Some time ago I met a college roommate for lunch down at Pontiac in Over-the-Rhine. The BBQ and bourbon bar has been open for over a year and comes to us from the creators of Senate. The interior of the space is rustic, warm, and welcoming.

Inside

Though I wasn’t able to sample any drinks on this visit, the bar is fully stocked with ten rotating taps of draft beer, a lengthy bottle and can list, as well as a dozen specialty cocktails and quite the bourbon list. With a large portion of the space dedicated to the bar, I would be surprised to find that the drinks being a reason for many people to stop for a visit.

However on this visit I would be focusing purely on the food. The food menu features a handful of BBQ sandwiches, along with platters of smoked meats served by the pound, a long list of snacks and some sides to round it out.

BBQ Quesadilla

I almost ordered the pulled pork sandwich ($9) but instead went with the BBQ quesadilla, which seems to have disappeared from the online menu, along with a side of cheddar bacon grits. I knew it would be hard for the sandwich to compete with the pulled pork sandwich from Eli’s so I felt like I had to mix it up.

I was really glad that I did because this quesadilla was actually very good. Perhaps a petition is in order to bring it back to the menu? My friend had the pulled pork sandwich and commented that while he didn’t think it was as good as Eli’s it was still above average. And the grits were also very good, full of plenty of cheese and just the right amount of smoky bacon. Pontiac is well worth a visit for the food alone, and not to mention a very solid drink list.