Sugar n’ Spice Diner

Unreal Bang for Buck! The food was great. Highly recommend adding the Goetta to your meal. I had never heard of it, but it’s a fun local flair. Definitely want to try the Goetta Benedict in the future. Pancakes were great, love that the recipe has been around for almost a century, along with the syrup. Potatoes were perfect too! The vibe is super fun for kids as well. A fun hint of nostalgia, plus they get to take home a rubber duck.

This is a cute old school diner. I enjoyed the fun atmosphere and appearance of it. The waitress was nice. They were pretty busy, we were there about 10:30 on a saturday morning. I had a breakfast burrito. It was pretty good. But pretty big! Definitely dont need that much food for breakfast! Overall I enjoyed the experience.

The food and service was amazing! There was a small wait on Sunday morning but nothing outrageous. The menu has something for everyone. The food was cooked to perfection and every one in our group ate every bit of food we had. Our server was amazing! She was super attentive and took great care of us. The only knock was that it was super loud in the restaurant. You could barely understand what someone across the table from you was saying. Kudos to the staff for being able to hear every order with it being that loud!

Growing up with diners on the east coast this place was nice to walk into. Old school diner feel with a modern twist... in fact, it is an 80+ year old diner. The food was certainly delicious, but the menu and portions were not old school diner. Modern... but, all good!!

Great place for breakfast and the food plate is more than enough. I loved the atmosphere and everyone was so nice. I'm glad we chose this place for breakfast.

I got the philly omelet and hubby got the cinnamon french toast and eggs Benedict which were all amazing! good service and super cute vibe!!! Loved being able to pick out a duck at the end!

I loved this diner for the the breakfast. Lots to choose from the menu. Recommended for kids as well. The plates are huge, we could have shared a meal if we weren't that hungry. From the greater to the staff, everyone was friendly. A must go to if your visiting.

Pancakes are great! The stuffed French toast was a 10/10. Omelet was fluffy and filled with toppings. Benedict and club were both awesome.

The food was delicious, and the service was good, the ambiance was so cute it looked like an adorable 50's dinner. We enjoyed ourselves here.

Nice diner for an amazing meal. Very friendly staff and cool looking decor. Food came out fast. Fed a family of four for under $50. Win for us. I recommend the spicy burrito. The salsa was amazing. Go and try. You won't regret it!

Cute little breakfast and lunch place! And for us Jeep fans, free ducks! My girlfriend and I loved the breakfast burritos!

We checked out Sugar n' Spice and had a great experience from start to finish. When we arrived, we were told there was a 45-minute wait, but since we had our grandson with us, the hostess offered three seats at a second bar in the back. It was bright, clean, and felt more like a workspace for the staff than a seating area, but it worked out perfectly. The whole place had a classic '50s diner feel--crisp, shiny, and welcoming. Once our grandson realized his stool spun 360 degrees, he was all in. The staff seemed happy to have us there too, stopping to chat and making him feel like part of the crew. One waitress, wearing a University of Cincinnati sweatshirt, sealed the deal when he spotted her and gave the "Oohhhh, ohhhh... U.C.!" rally cry. From that moment on, he was the unofficial mascot of the morning. Food-wise, he ordered his own pancakes, sausages, and, of course, more sausages. My wife and I went with the traditional breakfasts--I had the Meat Lovers Platter, which looked incredible. I can't tell you how the sausage link tasted, because my grandson swiped it as soon as the plate hit the table, but based on his reaction, I'd say it was a winner. Everything else was spot-on, so I'm guessing the sausage was too. Highly recommend Sugar n' Spice--the food was great, the staff was even better, and the whole experience felt warm and welcoming. If you go, check their hours--they're a brunch place and don't stay open much past 2 p.m. Get there early, and if you're feeling it, order a mimosa or a "Bloody Maria!" (just ask yer server, you'll see...

We looked up this place the night before and thought this was a perfect spot to take our toddler for breakfast. They had a great menu and the inside was bright and filled with people. They offer a duck at the end of your meal so our daughter was able to pick one out. Great food that came out hot and fast!

Bright and cheery. A happy place to start a Sunday morning. Busy at 10am, so a little wait. Easy street parking. Amber was our server -- delightful! Good variety and everything so tasty. We shared a savory order and a sweet order. My new favorite breakfast and brunch spot.

Classic diner vibe. Food was as expected. Service was disappointing having to wait for multiple items that were served separately from the dish they were supposed to be plated with.

The Basics: Sugar N' Spice has a nice retro feel and can be a fun environment for breakfast/brunch, but unfortunately I would not return due to the long wait times, slow service, and poor food quality. Things I like: I enjoyed the retro-style of the restaurant and they let you pick out a rubber duck at the end of your meal which is a fun touch. Things I didn't like: When I visited I was in a party of eight people. We understood we would wait awhile for a table to accommodate the whole group. We were told we would sit in about 35 minutes and we ended by being seated in about 50 minutes. However, once we were seated they separated us into two tables. This was confusing considering many parties that arrived after us and were seated before us were tables of four which we ended up being split into anyway. After waiting 50 minutes for a table, we expected to be seated together. The service was also unusually slow. It took 30 minutes for us to get waters and mimosas and another 40 minutes or so to get our food. Additionally, when our food was delivered multiple items were not there which we had to ask for. The food quality was also not the best. The food was fine for the most part, but the scrambled eggs I received were very cold and the sausage patties were burnt. This meal as a whole took over two hours between the wait time and the service. Overall, I would not return to this restaurant. A party being seated separately after waiting nearly an hour was disappointing and the service and food quality also made this a frustrating experience.

Great food and great service! We had the western omelet, spicy breakfast burrito, and split a full stack of chocolate chip pancakes. Everything had amazing flavor, and we will certainly be back. The inside of the diner is also very cute. You even get to take home a souvenir rubber ducky!

Good, no-frills place for breakfast. Tasty meal and good value for what you're getting--exactly what you'd expect. We had pancakes and the steak Philly omelet. Chloe, our server, took great care of us.

Today, the three of us, went to Sugar N' Spice for breakfast. Great diner with the appropriate atmosphere. We had a meat lovers with scrambled eggs, an eggs, goetta and pancakes and a half stack of pancakes with sausage gravy and goetta. Everything was excellent and service was great. We all left the place with a colored rubber duck.

This was our first time visiting the downtown location and it's so cute! The restaurant has a vintage diner vibe with fun colors and decor throughout. My kids also thought it was very fun. We had pancakes (perfection), bacon, and coffee. The biscuits and gravy were seasoned well and it was a generous portion. The hash browns were crispy and salty, exactly what I wanted. Our server was really sweet and helpful. Our food came out fresh and hot, without a wait. My kids loved picking out a duck at the end of the meal!

Really love this spot and have been twice while in town for weddings. Brought my fam and we enjoy the diner feel inside. Service was a little slow but overall very friendly. Food was pretty good. It's a fun and laid back atmosphere and kids would really enjoy it, really good decor. Honorable mention for the rubber ducks you get to choose at the end of service

The food isn't great. I haven't gone back. Everything I've had tastes artificial from burgers to pancakes.

Not quite sure what happened! It used to be so good then something (specifically at this location) fell off. My pancakes were stale and uneventful. The eggs were overcooked. Just not great. Hopefully they can turn it around.

We had breakfast at this Sugar N Spice, and discovered a good, solid, diner experience. The decor was definitely colorful and kitschy, and easy to see from a distance, as we were trying to walk there from our parking location. It took a few too many minutes for someone to notice that we were waiting for a table, but from that point on, service was attentive, responsive, and accurate. The food was a good variety of the usual breakfast fare. I got 2 eggs over easy, was able to substitute the fresh fruit for the hash browns, ordered the wheat toast (not that different than white bread toast would have been), and added 2 salmon patties. The salmon patties were the best thing on the plate -- freshly fried and crisp, with a little spice to it. Everything else was basically as expected -- huge portions, decent, but nothing that special. All together, a good spot for a fun atmosphere and filling portions of predictably-tasting, if not exciting food. And, after reading over the other reviews, I do have one thing to add: Rubber duck? What rubber duck? We never saw any, nor were we ever offered any!!!

This place is everything that people says that it is! Busy...yes! Because it is fantastic! The food comes out fresh and hot, the service is great because the people are also great! They all work so hard and of course things can go wrong when they are so busy on the weekends, things happen! Life isn't easy but when they try to get it right and make it right and you leave with happy kids with full belly's...life seems a little better Right?! And yes if you can't tell I used to work in the service industry in my younger days so I have a better understanding than most I guess , and these folks have it together! Fresh food, friendly service , bright and clean restaurant and you get to leave with a duck of your choice! Smiles for miles !

This was a must visit in Cincinnati. Fun and quirky diner. Maybe some quacks run the place, who knows! But you'll get good food, classic diner style service. Take a duck. What's up!

Nothing like being ignored at the counter of a diner. Attend to your customers before doing any other side tasks. Rolling silverware is a mundane task, but do it later. You have customers will limited time.

What is not to like here? A sparkly shiny chromed diner takes you back to the good old days. Once you enter you will be enthusiastically greeted and seated. The interior is very colorful with chrome and mirrors everywhere. Love the seats in pink, aqua and a light yellow. So cool. Their advertised specialty here are whispy thin pancakes. Even so I am not a huge pancake fan, I figured I'll give it a try. I ordered a combo plate which game with 2 eggs, meat of your choice and 2 pancakes. The pancakes come in several flavors and they also have a flavor of the week, which was lemon poppy when I visited. Of course I went for the lemon poppy, a decision that proved to be very delicious. My waiter was attentive without hovering. A great skill in my oppinion and much appreciated. He asked if I wanted to order anything else and then brought the check. The check was presented amidst a basket of tiny rubber duckies. Apparently you get to chose a duck to take home with you. How cute. The tough part is deciding which duck to adopt. I settled on a white dragon ducky just because. I wholeheartedly recommend this place for a fun atmosphere, great food and service and of course the rubber ducky.

Cute idea and our waiter was super helpful. I loved the lavender mimosa and my daughter was excited to be able to pick out a duck to go home with her. The food was just ok . My daughter didn't like the chicken tenders and my salmon patty was not the best.

Service a little on the slow side for it appearing to be not that busy. However everything else pretty good! Love the diner vibe and the rubber duck theme. It's great having a place that offers non-pork breakfast meat options and that alone may keep me coming back despite the slower service! Salmon, corned beef and turkey sausage - yes thank you. Next time I'm going for the Greek omelette. It would be nice to be able to have a corned beef omelette... maybe in the build-my-own menu? No pictures this time as I was HANGRY.

The service was great- she was a sweetheart and checked on me often, plus I got a little rubber ducky to take home. I just didn't enjoy my food. If I go back I'll try the pancakes or waffles and stay away from the platters.

Pro: retro diner decor and art. Grow: food and drink are too sweet/artificial, poor service. Tip: stick to savory foods. Visiting Ohio for a few days on a work trip and decided to give Sugar N Spice a try. Now I know Ohio isn't a big foodie destination but I decided to give it a try. What attracted me was the retro vibe and foodie art work. It is definitely a instagramable spot if that is your vibe. However, the food and service were not the vibe. They stay true to their name as everything is too sugary. The servers were slow to welcome me, take my order, and bring me water despite it being a slow Monday. Food: I ordered the hot chocolate which was inedible! Way too sweet and still had powder that was not dissolved. I could not finish it. I ordered the $12 breakfast special which included eggs, bacon, and pancakes. The eggs and bacon were actually good but the pancakes were again way too sweet for me. They should consider adding bitter dark chocolate and real maple syrup instead. Overall, I love the aesthetics of the spot but the service and food were not it. I don't think I would come back.

I am transported back to the 80s in this retro diner! The colors are so vibrant when you walk in and the illustration on the ceiling is so cute. Definitely check this place out! Diner brunch food but some different items you wouldn't find anywhere else. I got the chorizo omelet and a friend of mine got the cincy omelet with goetta. And not pictured but you get a rubber duck every time you go!

Great food and fun decor! Service was a little touch and go, but we were in no rush. We sat at the counter, and everyone who walked by (which was everyone because it was the way to the kitchen) said hi and checked in on us when our food came. If there is a wait, be patient because it's worth it! We enjoyed picking our ducks even as grown adults on our anniversary date weekend. We will return with our kiddos! Personal tip, get the whisper thin pancakes...they are AMAZING!

Hey fellow foodies! If you haven't hit up Sugar N Spice Diner in Cincinnati yet, you're seriously missing out! This place is a game-changer, especially if you're all about that comfort food life. Let's dive into the menu highlights because you're gonna want to try these! First up, the Chicken and Waffles. We're talking crispy, perfectly seasoned chicken paired with fluffy, golden waffles. The synergy between the savory chicken and the sweet, mouth-watering syrup they serve is nothing short of culinary magic. It's a flavor combo that'll have your taste buds dancing in delight! Now, let's talk about their Pancakes. Thin, light, and utterly fabulous, these pancakes are a total breakfast game changer. Drizzle some of their amazing syrup on top, and you've got yourself a plate of heaven that practically melts in your mouth. And don't even get me started on the Home Fries. These are not just any diner potatoes; they are crispy, seasoned to perfection, and absolutely "to die for"! Each bite is a crispy, golden nugget of joy, making it hard not to reach for more. Sugar N Spice Diner is more than just a meal; it's an experience wrapped in the cozy, welcoming vibe of a classic diner, but with a modern twist that keeps it fresh and exciting. Whether you're a local or just passing through, make sure to stop by and treat yourself to some of the best eats in town. Trust me, your taste buds will thank you! Pro Tip: those duckies are a MUST - so memorable #CincinnatiEats #FoodieHeaven #SugarNSpiceDiner #MustTry Catch you at the next spot! And yes service is 10/10

Got an Uber Eats delivery only 5 minutes away. Cold food, no condiments in bag, no iced coffee. Pedestrian food. I'll never order from there again.

Lucy won't steer you wrong! Pancakes and omelets ROCK! And you get a rubber ducky to take home!! We had blueberry pancakes and western cheesecake omelet with a side of goetta. Don't know what goetta is???? We didn't either. Apparently it's a Cincy thing. Goetta festivals and all!

Service is great food is just ok nothing crazy to write home about. The ducks are a cute touch

I am a fan of sugar and spice, and used to eat at the one on reading road. Love eating in the diner on sycamore. Great breakfasts, and service is friendly. The rubber duckies are fun to look at. Very relaxed feel.

Nice to visit a traditional diner. Wait was about 15-20 min on a Saturday mid-morning. I ordered the Philly Steak (Excellent choice). Make sure you order the fries. Fries were very crispy and fresh (highly recommend). They do not come with the Philly. We also ordered the Reuben (nice size and are taking some home). The kids chicken fingers were plenty (taking plenty home). They also provide you an option to pick out a duck . Very creative. Service was great. Customer service good. We will definitely be back.

Ordered pancakes, spicy breakfast burrito, and biscuits n gravy. All were great. Hash-browns were average.

I am a big fan of the sugar n' spice that was on reading road and it pains me to have to write a bad review. I decided to try the one downtown for the first time and I was highly disappointed. It was pretty packed when I got there today at 12:40pm. We ordered food around 1 and didn't get it until 1:40pm. I will say that the restaurant is bigger than the one on reading road which is a plus for not having to wait long for a table. I typically order the same thing: pancakes, sausage, home fries and chicken wings. The food came out and it was chicken tenders... strike 1 is that I asked for chicken wings and no one told me that they only have chicken tenders at this location. Strike 2 I couldn't finish my pancakes because they were still doughy in the middle. All and all I probably won't be back to the downtown location so reading road please hurry up and open back up!

The good things, the food was really good, the staff was nice, and it was overall a pretty nice restaurant. The bad things, the coffee wasn't very good, it was very loud and I had to yell a bit to talk, and worst of all, the wait was about 26 minutes. Overall, 3.5 stars. Good in general, but there was some bad stuff. They gave us ducks before we left, at least. Nice restaurant!

My boyfriend and I were in town for just one night and after checking out of our hotel, we had to stop to get some coffee and eats before heading back to Columbus. After a quick search on Yelp we found this diner and with it being so close, it was an easy decision. When we arrived we grabbed a table right away. I loved the old school vibe that was present throughout. The pastel colors, chrome details, neon signs, and classic diner menu. I ordered two eggs over medium with toast and a pancake in place of the sausage/bacon. My boyfriend got a breakfast burrito. Our waitress was a sweetheart and had the perfect amount of attentiveness. My cup of coffee was hot the entire time. The food was just what you would expect. My breakfast was one that would be hard to mess up and I loved that the pancake was on the thinner side. It was great. This is definitely what I would consider to be a "neighborhood" spot. There were like 5 cops there for lunch and the staff knew most of the folks that walked in while we were there. It really did seem to have a sense of community. The only thing was I learned after leaving that I missed some kind of duck thing they have going on. Overall, solid experience.

Food , service, great fun diner. Lots of regulars . Good prices. New Fun menu . Cute diner

Major diner slayyy. Perfect diner. Love the old times vibes. The food is exactly what a diner should serve. And they even do milkshakes upon request! Great hungover breakfast.

This is a 50s style diner with a breakfast and lunch menu. I decided to get the breakfast special, which included eggs, pancakes, and bacon. I also got a mimosa. Everything tasted good and I feel like the portions were a good size. Our server was helpful in helping us decide what we wanted to order by giving suggestions. At the end when you pay, you get to choose a rubber ducky to keep, which I thought was cute and unique! Overall, nice brunch place to check out if in the area.

We waited an hour for our food - not overestimating on time - a literal hour. And we get our food and it's cold and has been obviously sitting under a heat lamp for a while. My daughter's pancakes were rock hard around the edges, and my mom's eggs Benedict were ice old. The server took off my mom's order and we were able to remake pancakes. But it was still ridiculous. The food is overpriced and nothing special. Go to a much nicer brunch place in OTR & you'll spend the same amount of $ for much better food.

First time at Sugar n' Spice and I WILL be back. The menu has everything for everyone. The atmosphere is adorable. I came here with my girlfriends for my birthday brunch. We all had the breakfast specials and mimosas. Run here... fast!

The food was good and staff were friendly. Although outside and when you first enter the restaurant there is a weird smell. Sort of smells like a paper mill is close by or maybe something happened in the vicinity. Also the pink lemonade mimosa was ok. I wouldn't want it again. However you can't really go wrong with breakfast so I would say a good place to eat breakfast.

What a fun and delightful, colorful diner! We loved it here. Service was fast and friendly. Food was simple and delicious. We visited on a Tuesday Morning around 11:30 am or so. I'm really glad we went on a week day, not packed, easy in and out and our server was Delightful. They let everyone choose a Duck! I'm sure this is such a memorable experience for littles. We loved looking them over and picking ours to just have as small gift! It's a great memory we will laugh about! The coffee mugs were also cute and added to the whimsical feeling of the diner. Side note: They have flavored creamer (French Vanilla) if you ask for it! We both got the breakfast burrito, me without the chorizo, him with all the things! They were packed full and well worth the price. They give you a side of their home made salsa, not my absolute favorite, but it does add a little spice if you choose to use it! We also got a half order of the chocolate chip pancakes, Also simple and delicious. Overall, we really enjoyed the diner and would of course return to try other menu items!

Umm...what's going on Sugar n' spice?! Took some new to area UC students for new place to try. Let's just say, the food quality and crappy service make this a DO NOT VISIT AGAIN place. 50 min waiting on food. Wasn't even very busy. Then the food comes out and omg...who would serve this?! The sausage couldn't even be cut. Total hockey pucks. Couldn't get server to come back and check on us. Offered no discount or comp meal. Something must have changed with staff our last experience was total opposite.

Cute diner and cool atmosphere but REALLY disappointment in most everything else. Took 40 minutes to get our food. We arrived at 11 and ordered as soon as possible and received it at 1140. I ordered eggs Benedict and got HARD BOILED eggs. My sister ordered eggs over medium and they were over hard. They replaced my eggs Benedict and the SECOND were soft boiled eggs. The manager said they "pre boil" the eggs for the eggs Benedict and that's been their recipe for 40 years. Wait ... WHAT? You can't pre -boil poached eggs. Had to send the second one back too. It's been 50 minutes now and I still don't have food and my family is finishing theirs. Very disappointing. Edit to add: manager tried a 3rd entree, the Philly omelet. She expedited it really quick but it wasn't very good. It was about double the onions I'd expect. Hardly any meat. Didn't even eat a third of it. Not worth talking home. So disappointed.

When I lived in Cincinnati a while ago, we loved going to the Diner on Sycamore. Well, it's still there as Sugar N' Spice. We really liked Sugar on Reading Road, so we wanted to give it a try. And we LOVE breakfast food. We sat at the counter which was fine for us. We had an energetic and pleasant server who helped us soon after we sat down, but OMG was the restaurant S-L-O-W!!! Once we got our food we were happy. I had scrambled eggs, toast, sausage links, and hash browns. I was pleased! Nothing FABULOUS, but I enjoyed it a lot. My husband had the wispy thin pancakes and the hash browns. Thumbs up on the hash browns--yum...crispy and moist at the same time. The pancakes though...wispy thin, yes. Also kind of soggy. They weren't awful but nothing to rave about. Overall, I good experience. You might enjoy IHOP just as much for the food, but the experience at the Diner slaps. I don't know about those ducks though.

I love coming here to experience the unique diner set up they have. It's always a different experience that gets me excited to try places like this. The service has been average - nothing over the top and nothing bad. The food is classic diner food. I got the pancakes and I enjoyed them. I also have know friends to get shakes here, which I love that they do. A gimmick that they do is hand you a rubber duck when you are leaving so you have a memory every time you go to eat there.

Having grown up in Cincinnati, not sure how I missed out on a quality downtown diner breakfast at SnS (est. 1941), but I got my fill today so don't miss out if nearby! A super busy and popular place, usually a first come seating policy, but if you have a larger group like we did (10+), call for reservations. Traditional breakfast/brunch fare (something for everyone), large portions, reasonable prices, friendly service, no frills ambience, and "duck toy" souvenir for dining here! Overall, 4.5 rating for excellent diner experience; expect to pay ~$7-14pp for a meal. Today we ordered omelettes, pancakes, breakfast sandwiches, and more. All meals were served hot from the kitchen, very tasty breakfast eats, generous portions, and attentive service. Super filling meal to start the day! Great family and friends gathering spot, and perfect eatery for the morning after if you need a greasy spoon kinda meal! One callout, parking is limited so recommend finding PAID street or lot parking nearby. ENJOY!!!

Such a cute diner and great food! My favorite breakfast items are the Eggs Benedict and the Greek Omelet but their sandwiches are super tasty too. Love how they give you little ducks with your check!