Bee's Barbecue Opens Its Second Location in Over-the-Rhine

The OTR menu will feature a variety of sandwiches and Bee's classic sides.

By Katherine Barrier on Thu, Sep 28, 2023 at 10:10 am

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Bee's Barbecue, 1403 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine

A new barbecue joint is opening its doors in Over-the-Rhine Thursday.

Bee’s Barbecue is set to open its second location in the former Pontiac BBQ space at 1403 Vine St. The restaurant opened its first location in Madisonville in 2021, where it became well-known for its award-winning craft barbecue, with a menu featuring meats like their popular smoked brisket and pulled pork, as well as jackfruit for a meatless option.

“As I’ve said before, it’s really cool to be center stage in OTR,” Bee’s Barbecue owner Brendan “Bee” Hague said in a press release. “We’ve put a lot of hard work into opening on Vine Street and I’m pretty excited to finally have the opportunity to bring Bee’s Barbecue to a bigger audience. It’s been a long time coming.”

Bee’s Barbecue aims to be a casual neighborhood hangout — a prime location to catch a Bengals game or grab a few drinks and some dinner after work. The OTR location’s menu will differ slightly from Madisonville’s, featuring a variety of sandwiches, the Bowling Alley BLT or Brisket Philly, as permanent items instead of specials. Sandwiches are served on amoroso rolls and pair well with Bee’s sides, like the creamy mac & cheese, coleslaw or honey cornbread.

The full menu will be available until 9 p.m., when the restaurant will switch to its bar menu, with items like wings, fries, deep-fried devil eggs, pickle dip with wavy chips and a barbecue charcuterie board. The bar menu will be available until close.

Bee's Barbecue will be open most days from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. but will open at noon on Sundays for Bengals' games. The restaurant will be closed on Tuesdays.

Bee’s Barbecue, 5910 Chandler St., Madisonville & 1403 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine. More info: beesbarbecue.com.

Slideshow

21 Greater Cincinnati BBQ Joints You Need to Try Before You Die

Velvet Smoke BBQ5626 Cheviot Road, White OakVelvet Smoke BBQ has been serving the Cincinnati community with award-winning, championship barbecue since 2012 after a competition barbecue team decided to follow their passion and cater to a larger audience of barbecue lovers. You can get that championship-quality barbecue on a sandwich, as part of a classic barbecue plate (served with a piece of garlic bread) or as meat by the pound. All their sides are scratch-made and you can order their barbecue sauces (ranging from the mild Sweet & Tangy to the hot PitFire) as half-pints, pints and quarts.

21 slides

Eli’s BBQ133 W. Elder St., Over-the-Rhine; 3313 Riverside Drive, Columbia TusculumEli’s has over 15 outdoor picnic tables for dining, both in the sun and the shade. Celebrate a warm afternoon with a cold brew and some delicious barbecue, like their pulled pork sandwich with a slide of jalapeño cheddar grits and baked beans. Bring your own beer and enjoy the warmth by the river.

Ollie’s Trolley1607 Central Ave., West EndLocated in a bright yellow and red trolley car, Ollie’s Trolley is a soul food staple in Cincinnati. This little trolley serves a variety of smoked meats, including ribs, turkey tips and pulled pork, plus metts and burgers. They also offer plenty of sides, like collard greens, buttered corn and potato salad. For dessert, get a slice of their lemon pound cake or chess pie, or take a whole pie or cake home to share.

Pig Candy BBQ5901 Kellogg Ave., CaliforniaServing up food so good it’s criminal, Pig Candy BBQ offers a menu of craft barbecue, homemade sauces and inventive sides from their location in a former jail. Meats are smoked on-site and the sides and sauces are made from scratch. Specialties include their Pig Candy Waffle (a gluten-free waffle pressed with pulled pork, topped with maple peach glaze and served with Pig Candy’s tangy white sauce on the side); mac ‘n cheese topped with pulled pork, the sweet and sour red sauce and slaw; and a sampler so you can try a little bit of everything.

Goodies BBQ7440 Hamilton Ave., Mt. HealthyGoodies knows their pork butt: pit-smoked slowly ’til the fat has completely dissolved and a crunchy, caramelized crust has formed on the outside. Lip-smackin’ rib tips and Buffalo wings are complemented by standard Southern sides of collard greens, red beans and rice or mac & cheese. For those not tempted by the sauce, there’s the fish or fried okra. Peach cobbler, sweet potato pie and chess pie are available for dessert.

Incline Smoke Shack7391 Forbes Road, Sayler ParkIncline Smoke Shack serves up its handcrafted barbecue from a food truck permanently parked outside 13 Below Brewery in Sayler Park. Stop by for one of their insanely good barbecue sandwiches like their smoked turkey club, topped with bacon, lettuce, tomato and their cranberry walnut spread, or the chopped brisket, which is tossed with caramelized onions. Sides include favorites like Saratoga chips, mac ‘n cheese and housemade pickles, as well as a sweetcorn spoon bread that you can share…but you probably won’t want to. For a cold beverage, stop in 13 Below for a beer or a housemade hard seltzer (we recommend the orange cream).

Alabama Que2733 Short Vine St., CorryvilleAlabama Que was founded by Dwan Ward, a veteran of the U.S. Navy and former UC football player, in 2008. An Alabama native, Ward’s restaurant oozes Southern charm and a food truck was added to the business to keep up with growing demand. Some meat options include smoked chicken, beef ribs, smoked salmon and their famous turkey tips. Add some of their sides like the green beans, yams or mac & cheese for a hearty barbecue meal, and top it all off with a dessert: peach or apple cobbler, lemon or chocolate cake or banana pudding.

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Katherine Barrier

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Katherine Barrier is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s journalism program and has nearly 10 years of experience reporting local and national news as a digital journalist. At CityBeat, she oversees the digital and social media strategies, edits web and print content and writes for the dining and arts...

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