27 Essential Suburban Cincinnati Restaurants You Should Have Visited By Now

Two Cities Pizza

202 W. Main St., Mason
New York City and Chicago are well-known for several things. But most importantly, each city is known for a particular style of pizza. New York pizza is hand-tossed with thin, wide slices and deliciously greasy cheese. Chicago style? You’re talking deep dish — a super thick round pie covered in chunky tomato sauce with a crunchy, flaky pan crust. Now, you don’t have to travel further than Mason to get a taste of both. Two Cities Pizza Company, a dining destination housed in Mason’s former city hall — with a bit of an Art Deco nightclub rebrand — closes the chasm between the dueling pizza metropolises. Go classic and grab a deep-dish Windy City with sausage, onion, green pepper and chunky tomato; and the Marathoner NYC-style margherita. In addition to pizza, they offer tempting best-of-both-worlds street food from each city, like a Chicago dog with all the fixings (no ketchup; add celery salt) or a New York dog with brown mustard and sauerkraut.
Photo via Facebook.com/TwoCitiesPizza

Joe’s Pizza Napoli

507 Chamber Drive, Milford
Tucked away in the Cincinnati suburbs, Joe’s Pizza Napoli reaffirms faith in the Old World — in the value of utilizing traditional methods to prepare a meal — and it is a worth-the-drive dining destination no matter where you live in the city. Naples has strict guidelines for how pizza is made in their traditional style — 100-percent wood fired, certain ingredients, certain procedures. The characteristics of Neapolitan pizza include hand-crushed San Marzano tomatoes; mozzarella cheese; a dough comprised of water, fresh yeast, flour (Caputo, a very fine 00 grit in this case); and salt. The hydration level on Joe’s pizza is about 60 percent. Everything is made fresh every day and owner Joe Nunner is proud not to have a freezer or a microwave anywhere in the kitchen. Along with his masterful pizzas (both red and white varieties), there are green salads, calzones, meatballs and cannelloni.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Ando Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar

5889 Pfeiffer Road, Blue Ash
These days, it’s easy to find sushi in virtually any retail situation, be it a grocery store or large gas station, and in some of the higher-end joints, it can actually be quite palatable. But if you’ve always wanted to know what the best stuff is supposed to look and taste like, you owe it to yourself to experience sushi prepared by a master. Chef Ken Ando and his wife, Keiko, have been welcoming guests to Ando Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar in Blue Ash since 1998, where Ken prepares traditional Japanese cuisine accompanied by the couple’s daughter, Chiaki. The dining room includes a 10-seat sushi bar, which is the perfect place to watch Ken work his magic on the freshest of fish, sourced directly from Japan and Taiwan.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Ferrari’s Little Italy and Bakery

7677 Goff Terrace, Madeira
Boasting authentic Italian cuisine, Ferrari’s Little Italy and Bakery serves heaping servings of antipasti, pasta, pizza, panini and more atop red-and-white checkered tablecloths. Pair your plate with an affordable bottle of vino (both Italian and domestic) and never leave empty-handed: Ferrari’s is home to its own deli and bakery, so you can take meats, cheeses and boxes and boxes of cannoli home with you.
Photo via Facebook.com/FerrarisLittleItaly

Tortilleria Garcia

11774 Springfield Pike, Springdale; 5917 Hamilton Ave., College Hill
Tortilleria Garcia will change everything you think you know about tacos. One might assume that the highlight of a taco is the protein or the salsa, but once you take a bite of a fresh corn tortilla made by restaurant owner Omar Garcia and his team, you’ll come to understand that — if made with respect for tradition and natural ingredients — what was once a mere vessel for taco fillings is now the centerpiece of the meal. Menu options here run the gamut from tamales, nachos and burritos to tacos, rotisserie chicken and fresh corn tortillas by the pack. (Note to self: Taco Tuesdays offer $1 tacos, less than half the standard price.) Recipes are inspired by those of Garcia’s mother and grandmother and the Mexican family farm where they grew corn when he was a child.
Photo: Paige Deglow

Brown Dog Cafe

1000 Summit Place, Blue Ash
Located in Summit Park, this sustainable and seasonal New American eatery features an ever-changing menu of fish, steaks, wild game, unique appetizers, vegetarian dishes, homemade pastas and desserts.
Photo via Facebook.com/TheBrownDogCafe

BrewRiver Creole Kitchen

4632 Eastern Ave., Linwood
Hearing a Boogie-Woogie tune on the piano while sipping a craft cocktail on a brightly furnished patio with a magnolia tree in view — you wouldn’t even have to squint to think you were in New Orleans. The atmosphere and cuisine at BrewRiver Creole Kitchen brings the spirit of the Crescent City to Cincinnati in a stately 150-year-old building on Eastern Avenue. From 2011 until 2018, owner Joby Bowman and chef Michael Shields ran BrewRiver GastroPub on nearby Riverside Drive before deciding to branch out to a 200-seat restaurant with a 35-seat patio. Shields, who earned his chops under Emeril Lagasse, has added new items to the menu — broiled oysters, fried green tomatoes with a pecan cornmeal crust and bread pudding for dessert — but kept his focus on Creole cuisine. Try the Pasta Monica, which is inspired by the wildly popular Crawfish Monica from New Orleans Jazz Fest. The plump shrimp are generously coated in a Creole cream sauce, which manages to pack a major flavor punch without burning one’s tongue off.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

S.W. Clybourne Co.

5948 Snider Road, Mason
Helmed by executive chef Mark Bodenstein, formerly of Piccolo Casa and Nuvo at Greenup, S.W. Clyborne Co. offers its provisions and spirits in a lineup of New-American-meets-Italian-meets-Southern dishes: fried chicken with macaroni and cheese, sweet corn and tomato carbonara, Queen City poutine, etc. But we’re here for the veggie burger. The mushroom lentil burger is a housemade patty crafted with roasted mushrooms and black beluga lentils, topped with lettuce, pickled onions, avocado and Sriracha aioli on a toasted potato bun.
Photo: Facebook.com/Clybornes

Carlo and Johnny

9769 Montgomery Road, Montgomery
This is a Jeff Ruby restaurant, so you know the emphasis is on big dry-aged steaks and red meat. But you’ll also find a respectable raw bar and some tasty sushi, as well as wood-grilled Atlantic salmon and more. Leave room for dessert: The choices are as decadent as everything else in this place. The highly stylized “1930s gangster steakhouse” has three separate dining rooms: the Emerald, the Ivory and the Grill. They’re all great places to see and be seen, so keep an eye peeled for local celebs and Cincinnati movers and shakers in a carnivorous mood.
Photo via Facebook.com/JeffRubysCarloAndJohnny

CWC the Restaurant

1517 Springfield Pike, Wyoming
To borrow from the tagline for the original Disneyland in California, CWC the Restaurant might just be the friendliest place on Earth — or at least in Cincinnati. CWC, from Cooking with Caitlin chef Caitlin Steininger’s longtime catering business, opened on Springfield Pike in a building that used to be a carwash. The menu isn’t extensive, with “shareables” or “starters” — just about everyone orders homemade baby biscuits with tomato jam and corn butter — and a half-dozen “Mains,” like the Char Cheddar Burger covered in a housemade cheese sauce. Dessert is a strong suit here. The restaurant is only open for dinner on Friday and Saturday and brunch on Sunday. Go for brunch and order the Breakfast Nachos, which everyone raves about. Chips come topped with charred tomato-chipotle salsa, homemade queso, crumbled goetta and fried egg.
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 new Overlook Kitchen + Bar at Madisonville’s The Summit hotel. From crab salad with spring peas and asparagus soup to ribeye steak and scallops, the chef deserves attention and praise for the delightful fare created at Overlook.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

The Birch

702 Indian Hill Road, Terrace Park
Located in Terrace Park and owned and operated by a Terrace Park family, The Birch is smartly charming and sweetly nice in its style and menu. But to assume that the restaurant is just for those in the surrounding ’burbs would be selling both it and yourself short. Their Sunday brunch is a prime (and tasty) example of what they set out to do — serve quality dishes in a sharp yet inviting environment, one that is fit for both young and old alike. Brunch offerings include steel-cut oats with apples, cinnamon and brown sugar; baked French toast with orange butter; and even steak and eggs with grilled ciabatta and mixed greens or roasted breakfast potatoes. Everything about the menu is inviting and familiar, indulgent and worthwhile, making the visit feel as fresh and fun as The Birch’s bright green front door. Try the crab cake benedict. This dish comes with two pan-seared crab cakes topped with avocado relish, poached egg and chipotle hollandaise. There is an option to just order half, but don’t.
Photo via Facebook.com/TheBirchTP

20 Brix

101 Main St., Milford
Located in historic downtown Milford, 20 Brix brings a subtle French flair to new American and Southern cooking, all with seasonal and locally-sourced ingredients. Start with lamb meatballs with romesco sauce and goat cheese fonduta or Brussels sprouts doused in sesame honey mustard before diving into a plate of shrimp and grits, orecchiette pasta or steak frites. With over 200 wines available in-house (and in the attached retail store), 20 Brix offers over 100 pours by the glass. Stop by during happy hour (3-6 p.m. Monday-Friday) for $10 bottles and $3 off select appetizers.

Photo via Facebook.com/20Brix

Green Papaya

4002 Plainville Road, Mariemont; 2942 Wasson Road, Hyde Park
If you’re a Thai food fan, this mainstay — locally owned by a Bangkok-born husband and wife — focuses on unique sushi rolls, curries and noodle dishes. Must try: The namesake Green Papaya roll with shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, mango and cream cheese, topped with spicy mayo, crab stick and tempura flakes.
Photo via Green Papaya Facebook

Greyhound Tavern

2500 Dixie Highway, Fort Mitchell
The Greyhound Tavern has offered down-home comfort food to Northern Kentuckians since the 1920s. The atmosphere is pleasantly country-fied, with wood paneling, vinyl tablecloths and multiple fireplaces, and so is the menu. The tavern is known for its herbed secret-recipe fried chicken, available daily with family-style specials on Mondays and Tuesdays and a starring role on the Sunday brunch buffet, which also features a carving station, casseroles, goetta, biscuits, mashed potatoes and other hearty fare. Must try: A classic Kentucky Hot Brown. Get country ham or oven-roasted turkey on toast points, topped with cheesy mornay sauce, cheddar cheese, bacon and tomato.
Photo via Facebook.com/GreyhoundTavern

Montgomery Inn

9440 Montgomery Road, Montgomery; 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, salmon, pulled-pork sandwiches, burgers, salads and more, including everyone’s favorite: Saratoga chips served with the Inn’s famous barbecue sauce.
Photo: Provided

Cozy’s Cafe & Pub

6440 Cincinnati Dayton Road, Liberty Township
Anyone who has wandered up to Liberty Township to this adorable little house of a bistro knows that the decor alone is worth it, but the food is also magical. You’d be set with just the bacon-filled apple cinnamon roll, but why stop there? Chow down on a short rib skillet full of crispy potatoes, onions and peppers, or munch on miso sea bass with baby bok choy and tumeric rice. Settle in and stay a while — their back patio has lawn games and occasionally hosts live music, so there’s no need to leave.
Photo: CityBeat Archive

The National Exemplar

6880 Wooster Pike, Mariemont
A pillar of the Mariemont community for more than 25 years, The National Exemplar offers familiar menu favorites to its loyal supper club patrons. A full menu with breakfast, lunch and dinner selections, expect to find predictable presentations of classic American fare. Shrimp cocktail, Maytag blue cheese with marinated olives, prime rib and a hearty Tom Collins will resonate with the local Mad Men. Imbued with lots of character and history, located in the historic Mariemont Inn and constructed in the mid-1920s as part of the unique Mariemont community. Good service and a crowd of loyal regulars give this place the feel of a well-loved club.
Photo: Provided

Phoenician Taverna

7944 Mason Montgomery Road, Mason
Phoenician Taverna serves up superb, authentic Lebanese food in a Mason strip mall. Owned by Wassim Matar, the restaurant has established a glittering reputation in its half-dozen years of operation, recently turning up on local top 10 lists with downtown and Over-the-Rhine establishments helmed by famed chefs with names like “Salazar,” “Falk” and “de Cavel.” The menu lists less than a dozen main dishes, everything from fatteh bel — “a traditional yogurt dish with chicken, lamb or eggplant” served in layers with chickpeas, warm yogurt garlic sauce and sautéed pine nuts — to a simple kebab of meat chunks and vegetables over rice. Appetizers, or “mezza” on the menu, are listed in three sections: cold mezza vegetarian, hot mezza vegetarian and not vegetarian.The hot mezza vegetarian list offers mouth-watering items such as a cheese pie and a spinach pie (fatayer b’sbanigh in Lebanese), described as homemade dough filled with spinach, pine nuts and sumac onions in lemon and extra virgin olive oil. Mr. Matar, would you consider opening a second location in the city?
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Station Family + BBQ

400 Wyoming Ave., Wyoming
The team behind Wyoming’s CWC the Restaurant — chef Caitlin Steininger, her sister and front of house Kelly Trush and their business partner Karen Klaus — expanded their empire with a second neighborhood eatery. The food menu, created by Steininger, features five main proteins smoked on site, plus seasonal sides and desserts. The menu lists proteins from Cincinnati sausage to brisket, pulled pork and salmon available naked (by the quarter pound) or as a platter ($8.50-$12.50), served with two sides. Sides include macaroni and cheese, homemade apple sauce, braised greens and caramelized onion gratin. The building that houses the eatery, well known in Wyoming as the former Sturkey’s restaurant, has been completely renovated. Guests can get traditional table service in the old Sturkey’s bar area — which they did keep — or move to the dining room for a more casual, modern take where you can walk up, order and then have a seat at a communal table to wait for your food to arrive. Or head to the game room for ping-pong, shuffle board or wall games.
Photo via Facebook.com/CincyStation