Opened in 2010, Bourbon Street Grill is now one of two distinctly Asian-themed flavors to try in the Kenwood Towne Center’s food court. Northeastern Cincinnati, much inundated with delicious restaurants and interesting shops to try, needs convenient walk-up places like this strategically placed around commercial centers for shoppers on the go. Bourbon Street has a lot of competition in this area, and unfortunately it really falls flat on its execution. The food is generic, expensive, and salty, and there’s practically nothing worth stopping in to try.
Like the other food stalls in the court here, Bourbon Street will aggressively solicit your attention with free samples. Its small menu of chicken dishes is served alongside rice or lo mein, with several options in the size of the meal and the number of side dishes. It’s pretty typical of mall food-type places. Unfortunately, just about everything is wrong with this food. The rice is ridiculously oily, it bleeds through to the bottom of the Styrofoam container. The egg rolls are unremarkable and extremely trite renditions of the food; they’re fried and bland.
The meats are almost universally unremarkable. There are a few varieties; a barbecued chicken and a bourbon chicken and a fried variety; they’re the typical fare for small Chinese places. Well, they’re universally the same thing: chicken overladen in sauce. The chicken itself is moist and the texture is right, but all of the sauces taste about the same: they’re chock full of salt and sugar. So you enjoy a meal that is far too sweet, and then later you’ll be drinking water all day. Altogether not great. It’s particularly bad when the patrons here are shoppers; they don’t want to be looking for fountains all day.
The price of the food presents a problem, too. The cheapest and most basic thing to get is what you see above: one item with rice and an egg roll. With water. It’s over six bucks. While it’s true that the prices don’t change during the day, and it’s also true that dinner at a full service place is rarely so cheap, this is also a far overpriced lunch. Most people come here for lunch. In an area of Cincinnati like this, and especially in a mall full of vendors, it is extremely easy to get a meal that is more filling for cheaper. Or, of course, you could get one that is healthier, and one that tastes better, all for cheaper. No, this is absolutely not worth six bucks. Nor are the larger meals worth seven or eight, especially when the nearby competition offers such good deals. The people here are nice but you’ll want to pass this one up.
Recommendations
- If you really must try this place, try for a non-fried chicken. It will be
- There aren’t any healthy options, so don’t even try.
- As far as dinner goes, the place can be cheap, though, compared to dinner at other restaurants in the area.
Another Food Critic 
Over priced, sub-par, and crappy service. Only place in a high end mall that doesn’t take American Express too. I hate this place.