Gilpin’s “Making it Hot & Steamy”

I had heard great things about this place from friends during this summer’s Cincinnati Burger Week, actually a few said this place had the best burger they tried all week (and they tried a lot)! Unfortunately I was working at a burger joitn at the time, so it’s taken me a few months to get the smell of grease out of my nostrils, and to actually WANT a burger again. When I saw Gilpins come up on Groupon I figured I’d give it a shot! Two burgers and two drinks on carry out, completely customizable, for a pretty damn good price (I want to say $ 12?). If you’re wondering the dinner/​lunch cut off is kind of considered 5pm, which the groupon is based on.
Anyways, here’s to the experience, food and service; I called up and asked about the burgers, so the gentleman working decided to go ahead and place 4 burgers on for me (2 doubles) that way when I showed up there was a bit of a headstart on them — this is really cool and I do appreciate it. I’m a super indecisive person, but I love some veggies, and I was able to load these sandwiches up! They have a lot to offer, and a variety of sauces/​spreads to accompany your choices. Even better, they have a few different types of buns and cheeses, so even though i was getting two burgers with essentially the same veggie toppings (just about everything), the other elements were different enough to make two unique tastes. One was pepperjack and sriracha topped on a pretzel bun, the other was cheddar on an onion roll.
The whole «steamed» experience is somewhat unique, the two burgers were tiny but I actually like that — it lets you get a double burger (for the proper meat/​cheese/​meat/​cheese layering!) without having to unhinge your jaw or stuff yourself to finish the whole thing. The cheese got all kinds of goopy and melty, fully wrapping over the burgers and connecting down to the buns. Speaking of those buns… they were probably the best part of the meals (I had one burger right then and the other the next day for lunch, reheated pretty well honestly). They were great! Really good flavors, substantial enough to hold up to the grease, cheese, and mess of toppings I put on my burgers, definitely a valuable part of the team. All in all, food was definitely worth the price of the groupon.
Regrettably, without that groupon I can’t say for sure that I would feel that way; the food is definitely good, but they charge for every single little thing you want to put on the sandwich. I get that if you’re going for a very minimalist approach this might save you money, but if you like more than just a dry/​plain burger you’re going to be quickly pushing $ 10 for a meal. That’s not an exorbiant price, but it’s higher than I would pay for this kind of food, just because I know I can do better (especially in this area) value-​wise. Some of the pre-combo’d up sandwiches sound good, and I’m definitely interested in trying other menu items that get the steamed treatment, but my quick judgement is that I don’t know when I’ll be going back to give them another shot.
4 stars because of that price, but I would love to give a compliment to the awesome gentleman working when I went in, he was wonderful.

Normal greasy pub food. They have a unique offering however with their steamed sandwiches. I unfortunately had a groupon that was only good for a burger, from which I only had 3 options. Don’t get me wrong the burger was cooked well and had good flavor, I got whichever one has the nachos on it. It got a little messy and my bun was falling apart so I ended up needed a fork to eat it, but it wasn’t bad.

Parking is a bear, but thats the UC area, which is why I haven’t made it up here before now. I really like the décor, and the selection. I went with the popular razzle dazzle. It was soo good and I loved the Doritos on it. I will absolutely come back– just maybe the downtown location.

The service was absolutely horrible. After waiting for 20 minutes we were told that if we didn’t want to wait an additional 30 minutes for food we should leave. So we left. #BadManagement. #HorribleService #WhoHasAnHOURforSandwiches.

Today I went for brunch and bottomless mimosas at Gillian’s. The venue was what you’d expect for college kids. «College proof». I had the gilpyro and my wife had a similar sounding sandwich. My sandwich was supposed to come with naan as the bread but they were out of it and substituted it with pretzel bread. I didn’t miss the naan at all! The sandwich was warm and the flavor was surprisingly good for a «steamed» sandwich. I admit I had no idea what it would be like and the idea of a steamed sandwich was not necessarily appetizing but I was totally sold. It felt healthier for some reason and it was kid friendly. Not sure if that’s the case during the week but for a Sunday it was the perfect place at a great price. I’d definitely recommend this to the true foodies. It’s a familiar look with an original spin that will leave your taste buds surprisingly satisfied.

Gilpin’s your food is tasty, but you get an F for accurate information. Your VM and Unilocal says you open at 10 am and your Webpage states 9 am. Getting my family up on Saturday morning and motivated to try something new, just arrive to a closed Gilpin’s with tiny handwriting in the door saying you open at 11. Thanks for introducing us to Einstein brothers bagels.

The #5 is superb. The pretzel bun makes it very yummy :) and anything with Doritos on it is A ok in my book

Awesome options. Messy eats though, feel like I should eat it with a fork and spoon. Also can be soggy but so goes a steams sandwhich. The staff is kind and straight forward. The flavor combos they provide will have something for everyone and they got
Beers of tap and will fill your growler for cheaper than most places in the area. There are better places in the area but if you’re use to the area it’s worth going to time to time.

I literally applied to work weekends here because I realized that I’d save about 100 dollars a month if I had an employee discount. Great food, fantastic service.

The taste of the sandwiches and burgers is unique and excellent. My dad, who is not a big spender, went out of his way to leave an extra tip because he enjoyed his burger that much. The only reason I am giving 4 stars is service was a tad on the slow side but there was only one person working so it may have been a fluke Sunday thing!

I had wanted to try Gilpin’s for a while and finally had the chance by default when I was looking for a place to grab food near UC at around 1:00 in the morning. They were one of the few places still serving food at this time. Since it was late the food choices are limited to only five sandwiches on what was labeled the «drunk menu». I wasn’t drunk and maybe that has something to do with my opinion of the food at this time of night.
The two sandwiches I ordered to-​go were the «doritos» for myself and the «chicken» for my wife. I didn’t think the «doritos» sandwich was too bad, and I liked the crunch of the doritos, but overall I just found it to be mediocre. It tasted like something I might make at home while drunk and scavenging the house for food. It tasted like turkey lunch meat with doritos on it. Like I said, it was okay but nothing to rave about. I do admit that I would probably really like it if I was drunk. The chicken sandwich tasted a little better in my opinion at first with a little bit of a smokey/​roasted chicken flavor but my wife only took a couple of bites and was not interested in finishing it. I will admit that she is not a big fan of chicken sandwiches to begin with, I only bought it for her due to the limited choices. I finished it the next day and it was definitely not as good as the day I purchased it. At that point it tasted like a soggy deli sandwich, but of course it wasn’t as fresh. I also would imagine that late at night the food they serve is nowhere as fresh as it might be if ordered during the day.
I did like the inside of the place, it looked cool and approachable. They also carry beer on tap and in cans and bottles. You can even fill a growler there and all the beer appeared to be local. I probably would have appreciated the experience better had I eaten there. The employee that was working seemed nice and made the food quickly.
Despite this experience I am still interested in trying it again. They have steamed burgers which I would like to try. Next time I come I will make sure it is during the day when I might get something that tastes better and fresher and can choose from the complete menu. But if you are drunk and in the Clifton area late at night I believe the food will satisfy you just fine.

This place has plenty of options for meat eaters and vegetarians! The prices aren’t terrible for the food. I wasn’t a fan of how greasy the sandwiches were, but it was definitely tasty! Gilpin’s has delicious pretzel buns-​and wheat pretzel buns, too (which I enjoyed). They had alcohol and coffee drinks as well, but I didn’t try any of them. If you are in the Clifton area looking for a different sandwich/​coffee/​beer shop, I’d recommend it!

These burgers are unique. I like that you can get creative making your very own burger. Definitely tasty! It can get a little pricey, unless you go to Clifton for the Thursday special $ 5. Don’t try to get it delivered, you don’t get the deal, besides, they have an outside service for deliveries. It’s a little different than in store and it takes over an our to get your food. The orders must be made online and if they don’t have what you ordered then they well make a substitution of their choice.
Dining in is probably the best bet. With friends you can play board games and video games sitting at a picnic table. There it’s a large variety of drinks to choose from. The staff are very friendly and will help you make the best sandwich ever!
The best sandwiches make the chalk board for others to try. It makes you feel kinda special. :-).

I like my veggies steamed and my dumplings steamed, and I can now add sandwiches to this list.
I recently visited Gilpin’s Steamed Pub, and as soon as I walked in, I was impressed with the number of sandwiches they offer. They have their regular menu, which along with sandwiches, includes steamed burgers and desserts. And then even more sandwiches that were created by customers are listed on the wall.
It took me a pretty minute to take it all in and decide — which I finally did on The Marathon, a customer creation that includes turkey, garlic cream cheese, cucumbers, a greens mix, onions, tomatoes and pesto on a pretzel bun.
The sandwich, which I only had to wait a few minutes to get, was piled high, but surprisingly stayed together when I ate it.
I wish I could have bought some of the pretzel buns to take home with me. It was the star of the sandwich, though I will add that the staff weren’t shy with the turkey on the sandwich. The pesto was also a nice touch with the cream cheese.
My mom got a steamed — as opposed to grilled — cheese. We really didn’t know what to make of this when we saw it on the menu, but she really enjoyed it. My sister and I got to take some bites of it, and I would get it on a return visit. The coffee that my mom got was similarly tasty.
I wish I lived closer so that I could frequent this stop more, but I can look forward to trying more of Gilpin’s eats on my frequent return visits to Cincy and Clifton.

My boyfriend and I just carried out from here for the first time, and we’re completely sold already. He had the gilpinati, and I had a customer-​designed roast beef sandwich. They were both juicy, tender, and deliciously flavorful!
The staff were very helpful and friendly, explaining the menu and the wall of customer designed sandwiches.
I subtracted one star for the portion size, as both of us ate our entire sandwiches (Eliot literally licked the wrapper to get the last of the sauce) and we were still hungry. If only we had dined in, we could have ordered more food! (Granted, both of us have been known to eat entire dibellas subs and have room for dessert.) We will definitely be back, and maybe this time we’ll dine in.

I’m still liking this place for big, healthyish sammies. I thought I’d check out their coffee. I had an Americano, but unfortunately, the smallest size is 16 oz. This means watery IMO. I think it’s just one shot of espresso. I can’t really tell how good the espresso flavor is, so if I get it again, I’ll ask for a lot of room or a double shot.
I like that they have sweet treats from local shops. They carry Donna’s Gourmet cookies which have never been my favorite, but I appear to be in the minority on that one. I was very excited to learn they carry Holtman’s donuts, which are excellent!

Been twice now. Wilted greens was a key ingredient in both of my sandwiches. Last night, half my tables order got «lost» for at least 30 minutes. Girl who took my order was combative, but others were helpful.
Water cups? Visibly soiled and greasy to the touch!
Today my sandwich had greens that were beyond wilted, I *wiped* some of it off my cheese and another piece of spinach. Looked like wet dirt. Disgusting. No concern or commitment to the food they provide, which is too bad because I dig the concept.

The thought of a steamed burger was intriguing, to say the least. I got what I believe was called the Gilpinnati – a bacon cheeseburger with Doritos on a honey bun. Along with the cookie, I’d say the food is fantastic. They were out of Chai, so I ordered a Nutella latte. It was just okay.
The interior here is neat as well, and they have board games as well as an old Nintendo.
I’ll probably be back.

Gawd. I need to be in GAA — Gilpin’s Addicts Anonymous. My friends are so annoyed with me– it’s become my new go-​to place when I’m Clifton and of course, late at night when I’m out and starving. I think I got Gilpin’s 3 times after classes last week. And with a name like Sable, I think the staff is starting to remember me. Oops.
The best part about Gilpin’s is the fact that while there is the menu of standard items (YOU NEED TO EAT THE ‘BINDER FULL OF WOMEN’), the wall menu is always changing. Customers make their own creations, name ‘em, and on the wall the go for you to order and enjoy. I am ashamed to admit, that I have yet to do this. I’m usually too busy attempting to try each one before the wall changes again.
Next time, I’m making my own.

I’ve had Gilpin’s several times now that it has a location in Clifton. I have to say «steamed grub» was not appetizing to me– but so not appetizing that I thought «I need to try this.» It was so delicious that I’ve been back and back again for more.
They have lots of local ingredients and products. Including Holtman’s Donuts– yum.