36 Deliciously New (and Newish) Cincinnati Restaurants to Eat at Right Now

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Kiki

5932 Hamilton Ave., College Hill
Kiki College Hill has opened its doors after two years of planning, fundraising, pop-ups and patience. Owners Hideki and Yuko Harada have created their dream restaurant in an old corner bank at 5932 Hamilton Ave. Kiki offers two ramen choices: shio ramen, a chicken broth with pork belly, negi, a tea-marinated egg and rayu; and kimchi ramen, featuring housemade kimchi and tofu. To warm up your pre-ramen palate, try the shishito peppers crowned with fluffy shreds of parmesan cheese, or the edamame, tossed in sea salt or tare. And you could never go wrong with the gyoza, either pork or mushroom, or the curry pan, a sort of fried bread or dumpling Hideki has described as a “curry donut,” stuffed with potato, onion and carrot.
Must try: If you’re looking for punchier flavors, go with the karaage — fried chicken with an option to add bright oroshi ponzu or mellow Jordy mayo (named after sous chef Jordan Ellerhorst).
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Mazunte Centro

611 Main St., Downtown
Inspired by the vibrancy of Mexico City, Centro still serves the classics — tacos and tostadas, tequila and Topo Chico. But a handful of dishes exclusive to this location were added to the menu, namely tortas and tlayudas (imagine a love child between a Mexican pizza and a giant loaded nacho). Out-the-door-tacos for those on their lunch break and lingering evenings sipping tequila are both served with the same warm hospitality. Although folks in Mexico indulge in a leisurely meal and siesta midday and grab street tacos at night, Americans are more accustomed to working through lunch and partying after dark. Mazunte serves Mexico City food on a Cincinnati schedule
Must try: The impressive chicharrón de queso. Literally translated to “cheese cracklings,” it’s a disc of shredded cheese wrapped around a wine bottle and fried. Don’t be alarmed when a foot-tall cheese tube arrives at your table; be amazed. It’s an excellent two-for-one deal — snap some off and dip it in salsa roja or salsa verde (both if you’re bold) or crumble it over the tlayuda for an added crunch factor.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

The View at Shires’ Garden

309 Vine St., 10th Floor, Downtown
Located on the 10th floor of downtown’s City Club Apartments, this 6,000 square-foot rooftop spot features an indoor dining room, an outdoor patio, two full bars, outdoor small and group dining and cocktail tables with impeccable views. The food menu features Saturday and Sunday brunch and dinner options like mussels, whipped bone marrow over beef tenderloin tartare and entree greens.
Must try: The Nicoise with seared tuna loin with marinated tuna crudo, olive tapenade, fingerling potatoes, French green beans, deviled egg salad and green goddess pesto.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Oakley Wines

4011 Allston St., Oakley
Oakley Wines started as a boutique bottle shop just off the main drag. And then it became more than a neighborhood hang when upward of 100 people started stopping in for Friday-night wine tastings. Recently taken over by the owners of The Rhined cheese shop, the bar has been featuring a new food menu overseen by chef Lydia Jackman. Jackman focuses on “creating a multi-cultural experience where you can eat French, Italian and German-inspired dishes” paired with Oakley’s glass or bottle list.
Must try: The tomato pie, with water buffalo cheese and caper aioli. Look for additional hearty dishes this winter.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Sacred Beast

1437 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine
“Simple food. Taken seriously” is the motto of this modern diner, which feels like one of the largest restaurants in OTR. Clearly, this kitchen knows how to get the very best out of the humble egg. The “Diner Breakfast” is a truly great plate of food: Soft scrambled eggs, a short stack of ricotta pancakes topped with two strips of maple-glazed pork belly and a small grilled tomato make up this scrumptious meal. There’s also the equally delicious omelet filled with a simple combo of goat cheese and sweet peppers. The deviled eggs with pork rinds and chilies are excellent, as well. In addition to excellent eggs, the menu features options like a double cheeseburger with Dijonnaise, American cheese and a pickle on a Blue Oven bun; chicken schnitzel; and steak tartare frites; plus strong cocktails, mocktails, shots with a back and a wine by the glass.
Must try: That omelet.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Lonely Pine Steakhouse

6085 Montgomery Road, Pleasant Ridge
The casual dining destination takes a simple concept — quality food at an affordable price — and elevates it with Southwestern flair and retro decor. From Gorilla Cinema Presents, Lonely Pine is the first foray into food service for the company and is less focused on blatantly paying homage to a film, though there are clues for those on the hunt for Easter eggs. There are nods to Back to the Future hidden throughout. Steaks are dry-aged with shareable sides like au gratin potatoes. For those with a sweet tooth, there’s chess pie with chocolate, blueberries and whipped cream; a citrus creme brulee; and locally made ice cream with seasonal flavors.
Must try: The New York strip, dry-aged in house for 30 days. An aggressive sear yields a perfectly cooked medium-rare center. You can order a pad of garlic butter on the side, but the seasoning on the beef is so well applied that it’s unnecessary.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Maize

1438 Race St., Over-the-Rhine
Maize specializes in a unique fusion menu that honors traditional recipes from across Latin America, with an emphasis on Venezuelan cuisine. The restaurant takes its name from maize, a corn flour dating back some 10,000 years and first utilized by indigenous Mexicans. The flour serves as the basis for the arepas, cachapas and empanadas served at Maize and acts as an access point for the rich world of Latin American cuisine. The bright blue accents of the restaurant lend to the tropical vibe, as do the multitude of rum options on the drink menu — there are more than 30 in house.
Must try: The ceviche is perfect: plump and plentiful mahi, snapper and shrimp with diced mango, serrano pepper and lime.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

The Baker’s Table

1004 Monmouth St., Newport
This cozy brunch spot on Monmouth Street has been serving local, seasonal cuisine to the masses since December 2018. Chef and co-owner David Willocks aims to make everything in-house, including the bread, and calls it the canvas upon which the food appears. As such, the menu reads like a love letter to biscuits and brioche and sourdough sandwiches. This hip destination often has a line out the door for patrons waiting to try main courses or ever-popular options like biscuits and gravy with Eckerlin pork sausage, eggs-in-a-hole and a fried chicken sandwich. Willocks runs The Baker’s Table with his wife, Wendy Braun, a designer who created the look of the open-floor-plan restaurant to blend craftsmanship and vintage tradition. Enjoy an Amaro Spritz or a cup of coffee with friends at the namesake 25-year-old baker’s table in the back of the space. Food and culture website Eater named The Baker’s Table one of 2019’s best new restaurants in America. The restaurant just launched dinner service.
Must try:The ricotta donuts are little balls of fluffy joy with a thinly fried exterior and a generous sugar dusting. They come with strawberry lemon curd and are a perfect appetizer before your eggs or pancakes.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Karrikin Spirits Co.

3717 Jonlen Drive, Fairfax
Karrikin combines a distillery, brewery, bar and restaurant in a gigantic former warehouse located in what feels slightly like a no-man’s land of industrial buildings between Mariemont and Mount Lookout. But this distillery/brewery/restaurant operates out of a renovated warehouse, which makes for a roomy and exciting destination. The executive chef, Jared Bennett, served for six years as sous chef and then chef de cuisine at Metropole. Even inside a warehouse, you can safely expect delicious food to come out of Bennett’s kitchen. The three-page beverage menu starts with a description of the spirits made in-house, below that are house cocktails and a few mocktails featuring housemade non-alcoholic sodas and shrubs. The food options range from wood-fired steaks and pasta to seafood and more.
Must try: The roasted cauliflower: creamy, roasted cauliflower with crunchy wild rice in a savory quince vinaigrette sauce.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Ripple Wine Bar

4 W. Pike St., Covington
Ripple Wine Bar is one of those sweet little spots that hits all the right notes: good wine, lots of it, paired with good food. The bar offers 40 varietals by the glass or half glass, bottle or half bottle and also does a half-bottle happy hour for gun-shy consumers or folks dining solo. The menu’s overall vibe is laid-back — a true “California kitchen,” with wine-friendly food that is seasonally inspired. Look for items like choose-your-own charcuterie with Urban Stead cheese, a butternut squash salad and beef wellington popovers.
Must try: The beef wellington popovers. The juicy little pastry packets are stuffed with beef and surrounded by a mushroom duxelle, with a pert tarragon aioli to balance the meatiness. Chef Will Smith goes through about 25 pounds of short rib a week to create the popovers, braising “the crap out of it” in red wine, garlic and shallots until it’s fork tender.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Libby’s Southern Comfort

35 W. Eighth St., Covington
There’s no denying that the folks behind Libby’s Southern Comfort have impressive bona fides in the poultry arts. The owners of this entry into Covington’s flourishing restaurant scene claim not just a family history of chicken expertise but a professional one to boot, with a lineage going back decades. Butch Wainscott owns the Greyhound Tavern in Fort Mitchell, which has maintained a reputation for exceptional chicken dinners throughout the 30-plus years that he’s been at the helm. This year, his son, Brad, fired up the fat in Covington and opened Libby’s, which pays tribute Southern classics with a Charleston slant. Appetizers include fried green tomatoes and goetta hush puppies and mains range from an oyster po’ boy and a pork belly BLT to a plate of fried oysters, a decadent open-faced sandwich called Charlie Brown, meatloaf and shrimp and grits. Look for a full menu of bourbon drinks and desserts like oatmeal cream pies.
Must try: Chicken dinners keep tradition alive here. You must try the fried chicken.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

HighGrain Brewing Co.

6860 Plainfield Road, Silverton
Located in the former Silverton Memorial Municipal Building, HighGrain Brewing features “old-world styles with a modern twist,” like their Switch oatmeal stout with chocolate, coffee and nuts, and the Monarch IPA, with Citra and Idaho Gem hops. The food menu from their in-house chef includes options for vegetarians, meat-eaters and kids. With a focus on sustainability, the brewery is also 100-percent powered by wind, and at least one beer is carbon neutral.
Must try:The food menu at HighGrain ranges from tofu tenders with maple mustard and watermelon panzanella to barramundi with plantain salsa, a bologna sandwich with fried egg and biscuits made with spent grain from the brewery.
Photo: Sean M. Peters

Mikey’s Late Night Slice

2014 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine
Mikey’s is known for its giant, foldable pizza slices and drunk-friendly menu items like the Pizza Dog — a hot dog stuffed with pepperoni and cheese, which is then wrapped in a slice of pizza — and the Cheezus Crust and Baby Cheezus, which is American cheese melted on top of two slices of pizza and pressed together into a sandwich. This pizza joint also shares a space with Oddfellows Liquor Bar.
Must try: A Spicy-Ass piece of pepperoni pizza with Sriracha, banana peppers and red pepper flakes.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Mom ‘n ‘em

3128 Colerain Ave., Camp Washington
Located in a former 1890s home, Mom ‘n ‘em acts as a third place, with a diverse offering of wines and coffee, tinned fish varieties, cheeses, cured meats, pastries from North South Baking, the “Dirty Nati” Egg Samich and more, including toasties. Mom ‘n ‘em also has a full liquor license with cocktails like a classic negroni and Manhattan, and a smart selection of beer in their cooler. Friday night wine flights are $5, and family-style Bistro Night dinners are on the horizon as well.
Must try: The anchovy toastie comes on thick slices of local Allez country loaf, generously swiped with homemade salsa verde, atop which rest silver strips of previously-tinned anchovies, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and doused with a sprinkling of aleppo.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Social OTR

1819 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine
A nonprofit venture owned by the Corporation for Findlay Market, Social OTR not only nails its ambitious New American menu but also aims to fill a multitude of societal and business needs in our community. Social OTR “teaches people looking for employment the necessary skills to get restaurant jobs” in partnership with CityLink, a faith-based nonprofit organization that works on multiple fronts to combat poverty. The restaurant actually is a two-in-one, with a front eatery and back bar featuring different decor and service styles but the same menu: about eight “Snacks,” 10 to 11 “Small Plates” and just two “Large Plates.” And libations shine brightly. Whether you prefer tequila, rye, gin or any other spirit, the house cocktail list has you covered.
Must try: A piping-hot and generous portion of pappardelle pasta. Its mushroom herb sauce is extra delicious with butter-poached wild mushrooms and ramps, goat cheese, English peas and crispy kale.
Photo: Social OTR

Station Family & BBQ

400 Wyoming Ave, Wyoming
This new barbecue joint opened its doors to a hungry line of customers who, after their first bite of Station’s Cincinnati sausage and smoked chicken wings, were sure to be loyal repeat customers. There’s a separate dining area with table service and an indoor walk-up window that’s a bit more casual, so the kids can run around while you eat. Get a few entrees per diner since their protein options like pork butt and brisket are a bit conservatively portioned, but damn tasty.
Must try: Proteins are smoked on-site and range from Cincinnati sausage to brisket, pulled pork and salmon available naked (by the quarter pound) or as a platter, served with two sides. Try the namesake Cincinnati sausage with your choice of sauce — classic barbecue, Alabama white or South or North Carolina.
Photo: Provided by Station Family & BBQ

Tortilleria Garcia

5917 Hamilton Ave., College Hill; 11774 Springfield Pike, Springdale
Omar Garcia grew up on a family farm in Michoacan, Mexico and learned how to make corn tortillas the old-fashioned way from his mother and grandmother. Garcia has committed to honoring his family’s culinary history and his restaurants uncompromisingly follow the family recipe for fresh tortillas — never using flour or preservatives. Garcia’s menu consists of straightforward Mexican classics like tamales, burritos, housemade salsas and rotisserie chicken, in addition to tacos, plus his classic tortilla shells are available in two-pound packs so you can make your own inspired creations at home.
Must try: Tamales. Made with the same masa as the tortillas and wrapped in corn husks, tamales are extremely portable and make an excellent take-out option. The spicy carnitas tamales with hot salsa are a perfect marriage of flavor and texture (just make sure your body is ready for some serious heat), while the pollo tamales with verde salsa are ideal for picky eaters — simple, straightforward.
Photo: Paige Deglow

LouVino Restaurant & Wine Bar

1142 Main St., Over-the-Rhine.
Take your taste buds on a journey from the marigold-lined pathways of Chateau Guiraud in France to the Alps-framed Castelfeder winery in northern Italy — all while dining at LouVino in Over-the-Rhine. The concept restaurant on Main Street offers 60 wines by the glass as well as small plates inspired by Southern cuisine. Ingredients are sourced as locally as possible and standout dishes include a Brussels sprouts salad, beef sliders and loaded potato tots. Brunchers: Louvino serves cheap mimosas on Saturdays and Sundays plus foodie items like pancake tacos, stuffed French toast and chicken biscuit sliders. A portion of the menu changes once per quarter, so guests can expect something new.
Must try: It would be a grave mistake to pass up the potato tots. You get eight fried balls that are crunchy on the outside and the consistency of cheesy mashed potatoes on the inside.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Zundo Ramen & Donburi

220 W. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine, zundootr.com
You’ve probably been eating ramen the wrong way as long as you’ve been eating it. But before you panic, it’s OK. Ramen is fast food in Japan and embodying the concept of swift satisfaction is something at which Zundo excels. Zundo, which means “big pot” in Japanese, has a small but fierce menu comprising four ramens with different broths, 10 donburis, a thoughtful smattering of appetizers and a few desserts. Zundo’s traditional tonkatsu broth takes 14 hours; they also offer miso pork broth and a vegetarian version. Before slurping, you want the doily-like slices of lotus root to mingle with the strips of pork belly, the rim of red miso paste and the jammy-centered soft-boiled egg and the sprinkling of chopped green onions to take a bath in the bottom of the broth. Slurp. Repeat until done. You have two to three minutes to complete your mission.
Must try: The piece de resistance of the ramen menu is the insider’s version: order the vegetarian miso ramen, request it spicy and add an egg and pork belly. It’s a Frankenstein’s monster of all the other ramens, dragging in each of the best bits of the others and leaving your stomach in a state of near-bliss.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger