22 Hip Cincinnati Restaurants That Are Open on Mondays

Nicola’s

1420 Sycamore St., Over-the-Rhine
One of Cincinnati’s top, Zagat-rated restaurants, Nicola’s housemade pastas and secondi piatti are among some of the thoughtfully conceived dishes that will transport patrons to the heart of Italy in OTR. Indulge in wine-paired tasting menus, or cap off your meal with a dessert. Mondays nights are Bolo Night, with $15 tagliatelle alla bolognese and a house salad. The house bread basket will add $1.99 per person to the tab but the quality and variety of the focaccia, sliced Italian bread and crunchy breadsticks is well worth the small charge.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Bakersfield

1213 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine
Part bar, part taco joint, all classy. Bakersfield specializes in gourmet tacos (pollo rojo, pastor, huitlacoche, etc.), quality tequilas and whiskeys and hand-crafted margaritas made the old-fashioned way, not from a pre-made mix.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Sotto

118 E. Sixth St., Over-the-Rhine
Located under Boca restaurant, the Tuscan-inspired Sotto offers a more approachable atmosphere and price point than its upstairs neighbor. With multiple dining rooms, the kitchen is open to view, including the custom-made wood-fire grill in front and a fresh-pasta room in the back hallway. Menu items include handmade pasta and big-ticket dishes like Bistecca Fiorentina, a grilled creekstone porterhouse steak with daily sides. Sotto sources their bread from Blue Oven and also grows their own herbs and vegetables. Now serving lunch during the week.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Revolution Rotisserie & Bar

1106 Race St., Over-the-Rhine; 6063 Montgomery Road, Pleasant Ridge
Revolution specializes in hormone-free, preservative-free roasted Amish chicken on a number of pita sandwiches named after revolutionaries — Marie Curie, Mandela, Joan of Arc, etc. — as well as in chicken-centric house specialties, indulgent appetizers, fresh salads and traditional sides made with a twist. There is also a full drink menu with beer, wine and boozy punch.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Lalo Restaurant

709 Main St., Downtown
Lalo refers to itself as “Chino Latino” cuisine because Asia has a lot of Spanish and Latin influence. The menu is divided into tacos, burritos, tortas, rice bowls, specialty plates, soups and salads, with dishes like ceviche, a black bean quesadilla with kale and bibimbap.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Crown Republic Gastropub

720 Sycamore St., Downtown
This casual from-scratch kitchen offers up a range of inventive entrées and shareables for lunch, dinner and dessert. The menu draws on a Mediterranean influence, with clean and light flavors in dishes like duck fat hummus, Yemeni mussels and hanger steak with chimichurri.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Nation Kitchen and Bar

1200 Broadway St., Pendleton
Pendleton’s Nation Kitchen takes its name from axe-wielding Temperance warrior Carrie Nation. The laid-back eatery and bar serves a variety of top-notch burgers and tots, with a specialty monthly burger which donates a portion of its proceeds to a local cause. They also offer bottomless boozy brunches on the weekend.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

A Tavola

1220 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine; 7022 Miami Ave., Madeira
Armed with a pizza oven from Naples, Italy, A Tavola strikes a resounding chord of authenticity while redefining the perfect pie. Their playful selection of signature pizzas — such as the Fig + Prosciutto or Sausage + Sage — are a blend of the familiar coupled with the exotic. Whet your appetite with their arancini, or share a plate of housemade Tagliatelle al Ragu.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Metropole

609 Walnut St., Downtown
With a menu focused on dishes cooked in a custom-built wood-burning fireplace, the restaurant is a showcase for the area’s sustainable farmers and producers, and the menu features an ever-changing list of hearth-roasted meat and fish, along with vegetables, grains and housemade charcuterie. Offers breakfast, lunch, dinner and bar bites, including a seven-hour egg (boiled in coffee, tea and onion) and hot olives. Inventive craft cocktails feature housemade shrubs and tonic.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Nada

600 Walnut St., Downtown
Modern Mexican. The menu features herby-fresh dishes like delicious dill-garnished lobster rolls wrapped in a bibb lettuce blanket, in addition to plenty of tasty tacos, shareables and large plates, including braised chicken enchiladas. Great location next to the Aronoff Center downtown, and the patio is a big attraction when nice weather beckons.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Krueger’s Tavern

1211 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine
The menu is broken up into snacks, sandwiches, sausages, burgers, “greens” and sides. The Lincolnshire sausage is bursting with herby flavor, served over colcannon — a tart, creamy take on mashed potatoes, with wilted kale and Guinness-braised onions. The rest of the menu is equally appealing; it features a tomato pesto jar appetizer, meatball sandwich, crispy polenta and an awesome crunchy housemade veggie burger. Try their beer cocktails — beer plus booze!
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Court Street Lobster Bar

28 W. Court St., Downtown
At Court Street Lobster Bar, there is nary a bright-red shell in sight. Instead, there are several ways to enjoy tender, buttery lobster meat — in a creamy bisque or as an ingredient in poutine; as part of the decadent lobster mac and cheese; or in one of two styles of lobster rolls. The Maine roll is a chilled lobster salad with lemon mayonnaise while the Connecticut roll has warm lobster meat drizzled with hot butter.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Incline Public House

2601 W. Eighth St., Price Hill
With a 1,400-square-foot deck for soaking in vistas and cocktails, IPH’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 via Facebook.com/InclinePublicHouse

Condado Tacos

195 E. Freedom Way, The Banks
Since 2014, Condado’s build-your-own-taco concept has taken Columbus’ taco loving population by storm, starting with their first location on North High Street. Now, the creative taco joint opened shop in Cincinnati, right across from the Reds’ stadium on The Banks. They commit to the build-your-own tacos concept down to the type of tortillas. For protein, customers have several options (even ones for vegetarians!) — like housemade chorizo, Thai chili tofu, barbecue pulled jackfruit, ghost pepper-marinated steak and more.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Salazar Restaurant and Bar

1401 Republic St., Over-the-Rhine
The eponymous restaurant from chef Jose Salazar mixes old and new to create an approachable yet refined farm-inspired menu. There are creative, comfortable choices like burgers, fish and a vegetarian option. Seasonal, farm-fresh specials frequently pop up on the changing menu, as do staple favorites like the little fried oyster sandwich with kimchi, local radish sprouts and garlic mayo. The wide-ranging drink menu features thoughtful craft beers, cocktails and wines.
Photo via Facebook.com/SalazarCincinnati

Taste of Belgium

16 W. Freedom Way, The Banks; 1133 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine; 2845 Vine St., Corryville; 3825 Edward Road, Rookwood
Hot, fresh Belgian waffles are made from a thick dough and coarse Belgian beet sugar, which caramelizes on the cast iron press. Find the heavenly breakfast food topped with strawberries and cream or ricotta, or as the bread in a McWaffle sandwich (egg, gruyère and maple syrup). The crepe station prepares sweet and savory crepes, like the Nati Crepe with goetta, made fresh to order. At dinner, the sophistication goes up a notch with mussels, steak frites and Belgian specialties. Exclusive selection of Belgian beers.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Quan Hapa

1331 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine
“Hapa” is the word for a mixed-race Asian or Pacific Islander — the perfect nomenclature considering the street food-focused menu is an iteration of the best dishes and spirits from the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan and China. Their menu is delineated into sections of small plates, okonomiyaki (Japanese pancakes), noodles, ramen and bowls. Dishes are very shareable, especially the DIY salad rolls and Hapa Wings
Photo via Facebook.com/QuanHapa

Taglio

56 E. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine; 3531 Columbia Parkway, Columbia Tusculum
In Italian, “pizza al taglio” means “pizza by the slice” and this Cincinnati restaurant chain focuses on large slices of gas-fired New York-style pizza (hand-tossed, thin crust, real cheese) as well as deep dish Detroit-style pizza. They make all of their meats in-house and import the ricotta and mozzarella from Italy. Taglio recently opened an OTR location in the former Lachey's with ample seating and late-night options. They also deliver.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Mazunte Taqueria

5207 Madison Road, Madisonville
Taco fillings range from shredded pork to crispy braised chicken, and specialties include Memelitas (open-faced tortillas), corn husk tamales and corn empanadas with queso Oaxaca. It’s a refreshing and authentic culinary surprise, considering the restaurant’s location in a Madisonville strip mall. The Mazunte Mercado in the restaurant’s commissary (6216 Madison Road) serves meat by the pound, homemade salsa, dried goods and fresh produce.
Photo: Patty Salas

The Littlefield

3934 Spring Grove Ave., Northside
This Northside bourbon bar features two beautiful patios — both rooftop and ground-level — and offers an incredible food menu in addition to its cocktail menu in an artful setting. Guests can expect simply delectable dishes like the smoked pork shoulder sandwich, bourbon triple chocolate brownies or the crowd-favorite GLT (goetta, lettuce, tomato) brunch sandwich. Cocktails go creative with additions like housemade cherry bitters, balsamic vinegar and an edible hibiscus flower, plus a monthly featured drink that gives back to a neighborhood nonprofit.
Photo: Izzy Viox