Banter Beer & Wine

Went yesterday for lunch since we just opened an Ohio City office and have been trying out all the new places. I love poutine and have been all over Canada from Halifax to Ottawa, from Toronto to Thunder Bay and make it a point to eat it each time I go. I had the Heritage Poutine which has braised Berkshire pork shoulder, thin sliced jalapeño, herb salad, cheese curd and gravy. It was excellent. Perhaps the best I’ve had, and a huge portion. I will definitely get it again and be back to try other items on the menu. They also have a really nice selection of beer, I bought some to take home. Only gripe is I wish they (and most new places for that matter) would spend some money on comfortable seating. The stools are a pain in the ass (literally).

Try this place! We went on a weekday for lunch the day after we got back from a boozy vacay… needless to say that this was the perfect way to ease back into the real world! The food was amazing and it was so hard to choose from all the options on the menu. I had the Fried Chicken Sausage & my boyfriend had the polish boy, we split the banter disco poutine. Sorry, I ate it so fast that I didn’t snap any pics :) Just take my word for it and try it!

If you only order one thing get the corn dog if you and your friends are ordering everything on the menu don’t forget the cheese curds!

While I’m loving all the recent Cleveland additions, things start to feel a little redundant; a hip new restaurant that serves a couple flatbreads, a $ 14 burger and a few $ 23+ entrée’s that all provide the same 4 meats. Banter has brought something new to the table in terms of environment AND food.
Specializing in fancy sausages and poutine, they don’t care about your vegan/​gluten free/​vegetarian diet restriction (and if they do, well, they barely show it). The duck sausage was amazing and the rabbit pot pie poutine was exceptional. Our bartender was great and since it’s a small space, you’re not going to be waiting long on food or drinks.
The space is small but on a Sat. night it wasn’t cramped. This is great for a casual date or a small get together with friends. If you’re not looking to get dressed up for dinner but you want something better than bar food, this is the spot.

What a great addition to the Gordon Square area! Banter, as so many other reviewers have noted, has a menu divided into three sections: booze, poutine, & sausage. Simple, decadent, a little bit different.
The décor is minimalist, all stark white & cement with no pretense. The place is surprisingly spacious, though I’d like to see them forego some of the four-​tops in place of two two-​person tables. The booze selection large, diverse, & impressive, & our server was friendly, helpful, & willing to explain how the whole place worked as well as to provide recommendations. For such a low-​key place, Banter is impressively upscale, as far as the quality of food goes.
My boyfriend & I are now enamored of the breakfast sausage, a meal served ON A FRENCH TOAST BUN — truly on of the best breakfast sandwiches I’ve ever tasted. We also got the standard poutine — perfect, salty, not too gravy-​covered — & the Brussels sports salad, which was a refreshingly healthy (but still delicious!) bit of balance to an otherwise indulgent (read: horrible-​for-​us) meal. There are so many other elements of the menu that I want to try, especially the rabbit poutine — it’s got a rabbit stew on top, peas & carrots & all — & the Polish Boy, kielbasa topped with frites, BBQ sauce, & slaw.
Only complaint: The stools are SO UNCOMFORTABLE. At 5’4″, I’m not THAT short, but my feet couldn’t reach the foot bar at the bottom of the stool to help me keep my balance, & the slick metal had me sliding around… & down… & off… I spent the entirety of my meal trying to be sure I didn’t slide right off! I’d love to see better seating with us short folks in mind, as this was an unfortunate interference in my enjoyment of my meal & the overall experience.
That said, I would spend an entire meal standing if it meant eating fried cheese curds, so I can’t really complain. I’ll be back!

this place is literally down the street from me so i’m pretty excited about it opening. my vegetarian self went with my nonvegetarian friends. i like the spot. there’s not much for decorations and they’re still in the process of making the space their own but the guys and girls working there are super friendly.
vegetarian poutine was certainly very tasty, and filling, but i’m not sure that i should be having this as dinner. my nonvegetarian friends enjoyed their meals.
looking forward to the veggie sausage option coming (the smoked apple sage sausage from field roast is delicious if you’re looking for options! or would love to try your homemade recipe: D)
also, we did keep falling out of the stools because they’re super slippery. not sure about the furniture choices lol

This place is super fun and really casual. It felt homey. My group tried the breakfast, duck, Cleveland, and Polish sausages. The flavor a were great. Each had condiments/​toppings to accent the meats. My only critique is that the buns seem too big for the sausage. It would be better smaller or with more toppings. The poutine swerve awesome! I thought the gravies had a solid and savory flavor. The French fries were perfectly cooked – soft on the inside, crisp on the outside. We tried the rabbit stew, banter, and foie gras poutines. The rabbit stew was delicious with peas and carrots. The foie was soft and fatty, perfectly accenting the crispier fries on the edge of the pan. The only other critique I have is that the beers were kind of expensive, but not that huge of a difference from other Gordon Square bars.

Great first impression here. The wine and beer selection is well curated and the little menu is full of treats. We tried the excellent Brussels sprout salad, proper basic poutine, and a couple of sausages. The ingredients are top-​notch, and you can get a tasty meal and a couple of drinks for two for around $ 50 — not bad given the quality. It doesn’t really bother me, but I think they’d be wise to add a vegetarian sausage to complement the vegetarian poutine. Pickings are very slim for those who eschew meat. I can imagine being a frequent flyer here, especially since I pass it every day on my commute.

Really damn good dogs and poutine… And beer. Minimal, unassuming and unique décor that keeps ones focus on the view of the kitchen, hungrily awaiting foie gras, duck confit, and delicious legit gravy enthroned upon a bed of fat crispy fries. My favorite spot right now!

Had the banter poutine and it was great in comparison to other poutines I’ve had in the past. I also had the duck sausage, which wasn’t very impressive at all. The most impressive element was the bottle room. Some very impressive bombers and beer bottle options.

Vegetarians can enjoy a vegetable poutine, Brussels sprouts salad, or fried cheese curds. Vegans can do first two items without cheese. Ask no questions about the fryer. Honestly, though, vegetarian poutine without the cheese curds is basically wet fries — good fries with good veggie version of gravy, but next time we will try the plain frites. $ 36 for two glasses of wine and split of veggie poutine and shaved Brussels sprouts salad.
We enjoyed the first two items and walked next door to Local West for delicious Very Vegan sandwich. Like the friendly neighborhood vibe of Banter but not a place where we are able to grab dinner sadly (at least, not yet). Fingers crossed for vegan options — and server indicates a veggie sausage is in the works. Yes, please.

I love when a new restaurant drives me to try a new food experience. Of course I’ve heard of Poutine and probably had a marginal quality version at some point, but this place raises the food to a new level. We’ve all also had sausage, but Banter forces you to rethink this yeoman’s staple.
Loved the Duck Poutine. Loved the Cleveland sausage. Loved the eclectic pulls of draft (this food demands draft beer!) Loved the laid back folks that run the place.
This is hearty food. Bring your meat-​eating beer-​drinking friends that enjoy quality. I can’t imagine you’ll be disappointed.

The Poutine here is on point. I would recommend the rabbit pot pie, the Foie Gras is really good too they had a grate selection of beers and wines I will definitely be going back sometime later on.

Suggestion: Cut back on the salt just a little. I was wondering if you salt the gravy and fries separately?
If you cut back on the salt the food would be outstanding!
Very salty Poutine the gravy was little watery and the furniture is not comfortable. Overall the taste of food was okay.
There was confusion over the order but fine it is a new restaurant. The workers hare nice and helpful. I will give it another shot. It has potential to be five stars. I suggest giving it a try to anyone in the area.

Went here on a Sunday afternoon. Staff was very friendly, and the bottle beer selection was terrific. The middle wine room area still feels like a work in progress. Poutines ranged from $ 5 (just fries) to about $ 20 (foie gras and duck confit). Most were in the $ 8 – 13 range. We tried the Pogo and Farm poutines, which were very good. While I don’t agree with Bill’s 1-​star rating, the poutines were a bit salty for my tastes. Maybe a small recipe adjustment?
5-​stars for a neat concept, friendly people, and great beer. I hope this place is a success.

So happy a place like this opened up in this side of town — we need more like it. Not a ton of seating, and the décor is simple but it works. There are 3 rooms– a «dining» room, wine room, and beer room. The guy in the wine room really know his stuff and was extremely friendly and outgoing. I think the interaction we had with him is what really made me want to give this place 5 stars.
There are corking fees for the wine is you drink it there ($ 10) but it’s important to keep in your mind that they selling the wine at retail price, and being a *business* they have to make money somehow. There is also a fee if you grab some beer from the beer room-​$ 1.50 I think it was. They also have beer and cider on tap, but I did feel like it was kinda pricey. My manfriend and I ordered 2 drinks, 1 banter poutine and 2 polish boy and it was around $ 35.
Now I am NOT a coleslaw fan at all. The polish big was loaded with coleslaw and I knew I had to at least try it. It was awesome!!! Omg it was so fresh and so good! I wanted more!
I hope this place sticks around. It’s definitely refreshing to see a place like that open up over there!

So happy to have a good selection of beer and wine within walking distance! Staff very attentive and helpful in explaining the deal — order from the bar or pick out a bottle and enjoy there for a small bottle opening fee. I think 1.50 or 2.50 depending on size. And veg friendly poutines in the future!