31. Vineyard Cafe
City: Cincinnati, OH
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (513) 871-6167
Address: 2653 Erie Avenue
Description: At the Vineyard Cafe on Hyde Park Square, chef/owner Elliot Jablonsky has created a unique kitchen with no range hoods. This means no grilling, no frying, no sautéeing—everything’s oven-baked or roasted. The menu includes Asian crab cakes with yaki soba noodles and Thai chili sauce, roasted tuna, spanakopita, roasted portobella bruschetta, a chicken and Brie quesadilla, penne Firenze, smoked salmon pizza, and other trendy California-style fare.
32. What’s for Dinner?
City: Cincinnati, OH
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (513) 321-4404
Address: 3009 O’Bryon Road
Description: Tucked just off the main drag (Madison Road) of O’Bryonville, this restaurant answers its own question astutely. Try the grilled crostini bread with sun-dried-tomato tapenade or stick to traditional meat loaf. Whatever you do, save room for a Carmellita, a rich and gooey treat that is well worth the assault it will make on your arteries and waistline.
33. York Street Cafe
City: Cincinnati, OH
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (859) 261-9675
Address: 738 York Street, Newport
Description: A genteel little cafe, York Street Cafe has the look and feel of a Victorian parlor, complete with sofas where you can eat your meal over coffee tables. Bookcases line the walls. Reasonably priced dishes include a wide selection of tasty sandwiches and focaccia creations. York Street’s “Conversational Platters” are an inexpensive way to feed an entire group. Vietnamese noodle salad comes with spicy shrimp and cilantro-mint dressing, while the ever-popular Mediterranean Board is filled with hummus, tabbouleh, baba ghannoush, Greek salad, and pita bread.
34. Zebo’s Bistro
City: Cincinnati, OH
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (859) 392-3750
Address: 10 RiverCenter Boulevard
Description: This way-above-average Marriott dining room shows off entrees such as grilled Cincinnati pork chop with garlic mashed potatoes, caramelized apple and sweet potato pancake, fresh fish, local Amish chicken, and hand-cut steaks. Breakfast is also served. The Covington lunch crowd has discovered the restaurant’s offbeat sandwiches, which include creations such as lobster strudel.
35. The Golden Lamb
City: Cincinnati, OH
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (513) 932-5065
Address: 27 South Broadway
Description: Talk about staying power, the Golden Lamb’s been here for more than 200 years and still packs ’em in. The Golden Lamb is to traditional American cuisine what Pigall’s is to French cuisine. Some specialties here include the roast leg of lamb (natch), roast Indiana duckling, and chicken Oscar. Rooms are named after famous guests, such as Charles Dickens and Mark Twain. Greater Cincinnati’s top antiques stores are located nearby, so make a day of shopping and fine dining. Lunch is not served on Sunday. Open holidays, except Christmas Day.
36. National Exemplar
City: Cincinnati, OH
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (513) 271-2103
Address: 6880 Wooster Pike
Description: This spot, operated by the same folks who run the wildly popular local chain of First Watch restaurants, is renowned for great breakfasts that feature giant omelets, gourmet pancakes, frittatas, and crepes. But they want you to know they also serve lunch and dinner—notably, Nova Scotia salmon, veal Suzanne, and steak KP—at this beautifully appointed restaurant at the Best Western Mariemont Inn.
37. Orchids at Palm Court
City: Cincinnati, OH
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (513) 564-6465
Address: 35 West Fifth Street
Description: This restaurant is inside the Hilton Netherland Hotel in the Carew Tower. Check out the intricately carved moldings and unusual art deco accents throughout this downtown institution, which opened in 1931 and is a National Historic Landmark. A variety of well-prepared regional American cuisine makes this historic restaurant a great place for a special occasion. It has what is probably the city’s most extensive wine list. No lunch served.
38. The Palace
City: Cincinnati, OH
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (513) 381-6006
Address: 601 Vine Street
Description: The Palace restaurant, located just off the lobby of the century-old Cincinnatian Hotel (originally The Palace), has all the trappings of its rank: mahogany paneling, fresh flowers, sterling-silver trays, serving domes, and formally attired servers. The Palace whips up specialties that include Caribbean bouillabaisse, Wagyu beef filet, and roasted Baramundi (a bean dish). While you’re waiting for a table, you can take a seat in the Cricket Lounge, where Cincinnatian Hotel guests such as Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks have taken a turn at the piano. Dinner dress code calls for men to wear jackets (ties optional). Reservations are a must. Lunch is not served on weekends.
39. Parkers Blue Ash Grille
City: Cincinnati, OH
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (513) 891-8300
Address: 4200 Cooper Road
Description: If you like history dished up with your food, Parkers is the place. Lots of fireplaces and a cozy atmosphere make for a relaxing dining experience. Fare includes hearth-roasted cedar-planked salmon, roasted prime rib, peppercorn filet mignon, and a standout brûlée cheesecake. No lunch Saturday. Sunday brunch served.
40. Radisson Hotel Cincinnati Riverfront
City: Cincinnati, OH
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (859) 491-1200
Address: 668 Fifth St., Covington
Description: For some, a culinary tour of any city must include a visit to a revolving restaurant. So be it. Riverview is our choice, not only because it offers a splendid panorama of the skyline and environs, but because the menu would move you even if the floor didn’t. Particularly worth sampling are the lamb chops, seafood medley, and—unusual for staid Cincinnati—filet of ostrich served with shallot mustard sauce.
41. The Restaurant at the Phoenix
City: Cincinnati, OH
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (513) 721-8901
Address: 812 Race Street
Description: This highly rated restaurant is a landmark and one of the most beautiful places to eat downtown. It’s a good, slightly out-of-the-way place to impress out-of-town friends or business associates without taking them to The Palace. Entrees include filet mignon, veal chop, rack of lamb, and sea bass. The Restaurant at the Phoenix serves dinner only and is closed Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.
42. Symphony Hotel
City: Cincinnati, OH
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (513) 721-3353
Address: 210 West 14th St.
Description: Opened in the former Clyde Hotel, a gracious Victorian stone mansion, this is a distinctly upscale establishment that offers five-course meals. Hours are odd—dinner is only offered on nights when there is a performance at nearby Music Hall.
43. The White House Inn
City: Cincinnati, OH
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (513) 860-1110
Address: 4940 Muhlhauser Road
Description: A huge restored farmhouse with fireplaces and a gazebo, the inn is surrounded by herb gardens and outdoor patios. The house specialty is steak Lynchburg, a strip steak studded with peppercorns and bathed in Jack Daniel’s sauce. Also excellent is the Farmhouse Duck in peach-and-cherry sauce.
44. Ambar India
City: Cincinnati, OH
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (513) 281-7000
Address: 350 Ludlow Avenue
Description: Ambar India is a perennial winner as best Indian restaurant in the seemingly endless restaurant polls conducted by the city’s newspapers and magazines. The title, however, is well deserved. Vegetarians flock to this Ludlow Avenue haunt, long known for its northern India oven dishes and exotic curries. Meat lovers will find plenty of choices too, from a savory lamb and shrimp curry to chicken tandoori.
45. Beluga
City: Cincinnati, OH
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (513) 533-4444
Address: 3520 Edwards Road
Description: Safe to say, this is the only sushi restaurant along Hyde Park Square, Cincinnati’s most upscale shopping district. But there’s actually a little bit of Asian to suit every taste: egg rolls stuffed with duck confit, Asian vegetables and pickled ginger served with mango chutney, Japanese tempura, and teriyaki. The varied menu also includes a caviar course (hence the restaurant’s moniker), jumbo Cape Cod lobster, blackened lobster pasta, Colorado lamb, and veal chops. Fusion cuisine, the melding of two or more distinct geographical eats, is definitely the approach here. Dinner only. Closed Sunday.