it is and some of the newer dishes leave a little to be desired. Mason is getting better restaurants and if relish doesn't pick up its game it will go the way of Polo Grille (closed).
(2)Christiaan T.
Great good. nice contemporary decor. great service well worth the trip.
(5)Nathan V.
This place had a lot of potential, but sadly, failed to deliver. I really like the idea of grabbing a drink and a few small plates of food to share with a group. What a great opportunity to try something different without a ton of commitment, but at the prices ($12 for a plate of 2 small tacos and drinks at $10+) it adds up way too fast. And at that price it better be really, really good, and it just wasn't.
(2)Michael D.
Have you ever been to the grocery store to pick up just one or two items? As you head to the register, someone with a full cart jumps in front of you. Usually, it's unintentional...but crappy, nonetheless. Imagine that situation, but at a restaurant. Imagine, also, that it is most certainly not accidental. As I'm walking into Relish from an otherwise empty parking lot with my wife and kids, a guy runs in from the parking lot ahead of us. I think that he is doing so to hold the door for us. Not so. He then ties up the hostess for the next 10 minutes, working out the details of what must be some very special meal. To my astonishment, he then motions through the glass entry doors towards the parking lot. What follows is a clown car escapade....20+ people stream in the front door, most of them wholly-undisciplined children that immediately start hollering at the top of their lungs. The hostess, finally able to welcome us, attempts to seat us close to this group. No thanks. What follows from there is actually a really good meal...varied menu and great presentation. I wouldn't necessarily call it tapas, though...unless I really don't know what tapas actually are. They are relatively large portions, and you order just one as you would at any other restaurant. They had a good kids menu, too. The server was polite and knowledgeable, but extremely slow. She apologized on multiple occasions, and I have absolutely no doubt that the crew that so rudely entered the restaurant was surely also causing delays for the entire staff in other ways. I'll be back again for sure to give it another go.
(4)Todd L.
Not so much... Very over-priced for what you get...pretty average food. We stopped in on a pretty slow Tuesday night. The guy that seated was very slow, despite only two other people being there. The guy who waited on us was quite nice and was helpful (the rest of the experience went down hill from here.) Beet Salad ($8) - very sloppy (big chunks of romaine lettuce), fried goat cheese and just a couple beets. Mushroom Bruschetta ($10) - good flavors, terrible presentation - a few small pieces of bread, pile of mushrooms over the plate and a few crumbs of goat cheese - best eaten with a soup spoon. Asian BBQ ribs ($14) - (waiters reco) - they have potential, good flavors, but expected more for the price. Tres leches desert was pretty decent, but my mind was already made up at this point. It's too bad because the restaurant location is pretty good and the outside seating looks perfect for summer...hopefully they read this and clean up the meal presentation...and drop the prices (they're supposed to be tapas for god sake...)
(2)Dave D.
Love it. Good interior design and any of the chorizo dishes are good. Try the date dish as well. Yumm!
(4)Monica W.
Over priced and too small of tapas! I had always wanted to try Relish it looked like such a cute little place with what I imagined would have great food. But to my surprised I was very disappointed. I ordered the flat bread tapas with the Shrimp tapas. The food was just okay and the portions were very small. I will say that I would have had a terrible experience here if our waiter didn't make up for it. Our waiter was super nice and helpful. I also really liked the atmosphere here too it was really cute and trendy. Overall i was kinda disappointed but I will say that I would actually give this place a second chance as long as I'm not the one paying.
(2)Amanda S.
First and foremost, the waiter didn't really seem to give a crap about our experience. The whole thing felt hurried which would've been understandable if the place was really hoppin' but we were one of four tables in the whole joint. Clearly, the guy didn't have a lot going on so...why the rush, buddy? Secondly, their pintxos seemed as though they were a day old. The one with the date and some sort of cheese (I think) was dried out, the grilled squid was fishy (gross!) and the others were uninspired. And, all in all, it's a little spendy for what you get. The pintxos would be worth their price if they were freshly prepared. And some of their dinner portions leave something to be desired (like, say, food). To be fair, not everything was a complete failure. Our sangria was refreshing and chock full of fruit. Their signature salad is good. The goat cheese, cranberry, pecan combination is tried and true and you can trust that, at the very least, you can get a good salad from Relish (although, there were so few pecans, my husband and I were going to arm wrestle to see who got to eat the last one). My mother-in-law had the watermelon salad which she loved but I thought the dressing was more sweet than citrusy thus making it a little flat in terms of flavor. Some of their mains are okay. The chorizo and Medjool date dish was tasty despite the stale tortilla chips they felt the need to place on top. My mother-in-law had something that was pretty good but I can't for the life of me remember what it was. My husband, however, was not taken with his chicken and rice dish. In his opinion, the rice wasn't freshly prepared, the chicken wasn't very well seasoned and it could have used some sort of sauce. All in all, a lackluster meal which is really disappointing because I love to support local, independently-owned restaurants...just not this one.
(3)Anh L.
Went here after work for a friend's casual birthday dinner. She is a vegetarian, so the options available on the menu were great. My girl friend got the grilled zucchini, asparagus, red pepper, and portebello mushrooms. I got the scallop, ahi, asparagus w/ fried mashed potato (in a patty). Our other friend got the spicy Asian shrimp tapa. Of the three dishes, the spicy Asian shrimp was the most flavorable. The other dishes were just okay. The selections were good. However, the quality of the food was mediocre. Great atmosphere with outside seating options. Very contemporary decor. That's about it. Just so-so. If I didn't return there again, I wouldn't cry about it.
(3)Nashville T.
Not sure if Relish wants to serve small bites, medium bites or big bites. Pricing varies too much for value. Too many menus. Needs a better focus. Usually tasty. I like their ingredients but they don't seem to know what their image is.
(3)Kristen W.
You guys, this place isn't very good. I'm not one to write bad reviews, as I usually research my food options pretty well before going and generally find some really good places. I also try to give places the benefit of the doubt if I read some bad reviews, because you never know who is writing them. This is a case where I should have listened to the nay-sayers. Went on a Wednesday night on a business trip. We were looking for a place near Mason, where we were staying, and the options around are pretty limited, especially if you don't want to go to a chain. We wanted something light and more snack-y, so we thought a tapas restaurant would be perfect. We ordered a pitcher of red sangria and some one-bite items from the daily special menu to start. The sangria was good - dry, but with plenty of fruit and fresh flavor. It was the best part of the meal, and probably the only reason we stuck around. We got our plate of 4 small bites - a date stuffed with manchego wrapped with serrano - good, but not the best version of this dish I've had. The next bite should have made us cancel our orders and ask for a check - a dish described as "tuna poached in olive oil on avocado toasts" was a toasted baguette topped with canned tuna. I really wish we would have run at that point. We ordered many (around 8) more dishes from the main menu, all sounding promising, but not one delivered. Everything tasted re-heated and looked sad, like it had been prepared the day before just waiting for someone to order it (salads were wilted, etc.) Dishes came out way too quickly for things to have been freshly prepared. We didn't complain about anything, but our waiter seemed very nervous because we didn't touch any plate after trying one bite. However he was very nice and a high point in the dismal food offerings that we were offered that night. The next day we told our business partners in Mason about our experience the night before, and they were upset they didn't get a chance to warn us - they've all had similar experiences, so I feel confident that this wasn't just a bad night in the kitchen. Next time I'm in Mason and I just want small tastes, I'll probably just go to the Whole Foods salad bar.
(2)Justin A.
I blindly took my wife to Relish for our 3-year anniversary this past fall based on her love of tapas, our desire to try new places in Cincinnati and reading a couple of yelps. We sat outside and tried 5-6 items on the menu. Everything was delicious! The flavors are fresh and full; service was excellent and we now take anybody we can there with us. I highly recommend asking the server to combine the fish and meat in the paella. Apparently we've been the only couple to ask for that. The desserts are very good, but even if you don't have room they give you an amazing flat cookie cooked fresh with the bill. My suggestion is to try everything. We are working our way thru the menu.
(5)Kristan H.
We hadn't been to Relish in a while, and it was even better than we remembered. There's an even greater variety than before, and we really enjoyed the new pinxtos (sp??) platter of tapas from Northern Spain. Portion sizes seem to be bigger as well -- at least, the paella was twice as big, if not more-- so we were quite full! All in all a great night, and we'll definitely be back sooner rather than later.
(5)Ray L.
Very good food. Ribs were excellent and fell off the bone. Loved the chocolate mousse.
(4)Angela H.
I just returned from my first visit to the new (and only) Tapas restaurant in Mason...and one of very few in Cincinnati. My friend who is a server wanted to eat lunch late enough that it would tide her over through her dinner shift. In light of this, we got to Relish at around 2pm. When we got there, there was one other table of diners eating on the patio. It seemed to warm to eat outside so we grabbed a table inside, where we had the undivided attention of our server. The menu wasn't particularly large but I still had a difficult time choosing what I wanted to eat...each dish described was so unique I didn't want to pass anything up. We ordered large to sample as many things as we could. I ordered the Crab cake entree while my friend went with the Filet Wrap with the signature salad. We also ordered the Hummus and the asparagus from the tapas menu to share. (Almost) everything was fabulous. We both decided that my crab cake was the most delicious thing on the table. It was almost entirely crab, very few fillers, and was served with a sweet sauce and a nice mixed green salad. She loved her wrap which had plenty of steak, goat cheese, and flavored sour cream. The wrap came with the same micro salad that my crab did but she chose to substitute the Relish signature salad for a slight up charge. The signature salad was my least favorite dish, the dressing was way too sweet...it would have been better with straight balsamic. Hummus was very peppery but tasty and served with nice pieces of crostini. The asparagus was grilled and topped with feta, basic but good. We were stuffed by the end of our smorgasbord but still could not resist the chocolate mousse. Three little scoops of thick, brownie-dough-like mousse were arranged nicely on a long plate. Our meals also came with one of Relish's lace cookies each, they were so soft they crumbled in our hands...delicious! The damage was pretty big after our meal...$45 before tip and we didn't have any cocktails. I would go back in a second, though! The Enquirer recently gave Relish a bad review but I'd say it's one of the best new restaurants to open in awhile!
(4)TJ O.
Everything is cheap but adds up fast. Fish tacos were good not great.server was new so can't really judge him yet. I can't remember what it was called but out I'd covered in bacon and it is why this review is as high as it is.delicious
(4)Emily Y.
Pretty good. I remember enjoying the food, which came out fairly quickly. But now that it's been a couple of weeks since we ate there, I really can't tell you what we ordered. . . . so I guess, it didn't really make an impression on me. Kid friendly place, and I really appreciated how friendly the wait staff was, and how they did not rush us.
(3)Mark C.
Braised spareribs Paella Chorizo meatballs washed down with a white Sangria
(4)Adam W.
Relish Modern Tapas offers some classy tapas dining to the Mason/Deerfield area, and is really the only restaurant of its kind around. We had a small feast there and, while everything was good, it was nowhere near great, particularly since they charge full meal prices for tapas portions.
(3)Eric F.
Relish is definitely one of my favorite spots in Cincinnati for dinner. I love the atmosphere and the philosophy. They were really the first in the area to bring the small plates idea into dining, and I have loved this place since I first stopped in just after they opened the doors. The food is amazing. The Chorizo Mejdool dates and Asian BBQ ribs are both outstanding, and I love the fish tacos (get them grilled, not fried). The flatbreads are always a winner, along with the beet salad, which may be my favorite thing on the menu.
(5)Steve L.
No need for a long disertation. Just go!! Great for a group of friends to gather!!
(5)Sharon H.
I am a fan of tapas and in this area, tapas restaurants are few and far between so I decided to try this for my anniversary dinner (22 years with my best friend). I had heard great things about the food here and I was not disappointed! The fact that this restaurant is located in a shopping mall hurts this business. They were not crowded and they should have been. Our waiter was friendly, amusing and extremely attentive. Great way to start our experience. We started off with cocktails and I had the mojito martini - BEST COCKTAIL EVER! I ended up having two. The hubs had one of those IPA beers that every serious beer drinker (I am not) is talking about these days and he was happy. We started our meal with the single bite tapas and they were reasonably priced and so very, very good. My favorite was the pepper stuffed with short rib and the artichoke with pimento on toast. I had the filet mignon meal as my main course and at $19.99, it was well worth the $$. It was simply delicious. Even my salad (the signature salad) was good enough that I could have made a meal out of it. So tasty! Hubby had an assortment of empanadas and he agreed that we would be returning to eat here. The entire experience was flawless. The dessert we shared was the tres leches and it was also perfection. The waiter also gifted us with two complimentary "lace cookies" and they were so yummy. My only fear is that this place will go out of business because of the location and lack of clientele. They were not busy at all and this was a Saturday night! I hope they stick around because I want to come back here again and again.
(5)Rey M.
The food at tapas is very tasty, I have been there several times and haven't been disappointed. I am not that impressed with the fish tacos but all other dishes are very good. Be sure to leave room for the tres leches dessert. The service can be a little bit hit and miss and the restaurant suffers from poor location and often appears to be empty/closed. Food portion sizes are a bit big for tapas, but if you have a larger crowd it proves to be enough for all.
(3)Chris C.
This is a great place to eat. It is perhaps a little pricey but you do get what you pay for! We've been there a few times and no doubt will be going again! Nice place!
(4)Cheryl P.
The service was excellent. The waitress was very helpful with ordering. The atmosphere was good for a date night. And, our food was very delicious. We ordered a couple of tapas plates and also a filet mignon dish. We asked for it to be cooked medium rare--it was perfect. I highly recommend.
(5)Christian L.
This place really need to try harder! The setup has all the possibility for success, but when you make crappy overpriced sangria, you are really off to a bad start when doing a Spanish tapas restaurant. White sangria: hardly any flavor, but at least it had fresh fruit in, $30 WTF! Humus of the day: was definitely not made that day and it felt like some one just scooped it up from a big ready made can. Taste was bland! Baby back ribs: good flavor, but was served on a cold plate, so was cold within 2 min, which is not very preferable when you are sampling other dishes at the same time. Mahi Mahi tuna with scallop and crab cake: serve also on a cold plate, but dish was again bland, even the sauce did not have any flavor... Paella, with chicken and chorizo: looked really good when it came in, on a hot pan. But it tasted, yes you guessed it, bland! And I counted 4 small pieces of chorizo, which is just not enough to make a big dish like that. I did think the portions was a descent size, just too bad the chef was out that night and it was the dishwasher boy that was reheating the food, because that was how if felt like! The service was also not very good, he did not ask us how the food was, maybe because he knew what the answer would be. I decided not to complain, but will never go there again! The one star is for the baby back ribs, which was actually really good.
(1)Nancy B.
Well I thought this place was pretty good. The waiter was a bit absence at the beginning and my boyfriend and I were extremely hungry. But once he finally took our order the food came out pretty quickly and it wasn't half bad. The flat bread was by far the best thing I ate. As far as the paella....not so much. I had never tried it before but it definitely wasn't worth the money. If you are sick of all the usual chains I would suggest trying it out.
(3)Gary S.
I came across Relish looking for something different. After reading the reviews through Yelp, it seemed Relish was worthy of the drive from Downtown Cinti. its out in Mason, which is a bit of a drive and its nestled away from the main street but I didn't think it was too much of a distraction. Relish offers a wide variety of food choices. Last night I delved into the chicken and chorizo paella, a tapas staple. The paella was a bit sticky but the flavor was quite savory. The steamed spinach (with garlic, cranberries and almonds) was quite the surprise as the combination was pleasant to the palate. The salmon cakes (on the specials menu) was extremely flaky and not greasy like some crab cake-alikes are. Finally, the tip tip steak was very tender and . Each of the dishes was generous for tapas size and yet wasn't overpoering either. I tried the white wine sangria, which had a liberal portion of floating fruit but the wine seemed a bit rough. My server (Ron) was very attentive for a Saturday evening and I have no complaints about the service. I received several "thank yous" upon my departure as well. Sorry Lori, no bleach on my visit either. Overall, I think Relish is a welcome departure from the usual culinary fare in Cinti. The varied dishes offer plenty of choices to anyone who comes in. In my book, Relish deserves another look in a few months when the weather warms up and the sangria will be a welcome change to bring summer on.
(4)Vern C.
very good food...enjoyed several dishes...would return...
(4)Kimberly K.
I used to go to Relish a lot when I worked in Mason 2 yrs ago. It was my first time back & overall it was fine. Nice space (great weather so we got to sit outside), good service & nice specials. We enjoyed 1/2 priced martinis, a few of the choices on the $1-$2 small bites menu & the Italian grilled vegetables (delicious, but for $10, a few more pieces of veg would be nice) . For our main course, my friend ordered the flatbread with gorgonzola, pear, proscuitto & greens-it was very good. I ordered the grilled fish tacos-disappointing! 4 small pieces of dried out tilapia (eachpiece of fish took up 1/2 the tortilla), 4 flour tortillas rolled on the plate (how about putting these in a tortilla warmer so they don't dry out & get cold?), some browish chopped lettuce & the smallest containers ever of sour cream & an avocado/tomato salsa rounded out the plate-no lime to squeeze on the dried out fish, no cilantro, no color, no flavor. Want great fish tacos? Go to J.Alexanders to see how tacos should be served, how the food should be portioned, & how they should taste. The dish should not have left the kitchen looking the way it did. Relish shoudk get 3 or even 4 stars b/c everything else was good, service was solid & I love the cookies at the end. But, Relish needs to work on portion size & how the plates look leaving the kitchen-you can see when fish is dried out & when lettuce is brown, so 2 stars it is.
(2)Christopher K.
I must be spoiled for living in Washington DC and had the opportunity for good Tapas. I felt that they were overpriced for the size food that they serve. The environment is sharp, definitely modern. The staff are great. The food is average.
(3)Brett E.
Food was just ok. For the price range I expect better. Food wasn't particularly hot and not very flavorful. The empanadas looked like they were pre-made and reheated. The luke warm centers added to that impression. The paella was just ok. The stuffed chicken breast was also just ok, without a lot of flavor, and also luke warm.
(2)Bree P.
Wow! This place impressed. I have been meaning to try Relish for a long time now but it has been falling off the radar due to closer options. Let me tell you, after my meal last night I am planning for when I can go back! I went with a friend and we both started with the signature salad...I couldn't even talk because I was shoveling it into my face. I have no shame. Creamy goat cheese, cranberries, candied pecans, and the perfect dressing. Then came the potato spheres. Think hush puppy, but with mashed potato, and the wasabi sour cream sauce was addictive. I ordered the med. flatbread because I am veg, and my friend ordered the seafood paella. We were both incredibly happy and stuffed but not too stuffed to eat dessert. She had the chocolate mousse, I had the churros. Food should come with rollerskates so I could get back to my car without walking. Didn't think I would get this full at a tapas place, but yeah, that happened.
(5)Joel J.
their tapas portions are generally much larger than traditional tapas restaurants. their menu doesn't differentiate between the traditional tapas orders versus the items which are personal meal options food quality - B facility - B service - B overall - ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. go to jaleo
(3)Stefan H.
This is our typical date night meal paired with a movie at the Regal in Mason. Great food - love the spicy shrimp and the rissotto is great. The butter lace cookies they serve at the end are really good too!
(5)Kelly M.
Love the half price martini night on Wednesdays and the new vegetarian menu items, especially the Quinoa
(5)Thomas J.
And now for something completely different....trendy, tasty, friendly, thoughtful. Describes Relish believe it or don't. Lunch recently found us looking for something new. Our Foodie daughter recommended Relish. Excellent choice. We had our pick of tables (a slight concern) and perused a barrage of menus to find our choices - fish tacos (wife), pick 2 empanada and soup (potato & beef, spinach & mushroom, French onion). The broth of the French onion soup was worth the trip by itself, the provolone beret just icing on the cake (how's that for mixed metaphors)? The empananda were light, flaky and tasty with a salsa with just enough heat to let you know it was there but complemented the pastries beautifully. Fish tacos and salsa disappeared from my wife's plate without even an offer for me to "try this"! Service was polite and competent. A large group of loud people threatened to fill the vacuum of our quiet repast, but were placed in a separate room for larger groups. They had fun we had fun. An experience to Relish again and again.
(4)Elaine W.
So tasty! I came here with two friends after work last week and enjoyed a light dinner. We went with one pintxos (small finger food), two tapas, and the seafood paella. Sounds like we feasted, but to be honest, we ordered exactly enough to be pleasantly satiated because the food was so flippin' delicious we practically licked off every last morsel. We could not go wrong with the pintxos we chose. Listen to this: "Medjool date stuffed with almond slivers and goat cheese, wrapped in bacon." If I were giving points, this phrase would receive a gazillion points just for the goat cheese (and another gazillion for the bacon). Sure, "medjool" is a nice word to throw around, but the only thing I care about is how much deliciousness can be stuffed into one description. Our only misfortune is that one order came with just two of these thumb-size entities. We sliced them into four pieces and entered a Zen-like bliss. Wow I can't believe I just wrote a paragraph on bacon wrapped dates. Ok, so onto the tapas: we got spicy asian shrimp and the original flat bread. -- Spicy Asian Shrimp: Eh, I love shrimp, but I'm not big on the "sweet and sour" flavor combo a la General Tsao's Chicken. The shrimp is fried to a juicy crispiness though, so I can see how people can rave about this dish (Pleebs. Jkay!). -- Original Flat Bread: Hallelujah. Despite the insipid name, it is one heck of a tapa (fyi - singular for tapas). The bread was warm and pillowy, enclosing the greatest tasting cheese I've had... ok maybe exaggerating just a little, but this cheese was so good I was tricked into thinking it was goat cheese (it's actually "herb cheese"). And what sealed the deal is the balsamic vinaigrette drizzled on top. Give me this over a margherita pizza any day. Hands down my favorite dish. The seafood paella was pretty good: fragrant rice with a decent amount of seafood (shrimp, fish, scallops, mussels). However, I don't have anything to compare it to, as I don't think I've ever had paella before, and it wasn't as fantastic as that flat bread. We came early, so it was not too busy or noisy. Friend had a coupon, which is always great. I believe you can get them in Cincy Savers and also Groupons.
(4)Sasan A.
We were invited to this place by our host, at first I was not expecting much based on the reviews it had on Yelp, however I had to say I quickly changed my mind. We tried family style, tried a variety of different items including seafood paella, Moroccan grilled lamb chop, grilled lamb kabob, and signature baby back ribs. I enjoyed every single dish, and I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Mason.
(4)Monica P.
This restaurant is on its downhill journey. We went on a Tuesday evening for dinner. The whole place was empty. Except us. We had ordered quinoa lettuce wraps, mushroom risotto, Thai chicken tapas. Quinoa lettuce wraps- bland. Mushroom risotto- hard sticky ball of rice. Thai chicken tapas- I think the chef added the salt of all 3 dishes into this one. For on a scale of 1 to 10 the saltiness of this dish was 15! I don't know how this place was before, but now its not worth it at all. Avoid completely. Food- 1/5 Ambience- 2/5 Service-1/5 Price - 1/5 It was 56$ for 3 of us :/ avoid avoid avoid !!
(1)Clay M.
Great atmosphere and service. Lots of different choices on food and the empanadas were great. Her Ahi Tuna was so-so, but we will definitely come back and try something new. Also, the chocolate mousse was amazing.
(4)Chris G.
The food is good, but sometimes it can take a while to get it. Service is generally good, but can be a bit slow at lunch when sometimes there is only one server. Portions are small, but that can be a plus. We come here relatively often and really like the ambience and the food.
(4)Caroline W.
I've been to Relish a handful of times since they've opened and have yet to really find a good reason to keep going, I just keep going hoping they get better. It's a modern tapa place (tapas being small plates, so you buy a bunch of things and eat a bit of several dishes) except that the plates are too large for tapas and too expensive to truly be a tapa place. Our meals average about $50-$60 pre-tip for two people, two starters, two "entrees" and two desserts. This is not tapas, it's just a regular restaurant that gives you small portions (but they are big for tapas.) I've never been super thrilled with anything we've gotten either - some things have been good but while others have been bland. Service has always been alright but never anything worth writing home about. Overall it's an underwhelming, "just ok" experience. The location is great, but I can't honestly say the food is worth it. If you are around to see a movie at Regal (GREAT theater by the way) there are much better restaurants to go to nearby.
(3)Mike O.
Food is ok. Pork tacos and Asian BBQ sauce is very salty. Pork was dry. Tomato soup was good. Very very pricy. Service was slow and there was only 5 tables. Fish tacos were grilled some hours before and kept warm as they were overlooked and dry.
(2)Brad W.
My wife and I ate at Relish before a movie at Regal next door. We were surprised that the restaurant was mostly empty at 6:30 on a Friday night. We were greeted promptly by the hostess and seated in the bar area. The bartender was our server and did a nice job picking out a couple of his favorites when we asked for suggestions. We ordered several items to split (tapas of course!) and a pitcher of red sangria. Having spent some time in Spain, our expectations were high. The first dish to arrive was the Italian flat bread. It was tasty, however at $12.95 a little hard to swallow. The rest of our order arrived soon after (not too soon), consisting of the Relish tacos (Asian Spice Shrimp and Pulled Baby Back Ribs) and the Stuffed Breast of Chicken. The tacos are very, very small. About two bites each. The Spicy Shrimp was a little gummy. Pricey at $8.95. The Stuffed Breast of Chicken was also tasty, however the listed ingredients (serrano ham and asparagus) were tough to find. Would have been much better if it had a spear or two of asparagus running the full length of the chicken breast, not finely chopped bits. Also pricey at $13.95. The sangria was the biggest disappointment. First, $30 for a small pitcher, seriously? Second, the wine used was nothing special. Third (and most disappointing), the fruit in the sangria was pitiful. The fruit consisted of finely diced apples and CANNED mandarin oranges. The glass was garnished by a big, beautiful NATURAL orange slice. Why go cheap on what you taste and expensive on the garnish? All told, the food was OK, the prices were way off base and the atmosphere was above average. I agree with other reviewers that Relish is a little confused on what type of restaurant they are, small bites vs. big, Spanish/Asian/Italian/Fusion. My suggestion... price all the tapas at or below $9.95, average the portions size out between dishes, and fix the sangria (start over!) BTW, $80 for a party of two is unacceptable if the experience is average.
(2)Andy D.
Came here during happy hour (which is 4p to 6:30p) and ordered a pitcher of white peach sangria (about 5 glasses worth), the signature chorizo in medjool dates, trio of empanadas ($6 happy hour special with chorizo, beef, and spinach), chorizo mussels, original flat bread, and 2x happy hour tacos with one pulled pork BBQ and the other Asian spicy shrimp (another $6 happy hour special. Happy hour drink special is $6 for select glasses of wine. The food here is FLAVORFUL with each dish having strategic combinations of sweet, salty, and tangy which made for a fun experience for my taste buds given the tapas style (small shared dishes) allows you to try a little bit of everything. My favorites were the signature chorizo in medjool dates and the Asian shrimp taco. The "comfort-food" dish was the original flatbread which is melted herb cheese inside of a toasted flat bread sandwich topped with basil and balsamic vinaigrette, aka yummy-in-my-tummy carbs and fat. Service was friendly and prompt with our water glasses always staying filled, and we really enjoyed our sangria. FYI there is an outdoor patio for when the weather is nice. Might have to try it sometime!
(4)Emily P.
Not impressed. The tastiest food during our dinner was the complimentary amuse-bouche at the beginning of the meal. Frankly, we should have stopped there. Overall, the food is bland and overpriced. Hot Pockets had more flavor than the empanada trio, and the best part of the chorizo with dates dish was dry French bread on the side. The overpriced wine list was brought just within normal range with the extremely limited happy hour discount.
(2)Audra S.
This place was the worst! Deviled eggs- worse than mine and I'm a no frill egg maker. Chorizo? Overcooked dog food. Mushroom bruschetta? How does putting sautéed mushrooms on a crostini equal bruschetta? Seriously, that's all it was. Sabra hummus is better than theirs. The white sangria, though pretty, tastes like Carlo and Rossi Rhine ($12 for a jug at Walmart). And the steak with onion and horseradish? A tolerable piece of meat on a stick. I haven't even started with the service. We were literally the girl's only customer- we know this because the place was D.E.A.D. We thought maybe she got fired, because she vanished at a crucial drink refill time. She was MIA for roughly 25 minutes. We had to go inside and find her- and it took the staff a minute to find her. Just. Wow.
(1)Marcus K.
The food was okay. The service from the waitress was terrible. Management was very nice. I would return, however, if we get the same waitress I would ask for another. Very long wait time with only 8 tables being served. Not sure if it was the kitchen or the waitress but I would expect chicken to be served in 5-7min, not 15min, with that many ppl eating. The place was basically empty and the wait time was extremely long.
(3)Anita F.
Started wirh red sangria & french onion soup, both were delish. Had the Paella and it was DIVINE. We really enjoyed the food!
(5)Agustin A N.
First visit, from hostess, to servers, great attention to detail, superb recommendations and excellent, very authentic tapas. Cocktails are awesome too. Definitively, will come back!!
(5)Amy W.
Food was wonderful, as always. Have been several times over the last few years. The flatbread was a delightful departure from the expected. More like a dinner bagel with delicious herbed cream cheese. Would have been 5 stars were it not for the last 5 minutes of my stay. Relish regularly has deals on Cincy Savers and on Restaurant.com . I paid in part using one of those certificates. When presenting me with my check my waitress awkwardly reminded me, and the rest of my table, of the original amount of my bill. While I understand that some diners may tip only on the remaining amount, that was not my intention. Bringing that issue to the forefront seemed in poor taste and I hope is not the norm.
(4)Sarah M.
Every time I come to Relish I am pleasantly surprised. The food is good and so is the atmosphere. Fun for dinner out with the girls!
(4)Eric S.
The outside of this place looks very trendy -- that vibe vanished once we walked through the door. First of all, there was a distinct and lingering sulfur smell, as if there was a backed up sewage pipe somewhere. We decided to persevere, based on all the good reviews and the enticing menu items. Pita bread served with the hummus was so salted, it was inedible. The soup was decent enough. The epanadas (sp) were okay. I've never eaten them before so I don't have a baseline to compare to, but party in my mouth it wasn't. Our server was also blah. Dressed in yoga pants and a tshirt as if she'd rolled out of bed, with a personality to match. There was a set of dirty dishes (probably from the single party to visit lunch hour) that sat at our adjacent table and were never picked up. To top it, she was actually talking to someone on her cell phone as she served our food. (no, it wasn't a reservation call) I can understand based on all the above as to why there was no one there in the afternoon. I'm stunned by all the lavish reviews of this establishment. Either we went on an uncharacteristically off day for the hired help and the chef, or they sprinkled something magical in the food all the 5-star reviewers ate.
(1)Ron C.
I really regret writing this review. I have visited this restaurant about 10 time over the past two years and each time the experience has lessened. The last time was two weeks ago and I believe I am now finished. It has great ambience and ambition, but the food quality, and service consistency are just so poor compared to when I first dined there, that I can no longer recommend the place. It's too bad, since it has festive outdoor seating, with local entertainment from time to time. But whoever is cooking is not paying attention.
(2)Dominique L.
This cute and modernized restaurant has quite a few unique menu items that are very delicious. I've had lunch here and a few work events in the big party space and sampled a few of the tapas. The short rib one may have been my favorite and the potatoes were cooked to perfection. The service is nice and friendly. I loved to see how attentive the servers were and even being greeted at the front door so pleasantly made quite the impression! Give it a try something new and affordable... I'm anxious to hear what others think!
(4)Marianne H.
Saturday night and it was empty. I can't speak for the others at the table but my chicken and pasta dish was nothing special. It was perhaps a 4 -5 ounce chicken breast with a side of basil pesto pasta. The pesto was heavy raw garlic and the pasta was dry food service brand. My entree was 18.00....we also shared a flat bread that was made out of a somewhat sweet dough. I could not help but think the menu was a Rachael Ray version of tapas. Nothing outrageously wrong just had that suburban mom trying to be cool sort of feel.
(2)Tim S.
First quibble: Villainously overpriced for sub par food. And their cheapest wine was $10 a glass? Come on. Secondly: Lousy craftsmanship. The paella was a sad affair. I've had better insta-box rice pilaf dishes found in cafeterias. Where was the saffron? Hell, was there even any salt and pepper? Between three people, we only ate about a fourth of it, and no one wanted to take it home. The stuffed mushrooms were another unfortunate casualty of the kitchen. Reading the description inspired us to order a plate, but what we received was a pale shadow. Just like the paella, we didn't finish them and none wanted to take them home. Again, on the menu, these stuffed fungi sounded delicious, but what we were served was under seasoned and uninspired. The only thing we all three enjoyed was the hummus + pita bread, which ironically enough, was the cheapest item we ordered, and furthermore, was removed from the bill after the waitress noticed how disenchanted we were with the fare. Poor Mr. Hummus became their patsy. We punters must be paying for their rent, because the money doesn't appear to be going towards ingredients. C'est la vie.
(2)Darcy L.
Anywhere that crams a ton of bacon, Medjool dates, and wine onto my table is off to a great start. Add a modern setting, pleasant service, and a quiet spot for me to catch up with friends, and I'm definitely a fan. Relish Modern Tapas has an awesome menu with lots of Mediterranean and Spanish-inspired small plates with a fairly extensive wine list. Pretty much every bite I've tasted has been very good, and there have only been a couple dishes that have been not-so-exciting. Service is usually attentive, although because it's so small, I've often had to wait upwards of 5 minutes for someone to even come out to seat me. However, downside is that the prices are really steep for portion sizes. The wine list, while large, is also quite expensive. Bottles range between 25 and 40 dollars, and while that's not bad for imports, there are a lot of local restaurants that offer similar menus for a much lower cost. Happy Hour is helpful, since they have some drink specials, including a $4.00 red and white option on wines. My girls and I will continue to pop over occasionally when we don't mind spending extra money on a special evening out. But it's definitely a "celebration night" for us, and we're unlikely to become regulars any time soon.
(3)Stavro M.
If you're the sort of person who's ever said, "Hey, you know what would be cool? If TGI Fridays opened a tapas restaurant," YOU are going to love Relish. Everyone else, move along--nothing for you to see here. After swearing I'd never go back to Relish, I went a second time to be polite to some friends who invited us. I figured they deserved a second chance. Not so much. The "tapas" served at relish bears little resemblance to actual tapas served in, say, real tapas restaurants (except maybe for the still-subpar chorizo stuffed dates. It's really more of a small plates selection that you would find on a bar menu at a place that wanted to look trendy but also didn't want to work too hard. Each dish is poorly executed and amateurish to a nearly comical degree. The super dry fried risotto balls (arancini, really), for example, are ridiculously served in a pool of tepid bechemel. The "empanadas" resemble something your aunt Margaret puts out at her Super Bowl party in the hopes of looking cosmopolitan, but at least Aunt Maggie's empanadas are made with misguided love for her guests. You can easily imagine the cooks at Relish shrugging and saying, "I don't know, I guess this will do" with every dish they pass to a runner. The wait staff is chipper and friendly but completely without sophistication or understanding of the dining experience. Frankly, they seem like people who have never actually eaten in a restaurant, themselves. They appear to have little to no knowledge of anything having to do with the bar or their wine list. I'm astonished that this place has been in business for so long.
(1)Mike L.
This was my first visit. I ordered the short ribs and the empanadas. The ribs were luke warm. The empanadas were okay. Service was slow and food was overpriced. Don't think I'll be going back.
(3)Eric M.
I went to Relish for the first time today with friends for lunch. We ordered the deviled eggs with bacon and the grilled sirloin with caramelized onions for starters. After eating those we were skeptical about how the rest of our meal would turn out as the bacon bits in the eggs were too hard and the sirloin was slightly overcooked. We ordered the asian barbeque ribs, fried fish tacos, and lamb kabobs as our main entree. They brought out each plate one after the other. The ribs came first and they'll fell off of the bone and were incredibly tender. The ribs were definatley the highlight of the meal. The fish tacos were some of the best I have ever had because I am kind of particular about my fish, but these were very good. The last dish for our main entree were the lamb kabobs. The lamb was very well cooked and I felt that it was one of the highlights of the meal. We ordered creme brulee and curries for dessert. The churros were just okay as I felt that they were crunchers than I like them to be, but the creme brulee was quite refreshing as uhh t had a hint of orange and lime. I would go back to Relish for the ribs and creme brulee alone.
(4)Jim H.
This is more than just about the food, which is always fresh & delicious. It is about taking care of their guests. We had lunch on Sunday, 9/7/14, and I accidentally redeemed a $50 Restaurant.com certificate when I meant to use the $25 certificate. I went by today, and Brandi was able to issue a store gift certificate for the unused portion. Fantastic job. We will definitely be back!!!!
(5)Ryan O.
Tired of chain restaurants during the weeks I travel here for work...I saw the reviews for Relish Modern Tapas and decided to give it a try. I was surprised that the actual Tapas menu was very small...and certainly not the traditional and standard Spanish tapas items. Most of the items on the menu are full sized entrees. This was disappointing... We ordered a bottle of wine and a selection of tapas and the humus. The wine was actually a different vintage (year) than what was printed on the menu. I really dislike when restaurants do this...as wine does vary from year to year, is not interchangeable and shouldn't be at the same price point. The food was ok...the portions are very small as mentioned by other reviewers. There was nothing that we ordered that was memorable. The shrimp was overcooked and the half deviled egg was bland and basic. The humus was probably the best thing we ordered. Probably wouldn't see myself coming back here anytime soon.
(2)J U.
I am born and raised in Spain and my wife wanted to experience this Tapas restaurant some months back. My wife ordered paella. When the food arrived I was in shock; maybe the cook has his/her own style but please don't call it paella, maybe arroz con tomate. If you think this restaurant serves Spanish cuisine do yourself and your dinner party a favor and go somewhere else -drive down to Columbus and eat at Barcelona Restaurant. On the contrary if you think tapa is ordering small portions of overpriced culinary inventions them go for it.
(1)Zach S.
Decent little place to go, the food is very tasty, but as most people point out it is a bit expensive for how little the plates are. Come here if you want something tasty, but don't want to eat a lot. If you are hungry however, go else where. I spend 24 bucks on lunch when I went and I got two tacos that I could finish in four bites, half a deviled egg, some hummus and fresh pita (probably the best thing), and four deep friend shrimp with a lite salad. I also left still hungry.
(3)Eric D.
2 stars for the price to quality ratio. The food isn't bad but a lot of it is bland and overpriced. Had the empanadas and they tasted like fried, that was about it. Had the seared ahi tuna on a crustini with sirracha aoeli but it tasted like mayonnaise on bread with some type of protein. The one good thing was a skewer of beef sirloin with caramelized onions and a horseradish sauce. While small it wad easily the best thing we tried.
(2)Sue L.
Slloowwwwwww service
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