DINING
BALADI RESTAURANT & BAKERY
Baladi means “my country” in Arabic, which describes how the Barazi family wants their guests to feel — welcomed and at home. The Syrian-focused and authentic menu has French and Turkish influences and features dishes like cheese fatayir, kafta kebabs, foul, musaka and more, including delicious and unique baked goods. 3307 Clifton Ave., Clifton,
baladicincy.com.
FORTY THIEVES
Helmed by Dan Wright and his wife Lana (of Senate, Abigail Street and Pontiac), the space at the corner of Liberty and Race streets is meant to evoke the vibe of a dive bar and offers a menu of Middle Eastern street food — falafel, beef shawarma and grilled chicken in a pita or on hummus, with other items like roasted beets and soup. Patrons can order food from a counter inside or visit the walk-up window on the patio. 1538 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/ holidayspiritsbar.
MARRAKECH MOROCCAN CAFÉ & GRILL
The chefs, who hail from Marrakech, serve up Mediterranean staples, plus a variety of tajines, flavorful stews slow-cooked in a conical earthenware pot, and bastilla, a sweet-and-savory chicken pie layered with scrambled eggs, shredded chicken, caramelized onions, ground almonds, confectioner’s sugar and cinnamon. Don’t miss out on the Moroccan mint tea.
SEBASTIAN’S
Serving as a West Side staple for almost 40 years, Sebastian’s family-owned restaurant is a Greek treasure. With mouth-watering baklava, flaky spanakopita and the hands-down best gyro in town, it’s no wonder why customers keep coming back for more. 5209 Glenway Ave., West Price Hill, sebastiansgyros.com.
MEXICAN/ TEX-MEX/LATIN/ SOUTH AMER ICAN ALFIO’S BUON CIBO
Italian for “good food,” the restaurant aims to wed Italian and Argentinian cuisine. The menu is dotted with Italian (ravioli, risotto) and Argentinian (empanadas, grilled lamb with chimichurri) dishes, but steers more toward the former. And, as both countries are located on coasts, there’s always fresh seafood. 2724 Erie Ave., Hyde Park, alfios-cincy.com.
AGAVE & RYE
Agave & Rye is a taqueria and tequila and bourbon hall that serves self-proclaimed “epic tacos.” Geared toward a hip audience, tacos have names like the Swipe Right and fillings like kangaroo
meat, duck confit, butter-poached lobster and veggie options like fried green tomatoes. Sides range from mac and cheese and bourbon-bacon refried beans to “guac fries” and elote. 635 Madison Ave.,
Covington, agaveandrye.com.
THE AREPA PLACE
Owner and chef Isis Arrieta-Dennis and her husband make everything from scratch using an arepa recipe passed down from Isis’ mother, who owns her own restaurant in Colombia. The grill has a handful of different arepas, stuffed with cheese, beans and plantains, and then your choice of beef, chicken or both, sourced from Findlay’s Mackie Quality Meats. 131 W. Elder
St., Findlay Market, Over-the-Rhine, arepaplace.com.
B&A STREET KITCHEN
B&A Street Kitchen’s menu consists of Mexican-influenced urban comfort food, everything from tacos and biscuits and gravy with pork chorizo to tortas and a threecheese quesadilla. 1500 Race St.,
Over-the-Rhine, bastreetkitchen.com.
BAKERSFIELD
Part bar, part taco joint, all classy. Bakersfield specializes in gourmet tacos (pollo rojo,
pastor, huitlacoche, etc.), quality tequilas and whiskeys and handcrafted margaritas made the old-fashioned way, not from a premade mix. 1213 Vine St., Over-the-
Rhine, bakersfieldtacos.com.
CANCUN
This Mexican restaurant attached to Western Bowl bowling alley is an area favorite. Multiple locations
including 6385 Glenway Ave., Western Hills, cancunmexicanrestaurantes.com.
CASA FIGUEROA
Well before you sip or bite anything, you’ll be wowed by the artwork and décor — from displays of Mexican folk art to wall-sized murals. The menu skews mostly Mexican (heavy on really good tacos). The chips are warm, full of corn flavor and not at all greasy; the guacamole has a chunky consistency and few if any ingredients other than avocado. The best tacos are Baja fish, smoked duck confit and chicken and chorizo. 6112 Montgomery Road, Pleasant Ridge, casafig.com.
CHÉ
Located just a hair off the beaten path in Over-the-Rhine, the South American Ché is snugly nestled on Walnut Street. The menu spans
Fo r t y Th i eve s
341 Ludlow Ave., Clifton, facebook. com/cliftonmoroccancafe.
MIRAGE MEDITERRANEAN
Owned by two Armenian-American brothers, Mirage features authentic family recipes that have been passed from generation to generation. Most dishes hail from around the Black Sea, including kebabs, Russian borscht, Khinkali dumplings and Mikado cake. 11381 Montgomery Road, Montgomery, miragecincinnati.com.
PHOENICIAN TAVERNA
A hidden gem in a Mason stripmall, Phoenician Taverna specializes in Lebanese and Mediterranean cuisine, all made in-house — from the pita bread to the sausage stuffed in natural casings. for entrées, find shawarma, mouzat (braised lamb shank in tomato sauce), mashawi and ouzi (braised meat over rice). plenty of hot and cold vegetarian mezze abound. 7944 Mason Montgomery Road, Mason, facebook.com/ phoeniciantaverna.
PHOTOGRAPH BY HAILEY BOLLINGER 5 7