21 Cincinnati Restaurants with Gorgeous Scenic Views

Incline Public House

2601 W. Eighth St., Price Hill
With a 1,400-square-foot deck for soaking in vistas and cocktails, this eatery boasts some spectacular views of the Queen City. The Incline Public House’s name is derived from the actual Cincinnati Incline that existed there from the late 1800s to the 1940s. Their upscale twist on pub food features sandwiches, salads, epicurean appetizers and a slew of craft cocktails and draft beers. Build your own pizza with toppings ranging from pepperoni and prosciutto to fried egg and oven-roasted tomato.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

The View at Shires' Gardens

309 Vine St., Downtown
The View at Shires’ Garden is on the 10th floor of the City Club Apartments and offers views of the riverfront and the surrounding cityscape. This new rooftop spot features an indoor dining room, an outdoor patio and a private event lounge with a bar, cigar patio, baby grand piano and fire-lit tables. The décor mixes modern furnishings with the style of the original Shires’ Gardens from the 19th century — a historic Queen City amusement resort of sorts in this same spot at Vine and Third streets.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Krueger's Tavern

1211 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine
The restaurant’s upstairs patio offers a birds’-eye view of the action on Vine Street, plus Krueger’s full menu. Try their veggie burger — it’s the best in the city. But if you’re looking to drink your dinner, opt for a shareable pitcher like the Gin and Juice, with house-infused bathtub gin, fresh-squeezed orange juice and West Sixth Brewing Lemongrass wheat beer.
Photo: Kellie Coleman

AC Upper Deck

135 Joe Nuxhall Way, Downtown
On top of the AC Hotel at the Banks, the Upper Deck boasts excellent views of the riverfront and Great American Ball Park. Lounge under string lights while gorging on Grand Slam Nachos and sipping a local craft beer.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Commonwealth Bistro

621 Main St., Covington
Commonwealth’s beautiful rooftop patio is perched right above Covington’s MainStrasse, making it a relaxing destination for a tasty, Southern-inspired meal while you watch the hustle and bustle below.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Eighteen at the Radisson

668 W. Fifth St., Covington
As Cincinnati’s only revolving steakhouse, you can enjoy a rotating 360-degree view of both sides of the river’s unique city skylines from the hotel’s 18th floor. The restaurant interior moves just fast enough to register with your eyes if you stare, but too slowly to notice at a glance — it takes an hour to make a full rotation and it’s not the entire top of the building that moves, just the restaurant floor.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Top of the Park at The Phelps

506 E. Fourth St., Downtown
On the roof of the downtown Marriott hotel, catch 360-degree views of the city and the river from its vantage point at the base of Lytle Park. Amenities include tabletop fire features, TVs and live music, plus a tapas menu with snack options like sliders, charcuterie and chocolate churros.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Ludlow Bromley Yacht Club

860 Elm St., Ludlow
With a giant shark figurine impaled on the sign, this bar and marina has a definite laid-back island humor — and cheap drinks. People might go for the irony, the river views and glowing palm trees, but they stay for the grill-your-own-steaks, live music and tiki drinks served in Styrofoam cups.
Photo: Phil Heidenreich

Chart House

405 Riverboat Row, Newport
This riverside upscale chain restaurant serves steak and seafood with New England, Caribbean and Southern influences. Start with a steaming bowl of creamy clam chowder, a succulent shrimp cocktail or beautifully seared ahi tuna. Massive windows offering a panoramic view of the bridges straddling the Ohio give this dining room an upscale feel. Even better is the view from the patio.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Overlook Kitchen + Bar

5345 Medpace Way, Madisonville
Foodies, take note: a lot of excellent food is coming out of the kitchen division of the Overlook Kitchen + Bar at Madisonville’s The Summit hotel. The fourth-floor dining facilities, which include a separate space open only for breakfast and lunch, also features a large patio.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Cancun Bar & Grill Riverfront

401 Riverboat Row, Newport
Popular local Mexican chain Cancun Restaurant & Bar recently opened up shop in the space where Don Pablo’s was formerly located. The eatery serves its usual classics and has a spacious, plant-filled patio to soak in the beautiful city views. They typically offer food and drink specials throughout the week as well as live music.
Photo: Facebook.com/CancunRiverFront

Aster on Fourth

8 E. Fourth St., Downtown
This social sippery is a casual cocktail space above the downtown location of Sleepy Bee Cafe. The beverage director and Bee chefs worked together to create a menu that brought "the farm to the cocktail world." Tapping into the latest trend in mixology, there's also a smattering of non-alcoholic and low ABV cocktails that go beyond soda and virgin mixed drinks to accommodate everyone in your party. Socials — carafes of drinks for sharing with friends old and new — are perfect when imbibed on the rooftop patio. The bar also offers sharable bites like burrata, ember oil hummus, cheese, charcuterie and more.
Photo: Facebook.com/AsterOnFourth

Lisse

530 Main St., Covington
A Dutch-inspired steakhuis. Start with smoked whitefish pate or bitterballen, a mixture of ground meat, rolled in panko breadcrumbs and then deep fried. For dinner, move to the coast with Faroe Island salmon, or the farm, with a Dutch filet — a barrel-cut filet grilled à la plancha, seasoned with salt and pepper and served over hutspot cake. The third-floor Rooftop Lounge offers excellent city views.
Photo: Lindsay McCarty

Via Vite

520 Vine St., Downtown
Via Vite showcases chef Cristian Pietoso’s casual take on Northern Italian cuisine in the good ole’ Queen City. The view overlooks Fountain Square and their rooftop patio is the perfect escape to people watch. Crispy, stone-fired pizzas and hearty pastas hearken to the motherland, while entrées like 12-hour braised lamb shank with white polenta and rosemary lead the diner on an Italian journey. Classic Italian cocktails like a Negroni and Aperol Spritz are a clever accompaniment to a collection of Italian (and California) wines.
Photo: Facebook.com/ViaVite

Montgomery Inn Boathouse

925 Riverside Drive, Downtown
World-famous for its ribs, Montgomery Inn has been a staple in Cincinnati for more than 60 years. Along with ribs, the Inn offers barbecued spring chicken, silver salmon, pulled-pork sandwiches, burgers, salads and more, including everyone’s favorite: Saratoga chips served with their famous barbecue sauce. The restaurant also offers a stunning view of the water and the city skyline.
Photo: Paige Deglow

Brothers Bar & Grill

1 Levee Way, Newport
With a patio that overlooks the river, Brothers is the spot that offers daily drink specials and fried bar bites. TVs playing sports and UFC to watch while imbibing pitchers of Long Islands in five different flavors: red, blue, orange, green and purple make Brothers the ultimate drink-your-worries-away bar.
Photo: Facebook.com/BrothersBarandGrillNewport

Buckhead Mountain Grill

35 Fairfield Ave., Bellevue
Facing the Cincinnati skyline, Buckhead Mountain Grill has a view that is hard to beat. The menu is easy on the eyes, too, with chicken pot pie, bourbon butter ribeye and a steak and rib combo. This all-American eatery has charm with a view.
Photo: Facebook.com/BuckheadBellevue

Gaslight Bar & Grill

351 Ludlow Ave., Clifton
The Gaslight Bar & Grill is located in the old Clifton branch of the public library. It serves lunch and dinner six days a week, includes an expansive bar with a dozen seats and Clifton’s first rooftop patio.
Photo: Facebook.com/GaslightBarandGrillClifton

Moerlein Lager House

115 Joe Nuxhall Way, Downtown
The Moerlein Lager House celebrates Cincinnati’s brewing tradition in a giant restaurant and brewery with sweeping views of downtown and the riverfront. The large something-for-everyone menu serves burgers and pastas, plus fancier dishes like filet mignon and squash wellington. With 24 beers on tap — house brews and other crafts — plus more than 60 in bottles and cans, there’s a drink for every taste.
Photo: Facebook.com/MoerleinLagerHouse