Swampwater Grill

Very enjoyable Cajun meal fom the appertizers to the meals. Jalapeño poppers and grilled oysters were very good. 3 of us ordered cajun shrimp with side of cheese grits, Mahi Mahi with seafood sauce and side of jambalaya, seafood pasta that had a shrimp skewer. I recommend all of them. They also serve bbq which I was told was popular. There is a large bar/​restaurant area with lots of tvs for sportsgames. Great service. Owner stopped by our table.
Happy hour and lunch specials. Attached to antique mall.

Went there for dinner with friends. We shared the Fire Roasted Oysters for an appetizer. YUM! They were fantastic. I had the Jambalaya. Not what I was used to in a Jambalaya, but it was very good. Normally, it’s more soupy but this was thick and hearty. One of my friends had the shrimp and grits; delicious. Another had the blackened mahi; soooo good. My husband had the fried oysters; very tasty. All in all, it was a great meal. Prices are moderate and the portions are more than ample. The service was excellent. We will definitely be coming back.

My lady and I dropped by here after her hair appointment down the street. We had some salads, I had a seafood pasta dish, and she had some shrimp. It was quite tasty and pretty filling! It was a little pricy, but all in all, not too ridiculously expensive. We’re coming back Thursday for more! This is seriously good stuff.

We went there for brunch. I was hoping for a little more cajun in the brunch buffet as I heard the cajun food was wonderful. However, other than grits and a «cajun omelet» it was typical brunch buffet fair. The food was good and I had an awesome-​ly spicy bloody mary. We finished the brunch by having a good time walking around the antique shop mall that is connected to the restaurant.
We will be back for the brunch but I still need to check out their cajun fare.

Fantastic! We actually had our rehearsal dinner here and I am so glad we did. They took such great care of our group, service was top notch. Our drinks were always full. The food was amazing. Our guests had the option of prime rib or chicken. The potion sizes were almost comical. So filling and delicious. Everyone left raving about how awesome it was. Guests from out of town said next time they’re in the area, they will make a point to stop at Swamp Water!

Another fabulous meal and treat. If you enjoy a great atmosphere, bar, food, friendly staff & great service this place has it all. They have a very large bar with 6 – 7 big screens, wonderful house specialty drinks, and oh did I mention Delicious grub? Wow! all the food we have ever ordered here has been outstanding – from their authentic cajun/​seafood to their slow smoked baby backs and pork meats to their burgers, poppers, appetizers, and on and on…
If you want a great time and value then you gotta go to «The Swamp»…

Came here for lunch on a whim with the hubby since we were taking a class down the street. My husband is a southern boy partial to all southern cooking-​especially jambalaya… which is exactly what he order. He loved it! So I tried a bite… and I loved it! Haha it def was delicious! Someone there knows what their doing!
Only the other hand, we both got the Mac and cheese. I really hope they rethink their approach to this classically southern side dish. We literally got plain penne noodles plopped on top of a cheese sauce. The sauce was delicious. But, why would you make me stir my own make and cheese together? Made no sense!
Overall, I’d def go back– but I will never get that make and cheese again unless the menu reads «Mac n cheese: new recipe!» Lol

A little pricey but otherwise a great place to get some Cajun food and do some antique shopping next door. I really enjoyed the blackened catfish, jambalaya, collared greens and Cajun Bloody Mary that I had. I look forward to coming back and trying out some other drinks and meals.

Love it! Asked my son to take me there for Mother’s Day Brunch. Their omelet station is one of the best anywhere! I especially enjoy going to Swampwater Grill on weekends so that I can tour Riverside Antiques, too! To see their specials — prime rib on Wednesdays, seafood — oysters/​crab, etc. on Thursdays — I follow their Facebook page. Cold winter evening supper — Jambalaya, Gumbo and many other great selections!

New Orleans move over!!! Solid menu, flavor, service and value. I keep forgetting that they are there because its a bit off the bi-​way, so this is one you want to book mark to remember as an option. Consistent good meals.

Went with a couple buddies to grab some food and drinks after an intramural game. Between us all we tried a pretty good portion of the menu and everyone was happy. I tried a sampler that included gumbo and jambalaya, as well as crawfish and grits. The jambalaya was my favorite of them all, definitely worth a try if youre craving Cajun.
Prices were a little higher than I would’ve thought, especially for a draught beer. Some might think of the interior as a too dark, but it was great for a night consisting of a few beers and watching the game. Overall I was pretty impressed, it was nice to find good Cajun food here in Cincinnati in such an unassuming location..

I’d love to give 5 stars for their jalapeño poppers, they’re delicious. They have bacon and cheddar, and it seems like they’re a house made special. I’d definitely come back for those.
As for the restaurant, it’s really dark inside which made me feel kind of icky. I also got a mild headache from what smelled like mildew.
Our oysters didn’t taste very fresh. They have a cool special section for hot sauces to use with them. My pulled pork was a little bland.
But the staff is nice.

Food:
Decent but not exceptional… Jambalaya was bland but easily correctable with the Cajun seasoning and hot sauce… the corn grits, couldn’t be saved… the shrimp and grits were skimpy on the shrimp… the queso was good once the sausage added on was added after the server remembered she forgot to add it, though using the cheapest chips for the dip brings it down further…
Service:
Seated quickly, but that was the only time service wasn’t slow… we caught happy hour for drinks… after ordering one more beer before it ended, the server didn’t bother to ask my girlfriend if she’d like another glass of wine… food was slow to come out… when the entrees did come out, they were taken to the wrong table… asked for the check at the end, then waited 10 mins… server returned, not with the check, but to ask if we wanted dessert… told her no, and waited another 10 mins… when I wanted to see the check before handing her my card, she got indignant and said to herself out loud, «are you serious?»
Value:
The food is cheaper than some of the other Cajun options in the area, but the quality isn’t as good…
Overall:
Bland food… slow, disinterested service… if you want Cajun on a budget, check it out… if you want good food and a better experience, skip this place

bbq shrimp and cheese grits are the way to go. However, i was disappointed when I appeared they have change the quality of bread that comes with the bbq shrimp.

I finally was able to visit swampwater a couple of days ago. Arrived about 4PM and stayed for a couple of hours during their M-​F Happy hour. Domestic bottles were $ 2 and drafts were 1 $ off. They also had house wine specials and well-​drinks at good prices.
They have appetizer specials but too many to list here or remember to be honest. I went with a dozen char-​grilled Oysters and a buddy tried the cajun quesadilla.
Look, this is not Dragos (NOLA) BUT the Oysters were tasty and considering that I have been unable to find any char-​grilled oysters in the Cincy area it was a very pleasant surprise. The quesadilla was good but nothing spectacular.
The place is interesting… not sure what to say — it is not fancy but it is not a dump either. I hope to visit again and try their BBQ items (particularly want to try the smoked prime-​rib on wednesdays) and will update my review then but for now I would have probably gone with a 3.5 stars if it were allowed and thus I chose to round up…
BTW — the servers were very nice and helpful and made us feel welcome.

I don’t know how I haven’t reviewed this place yet. Its one of my all time favorite places.
I love NOLA. If I could live anywhere it would be there. So I was over the moon when I found a good cajun New Orleans inspired restaurant in Cincinnati. Its hidden away over past Lunken Airport. The name is Swampwater grill. This place is awesome. Beers out of mason jars, bourbon barrel tables, and kitchy alligator décor. The ambiance is cool and Lauren was eating it up. This is the third time I’ve been here and its always good.
I can’t go there and not get the jalapeño poppers. I don’t like jalapenos, but this dish is soooo good. Its a bacon wrapped popper with cream cheese and andouille sausage. After I demolished those bad boys I went for the alligator nuggets and queso; Lauren had the wings again. She said they are her favorite. Last time we got regular oysters and char-​grilled ones. I have a slight addiction to char-​grilled oysters and you cant find them here unless you go to Pappadeux and they are super expensive there.
The service at Swampwater is always great and their food is above average. The kids will love this place and so will you. I think its a hidden treasure and would definitely recommend you go check it out. It’ll be your new favorite place. And its attached to a great antique mall!

Cajun food is a cuisine that seems to be lacking in the Cincinnati area. There are a couple of good options, but not as many as you might expect. Swampwater Grill is in the mix now, and does some things really well and others not so well.
We were a group of 5 for dinner on a Sunday evening, and the spacious dining room was comfortable. The warm atmosphere and ramshackle décor inside fit the location near the river on Kellogg. Abita beers and rootbeer are on tap, which is a good start for Louisiana authenticity. The hands down standout of the meal was the jalapeño poppers appetizer. They are a bit pricey, especially compared with the rest of the menu, but were delicious.
Our entrees were less well executed. My dad had the shrimp po boy and liked it a lot, but felt that something was not quite right compared to po boys he’d eaten while living in Louisiana. My mom’s red beans and rice were somewhat bland and a bit soggy. I had shrimp and grits. The shrimp were perfectly grilled and the grits were flavorful. Only complaint about this dish was that the serving of grits was excessive and the shrimp almost got lost in it — literally a huge bowl full of grits and now way you’d ever eat it all. Others in our party had the Cajun delight and the swamp pasta and they were full and happy.

3.5 stars. The food was a pleasant surprise. The prices were shockingly low. And the owner was extremely friendly and down to earth. I particularly liked that he treated his employees like people and kept a a grounded and calm demeanor while managing his staff during our visit. There’s no bigger turnoff than a manager with an ego who flaunts his/​her power by belittling the staff in front of customers. This guy had to correct a couple employees’ actions but did so constructively and with positive reinforcement. As someone who bartended briefly through my undergrad, it was refreshing to see.
Ok, I rounded up. They get 4 stars.

I’ve been wanting to go to Swampwater Grill and try their Brunch Buffet for months now. I even went on a Saturday (as their sign says), but it apparently only on Sundays now, so I left. I wanted to try a variety of their Cajun and BBQ options, and I figured that the buffet would be the best way to sample a lot of their foods. OK, well, I guess they save all of that Cajun and BBQ and unique flavors for every other day of the week, because their buffet on Sundays is your typical breakfast offerings. Breakfast sausage (not even andouille), bacon, French Toast, potatoes, and an omelette station. It wasn’t terrible, but why we’re there NO Cajun options? It was like I was at a Holiday Inn.
I’m still going to have to go back a third time to try their Cajun offerings-​when that’s all I ever wanted in the first place. I know I made a couple of assumptions (about it having buffet on Sat., and their buffet at a Cajun restaurant might have Cajun food), but it’s a little confusing when the sign on the front of the building says Saturday Buffet, and it is a Cajun restaurant. I can’t be the only one confused here. All I want is GD Gumbo, man!

Awesome casual atmosphere: check
Cheesy bayou themed decorations: check
Great draft beer selections: check
Friendly staff: check
Ridiculously good jumbalaya: double check!
Seriously, we found this place a few weeks ago when we didn’t want to cook. The draft beer comes in a mason jar. There is plenty of space, you don’t feel like you’re on top of the people next to you. The bar is a great. The food is awesome (gumbo, jumbalaya, oysters to DIE for (and I don’t even like oysters!!)). The bread is delicious.
I can’t say enough nice things about this place. Everyone was talking about how great the breakfast is… we haven’t tried it yet, but are looking forward to doing so soon!