Bard’s Burgers & Chili

Are you guys ready for this review?
Serrrrriously, BRACE YOURSELF. DELICIOUSNESS IS COMING.
I’ll start with this — Bard’s has had it’s ups and downs and has since re-​opened in the same location after a few different restos have resided in the space. They believed in their products and concept SO much that they are back at it, ready to try again with new management, and Cincinnati should be lucky that they had enough confidence to not give up.
You walk in to a down-​right (almost country) hole in the wall type of joint. There are red and white checkered tablecloths covering old wooden tables. There are giant bottles of ketchup and whole rolls of paper towels on the tables and you’re thinking «What they heck am I getting myself into here?» Then for a second you glance up at the giant chalkboard backsplash behind the counter and it reads, «deep fried Twinkies, cheese curds, and Oreos! Ask for your burger on a donut.» And you realize… this is not going to be an ordinary dining experience.
Our server greeted us with a bright eyed smile and a very enthusiastic hello. Charmed by our couple-​fight over who’s ordering what I’m sure, he suggests why not get it all? And he’s right. This is a place where you need to bring an entourage so you can try everything.
We order the fresh flown in daily Wisconsin cheese curds. I love them anyway, but throw those puppies in a deep frier and my god are you in for a treat. You think you love mozzarella sticks? THINK AGAIN. These things are cheese bombs. Pipping hot. Delicious. Cheese Bombs. WE stretched one so far it reached across the ENTIRE TABLE. (See photo) I also need to add that the marinara was no joke either. It had fresh tomatoes in it and was a beautiful compliment to the curds.
Now onto the burgs.
The bf got the special of the day burger which was a mushroom and swiss. It was good, but not what they are known for.
Don’t think twice.
Don’t even look at the menu.
Just get the Bard’s Burger — anyway you like it.
This burger is a thing of beauty. The buttery bun comes out glistening so hard it basically blings your eye off before it even hits the table. The burger is crispy on the edges (the way it SHOULD BE) juicy on the inside. Cooked to a perfect pink. I stopped to admire it. The lettuce had a snap. The edges of the bun were seared. And as I took the first bite, everything on this burger worked in unison to sing a perfect symphony.
The smell, the taste, the texture. This burger is SO good, I want to marry it just so it will never leave me.
This burger is SO good, I wanna get tiny fitted sheets for this burger and just crawl into this bun, and get all cozy and die there.
This is no mere sandwich of grilled meat and toasted bread — this is God, speaking to us in food.
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And if there is ANY way possible, that you are still up for it after that religious experience — get the deep fried oreos. They will change your life.
Did I feel horrible after eating deep fried cheese curds, a butter soaked burger, fries, and deep fried oreos? Yes. Was it worth it? Hell yes. And I would do it again in a heartbeat (if I still have one, after this…)

Service is impeccable and their food is amazing! Loved their BBQ burger & the husband loved his fire burger & pountine

Heard a lot about this place and decided to check it out. it is NOT closed by the way as some said. Guess they have new owners. Anyway the place is DIRTY… floor is a mess and dead flies everywhere in the light fixtures. Burgers were dried out and tasteless… they need to use a meat blend with way more fat so that they are juicy. Chili was so so.

Great little hole-​in-​the-​wall burger joint. The menu is minimal and the name says it all: burgers and chili (that’s Cincy style chili served more as a sauce than by the bowl).
Our server was warm and welcoming and even though they didn’t have a kids menu, the place is pretty kid friendly. They brought my little guy a basket of crayons and a brown paper bag to make a «puppet» out of – great idea!
The burgers are flattop-​grilled and have lots of flavor. I got a classic Bard’s burger where the melty cheese on the piping hot burger contrasts beautifully with the stack of crisp iceberg lettuce and pickle along with creamy mayo on a buttery, toasted bun. Darn, I just made myself hungry again!
The fries are so good – seeming hand cut with a nice crispy exterior. I also tried the fried curds because it’s a house specialty – think mozzarella sticks in ball form (but better cheese).
Parking was a little hard to find – many of the nearby spots are reserved for other businesses, but we found a metered spot on a nearby side street. I wish they did have a kids menu or at least just one burger/​fry option that’s a smaller portion at a cheaper price. Overall, the value is great though. And I love the small-​town, family-​owned feel of the place!

I ordered the burger and poutine and was happy with my food. It’s not a fancy place so it’s more of a greasy spoon with food tending to be more simple but indulgently unhealthy. Nothing hipster-​ish about this place which is kind of nice considering trends. The food is very affordable. My burger was cooked correctly and the fries were really great.
The only negative is that it is all burgers and bacon. The only meat my wife can eat is chicken and fish so I think about the only non-​dessert item she could eat would be the cheese curds or plain fries. I’m not knocking down the rating for that but it obviously effects how often I will ever come here. I asked the waitress about it and it sounds as though chicken will never be added to the menu. Still a good place for a cheap burger.

Best place in town. Best burger I have EVER had! I would give them more stars if I could!

I have nothing bad to say about my visit to bards, delicious cheap burgers, the cheese curds were awesome and they have ale8 in the bottle! What more do you want?

We have been here a few times. Everyone agrees everything was good. Great burgers and even better fries. Fried cheese curds and pickles are pretty good. Try to save room for the fried Oreos.

All I can say is wow! These burgers are the bomb. I stopped by on my way home to try Bard’s for the for the first time. I ordered the Bard bacon all the way for takeout. My house is 5 minutes away. I got home and started eating that burger and before I knew it I was done. Definitely the best burger I’ve had in quite a while. I will be back. And I just ordered the burger and they gave me a half order of fries and it was like $ 7.50. What a great place to get a burger.

Good place to go to fill your craving for a greasy burger and fried cheese curds.
Pretty standard greasy burgers and fries. I didn’t feel completely disgusting leaving there though. It’s a very small place and they get busy during prime hours.
I wouldn’t go out of my way to go here, but it does the job.
The servers are nice, but the kitchen itself is pretty slow.
We went during the off hours and it still took quite a while to get our food.

Great burgers and fries… 2 adults, 3 children all had burger platters with beverage and fried cheese curds with fried Nathan’s pickles. Followed that up with four deep fried Twinkies. $ 76 with tip, great service with even better food. We will be back. A must have would be the fried pickles, pretty sure they are hand made right on site.

I ordered the Bards bacon deluxe and it was fantastic! Tried the poutine and curds, kings of the fried foods!
Small place, will definitely be back.

We hadn’t had a date night in about 3 months so when my mom said she would watch the kids we decided to go to Bard’s. Neither of us had been there so we were pretty excited!
Well you see we are getting married in November so I’ve been on a pretty strict diet. Going to Bard’s does not allow you to diet! I made cheat day proud by getting fried cheese curds for our appetizer which are delicious. For dinner I got a donut burger! It had a glazed donut for a bun and was delicious. In respect of poutine week on Unilocal I got poutine fries and they were perfection on a plate!
We ended dinner with an inside out donut s’more. It was a glazed donut with marshmallow fluff and gram crackers on the inside. Oh man it was beautiful and yummy. All around Bard’s was a great choice for date night and we will be coming back!!!

Absolutely without a doubt the best burgers in the area! I have had it Three times in the last couple months and tried something different each time. Every one of those items has been great. My Wife loves the Donut Bard While I enjoy the Bard Bacon All the Way. The Poutine has been my favorite side so far but that does not discredit the cheese curds or the fried pickle chips. The cheese curds are perfect in every way. The fried pickle chips come with a sauce that has got a really nice spice to it. I highly recommend a stop here as it doesn not get any better for a burger joint.

Just had the best meal at Bard’s I’ve ever had since the place opened, which is what, three owners ago? The poutine was perfect – good quality fries, generous cheese curds, and gravy with a flavor that perfectly balanced the potatoes and cheese. They’ve stuck with the original owners’ formula for burgers that are fried to delicious crispness on the flattop. Service was fast and friendly. The décor is a little weird and hasn’t changed much over the years, although the few houseplants are a welcome addition. Didn’t save space for any of the dessert treats like fried Twinkies, but I’m guessing they’re well prepared, also. To sum up, if you miss the old Bard’s, get over there again!

A bright, clean, cute décor. Love the crust on the burger from the griddle. Amazing buns. Those fries! Fresh cut fries with sea salt. Delicious!!! Wash it down with an Ale-​8. Make sure you get a fried Oreo. What a perfect meal!!! Love the friendly staff. :)

I stopped by this small and recently re-​born eatery a few days ago primarily in the hopes of trying their version of poutine, since it appeared (from the description on the menu I had seen) that their version is fairly authentic. You see the name poutine on a lot of local eateries lately, to the point I’d call the dish «trendy», but the versions are for the most part not authentic, with one or more of the three essential ingredients missing: frites, gravy, and cheese curds.
I did get to sample the gravy, and the fries, but they were out of cheese curds on my visit, so – high tragedy — no poutine for me. That said, the gravy is very thick, almost to the point of being a jelly, and not very flavorful (to the point where I am not even sure if t was intended as a chicken or a beef gravy, either of which is permissible in authentic preparations, depending on region), so even though I didn’t sample the dish fully assembled, I would not recommend heading here for this item. If you do want to try them anyway, call before you go to make sure they have all three ingredients available.
The burger on the other hand was very, very good. I have to admit that I was surprised that despite being a joint that specializes in burgers, they do not cook to desired done-​ness. I vastly prefer a medium rare burger, but they will only cook to well done. Despite that, very surprisingly, the burger was very juicy, and extremely flavorful. It was well seasoned, the toppings were in good proportion, and the bun was of excellent quality and stood up to the patty well in terms of both size and juiciness. I will ding them but only slightly for the iceberg lettuce — a place specializing in burgers should do a little better — and for charging extra for grilled onions.
The fries were OK. I probably should have got them unadorned to try, but as I wallowed in my self-​pity due to the disappointment of not getting the desired poutine fix, I had them topped with chili and cheese, 3-​way style. This was fairly good, but I honestly most folks will like these better au natural (the fries, not you, silly), and I recommend you order them well done
They have some carnival-​worthy treats available for dessert — deep fried twinkies, and fried oreos. Did not have them room to try either. Ah, and the aforementioned burgers can come «luther burger» style using a donut in place of the bun.
Service could not have been more enthusiastic. If you take a look at their facebook page you will get a sense of the bubbly enthusiasm this place is round with. Clearly, these folks are proud of their product and want to talk about it.
I thought the prices were fairly reasonable for what I received
The ambiance is simultaneously shabby and bright. A lot of bright colors, but the tables/​chairs/​booths/​carpet are all very cheap looking. I personally don’t mind any of that, as the food and value are always my primary concerns YMMV.

This is not one of those gourmet burger places boasting about healthy toppings and certified grass fed angus beef… This is straight up clog your arteries stop your heart take me out back and hose the grease off of me burger joints! If you are looking for greasy, cheesy goodness this is the place to go! I had a cheese burger with caramelized onions, double the cheese, pickles and mayo… I figured since we had the cheese curds to start I would keep up with the cheese theme. Now mind you this is the second time I have been here, the first was under a different owner, this time was way better! The only thing that really didn’t do it for me was the cheese curds! Having been to Wisconsin and having the curds there, has ruined it for me anywhere else… The server (Autumn) was super nice and helpful even though the small little place was packed, she managed to keep a smile on! Keep up the good work!

Everything we got was delicious and cooked perfect! It was my husband and our two young kids and the server was very friendly and accommodating. We will definitely be back and recommend this to our friends and family!

The real deal! Love a great burger. Husband and I love a great burger — and esp a non chain find. Crazy sounding desserts here but no room for them. :)