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  • National Exemplar

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National Exemplar
National Exemplar

National Exemplar Details

  • Dining Style: Casual Dining
  • Website: http://www.nationalexemplar.com
  • Phone: (513) 271-2103
  • Hours of Operation: Breakfast and Lunch: Daily: 7:00am - 2:30pm; Dinner: Monday - Thursday: 5:00pm - 9:30pm, Sunday: 5:00pm - 9:00pm
  • Payment Options: AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Visa
  • Cuisine: American
  • Executive Chef: Chase Blowers
  • Dress Code: Casual Dress
  • Accepts Walk-Ins: Yes
  • Additional Details: Banquet/Private Rooms, Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Fireplace, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking Restaurant, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, View, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Catering: Full-service menus available upon request. The National Exemplar is part of The Phoenix Restaurant Group which is a full-service restaurant management company located in Cincinnati, OH. Specializing in full-service restaurant dining, catering, banquets, special events and rehearsal dinners.
  • Private Party Facilities: The National Exemplar Restaurant offers a private dining menu for your business or social function. Our food is prepared using the finest and freshest ingredients just as we do in our restaurant. Our menus offer a variety of full service selections and are presented with the utmost care by our culinary staff. You and your guests will feel welcome in our English Tudor style room complete with two fireplaces. We provide linens, napkins, candle centerpieces, and flower vases to compliment the table at no charge to you. Our private room can accommodate groups from 14 - 85 guests. For larger groups and specialty wedding packages, please contact our downtown Cincinnati private dining facility and restaurant, The Phoenix. Visit The Phoenix at www.thephx.com.
  • Private Party Contact: Lisa Hopkins (513) 271-2103
  • Special Events & Promotions: As part of The Phoenix Restaurant Group, we can host large corporate events to a small private dinner in your home. We have over 30 years of experience hosting, planning and managing events in the hospitality and restaurant industry. Our vast resources, experienced sales and event planners, restaurant managers and talented culinary department can help you create any event big or small from 2 people to 5000 people.

Getting there

  • Cross Street: Madisonville Road
  • Parking: Public Lot
  • Parking Details: Exit I-71 at Red Bank Road, follow Red Bank Road to 50 East, take 50 East (Wooster Pike) to 6880 Wooster Pike, on the circle in Mariemont (inside the Mariemont Inn).
A word from National Exemplar
In April of 1983, The National Exemplar began operation in the Mariemont, Ohio landmark, The Mariemont Inn. The Inn was constructed in the mid-1920's as a small piece of the very unique Mariemont community, founded by Mary Emery. The National Exemplar Restaurant was named after learning that Mary… Emery once referred to her developing community as the National Exemplar, meaning national model community. The National Exemplar Restaurant is a full service, neighborly restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week. We only use the freshest quality ingredients to prepare each meal. Our goal is to serve great food, provide friendly and professional service in a clean and relaxing atmosphere.Continued
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Diner Reviews
  • "I have been eating at this restaurant for many years. I prefer fresh fish and other healthy items of which there is normally an excellent selection. The pace is good--attentive but not rushed. I've enjoyed lunch and dinner on every day of the week. Location is central for many friends I dine with."
    Dined on 7/22/2014
  • "This is a very charming restaurant. The ambiance is quaint, and it seems like an historic building. Patio dining is our favorite spot. The food is great and we love the mini deserts."
    Dined on 6/30/2014
  • "Consistently excellent food. Mussels were excellent. Server was very slow to the table (perhaps he wasn't told we were at an outdoor table?) and was a bit quirky, but overall a good experience."
    Dined on 6/28/2014
  • "The food was very good, but the service was very slow. To top that off, the waiter threw away a leftover that was supposed to be boxed and tried to cover it up by claiming that another guest's leftover at our table was ours! No such luck, since the other persons leftover was already boxed and sitting on the table when he removed our plate. The manager made it right by offering us a gift certificate; I wasn't sure that I wanted to return to the restaurant, so I asked the manager to simply reduce the price of the entre on the bill to cover the lost half., which she did."
    Dined on 6/24/2014
  • "Excellent menu, beautifully presented. Manager and all staff go the last mile always to assure a fine dining experience. The servers know their items,Can explain advise,direct and really are consummate professionals."
    Dined on 6/23/2014
  • "Food quality seems to be declining. Prime rib had more fat,smaller portion, and less flavor."
    Dined on 6/14/2014
  • "Chase is one of the best chefs in town. He is respectively changing the menu over from the old traditional to a top flight unique experience. Certainly short on atmosphere, but well worth the visit!"
    Dined on 6/11/2014
  • "There were 4 people in our party and we all felt that the food was wonderful; both in taste and in preparation. This restaurant is truly a gem. My wife and I had the liver and it was fabulous, as was the mushroom soup. Prices were very fair and our service was excellent."
    Dined on 6/7/2014
  • "Eating outside has the same great service and food that comes hot and quickly, which is not the case at some other outdoor venues. However, as quaint as the area looks - this is on Hwy 50 - and the many trucks going by, even at just 25 mph, are very noisy. If you can still relax and just not expect to chat when a truck goes by - it's a very comfortable way to enjoy a meal."
    Dined on 6/6/2014
  • "Reservation was not honored...we waited 20 minutes for a table outside. 6:30 reservation....food not served until 8:00....food was cold. Totally unacceptable. We were given free desserts and they did not charge us for our cold dinners, which were not consumed..."
    Dined on 5/24/2014
  • "This place meets high standards-The hostess/Mgr? (Lisa) remembers us & we only visit this city once a yr. This yr. she gifted us each a glass of fine wine when she learned it was our anniversary. Excellent place...good interesting food served by an excellent staff. 5 stars."
    Dined on 5/22/2014
  • "I invited my parents to dinner for their 52nd wedding anniversary. We all started with the Hungarian mushroom soup, which was great and unlike any mushroom soup I have had before. My Mom loved her filet and said it was the best she has had in a long while. My Dad had the salmon filet and enjoyed that a great deal. I have had lamb before, but never a lamb strip, so I gave that a try. It was prepared beautifuly and was tender and tasted great. We enjoy coming here anytime of day and would reccommend it to others. This is even the place we selected for my parent's 50th wedding anniversary brunch with the whole family."
    Dined on 5/12/2014
  • "Great for groups up to eight in dining area, private rooms for larger, small tables perfect for two. All age groups: young couples, family tables with grandma and grandpa, and empty nesters. Food is always well prepared. Price is mid range. Servers and management want your business and show their concern for your dining experience. "
    Dined on 5/11/2014
  • "To say its an older crowd is an understatement. That said, the food is excellent. We ate at the bar which made things feel a bit more "hip". The mussels were outstanding. Beer selection above average."
    Dined on 5/3/2014
  • "Beautiful setting, excellent food. Service is fantastic. Would recommend for a quiet dinner. Had the prime rib - the best I've ever had."
    Dined on 5/3/2014
  • "We tried a few different things, crab cake (best crab cake I have ever had), scallops, and veal Suzanne. It all was super delicious! Our waitress was awesome too. She brought our meal out split between 2 plates. The whole staff there was super responsive. "
    Dined on 5/2/2014
  • "One of the best meals I have had in a long time! Joe, our waiter was outstanding, friendly and gave great service! Thanks for contributing to a great benefit for Branden!"
    Dined on 4/28/2014
  • "Second visit to National Exemplar. Had a great corner booth that allowed for conversation at normal levels. The service was attentive without being overbearing (thanks, Joe) and our waiter was knowledgeable about the food items. NE has apparently changed its dinner menu (the current selections differ from what you see on the Open Table menu tab). But the choices are more than adequate, and the portions were just right. We and our guests were very pleased. Among us we ordered grilled salmon, flounder, veal suzanne, and fettuccini bravo – all delicious. The bill was about what you would expect for the entree selections, 2 rounds of drinks and 2 desserts. Come and enjoy this gem in Mariemont - we'll be back."
    Dined on 4/25/2014
  • "Wonderful dining in the quaint, historic village of Mariemont... Loved the Hungarian soup, pasta and complementary "still" bottled water. Olive small plate delicious.."
    Dined on 4/18/2014
  • "Delicious food, generous portions, great date night!"
    Dined on 4/11/2014
  • "National Exemplar upgraded their head chef recently, and it shows. We'd had a few less-than-great meals a year or so ago, but decided to try again recently and their menu and food is really yummy now. Service has always been excellent - so it's nice that the food has caught up!"
    Dined on 4/4/2014
  • "We had an excellent dining experience. The food was exquisite and our server was one of the best. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to friends."
    Dined on 3/28/2014
  • "We went for dinner on a Friday night at 7. There weren't that many people there; we didn't need the reservation we had. Linguine w clam sauce was a weird combination of spicy and bland; that is, the only spice you could taste was black pepper, and there were pecks few clams. Grilled salmon was excellent, however.....really, really good. Service was aloof. Wine list was about average in quality but high in price. I'm never really on board with small plates/shareables. Seems like I spend more and leave hungry so we didn't try that section of the menu just stuck to dinners. This ace has been through so many chefs, menus, and concepts. This is not one of the better ones. What can you say about a place that's empty by 9 pm on a spring night?"
    Dined on 3/21/2014
  • "This is our neighborhood "go to " spot. Great food, drink and service. Staff is so welcoming, menu updated frequently."
    Dined on 3/18/2014
  • "Off the beaten track for a casual visitor to Cincinnati but well worth the effort to find it."
    Dined on 3/16/2014
  • "Well prepared food, attentive, well-timed service - maybe a bit too eager before we ordered, since we had not been there in many years and needed to consider the menu. Nice selection of wines by glass. Notably the white wine offerings were varied; too often they are limited to chardonnays plus 1 other option. Our reservation was early, before theater, so many empty tables. Atmosphere quiet. Private rooms available."
    Dined on 3/9/2014
  • "This is one of our favorite restaurants. We enjoyed an early dinner which was well prepared and beautifully presented. The only fault we can find with the Exemplar is the lack of moscoto on the wine list."
    Dined on 3/8/2014
  • "Great food, service and atmosphere. We will be back!"
    Dined on 3/7/2014
  • "The food was very delicious. I would highly recommend it."
    Dined on 3/6/2014
  • "We have lived 5 minutes from the restaurant for over 30 years. They have recently recreated themselves. Same comfortable old English feel. But new menu with great food. I had one of the best kale salads I've had. You can chose between two sizes of pasta dishes. I had the small size pasta with clams. Perfect amount and excellent. Good wine selection. Nice desserts. It's nice to have a local gem liken the National Exemplar."
    Dined on 2/28/2014
  • "While we are frequent diners at the Exemplar, they still know how to make you feel special on a special occasion. We asked to be near the fireplace and we sat right by it...perfect. Liz, our server, took great care to be sure we knew about recent menu changes that helped clarify things for us in making our dinner selections. She was attentive without hovering, which was great. We enjoyed the food very much, especially that wonderful warm carrot cake! We can't wait for warmer weather and getting back to the terrific outdoor dining season...our favorite."
    Dined on 2/28/2014
  • "This restaurant is one of those gems that I'm glad we found. High class service, great food and a wonderful old building...What's not to like? They have absolutely the best beef liver that I ever had. I don't want it from any place else after having it there. Every thing we ever ordered from the menu has been great. I highly recommend it."
    Dined on 2/23/2014
  • "Glad that they kept the Hungarian mushroom soup, but were disappointed with the new menu. Most of our favorites are no longer there."
    Dined on 2/22/2014
  • "Pleasantly surprised upon returning to the Exemplar after about 6 months to find they have updated their menu and added some interesting new dishes. Prime rib was good and melted in my mouth like butter, but less flavorful than I usually enjoy (maybe I ordered it too rare :( ??); however, the accompanying paper thin sliced au gratin potatoes were delicious. New boar lasagna was extremely tasty and something we will come back and order again."
    Dined on 2/22/2014
  • "We were ignored throughout most of the evening. Spoke with our waiter maybe 3 times. Someone else brought us our water, our drinks, and our food. No one came to take her finished plate, so we had the pleasure of watching what was left go cold - which took away from the romantic ambience. Another staff member even apologized for our waiter's lack of attention. Waiter was, however, extremely attentive to the 6 party table next to us - so I'm sure they had a wonderful evening. The food was good, the wine selection was good, and the restaurant was clean and well maintained. Will not be back."
    Dined on 2/15/2014
  • "The National Exemplar at the Mariemont Inn holds a special place in my heart. My husband and I celebrated our engagement there 18 years ago, we had our wedding reception there and have had many family celebrations there! I can say that our experience there last Saturday did not disappoint! The menu is new but has lots a great new choices as well as old favorites. We shared the crab cake appetizer, I had the Linguine with Clams and my husband had the Filet with Crab and Shrimp (use to be called Steak KP) and Creme Brulee for dessert. DELICIOUS! The service was very good as well and the ambience was warm and inviting (we were seated by the fireplace). A lovely romantic and relaxing evening. We will be back!!!"
    Dined on 2/15/2014
  • "It was a wonderful experience! My husband and I happened to be there for breakfast the same day but it didn't make our dinner experience any less pleasant Definitely will come back frequently"
    Dined on 2/14/2014
  • "We had a great time! Our server (Liz) was great! She was very attentive to our tables needs and helped with my diet restrictions of Gluten Free. Dinner moved at a great pace, not too fast I didn't feel rushed!"
    Dined on 2/14/2014
  • "We dined at the Exemplar on Valentine's Day. The warm fire, dimmed lights and quiet atmosphere set just the right tone. Our waiter was attentive in the best way and the food was both delicious and beautifully presented. We enjoyed our meal and will definitely return."
    Dined on 2/14/2014
  • "When your tired of all the cookie cutter chain restaurants. Nice change. Relaxed atmosphere and quickly accommodated our change in party size. Great service. I had prime rib as did two others and it was cooked perfectly. Will definitely visit again."
    Dined on 2/13/2014
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