Menu Guide · Downtown Cincinnati, Ohio
Metropole at 21c Museum Hotel — Menu Guide
Metropole is the restaurant inside the 21c Museum Hotel at 609 Walnut Street in downtown Cincinnati — a dining room where contemporary art is as present as the food. The concept is straightforward: local, seasonal American cooking, an evolving cocktail and wine list, and a room that doubles as part of the hotel's gallery space. It earned an OpenTable Diners' Choice 2024 nod. Below is our independent walkthrough of the menu, reported prices, and what we'd order. Everything is written in our own words; prices are reported figures, not a copy of the restaurant's menu.
At a glance
- Location
- 609 Walnut St, Cincinnati, OH 45202 (inside the 21c Museum Hotel)
- Chef
- Corey Cova
- Cuisine
- Seasonal American, local sourcing
- Price level
- $31–$50 per person (OpenTable); moderately priced
- Reservations
- Recommended for dinner; book via OpenTable or the restaurant's site
- Phone
- +1 (513) 578-6660
Starters & small plates
The opening of the menu sets the tone: approachable, seasonal, and built for sharing. Reported prices for starters sit roughly in the $10–$22 band, per diner reports. Standbys include a beet salad, octopus with grits, burnt carrot salad, and spicy tuna served over crispy rice — the kind of dish that reads like a small-plate menu but anchors a table.
Our take: the spicy tuna crispy rice is the most talked-about small plate here, and the one that best matches the room's playful mood.
Pasta & mains
The main courses lean into comfort with a chef's touch. Reported entrée prices land roughly in the $25–$40 range. Dishes that recur in reviews include cavatelli cacio e pepe, a bison burger, roasted duck breast, steak au poivre, and a jackfruit barbecue shrimp preparation for the plant-forward crowd. The sweet potato pound cake is the dessert name that keeps coming up.
Brunch
Brunch runs Saturday and Sunday from 7am to 2pm — a generous window that makes it one of the more relaxed downtown weekend options. Weekday breakfast (Monday–Friday, 7am–11am) serves the hotel crowd and locals alike.
Hours
- Breakfast: Monday–Friday, 7am–11am
- Brunch: Saturday–Sunday, 7am–2pm
- Dinner: Wednesday–Saturday, 5pm–10pm
- Lounge: Wednesday–Thursday, 4pm–10:30pm; Friday–Saturday, 4pm–11:30pm
Note that dinner is only served Wednesday through Saturday — plan accordingly if you're visiting early in the week.
What we'd order
If we had one meal here, this is how we'd play it:
- To start: the spicy tuna crispy rice — it's the dish that defines the menu's energy.
- The main event: roasted duck breast if you're in the mood for classic technique, or the bison burger if you want the crowd-pleaser.
- Don't skip: the sweet potato pound cake — an unusual dessert that reviewers single out.
Planning your visit
- Go early and look around. The 21c's contemporary art carries into the restaurant — arrive before your reservation to take it in.
- Dinner is a four-night affair (Wed–Sat). For Sunday through Tuesday evenings, brunch or the lounge are your options.
- Budget: at $31–$50 per person, this is mid-range downtown dining — a comfortable dinner for two lands well under the fine-dining tier.
About these prices
Prices above are reported as of October 2026, compiled from the restaurant's official site and diner reports. The menu is seasonal and prices move — always verify current prices with the restaurant before visiting.