With so much to try and appreciate in Cincinnati, it’s simple to eat well at any price point. Whether you’re searching for a lavish breakfast, a relaxed lunch, a quick treat, or an upmarket supper, Cincinnati has something for everyone. The Roze Team definitely remembers enjoying the rich taste of various flavors of Graeter’s Ice Cream.
Are you getting hungry yet? Here are a handful of the most unique restaurants to try during your visit to the Queen City. Remember to read the article about the most appropriate months to visit Cincinnati and enjoy its food and activities.
Camp Washington Chili
Cincinnati-style chili is a must-eat while visiting the Queen City. Variations of the cinnamon-spiced stew can be found on menus across southwestern Ohio, but Camp Washington Chili remains a local favorite, consistently rating among the city’s best. Since 1940, the pleasant neighborhood chili shop has served its famous recipe ladled over hot dogs and plates of spaghetti or in bowls. Each dish is topped with a heap of shredded cheese (referred to as a “3-way”); cheese and chopped onions (referred to as a “4-way”); or cheese, onions, and beans (referred to as a “5-way”).
The Eagle
The Eagle, located in the historic Over-the-Rhine district, entices customers with the tempting promise (and wafting perfume) of wonderfully crisp, succulent fried chicken. Order your meal with spoonbread, mac and cheese, collard greens, white cheddar grits, coleslaw, succotash, and moist biscuits drizzled with the hot and spicy house honey. To begin, the jalapeno cheddar hush puppies and brown sugar bacon complement pints of craft beer well. Eating at the Eagle is not for the faint of heart.
Findlay Market
You can’t decide what kind of meal you want? Over-the-Findlay Rhine’s Market, which dates back to the nineteenth century, is a one-stop shop for all things delightful under one large roof. Several dozen merchants sell everything from bread, baked goods, cocoa, and coffee to meats, cheeses, shellfish, sandwiches, barbecue, Mexican food, and Asian cuisine. You will experience many appetizing aromas and see many choices that will make choosing which items to order more difficult. You might get a free sample(s) as you make your selection.
Taft’s Ale House
Taft’s Ale House, named for a Cincinnati native and the 27th President of the United States, is housed in a magnificently rebuilt 171-year-old Over-the-Rhine church. The tri-tip steak stands out among gastropub mainstays like smoked wings, soft pretzels with beer cheese, burgers, and fish and chips; it’s served thick-cut with frites and curry sauce or sliced thin onto sandwiches, salads, sliders, and tacos.
Orchids at Palm Court
Orchids at Palm Court, located within the beautiful grounds of the downtown Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza Hotel, is Ohio’s only AAA 5-Diamond restaurant. This long-standing Cincinnati landmark offers old-school Cincinnati fine dining at its finest, with handsome Art Deco decor and a continental European-inspired food, classic cocktails, and live music. There’s a lot to look at here, but don’t forget to notice and admire the locally produced Rookwood ceramics.
Fireside Pizza
Fireside Pizza, situated in Walnut Hills, began as a food truck before settling into the rebuilt circa-1870 Fire Company 16 building in 2014. The hand-tossed pies cook swiftly in a 700-degree wood-fired oven, arriving steaming hot and packed with premium classic toppings such as red sauce, pepperoni, Italian sausage, vegetables, fresh mozzarella, and provolone. Or, try one of the more inventive dishes from a rotating menu—the seasonal Elote pizza, prepared with sweet corn, chipotle lime crema, cotija cheese, and cilantro, has a devoted summertime following. Don’t overlook the craft beer menu: pints are served from a bespoke fire extinguisher tap.
Boomtown Biscuits & Whiskey
Boomtown Biscuits & Whiskey in the Pendleton District believes that everything is better with a biscuit and serves large amounts of Sawmill peppercorn, mushroom, or goetta gravy, fried chicken, short rib sandwiches, and cinnamon sugar doughnut holes. The entire business is infused with a Western frontier character, and this unique food destination provides everything you need. You may need to schedule time for a nap after your visit.
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Sotto
Sotto can be trusted year after year to provide an exceptional dining experience thanks to a winning combination of superb food, thoughtful service, and an elegant ambiance. The well-edited menu of rustic Italian food takes on a refined hue thanks to high-quality ingredients that are treated and presented with the highest respect, and the knowledgeable servers are ready to recommend the best wines to match your Piatti. Save space for dessert, namely the fluffy ricotta donuts served with three practically drinkable sauces for dipping.
Mazunte Taqueria
Set a beeline for Mazunte Taqueria in Madisonville for a real flavor of Oaxacan street food, where tacos come three to an order. Wrapped in hand-made corn tortillas, delicious pork, chicken, chorizo, fish, steak, or veggies are topped with avocado salsa, pico de gallo, and pickled red onion. Menu items such as tasty tamales, enchiladas, pozole, and tostadas eliminate the possibility of leaving hungry.
Tickle Pickle
Tickle Pickle, a tongue-in-cheek Northside burger eatery, will delight your eyes and senses. The huge sandwiches here go by rock-and-roll names like the “Meatallica,” with bacon, egg, and cheese; the all-American “Breadzeppelin,” with all the conventional toppings; and the “Rob Zomwich,” with hot ketchup, peppers, onions, and a jalapeño popper on a pretzel bun. Instead of fries, choose sweet potatoes, macaroni salad, or locally-made Grippo’s BBQ potato chips on the side. And how do you wash it all down? Of course, a “Vanilla Ice” or “Oreo Speedwagon” milkshake.
Loving Hut
The Loving Hut, on the other hand, demonstrates unequivocally that no one who follows a plant-based diet need feel restricted. Every item on the menu is vegan, and the options go far beyond salads, wraps, and rice bowls. Expect grilled spring rolls and mac & vegan cheese, as well as veggie burgers and sausages, pho, and pumpkin chili. Finish your meal with a vegan chocolate cake piece.
Bridges Nepali Cuisine
Sure, there are plenty of Japanese, Chinese, Thai, and Indian restaurants in Cincinnati, but when was the last time you ate Nepalese food? Ashak Chipalu, the founder of Bridges Nepali Cuisine, is homesick for the flavors of his homeland and now runs two restaurants (Northside and Downtown), putting his own contemporary takes on his favorite traditional Nepali meals. Rice, noodles, vegetables, chicken, and pork shine in rice bowls, Chow Mein, soups, and samosas, but the momos, exquisite stuffed dumplings served with flavorful dipping sauces, steal the show.
Graeter’s Ice Cream and Bakery
Graeter’s Ice Cream and Bakery, a Cincinnati tradition since 1870, uses a French pot process to churn out its extraordinarily thick and creamy end goods, two and a half gallons at a time for ultimate quality control. And don’t come expecting puny little chocolate chips. Graeter’s drizzles chocolate into the mix, resulting in irregularly shaped toothsome morsels that stay soft in the ice cream, similar to unearthing buried treasure. With flavors like Dutch milk chocolate, original salted caramel, Oregon strawberry, and brown butter bourbon pecan, deciding on a scoop or cone might be difficult—but you’ll never go wrong with the distinctive black raspberry chip. Don’t forget to try their baked delights at any of their Cincinnati locations.
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Pepp & Dolores
Pepp & Dolores serves authentic Italian comfort food at its finest, with platters of pasta that would make any Italian grandma proud. A glass of vino to go with the “Dunk,” a baguette with herbed olive oil and vinegar for dipping, is the ideal way to start your dinner. Follow with hearty noodles topped with meaty Sunday sauce, roasted beets and goat cheese, shellfish, lamb ragu, pesto, or chili-flecked lemon. Everything is produced fresh in-house every day, and you have to love a place that allows you to order meatballs as a side dish to share with the group.
Explore this eclectic group of well-known and well-liked restaurants as you visit Cincinnati to enjoy the scenery and its great cuisine.