The 23 Must-Try Restaurants in Cincinnati

Cincinnati stands out with its array of Indian restaurants, and Amma’s — which means “mother’s kitchen” in Hindi — is distinct for its completely vegetarian menu served in a kosher-certified setting. Guests can sample a variety of dishes through a sampler platter featuring 10 items, including rice pudding and soup, or opt for a dinner for two that includes a selection of curries and dosas.

Hideki and Yuko Harada first crossed paths in culinary school in Japan and honed their ramen recipes during pop-up events at Northside Yacht Club before launching Kiki in Cincinnati’s College Hill area in 2019. While ramen takes center stage at Kiki, the menu also showcases Japanese-inspired dishes that Hideki refers to as innovative bar fare, such as a pork bulgogi-stuffed cabbage roll in mushroom broth topped with black garlic oil, and chicken (or jackfruit) karaage served with various sauces, including miso mustard.

Omar Garcia was raised in Michoacan, Mexico, where he watched his mother and grandmother prepare masa from corn grown on their family farm. He carries on this tradition at his three Tortilleria Garcia locations in Cincinnati, crafting dough free from flour or chemical additives. The star of the menu is the tortilla, which serves as the foundation for tacos filled with carnitas, pollo, carne asada, and al pastor. The offerings also include tamales, burritos, and rotisserie chicken, as well as family dinner packs, tortillas, and masa available for purchase.

Tickle Pickle was initially intended to be named Buns N Roses, but the staff ultimately chose the current name for the Northside burger joint through a vote. The restaurant maintains its rock ’n’ roll vibe with burger names like Breadzepplin, Meatallica, Slaytar, and, of course, Buns N Roses. All burgers feature 100 percent Angus beef and come with an array of toppings such as jalapeno poppers or a combination of bacon, egg, and cheese. Tickle Pickle also offers a comprehensive vegan menu with options like black bean and Impossible burgers. Customers can opt for delivery or carryout, and the outdoor patio is equipped with propane hMytours for colder months.

Ashak Chipalu moved to the U.S. from Nepal, where his family ran restaurants, to pursue a nursing career. However, he soon yearned for the flavors of his homeland. He began by serving Nepali dishes as a vendor at Findlay Market before establishing restaurants in Northside and downtown. Bridges strives to offer 'a completely different Nepali cuisine,' blending traditional items like momos with innovative choices such as bowls, featuring basmati or brown rice mixed with lentils or yellow peas, topped with hakku chuala (grilled chicken), pork chili, or aloo jhol (bamboo curry with potatoes and black-eyed peas). Dine-in service is available, and the outdoor courtyard is heated during colder months. The beloved momos, available steamed or fried, can also be purchased frozen for home preparation.

Before launching Mazunte, Josh Wamsley traveled the globe teaching English, but a lackluster taco experience during a visit to Cincinnati prompted him to move to Mexico to master the art of cooking. Upon his return, he opened this beloved Madisonville taqueria, showcasing the street food of Oaxaca. Tacos take center stage here, featuring chorizo, fish, chicken, pork, steak, or vegetables topped with avocado salsa, onions, and smoked red salsa, all served on freshly made corn tortillas. The menu also includes hearty dishes served over rice, such as memelitas, tostadas, and chiles rellenos. Mazunte offers carryout and delivery, and just down the road, you’ll find its Mercado, a store where you can purchase the same ingredients used in the restaurant's dishes.

The Northside Yacht Club is one of Cincinnati's two landlocked boat clubs. Founded by two veterans of the local music scene, it began as part punk venue, part Mytoury, famous for its smoked wings (or cauliflower “wings,” catering to vegans) and award-winning poutine topped with fresh cheese curds and duck-fat gravy. Nowadays, patrons flock to the Yacht Club for its quirky, limited-time menus that playfully mimic and enhance chain restaurant classics; they've even received several cease-and-desist notices, including one displayed on a drink package formerly dubbed the Capri Suns of Anarchy. The kitchen also offers a range of smoked dishes and exceptional bar food, including pulled pork that’s smoked for an impressive 15 hours.

Following a quarter-life crisis, Alex Plattner, a self-declared carb enthusiast, left his teaching career and traveled through Minneapolis, working in pizzerias to master the art of dough-making. In 2020, he returned to Cincinnati to establish St. Francis Apizza, where the dough is hand-made daily and undergoes a lengthy fermentation process, resulting in a light, airy crust that is both caramelized and perfectly charred. The pizza draws inspiration from styles in New York, New Haven, and Portland, Oregon. For example, the Erie Ave features mozzarella, pecorino Romano, grana padano, Ezzo pepperoni, pickled jalapenos, hot honey, and fresh basil. St. Francis Apizza also caters to vegans and serves tavern-style pizza with an ultra-thin crust on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Cincinnati's signature dish is an all-meat chili, thinner than its Tex-Mex counterpart, with distinct hints of cinnamon and clove, which can be perplexing for newcomers. It's traditionally served over spaghetti and topped with shredded cheddar, known as a three-way (or four- or five-way if you add onions or kidney beans). Numerous chili parlors around the city celebrate this dish, which has roots among Greek immigrants, including the popular Skyline. Among the many choices, Camp Washington Chili stands out as a second-generation family-run establishment that's been part of its namesake neighborhood for 80 years, offering a chili that is slightly thicker and spicier than competitors. If chili isn't your preference, the diner also features classic dishes like omelets and double-decker sandwiches. For those in a rush, the drive-thru is open 24/7 from Monday to Saturday.

Founded in 2019 by Erik Bentz and Elaine Townsend, Mochiko started by providing pastries to other food businesses and directly to customers, featuring a menu that blends pastries with ramen inspired by yoshoku, a style of Western-influenced Japanese cuisine. In early 2021, this pop-up transitioned into a permanent location in East Walnut Hills. The establishment combines a bakery with an izakaya, offering dishes like omurice, curry tonkatsu, and hamburgers served in fluffy bao buns, along with delightful desserts like a dalgona coffee pie.

Gary Leybman describes the Pickled Pig as a contemporary deli infused with his unique flavors. Growing up in Belarus, he cultivated a passion for cooking with fermented vegetables and paired it with a love for smoked meats, influenced by his wife Libby's Midwestern farming background. The menu boasts dishes such as kimchi Buffalo hot wings, a chopped liver sandwich with egg salad, pickled red onion, and greens on rye, and a roasted veggie baba ghanoush sandwich topped with marinated cucumbers and tahini-lemon dressing on pan de cristal. Leybman personally operates the smoker, using cherry, maple, and hickory woods to prepare pulled pork, turkey, and whole chickens.

Pepp & Dolores, part of the Thunderdome Restaurant Group, pays tribute to the Italian heritage of co-founders Joe and Jon Lanni, named after their grandparents Giuseppe (Pepp) and Addolorata (Dolores). Each dish on the pasta-focused menu is freshly prepared daily, featuring items like butternut squash agnolotti filled with mascarpone or bigoli topped with 'nonna’s red sauce,' veal and pork meatballs, and braised pork shoulder. A beloved family dish, the Dunk (olive oil, vinegar, and herbs served with bread for dipping) was inspired by the leftover salad dressing at the bottom of the bowl from the Lanni family dinners.

Nolia Kitchen pays homage to the South and three generations of family cooks. Chef Jeffrey Harris relocated to Cincinnati from the 9th Ward of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. At Nolia Kitchen, he presents a wide array of Southern cuisine, featuring dishes like sweet potato doughnuts filled with quark cheese and pickled jalapenos, along with smoked barbecued chicken topped with Alabama white sauce. The menu begins with bar kri (raw bar), followed by piti (small plates) and gwo plack (entrees). Nolia was recognized as a finalist for the 2023 James Beard Foundation’s best new restaurant award.

Daniel Wright, a Chicago native, debuted his first restaurant, Senate, with a playful twist, offering gourmet hot dogs named Guaca-saurus Rex, Spuds MacKenzie, and Lindsay Lohan. His second venture, Abigail Street, takes a more sophisticated approach. The North African-inspired menu features small plates such as roasted beets with labneh, wood-grilled octopus, crispy falafel, and dates stuffed with merguez. Recently, Abigail Street expanded into the adjacent space that was once Senate, solidifying its status in Over-the-Rhine.

The menu at Mid City Restaurant appears simple at first glance. The mushrooms in foil are precisely that, prepared with turnip greens, shoyu, and butter. There's also a dish named the 'easy salad.' However, chef Francisco Alfaro skillfully elevates each dish beyond its basic ingredients. Together with owner Mike Stankovich, who encourages creativity honed at Longfellow, an Over-the-Rhine Mytoury without a hood, they unlock the staff's full potential. Don’t miss the Mid City Plate, which pays homage to Cincinnati's German roots with bratwurst, porchetta, frankfurter, potato, and sauerkraut, all seared on a plancha, or the fried sandwich featuring yam, grilled leek, egg, black garlic, and manchego.

Montgomery Inn’s renowned ribs, featured on every list of must-try Cincinnati dishes, are served with a distinct sweet and spicy barbecue sauce. The downtown restaurant provides contactless delivery and curbside pickup for its ribs, barbecue chicken, steaks, and seafood. Additionally, its outdoor patio has been enclosed and heated, allowing guests to enjoy their meals year-round.

Chef David Falk is renowned for his fine dining expertise. His restaurant, Boca, occupies the downtown location that once housed the famed Maisonette, where Falk honed his skills under the tutelage of French master chef Jean-Robert de Cavel. While Cincinnati may sometimes feel like a city that overlooks fine dining, Boca defies that notion. Although Falk's rustic Italian restaurant Sotto is his most frequented spot, the cuisine, technique, and service at Boca — in the very space where he began — truly shine.

Jeff Ruby, who notably banned O.J. Simpson from his establishments, is Cincinnati's original larger-than-life culinary figure. This is evident in his namesake steakhouse located across from Fountain Square, the city's communal hub. The restaurant boasts a solid bronze replica of Wall Street’s legendary Charging Bull (crafted in Italy by the artist's brother) and an 1860 Steinway baby grand piano made from 23-karat gold-plated bronze and mother-of-pearl. Ruby popularized the term “culinary entertainment” for his dining experiences, and the menu is as extravagant as the decor. A raw bar features colossal shrimp cocktail, red king crab, and caviar. Guests can choose from steaks — including a 22-ounce, 70-day dry-aged, bone-in rib-eye or a Japanese A5 wagyu filet mignon — all of which can be enhanced with blue cheese butter, king crab, or bourbon peppercorn sauce. 

Chef Jose Salazar’s inaugural restaurant carries his name, yet his second venture holds a deeper significance. Named in honor of his Colombian grandmother, Mita’s offers a tapas menu that showcases the culinary traditions of Spain and Latin America, blending classic and contemporary dishes. Menu highlights include ceviches, cured hams, an array of cheeses, paella, and pozole. Salazar is a five-time James Beard Award semifinalist for best chef, and Mita’s was recognized as a finalist for outstanding restaurant at the 2023 awards.

The interior of KungFood Chu’s AmerAsia is a vibrant tribute to anime and kung fu films. This Asian fusion Mytoury, run by experienced chef Rich Chu and his son Johnny, features familiar dishes from pan-Chinese cuisine alongside unique offerings like zonxon noodles, a creative twist on Cincinnati-style chili three-way, made with lo mein noodles and topped with savory minced pork sauce, peanuts, cucumber, and cilantro. Another highlight is the traditional Taiwanese imperial beef stew, served with cabbage, tomato, and lo mein in a zesty beef and tomato broth.

Since its inception in 2007, chef-owner Stephen Williams has championed local and sustainable farming practices at Bouquet, long before they became popular in Cincinnati's dining scene. Renowned for its upscale vegetarian and vegan options, Bouquet also features locally sourced meats, such as Maple Leaf Farms duck paired with mushrooms, roasted carrots, smoked grapes, and parsnip puree, as well as Eggleston Farm chicken breast drizzled with garlic-lime crema and topped with mango pico de gallo.

Bill Whitlow, the owner of Rich’s, brings extensive experience in the hospitality sector, having previously launched the Wiseguy Lounge speakeasy concept for Goodfella’s Pizzeria in multiple locations across two states. In his first independent venture, he transformed an old watch shop in downtown Covington into Rich’s, offering American pub cuisine with a Creole twist. Signature dishes include broiled oysters, braised pork lettuce wraps, and Kentucky bluegrass jambalaya. Rich’s also boasts an impressive selection of Kentucky bourbons, making it a must-visit for enthusiasts.

Mike Wong began his career as an engineering executive in Hong Kong but was captivated by America through John Wayne films. After arriving on a tourist visa in 1972, he took a restaurant job to obtain his residency and has been immersed in the industry ever since. In 1977, he launched his first restaurant, and now three generations of the Wong family manage the business across two locations, offering refined interpretations of Americanized dishes alongside traditional Chinese comfort foods like faan ke beef (stewed tomatoes with beef and egg). Both locations in Fort Mitchell and Hyde Park also provide online ordering for carryout.