New Riegel Cafe

If ever I am placed on death row, and given the opportunity to choose my last supper, you can believe New Riegel Ribs are going to be at the top of my list! These are not traditional barbeque ribs like most people are used to but dang they are yummy! The sauce is a meaty tomato sauce, with garlic and other spices. It truly is unlike any other.
The only downside to this restaurant is that they don’t take credit card, and they don’t have free refills. Get the full order of ribs, double sauce, with a salad (house dressing of course) and you won’t leave disappointed. I have been eating here for MY ENTIRE LIFE and I have no intention of stopping

First off, the food is pretty good, especially the ribs, They are not the traditional style bar-​b-​que. I do not know quite how to describe it, they are different but delicious. In my opinion they are not the best in the area though.
With the ribs come french fries, celery and butter bread. It is all served in a paper basket, think fair food style. The fries are on the bottom and the rib sauce soaks in them and I enjoy that. The regular rib basket is about $ 10, 1 ½ basket $ 15, double basket $ 20.
This joint does only accepts cash, no debit, credit, checks etc. They do not give free refills on drinks (a pop is $ 1.10 and it is about 10 oz) The wait staff is grouchy. They do not have ranch dressing and fyi the «salad» is a paper basket filled with lettuce and dressing. The décor is circa 1980. This is not fancy restaurant and not worth going out of your way to experience.
If you have never been its worth trying, but all in all it is over priced and over hyped in my opinion. If you want ribs go to Findlay to any number of restaurants.

This place has the best ribs in the state hands down. We commonly travel from the Columbus area up to eat here. No frills. Food is delivered in the paper trays you see at the fair, but you don’t come here for the fine dining or white linen tablecloths. You come here for the RIBS! Their sauce is a thick garlicky base and not like the standard BBQ you’d find at the store. We always get extra sauce on ours. Ribs come on top of French fries and they soak up all the goodness so well. They make their own salad dressing, but don’t expect a fancy salad. Just lettuce in a tray with their dressing. But it is so good!
It is cash only. The same staff have been there for the 20 years I have been going, and they can come off as grouchy sometimes. But I love them they are actually nice people who don’t put up with any BS. Give em a chance!
If you want the best fall off the bone ribs you’ve had in a long time, go to the small 1 light town of New Riegel and go to New Riegel Café!

My hubs-​to-​be grew up going to New Riegel so he has always raved about the ribs. I got the chicken and it was extremely, extremely salty. The sauce is not standard BBQ sauce. it is more like a tangy onion-​tomato sauce. Fries are good. This place is nothing much to write home about décor-wise.just an unassuming little institution that only takes cash. Very inexpensive.

I love hole in the wall places, especially hole in the wall places with good food, cold beer and ambiance. It had probably been two decades since I’d been to the New Reigel Café.
It was a nice day for a road trip, so the family and I made the jaunt 1.5 hr. drive down to the village, picking my parents up along the way.
My parents live closer and eat there off and on a few times a year and my mother says that you have good nights and bad nights regarding the food. On this night we may have drawn the short straw.
I understand people love this place, but our food was semi-​warm, the ribs were fairly tender, but gristly and greasy. The sauce was completely tasteless, lifeless and bizarre. I understand some love their unique sauce, but to me it looked and tasted like stewed tomatoes, mashed into a liquidly, watery mess and then bathed over the ribs with no flavor. Definitely not what one thinks of these days when eating rich, sticky, tasty BBQ. Yes, it’s their own recipe and they’ve probably been doing it this way for 60+ years, but I was disappointed. I guess the ribs themselves tasted ok, but they don’t appear to be smoked, or finished on a grill. Purists would probably say they are cooked country style for tenderness? Maybe my memories of eating there 20 years ago remembered something completely different? The ribs come on a bed of fries, but by the time your food gets to you, the fries are completely soaked and lifeless. To me this is just a waste of food and the fries might have been good to start, but were inedible and soggy. The salad is just iceberg lettuce with a side of dressing. I’m not expecting an $ 8 chopped salad with fixings, but not worth the extra $ 2. Best thing about our meal was the Old Milwaukee on draft for less than a soda.
The service was fine, the beer was cold and I appreciate the country charm of the place. It’s a simple bar and dining room and you’d expect the grease to be dripping down your arms, but only if the food was tasty. We came away not impressed and it will probably be another 20 years before trying it again. The trip back through Findlay to Dietche’s Ice Cream totally saved the evening, but that is another story.

Stopped in for lunch… A mistake. My wife ordered the trout. When it came, she said it tasted old. Since the smell permeated most of the restaurant, I have to agree. I had a KoKo burger. I ordered it medium. Got well done. It was dry and very average. Finally, my wife ordered lemon with her water… never came. Avoid this place for lunch.

I come here with my husband everytime we are back in his home town visiting family. Needless to say, I’m hooked and look forward to it every trip. The ribs are excellent and the sauce is different but oh so yummy. It’s casual… like food served on paper plates casual. But that’s what gives it that down home charm.

Not the usual ribs you would get around here. People either love them or hate them. My whole family has gone there many years so we grew up on it. The only downsides are no credit cards or fountain pop

I love the sauce. Had ribs with sauce on the fries. If you want a salad you pay $ 2.10 extra. Got tap water to drink. Sometime these are ribs I just gotta have !

Good rib joint. If you’re looking for fancy, this is not it. It’s just a good ribs and chicken place. The BBQ sauce is very unique and addicting, others have tried to duplicate it but are not successful!
I’ve been going to this place since I was a teen and trust me… that’s a long, long, time! LOL

USED TO BE OUTSTANDING – NOW, ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE!
When we used to go here as a family back in the day, it was a real treat and the ribs were the best.
It’s been about 3 years since we’ve been back and now, in honor of our now deceased parents, we decided to go back.
It looks like the same hole in the wall, still have the gift shop and they still don’t take the debit card; cash only and the menu is still listed on a single 5×7 stand-​alone, still get the washcloth and still have to pay for drink refills. This is the only place we know of where the iced tea is more expensive than the beer.
I asked that instead of laying my ribs directly on top of the french fries (which you always end up with limp, wet fries) that they put mine in a separate paper boat (you know, that little cardboard they serve everything, even your salad in).
Well, with much anticipation, this hot spot was a major disappointment! Something has changed and in a bad way.
My french fries were okay (without the meat drenching them) but the ribs and the barbecued chicken were awful! What happened?
When the waitress heard our comments of disappointment, she wouldn’t meet our eyes and stayed away until we stood up to leave and then finally gave us our bills.
We keep talking about how bad it was this time around and can’t stay off the subject.
How could it have changed that much in 3 years?
Would we recommend them? Not on your life. We’ve had better ribs on cheap buffets.

I finally just went to New Riegel Café. Great ribs and chicken. Soft and tender. The barBQ sauce certainly one of its one. Different from any kind I had before.

I’ve been going to New Riegel since I was a kid. My father and his family grew up in this town and this restaurant was the first place my father took my mother on a date. It’s safe to say I was raised to love this place. That said this place is not without its faults, but you look past those faults and enjoy the delicious food.
The ribs here are unlike any ribs you’ve probably had. These are pork ribs, not beef, and they have a sweet tangy sauce that is like nothing you’ve put in your mouth. The ribs are always fall off the bone tender. With your meal of ribs, chicken, or shrimp you get a salad, a piece of buttered bread, and fries. If you want to blend in like a true local in this place make sure you ask for sauce on your fries. If you follow that guide line you will have a great time here.
Now with all that said New Riegel is not without its faults. So here are the negatives. –This place only excepts cash, they are very old school here. NO Credit Cards!
— The drink choices here suck. There are no free refills on pop, and pop comes in very tiny glass cups. The beer choices are even worse. Don’t expect to come here and find Sam Adams, leinenkugel, or even something like PBR. They serve Bud, coors, and yuengling in bottles. One beer on tap– Old Milwaukee which is a old garbage/​piss flavored beer incase you’ve never enjoyed it.
Look past those things and this place is great. I recommend getting an order of 1 ½ ribs with extra sauce on the fries and water to drink. Then after the meal go across the street to the grocery and get a drink because New Riegel has a terrible drink arrangement.

It’s not fancy… it’s cheap. It’s not traditional BBQ… it’s better. Best ribs ever!!!

My parents had fond memories that were shattered.
Everything was served on paper plates and in paper boats.
There were no refills on the rather small fountain drinks.
The wet sauce on the ribs was not BBQ, but rather a tomato sauce The ribs were partially tough, partially fall off the bone tender.
On the other hand, prices were cheap and thank god for that because they don’t take credit cards per one sign on the wall no one noticed.

I hate to be the first to give this place a bad review but I just don’t get it. My bf & I went here after hearing such good things about it. He had gone a couple times years ago & thought he had remembered liking it so he took me. I am sitting up late at night hours after going feeling like I am going to throw up. I ate maybe 2 or 3 ribs. they were tough & had a weird tangy tomato like sauce. not BBQ. The «wet», greasy fries were a huge turnoff. There were no sides to choose from besides fries & salad. I make ribs at home that are far superior & I am not one to toot my own horn because I love to go out to eat. My bf just said «I hate wasting money like that»
We took home leftovers because we couldn’t bear to throw them away after shelling out $ 35 with tip. Hopefully I can doctor them up for him but I definately won’t be eating them.
And they don’t take credit cards… which is just weird to me being a previous store owner. Why would you turn away business?

I get tired of hearing all the talk about how you have to go to Memphis, Texas, or Carolina to get good ribs.
This tiny little Café in downtown New Riegel, Oiho, is the best place I’ve had ribs ever. By far. Not even close.
Nothing fancy, food comes in paper bowls, menu is printed on the wall, and waitresses are hired for their ability to get orders out not personality. However the food is a show stopper.
The «Café» is open for lunch with a very limited menu (no ribs or BBQ) but dinner time is when the party starts. It isn’t unusual for the wait to be longer than mass at the nearby Catholic church on a weekend night.
Ribs or chicken are my favorite with «wet» fries (extra BBQ sauce poured on fries) and wife loves the fried shrimp. All said you can’t go wrong.
How much do we like it? Had our Rehersal Dinner here in 2003.

Stopped in and it’s definitely kinda out there. Had to get the ribs and they were definitely tasty. Falling off the bone from simmering awhile in a sauce that’s got a sweet taste but a little bit of the southwest style BBQ in it too. Not too fantastic but for the price, a definite deal!

In the area (Findlay, Fostoria,) this place is well-​known. When I was a kid we went here every few months. It’s a small-​town restaurant with a decent menu, but the draw is the ribs. Meaty, saucy but in an unusual way, and served with wet washcloths– best way to clean the sauce off your hands ever. There’s a bar, a gift shop, and not much else. It’s not fancy, but they have great food.

Might be a bit bias on this one. Coming here as long as I can remember. A trip to Ohio is a fail without the ribs. The sauce is made by god himself. Ask for sauce on your fries. Ribs ain’t your thing? Get the chicken, with or without skin if you like. They make hotdogs, bolonga, and dressings as well. Gift shop is interesting enough too.
Café is located next to the only stoplight in town. Can’t miss it.