The 25 Top New Restaurants to Open in Cincinnati in 2019

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.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Fausto

44 E. Sixth St., Downtown
Fausto, a new restaurant in the lobby of the Contemporary Arts Center which opened over the summer, is the latest offering from the Ferrari brothers — Tony and Austin — and their expanding local food service empire. The menu is contemporary and upbeat and feels like the culinary equivalent of the light that streams into Fausto’s seating area through the CAC’s massive panes of glass. A heightened brunch, lunch or dinner experience, for sure — not many places are serving trout roe on potatoes — but one that safely resists pretension. Tony describes the food as “California cuisine” with splashes of citrus and extra-virgin olive oil, not full of fat or butter. Breakfast features several egg and toast options, daily pastries and that aforementioned trout roe. The lunch menu has plenty of light and crisp salads and sandwiches. But dinner offerings feel more involved. There is a three-course selection for $39, or several individual entrees (called “attractions” on their menu), appetizers (“beginnings”), pastas and desserts (“endings”).
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Goose & Elder

1800 Race St., Over-the-Rhine
Located across from historic Findlay Market, Goose & Elder is local chef and restaurateur Jose Salazar’s comfort food eatery. Opened over the summer, the restaurant is described as “mid century grandma,” sourcing colors and patterns that evoke a sense of the 1970s and ’80s. The restaurant offers a menu of American comfort food ranging from traditional dishes to new takes on classics. Both approachable and affordable, no menu item exceeds $20. Dishes include a grain bowl, chicken schnitzel, roasted bone marrow and baked mac and cheese.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Losanti

1401 Race St., Over-the-Rhine
The boutique steakhouse from the team behind downtown’s Crown Republic Gastropub took over the former Anchor-OTR space. Its name is a reference to the original Cincinnati settlement of Losantiville, which dates back to 1788. The steakhouse opened in the fall and has revamped the space to offer a non-traditional take on the typical white-tablecloth concept, featuring casual seating arrangements for diners, a bar and a patio that overlooks Washington Park and Music Hall.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Kiki

5932 Hamilton Ave., College Hill
Chef Hideki Harada, former co-owner and chef at Kaze OTR, and his wife, Yuko, opened Japanese gastropub Kiki in College Hill on Aug. 28 with popular pop-ups at Northside Yacht Club leading up to the opening, as a way to test potential menu items. The menu ranges from ramens to sharable bites like vegetable fritters with curry salt.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Lonely Pine Steakhouse

6085 Montgomery Road, Pleasant Ridge
Opened in spring of 2019, 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, like their popular themed bars are. But there are clues for those on the hunt for Easter eggs — look for nods to Back to the Future hidden throughout. Steaks are dry-aged with shareable sides like fingerling potatoes. For those with a sweet tooth, there’s a pecan brownie with bourbon salted caramel and locally made ice cream with seasonal flavors.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

HighGrain Brewing Company

6860 Plainfield Road, Silverton
HighGrain offers a wide range of beer styles, brewed by Matthew Utter, a former head brewer for Christian Moerlein. Utter, who lived in Germany for a decade, takes notable inspiration from the country’s beers. The food menu at HighGrain ranges from tofu tenders with maple mustard to barramundi with plantain salsa and even a bologna sandwich with fried egg. It is a destination for the entire family, with a fenced-in biergarten, a kids food menu and ample parking.
Photo: Sean M. Peters

Delwood

3204 Linwood Ave., Mount Lookout
Nestled at the intersection of Delta and Linwood avenues in Mount Lookout Square, Delwood is a family- and dog-friendly neighborhood eatery that opened in the spring. Inspired by Latin American cuisine, the small space turns out dishes with flair like the Delwood Burger with salsa criolla, avocado and Peruvian huancaina sauce. There are also yuca fries, tostones and chicken tenders with spicy aji amarillo Peruvian pepper sauce. Keep an eye on the drink menu for an equally transportive experience with options running the gamut from a caipirinha and pisco sour to a paloma.
Photo: Brittany Thornton

Yonder

621 Main St., Second Floor, Covington
Inspired by owners Chris and Tess Burns’ love of Kentucky State Parks, this seasonal bar concept opened over the summer by the folks behind Covington’s Commonwealth Bistro features a chic treehouse-esque rooftop bar with a small rotating menu and craft cocktails. The bar menu features a variety of both alcoholic and spirit-free cocktails. Yonder’s culinary menu rotates on a weekly basis. Like Commonwealth, Yonder’s chefs and bartenders use direct-from-the-farm ingredients, but the bar’s more flexible approach lets them use unique items that come in small quantities, which are perfect for an appetizer that only sticks around for a week but couldn’t be worked into the main restaurant’s menu. Past dishes have ranged from Oysters Rockabilly to wagyu beef jerky made in house. The breezy, plant-filled bar holds approximately 30 guests and features cozy, communal bench seating, hanging rattan chairs and five seats along the bar.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

The Baker’s Table

1004 Monmouth St., Newport
The Baker’s Table is a Newport bakery and restaurant that opened last winter. The eatery is owned by married couple Dave Willocks and his wife Wendy. Brunch is offered Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. which currently includes appetizers like upscale salad, potato and donut dishes, mains like sweet potato hash and different egg and chicken sandwich options. Sweets and sides are also offered. They recently began dinner service.
Photo via Facebook.com/BakersTableNewport

Toast & Berry

9856 Montgomery Road, Montgomery
This made-from-scratch eatery opened last winter in Montgomery. The menu offers a variety of breakfast and lunch options, ranging from smoked salmon BLT to French toasts and egg benedicts. They also have sharable options like the jam sampler and huevos nachos.
Photo via Facebook/ToastAndBerry

Wódka Bar

1200 Main St., Over-the-Rhine
From the team behind cult-favorite Babushka Pierogies, Wódka Bar carries an ambitious selection of vodkas, stocking upward of 60 types including many Russian, Polish and Ukrainian brands that are lesser known in the United States. It also offers a streamlined Eastern European-inspired menu of bites ranging from pierogies to a Polish sausage sandwich or stuffed cabbage roll. Inside the intimate space, patrons will be enveloped by deep Prussian blues and rich golds, luxe velvet upholstery and distressed plaster walls, elegant wood paneling and all the intricacies of Eastern Orthodox architecture. The restaurant/bar opened its doors this summer.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Social OTR

1819 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine
Opened in winter of 2019, Social OTR features an ambitious New American menu and two spaces: a front dining room and a cozy back bar with an entrance from the alley. The dinner menu consists of “snacks” and “shareables” such as mussels and pork belly. There is a drink list that’s almost longer than the food offerings. Whether you prefer tequila, rye, gin or any other spirit, the house cocktails have you covered. The nonprofit restaurant also aims to fill a multitude of societal and business needs in the community through its workforce development program.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Branch

1535 Madison Road, East Walnut Hills
The Littlefield Restaurant Group rehabbed a historic Art Deco Bank in East Walnut Hills to create the aptly named restaurant Branch and adjacent downstairs bar Night Drop. Branch is a much more ambitious venture both in food, service and ambiance, although we can thank chef Shoshannah Anderson for creating the delicious menus for both places. Dinner choices are presented in two columns — “Shares” and “Stocks,” a play on the building’s history. The kitchen has Asian and Mediterranean influences, serving up dishes like black garlic ribs with sesame and fennel-apple slaw, chili-smoked wings with chimichurri and a peanut lemongrass smoked tofu on sesame noodles with a baby bok choy salad. In addition to dinner, Branch serves a weekend brunch menu that is fantastic.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Fiery Hen

26 W. Court St., Downtown
From the team behind Court Street Lobster Bar comes this Southern-style hot chicken eatery. Opened in the winter, the eatery features Nashville hot chicken sandwiches, catfish, burgers, fried green tomatoes, brisket and more, including a moonshine menu and taps with local beer. Guests can choose a level of heat, with sauces ranging from mild to the cleverly coined “Bless Your Heart” sauce.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Street City Pub

580 Walnut St., Downtown
Opened in early January, this traditional Irish pub is located in the former O'Reilly's Irish Bar and is managed by Prime Cincinnati. The menu offers a variety of bites ranging from reuben rolls and Irish nachos to sandwiches like the FC Cincy Burger and Fretboard battered cod.
Photo via Facebook/StreetCityPub/

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 (and lots of it) paired with good food. The bar opened over the summer and 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 poached pear salad and beef wellington popovers.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Gaslight Bar & Grill

351 Ludlow Ave., Clifton
The owners of Ludlow Garage, Dave and Claudia Taylor, renovated a historic building across the street and opened the Gaslight Bar & Grill in the old Clifton branch of the public library last winter. It serves lunch and dinner six days a week, includes an expansive bar with a dozen seats and features Clifton’s first rooftop patio. The dinner, lunch and drinks menus are straight-ahead American comfort food with a few high-end flourishes.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Forty Thieves

1538 Race St., Over-the-Rhine
Helmed by Dan Wright and his wife Lana (of Senate, Abigail Street and Pontiac), Holiday Spirits and its in-house eatery Forty Thieves opened in the fall and evokes the vibe of a dive bar, serving a menu of Middle Eastern street food. You can order your falafel or shawarma either from a walk-up window facing Liberty Street or inside Holiday Spirits itself.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Dead Low Brewing

5959 Kellogg Ave., California
This new brewing company dropped anchor on Kellogg Avenue in Cincinnati's California neighborhood in the fall, within walking distance of Coney Island and Riverbend Music Center. Close to the Ohio River, Dead Low takes its name from the term for the minimum depth needed for a boat to traverse a body of water safely. The brewery features a taproom, beer garden and kitchen, with menu items ranging from fried green tomatoes and chicken wings to loaded fries and chicharrones.
Photo via Facebook/DeadLowBrewing