Cincinnati’s dining scene is rife with baffling contradictions. We’re far from the Texas border but known worldwide for our chili. We’re populated largely by settlers of German extract but claim relatively few German restaurants. We’ve hardly any settlers from France but boast top-rated French restaurants.
These contradictions are in perfect keeping with Cincinnati, a city of delightful discrepancies. The only constant on the town’s dining scene is that Cincinnati restaurants, whether they serve haute cuisine or eclectic eats, are a solid value. Cincinnatians are noted penny-pinchers, and they tolerate neither fools nor pricey food gladly. This is terrific news for the visitor or newcomer, who will find that the area abounds in tasteful, comfortable, delicious eateries, nearly all reasonably priced.
If you are the kind of diner who likes to immediately sample the regional cuisine and scenery, head first to any Skyline Chili outlet for Cincinnati chili, slightly sweet rather than spicy (some say the secret ingredient is cinnamon or cocoa) and served atop spaghetti. The other lunch landmark you shouldn’t miss is Arnold’s, the city’s oldest bar and grill—it fairly drips with the essential flavors of Cincinnati. Come dinner choose Jean-Robert at Pigall’s for a formal continental meal. And for a late dessert or snack, indulge in raspberry chocolate chip at any Graeter’s ice-cream parlor.
Cincinnati’s trendy dining scene is generally centralized into three areas: Fountain Square, Riverboat Row, and the Backstage entertainment district. Here’s a brief overview of the three:
Fountain Square: A dozen trendy restaurants have opened on the square in the past year, including Via Vite for Italian, Boi Na Braza for Brazilian, Fresh for sandwich fare, Havana Martini Club for martinis (of course), Ingredients (Some Assembly Required) for prepare-it-yourself salads, McCormick & Schmick’s for seafood, Potbelly for homestyle fare, and Morton’s Steakhouse for steaks.
Riverboat Row: This refers to the lineup of floating and stationary restaurants that dot the Newport and Covington shoreline of the Ohio River, immediately across from downtown Cincinnati—all claim to offer the most fantastic view of the city skyline, and many charge dearly for the privilege. As a general rule, Riverboat Row restaurants are packed on days when the Reds are playing at home. In no particular order, these barge bistros include Hooter’s, Mike Fink, the Waterfront complex (which includes South Beach Grill), and BB Riverboats (offering dinner cruises). There are also land-bound restaurants along Riverboat Row, such as Don Pablo’s, Joe’s Crab Shack, and the Embassy Grille. There is no corresponding Riverboat Row on the Ohio side of the river because, of course, dining patrons want to look at the city skyline, not be a part of it. The only downtown restaurant on the Ohio riverfront, in fact, is the Montgomery Inn Boathouse.
Backstage district: This refers to the restaurants that have sprouted around the gigantic Aronoff Center for the Arts, the city’s venue for traveling Broadway productions and mainstream pop music acts. If Riverboat Row’s general theme is seafood, the Backstage district’s motif is ethnic fare. There’s Nicholson’s for Scottish fare, Nada for Mexican, Oceanaire for seafood, Trattoria Roma for Italian, plus more typical American provisions at Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse, Rock Bottom Brewery and First Watch.
Beyond the three dining districts, there are selected streets with a high density of diverse restaurants per block. They include Ludlow Avenue in Clifton, St. Gregory Street in Mount Adams, Mount Lookout Square in Mount Lookout, Fourth Street downtown, Madison Road in O’Bryonville, and Sixth Street inside MainStrasse Village in Covington.
This isn’t to say you can sample the full flavor of Cincinnati by simply visiting this handful of neighborhoods. At last count, there were some 700 non-chain restaurants in the region. You could dine out for a full year and not savor the entire range of Queen City fare.
You’ll find that most restaurants in Greater Cincinnati are fairly kid friendly. You probably won’t want to take kids to The Palace or other fine downtown restaurants, but there are few other places where bringing a child would be inappropriate.
City of Cincinnati law requires restaurants to provide a nonsmoking section. Outside the city limits, nonsmokers aren’t quite as lucky, and your chance of finding a smoke-free restaurant decreases mightily if you drive south into Kentucky, a big-time tobacco farm state. We’ve noted those restaurants that don’t have a nonsmoking section in the listings. Greater Cincinnati does offer more than 350 smoke-free restaurants, by last count. The local American Lung Association will happily mail you a list of them—call (513) 985-3990.
We chose to organize this chapter alphabetically by culinary categories rather than by neighborhood or other geographical listing. And while we generally don’t list neighborhoods in our addresses if those neighborhoods are within Cincinnati city limits, we thought it would be helpful to do so in the restaurant chapter because so many newcomers and tourists seek out restaurants. If there’s just a street address, it’s downtown Cincinnati.
We offer a mix of the venerable establishments and the newest trendsetting bistros. If you truly want to dazzle your guests, then check out our listings for The Palace, the Restaurant at the Phoenix, Palm Court, or the Golden Lamb (all under American Traditional); Palomino or South Beach Grill (under American Contemporary); Jean-Robert at Pigall’s (under French); or The Precinct, Celestial Steakhouse, or Jeff Ruby’s (under Steak Houses).
As a rule, we don’t list chain restaurants unless they offer something unique or exceptional from what you can expect to find at the chain’s other outlets elsewhere in the country.
Want to bite into a slice of local history? Dish up some Queen City legend and folklore? Cincinnati restaurants aren’t just places to eat. Many are historical treasures, and while the wrecking ball seems to destroy a few more each year, Cincinnati still preserves more than most. We’ve included some of our most notable century-old institutions in this chapter, including Arnold’s, Mecklenburg Gardens, the Golden Lamb, Scotti’s, Century Inn, and Palm Court.
If you want an unrestricted view of the world, know that the Radisson Hotel Cincinnati Riverfront is the area’s revolving restaurant. In the mood for a magnificent Sunday buffet? Among the undisputed champs around here are Palm Court, Geoffrey’s Bar and Grille, The Iron Horse, Grand Finale, and Sturkey’s.
Here are a few other tips about how to use this chapter and on dining in general in Greater Cincinnati: Dress in Cincinnati restaurants is usually casual, even more so the farther you get from downtown. But as a rule, don’t wear jeans, shorts, or tennis shoes to restaurants with a $$$ or above rating. Restaurants with dress codes are noted, as are those that are particularly kid friendly or that confound expectations one way or the other.
Unless otherwise noted, assume the restaurants listed here accept major credit cards. Even so, check before you order if you don’t have the cash. And unless otherwise noted, all restaurants are open daily and serve both lunch and dinner. Restaurants that serve breakfast or brunch are so noted.
Finally, please remember that it’s impossible for even us to go everywhere in one year. Cincinnati just has too many terrific restaurants. So if you don’t see your favorite place listed below, stay tuned for future editions.