Best Fun Restaurants in Mariemont

We always enjoy our time at the National Exemplar Restaurant. The Christmas decor is just beautiful. The staff is friendly and efficient. We also enjoy the beautiful patio in the summer as well. The chef has some innovative dishes which are very good.

Everything was delicious! For apps we got the shrimp and lobster cocktail which came with a cocktail and tartar sauce, but what made it was the lemon curd! We also got the focaccia with a truffle butter that was really good. Entrees we got lobster butternut squash carbonara which was hearty and they do not skimp on the lobster! We also got the scallops that nearly melt in your mouth. I highly suggest creamsicle cloud for dessert. It was the perfect dessert. Oh yeah, the drinks were great too. We got the smoked pear which was dangerously good, it’s also a very well balanced drink. Our server was Mark and he was very nice and made excellent recommendations.

My 4 colleagues and I met for lunch for our annual Christmas lunch. We wanted to go to someplace new so chose Cooper's Hawk. We were promptly seated in a comfortable booth and our server was very attentive and totally on top of everything! We ordered several appetizers; the Candied Bacon and Artisan Cheese Plate was yummy (especially the 2 goat cheese offerings) and the Sweet Chili Calamari was deliciously different than any other calamari I've had (they're typically breaded, deep fried and served very crispy like onion rings) . These were huge calamari (very tender, not chewy), lightly battered, and liberally blanketed with a medium-spice sweet chili sauce and served with a Sesame-Sriracha Aioli. Highly recommended! I also ordered a cup of the Seafood Bisque which was rich, creamy and included a generous amount of crab, shrimp and lobster; I shared it with 2 colleagues who also gave it a thumbs up. Two colleagues shared a white wine flight and a red wine flight; they expected small tasting-sized glasses so were surprised when 8 almost regular-sized glasses of wine (4 white, 4 red) were brought to the table. Two other colleagues each had an individual glass of the Pinot Gris and did a refilll halfway through their meals. Our entrees were a mixed bag... my Shrimp and Scallop Risotto with peas, asparagus, corn and spinach was underwhelming; I ate about half, brought the rest home but doubt I'll finish it. One colleague had a Braised Short Rib Grilled Cheese sandwich with Fries and a side of Tomato Soup; he only ate half (too much cheese, not enough meat). One colleague had the Baked Parmesan Shrimp Scampi and said the shrimp was tough. Two other colleagues ordered the Dana's Parmesan-Crusted Chicken and both cleaned their plates. Several us of decided to split the Banofee Pie for dessert. While we were waiting, our server brought us 5 small glasses of a fruity dessert wine (didn't catch the name) and it was a delicious. The Banofee Pie was oustanding.

Always consistently stellar food and amazing cocktails. Service is always responsive.

My wife and I dined here for the first time ever. We went in with big expectations due to the reviews and national acclaim. We were absolutely not disappointed. The food was incredibly delicious, with levels of rich flavor. Steak was perfectly cooked and the additional add on Mac and Cheese was exceptional. If you're going to the Precinct, you have to get a steak and they do NOT disappoint. Alec and Lizzie attended to us and did an exceptional job. They both were warm, quick and inviting. This was my birthday and Alec made us feel seen and appreciated in a way I don't feel any restaurant ever has. Anytime our glass of water would get remotely low, Lizzie was there to fill. Both of them provided incredible service, each with a glowing smile on their face and made the entire experience feel just that - an experience. I went in with mild anxiety that it wouldn't be up to the lofty standards I had built it to be, but The Precinct blew that away.