Cincinnati’s Incline Public House is created with two big ideas going for it: A low-key gastropub with a special focus on its unmatched view. With a great view of the cityscape and a menu inside with great pizza and beers, the place is frequently packed even when the view can’t be enjoyed. The prices keep relatively reasonable, and even though there is a long wait for the place on the weekends, it’s still an experience worth having.
Incline has a pretty short menu, heavily focused on pub grub to share, including appetizers and pizzas as well as sandwiches and a few larger main course dishes. What I liked:
- W. 8th Street Pie: This pizza keeps it simple: pepperoni and a spicy sausage along with a blend of cheese. The sausage has a slight heat and the pie overall stays one of those simpler delights that is perfect for a group of people to really enjoy. On the safer end.
- Garbage Pizza: This pizza has a ton of ingredients on it, topped with bacon, peppers, pepperoni, sausage, onions, arugula, mushrooms and, dramatically, an over-easy egg. The mishmash of ingredients sounds confusing or overwhelming, but actually it’s pretty good! Arugula adds a little bit of a crisp that the delicious meats really kick off. And the egg is perfect.
- Andouille Corn Dogs: These fat corn dogs are fried up in-house to be delicious and then served up with spicy ketchup and honey mustard. A good thing to sample.
- Cherry Pepper Poppers: Much like jalapeno poppers, instead these are made with stout, sweeter cherry peppers and stuffed with cheddar cheese, wrapped in bacon and then topped with fig jam. Sweet, but in a good way. A little goes a long way.
The view is amazing, of course, it’s an intensely photogenic scene to enjoy and it’s got a nice patio where you can relax and enjoy it. But you’ll have to wait for it. In fact, the wait times can go upwards of an hour or two. Not unusual in Over The Rhine and some of the trendy restaurants in town, but still it’s something you should be ready for. Fortunately, there is a bar here where you can enjoy a few good drinks, with local beer and wine on the menu as well as cocktails, bourbon and scotch.
Service is great, the food is good and the prices are fine, and all told, Incline Public House is a good experience.
Recommendations
- The parking situation can be tough up here, especially on weekends. Take a cab or an Uber if you can.
- While the wait times are longer here because of the view, there is also a large park next door, so if the weather is nice you can go and relax while you wait.
- There is also a great craft beer menu here, wine and cocktails.
Another Food Critic 