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A 3-way and oyster crackers from Skyline Chili.

24 Essential Foods Every Cincinnati Visitor Should Try

Skyline Chili

Here’s a list of foods you can’t skip eating as a Cincinnati visitor (or resident) — although probably not all in one sitting.

Skyline Chili

The history of Cincinnati-style chili goes back to the 1920s, when it was invented by Greek immigrants who used Mediterranean-inspired spices to create a meat sauce used initially to top hot dogs sold out of a cart. The beef-based sauce — it’s kind of like a runny pasta sauce with hints of cinnamon, chocolate and other spices — eventually became the key ingredient in the 3-Way, a plate of pasta topped with chili, an unnecessary amount of shredded cheddar cheese and a side of oyster crackers. Adding onions to the 3-Way makes it a 4-Way; onions and beans make a 5-Way. Local chain Skyline Chili was founded by Greek immigrant Nicholas Lambrinides in 1949, inspired by his mother’s family recipes from their hometown of Kastoria, Greece. In an eternal regional chili war, locals are divided over whether Skyline has the best chili and the other popular local chain, Gold Star, is for losers, or if it’s the other way around. You’ll find die-hard supporters of both. But if you want to go non-chain, there are more than 150 chili parlors in Cincinnati — restaurants big and small offering their own take on this regional favorite. Most people, however, start with Skyline. Multiple locations, skylinechili.com.

Graeter’s Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Since its founding in 1870, Graeter’s French Pot Ice Cream, handmade chocolate confections and fresh-baked goods have become Queen City traditions. Today, the Graeter family still faithfully uses century-old recipes and methods of production, including making each 2-and-a-half-gallon batch in a French pot freezer and packing each pint by hand. Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip is their signature flavor — and an Oprah Winfrey favorite. The flavor is crafted with black raspberries from Oregon’s Willamette Valley and bittersweet chocolate chunks. Instead of boring old chips, Graeter’s pours liquid chocolate into each batch resulting in

Voting results from CityBeat’s 2021 readers’ poll* New Restaurant

1. Ivory House 2. The Governor 3. Fifty West Burger Bar 4. Good Plates Eatery 5. Khora 6. Galactic Fried Chicken 7. Pepp & Dolores 8. Dear Restaurant & Butchery 9. Taqueria 251 10. OTR Chili Co.

Overall Restaurant

1. Sotto 2. Jeff Ruby’s The Precinct 3. Good Plates Eatery 4. Court Street Lobster Bar 5. Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse 6. Ivory House 7. Boca (TIE) 7. The Eagle (TIE) 8. Taste of Belgium 9. Incline Public House 10. Pepp & Dolores

Overall Restaurant (Northern Kentucky)

1. Pompilio’s 2. Bouquet Restaurant 3. KungFood Chu’s AmerAsia 4. Greyhound Tavern 5. Otto’s 6. Agave & Rye 7. Libby’s Southern Comfort (TIE) 7. Walt’s Hitching Post (TIE) 8. Coppin’s at Hotel Covington 9. Tuba Baking Co. 10. York Street Café

Neighborhood Restaurant (Downtown/OTR)

1. The Eagle 2. Sotto 3. Boomtown Biscuits & Whiskey

Neighborhood Restaurant (Northern Kentucky)

1. Pompilio’s 2. Otto’s 3. Greyhound Tavern

1. Adriatico’s 2. Quatman Cafe 3. Ruth’s Parkside Cafe

Neighborhood Restaurant (East Side)

1. Mazunte 2. Jeff Ruby’s The Precinct 3. El Coyote

Neighborhood Restaurant (West Side)

1. Incline Public House 2. Price Hill Chili 3. Primavista

Neighborhood Restaurant (Burbs)

1. Silver Spring House 2. Phoenician Taverna 3. Blue Ash Chili

Appetizers

1. Sotto 2. Incline Public House 3. Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse

Bagels

1. Marx Hot Bagels 2. Bruegger’s Bagels 3. The Bagelry

Barbecue

1. Eli’s BBQ 2. Lucius Q 3. City Barbeque 4. Montgomery Inn 5. Pickles & Bones Barbecue 6. Just Q’in 7. Sweets & Meats BBQ 8. Midwest Best BBQ 9. Pontiac 10. Harmon’s Barbecue

Beer Selection (Restaurant)

1. Yard House 2. Taft’s Ale House 3. KungFood Chu’s AmerAsia

Bourbon Selection (Restaurant)

1. Boomtown Biscuits & Whiskey 2. Goodfellas Pizzeria/Wiseguy

Lounge 3. Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse 1. Sleepy Bee Cafe 2. First Watch 3. Sugar n’ Spice 4. Boomtown Biscuits & Whiskey 5. Taste of Belgium 6. The Echo 7. The Original Pancake House 8. Hang Over Easy 9. Maplewood Kitchen and Bar 10. Half Day Cafe

Brunch

1. Taste of Belgium 2. Sleepy Bee Cafe 3. Boomtown Biscuits & Whiskey 4. First Watch 5. Maplewood Kitchen and Bar 6. The National Exemplar 7. Nation Kitchen & Bar 8. Hang Over Easy 9. Orchids at Palm Court 10. Grand Finale

Overall Burgers (Chain)

1. Five Guys 2. Red Robin 3. Frisch’s

Overall Burgers (Non-Chain)

1. Zip’s Cafe 2. Roney’s 3. Stellar Street Eats 4. Nation Kitchen & Bar 5. Good Plates Eatery 6. Tickle Pickle 7. Arthur’s Cafe (TIE) 7. Quatman Cafe (TIE) 8. Sammy’s Craft Burgers & Beer 9. The Turf Club 10. Gordo’s Pub & Grill

Neighborhood Burger Spot (Downtown/ OTR)

1. Nation Kitchen & Bar 2. Arnold’s Bar and Grill 3. Krueger’s Tavern

Neighborhood Burger Spot (Northern Kentucky)

1. Bard’s Burgers & Chili 2. Herb & Thelma’s Tavern 3. Coaches Corner

Neighborhood Burger Spot (Central)

1. Quatman Cafe 2. Tickle Pickle 3. Gordo’s Pub & Grill

Neighborhood Burger Spot (East Side)

1. Zip’s Cafe 2. Arthur’s Cafe 3. Five Guys

Neighborhood Burger Spot (West Side)

1. Incline Public House 2. Nation Kitchen & Bar (Westwood) 3. Chandler’s Burger Bistro

Neighborhood Burger Spot (Burbs)

1. Arthur’s Cafe (Anderson) 2. Quatman Cafe (Mason) 3. Gas Light Cafe

Burritos

1. Gomez Salsa 2. Mazunte 3. The Comet

Business Lunch

1. Skyline Chili 2. Maplewood Kitchen and Bar 3. Court Street Lobster Bar

Butcher Shop

1. Avril-Bleh Meat Market 2. Lehr’s Prime Market 3. Eckerlin Meats

Cajun/Creole

1. Swampwater Grill 2. Knotty Pine on the Bayou 3. Allyn’s Cafe

Boomtown Biscuits & Whiskey.

Hailey Bollinger

Cake Shop

1. The BonBonerie 2. Nothing Bundt Cakes 3. 3 Sweet Girls Cakery

Cheap Eats

1. Skyline Chili 2. Zip’s Cafe 3. Blue Ash Chili

Cheese Shop

1. Jungle Jim’s International Market 2. Share: Cheesebar 3. The Rhined

Cheesesteak

1. Penn Station 2. Melt Revival 3. Cincy Steak & Lemonade

Chef (w/Restaurant Affiliation)

1. Jean-Robert de Cavel (French Crust,

Le Bar a Boeuf, Frenchie Fresh

Burger Bar) 2. Christian Gill (Boomtown Biscuits &

Whiskey) 3. Jose Salazar (Salazar, Mita’s, Goose & Elder) 4. Kayla Robison (Arnold’s Bar and

Grill) 5. Michael Kelly (Jeff Ruby’s

Steakhouse) 6. Andrew Schlanser (Good Plates

Eatery) 7. Danny Combs (Sotto) 8. Drew Rath (Tuba Baking Co.) 9. Paul Barraco (The Governor) 10. Daniel Wright (Senate, Abigail

Street, Pontiac, Forty Thieves)

Frisch’s Big Boy

Well-known for their burgers and fish sandwiches, Frisch’s also brings in quite the crowd for their affordable breakfast buffet. Grab a Big Boy burger with a quarter pound of beef, cheese, lettuce, pickles and Frisch’s famous tartar sauce — a family recipe you can find on items across the menu and in jars at the grocery store. For a taste of nostalgia, visit the original Mainliner location (5760 Wooster Pike, Mariemont), which David Frisch opened in 1939 as Cincinnati’s first year-round drive-in. Multiple locations, frischs.com.

Montgomery Inn Ribs

World famous for its ribs, Ted and Matula Gregory’s Montgomery Inn has been a staple in Cincinnati since 1951. Matula’s secret-recipe sweet and tangy all-natural barbecue sauce dresses the hand-spiced, slow-roasted and custom broiled ribs and is featured on everything from barbecue spring chicken and pork chops to Saratoga chips. Dubbed “the Ribs King,” the Gregorys’ ribs joint is a must-stop for locals, visitors, in-town celebrities and more. 9440 Montgomery Road, Montgomery; 925 Riverside Drive, Downtown, montgomeryinn.com.

Izzy’s Reuben

A Cincinnati tradition, Izzy’s serves a Reuben we can all be proud of: delicious corned beef topped with sauerkraut, Izzy’s special dressing and imported Swiss cheese, served with a potato pancake and dill pickle. In the late 1800s, founder Izzy Kadetz left Russia and settled in Cincinnati, cooking at the Sinton St. Nicholas Hotel in Cincinnati and eventually founding the first Kosher-style deli west of the Alleghenies. His son, David, opened a second deli in downtown Cincinnati in 1982 — with manager John Geisen, now Izzy’s president and CEO — and the Izzy’s legacy has grown from there. It’s possibly the closest thing the Queen City has to a New Yorkstyle deli. Multiple locations, izzys.com.

Blue Ice Cream

Introduced by Kings Island in 1982 to promote a then-new Smurfs ride in HannaBarbera Land, the theme park’s classic blueberry soft serve put blue ice cream on Cincinnati’s radar and it has maintained its craveability ever since — leaving without

Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip ice cream from Graeter’s.

having one is a sin. Get it plain, doused in rainbow sprinkles or swirled with creamy vanilla at locations across the park. (Or at various seasonal creamy whips across the city.) 6300 Kings Island Drive, Mason, visitkingsisland.com.

Glier’s Goetta — or Really Any Goetta

Glier’s Goetta has been a Cincinnati breakfast staple for over 60 years. The Queen City loves it so much there’s even an entire festival devoted to the sausagey oat-meat mixture on the Newport riverfront each summer. Most restaurants throughout the city carry it as a breakfast side, like at the Metropole at 21c, or you can visit Glier’s Goettafest and try it in calzones, nachos, donut sandwiches and more. They even have a Glier’s Goetta vending machine. If you don’t want Glier’s, there are many other options, including from Eckerlin Meats in Findlay Market (1801 Race St., Overthe-Rhine). Food & Wine named Eckerlin’s one of the best 100 butcher shops in America, specifically calling out the more than 160-year-old spot’s housemade goetta. For an added treat, in October 2021, Merriam-Webster added “Goetta” to the dictionary, with a capital G. goetta.com.

The BonBonerie’s Opera Cream Torte

Have your cake and eat it, too, at The BonBonerie. Opened in 1983 by Mary Pat Pace and Sharon Butler, the shop has crafted

Jesse Fox

Chicken

1. The Eagle 2. Silver Spring House 3. Revolution Rotisserie 4. Libby’s Southern Comfort 5. Ron’s Roost Restaurant & Bar 6. Roney’s 7. CityBird 8. Good Plates Eatery 9. Raising Cane’s 10. Galactic Fried Chicken

Chicken Sandwich

1. Chick-fil-A 2. The Eagle 3. Boomtown Biscuits & Whiskey

Chili (Chain)

1. Skyline Chili 2. Gold Star 3. Dixie Chili (TIE) 3. Blue Ash Chili (TIE)

Chili (Non-Chain)

1. Camp Washington Chili 2. Pleasant Ridge Chili 3. Price Hill Chili

Chinese

1. Oriental Wok 2. KungFood Chu’s AmerAsia 3. First Wok

Chocolates

1. Aglamesis Bro’s 2. Maverick Chocolate Co. 3. Esther Price

1. Coffee Emporium 2. The Coffee Exchange of Pleasant

Ridge 3. Deeper Roots Coffee 4. Sayler Park Coffee 5. Mom ‘n ‘em 6. BlaCk Coffee Lounge 7. Carabello Coffee 8. Urbana Cafe 9. Unataza Coffee 10. Kitty Brew Cafe

Coffeehouse (National)

1. Starbucks 2. Dunkin’ 3. Caribou Coffee

Neighborhood Coffee Shop (Downtown/ OTR)

1. Coffee Emporium 2. Deeper Roots Coffee 3. BlaCk Coffee Lounge

Neighborhood Coffee Shop (Northern Kentucky)

1. Carabello Coffee 2. Unataza Coffee 3. Flow Koffee + Kombucha

Neighborhood Coffee Shop (Central)

1. College Hill Coffee Co. and Casual

Gourmet 2. Sidewinder Coffee 3. Highland Coffee House

Neighborhood Coffee Shop (East Side)

1. Coffee Emporium (Hyde Park) 2. Deeper Roots Coffee 3. Luckman Coffee

Neighborhood Coffee Shop (West Side)

1. Muse Cafe 2. BLOC Coffee Company 3. White Oak Coffee House

Neighborhood Coffee Shop (Burbs)

1. Kitty Brew Cafe 2. Wyoming Community Coffee 3. Kidd Coffee & Wine Bar

Cooking Classes

1. Jungle Jim’s International Market 2. Findlay Kitchen 3. Tablespoon Cooking Co. 1. Putz’s Creamy Whip 2. The Cone 3. Dairy Queen

Cupcakes

1. The BonBonerie 2. Abby Girl Sweets 3. Gigi’s Cupcakes

Delicatessen

1. Izzy’s 2. Jason’s Deli 3. Silverglades

Desserts (Restaurant)

1. O Pie O 2. Grand Finale 3. Sotto

Desserts (Retail)

1. The BonBonerie 2. Graeter’s 3. Brown Bear Bakery

Neighborhood Bakery (Downtown/OTR)

1. Holtman’s Donuts 2. Brown Bear Bakery 3. Blue Oven Bakery

Neighborhood Bakery (Central)

1. The BonBonerie 2. North College Hill Bakery 3. Servatii Pastry Shop & Deli

Neighborhood Bakery (East Side)

1. Servatii Pastry Shop & Deli 2. Marcella’s Doughnuts & Bakery 3. Busken Bakery

Neighborhood Bakery (West Side)

1. Servatii Pastry Shop & Deli 2. St. Lawrence Bakery (closed since

Best Of Cincinnati was published) 3. Busken Bakery

Neighborhood Bakery (Burbs)

1. Servatii Pastry Shop & Deli 2. Holtman’s Donuts (Loveland) 3. Wyoming Pastry Shop

Overall Bakery (Breads)

1. Sixteen Bricks 2. Blue Oven Bakery 3. Servatii Pastry Shop & Deli 1. Holtman’s Donuts 2. Dunkin’ 3. Moonrise Doughnuts 4. Starlight Doughnut Lab 5. Busken Bakery 6. Peace, Love and Little Donuts 7. Marcella’s Doughnuts & Bakery 8. Graeter’s 9. Bonomini Bakery 10. North College Hill Bakery (TIE) 10. Stan the Donut Man (TIE)

Farmers Market

1. Findlay Market 2. Hyde Park Farmers Market 3. Northside Farmers Market

Farmers Market Food Stall

1. Blue Oven Bakery 2. Colonel De Gourmet Herbs & Spices 3. WoodBottom Quail Farms

Fish & Chips

1. Alabama Fish Bar 2. The Pub 3. Nicholson’s Pub

Food Delivery Service

1. DoorDash 2. Uber Eats 3. Grubhub

Food Festival or Event

1. Taste of Cincinnati 2. Oktoberfest Zinzinnati 3. Cincinnati Food Truck Association

Food Festival

Food Truck

1. Rock N Rolls 2. Tacos Locos 3. The Poutine Machine

French Fries

1. Penn Station 2. Five Guys 3. Zip’s Cafe

Frozen Yogurt

1. Yagööt 2. Orange Leaf 3. Rhino’s Frozen Yogurt & Soft Serve

Gelato/Sorbetto/ Frozen Ice

1. Aglamesis Bro’s 2. Graeter’s 3. Dojo Gelato 1. Hofbräuhaus 2. Mecklenburg Gardens 3. Wunderbar Covington

Gluten-Free Selections

1. Sleepy Bee Cafe 2. Pho Lang Thang 3. Melt Revival

Goetta

1. Glier’s Goetta 2. Eckerlin Meats 3. Avril-Bleh Meat Market

Guacamole

1. Mazunte 2. Bakersfield 3. Nada

Hidden Gem

1. Mazunte 2. Good Plates Eatery 3. Incline Public House 4. Joe’s Pizza Napoli 5. The Poutine Machine 6. Ivory House 7. The Governor 8. Nine Giant Brewing 9. Kiki College Hill 10. Tuba Baking Co.

Hot Dog/Sausage

1. Senate 2. The Root Beer Stand 3. Avril-Bleh Meat Market

Ice Cream

1. Graeter’s 2. Aglamesis Bro’s 3. United Dairy Farmers

Indian

1. Ambar India Restaurant 2. Baba India Restaurant 3. Dusmesh Indian Restaurant

Italian

1. Sotto 2. Pompilio’s 3. Nicola’s

Japanese

1. Ichiban Japanese Cuisine 2. Kiki College Hill 3. Quan Hapa

Korean

1. BIBIBOP Asian Grill 2. Riverside Korean Restaurant 3. Red Sesame BBQ

A Taste of Belgium waffle.

beautiful and delicious sweets and savories for more than 35 years. Scones, tea and quiche adorn the café menu, but the real treat is for those with a sweet tooth. The bakery features tortes, cakes, pastries and old-fashioned cookies to please everyone. Make sure to try their signature Opera Cream Torte — it’s a taste of heaven: a double chocolate chip cake filled with vanilla opera cream and covered in chocolate glaze and Belgian chocolate shavings. Little white chocolate buttercream rosettes and hand-cut white chocolate diamonds complete the picture. 2030 Madison Road, O’Bryonville, bonbonerie.com.

Avril-Bleh Meat Market & Deli Mett

This historic butcher shop has been serving Cincinnati homemade sausages, smoked meats and more since 1894. Avril-Bleh offers over 30 varieties of sausages ranging from Irish bangers to Cajun chicken or smoked Polish kielbasa. They use no additives or fillers and they use their own blend of all natural herbs, spices and seasoning. As Cincinnati has a strong German heritage, find their metts on the menu at restaurants like Zip’s, Senate and Moerlein Lager House or just grab one to go from the butcher shop. 3 E. Court St., Downtown, avril-blehmeats.com.

Taste of Belgium Waffles

Hot, fresh Belgian waffles are made from a thick dough and coarse Belgian beet sugar, which caramelizes on a cast iron press. Owner Jean-Francois Flechet brought one of these presses back from his native Belgium with him in 2007 on a mission to introduce locals to his childhood favorite food. 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. Visit their original location at Over-the-Rhine’s historic Findlay Market and peruse the surrounding shops, restaurants and vendor offerings. Multiple locations including 16 West Freedom Way, The Banks; 1133 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine; 2845 Vine St., Corryville, authenticwaffle.com.

Brittany Thornton

Tom & Chee Grilled Cheese Donut

A gourmet grilled cheese and tomato soup shop with a famous grilled-cheese donut. With the backing of Shark Tank, founders Trew Quackenbush and Corey Ward went from a Fountain Square pop-up to a 14-state chain. They make their own dressings, sauces and spreads in-house and roast their own meats, but the dish that put them on the map was their grilled cheese donut — featured on multiple TV shows including The Chew, Man v. Food Nation and TODAY. Multiple locations including 125 E. Court St., Over-the-Rhine, tomandchee.com.

Holtman’s Donut

A family operation in one iteration or another since the 1960s, the Loveland-based

1. Skyline Chili 2. Goodfellas Pizzeria 3. Gomez Salsa

Live Music While You Eat

1. Arnold’s Bar and Grill 2. The Comet 3. Lucius Q

Local Chain

1. Skyline Chili 2. Thunderdome Restaurant Group 3. Holtman’s Donuts 4. Buffalo Wings & Rings 5. LaRosa’s Family Pizzeria 6. Servatii Pastry Shop & Deli 7. Gold Star 8. Taste of Belgium 9. Dewey’s Pizza 10. Keystone Bar & Grill (4EG)

Local Farm

1. Gorman Heritage Farm 2. WoodBottom Quail Farms 3. Carriage House Farm

Local Snack

1. Grippo’s 2. Hen of The Woods 3. Stellar Street Eats’ Pimento

Cheese

Macaron

1. Macaron Bar 2. The BonBonerie 3. Taste of Belgium

Macaroni & Cheese

1. Keystone Bar & Grill 2. Mama Bear’s Mac 3. The Eagle 4. Court Street Lobster Bar 5. Eli’s BBQ 6. Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse 7. Lucius Q 8. The Mac Shack 9. Revolution Rotisserie 10. Sweets & Meats BBQ

Mediterranean/Greek

1. Aladdin’s Eatery 2. Phoenician Taverna 3. Sebastian’s Gyros

Menu (Most Innovative)

1. Boomtown Biscuits & Whiskey 2. Sotto 3. Please

Mexican

1. Mazunte 2. La Mexicana Restaurante Cantina & Tienda 3. El Rancho Grande

Noodles

1. Pho Lang Thang 2. KungFood Chu’s Amerasia 3. Kiki College Hill

Outdoor/Patio Dining

1. Incline Public House 2. Cabana on the River 3. Fifty West Burger Bar 4. Arnold’s Bar and Grill 5. Dead Low Brewing 6. Little Miami Brewing Company 7. Lucius Q 8. Northside Yacht Club 9. Ramsey’s Trailside 10. BrewRiver Creole Kitchen

Overall Pizza (Chain)

1. LaRosa’s Family Pizzeria 2. Dewey’s Pizza 3. Goodfellas Pizzeria

Overall Pizza (NonChain)

1. Trotta’s Pizza & Drive Thru 2. Taglio Bar + Pizzeria 3. Adriatico’s 4. Catch-a-Fire Pizza 5. Joe’s Pizza Napoli 6. Krimmer’s Italianette Pizza 7. Two Cities Pizza 8. Fireside Pizza 9. Strong’s Brick Oven Pizzeria 10. Ramundo’s Pizzeria

Lindsay McCarty

Holtman’s Donuts finally opened an OTR location in September 2013, complete with a window you can peer through and watch them make donuts. Donuts are made from scratch daily and include both yeast and cake donuts, a vegan donut and the decidedly non-vegan and sensational maple bacon donut. 1332 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine; 1399 State Route 28, Loveland; 3356 Madison Road, Oakley; 9558 Civic Centre Blvd, West Chester, holtmansdonutshop.com.

Sotto’s Pasta

Located under Boca restaurant, the Tuscan-inspired Sotto from chef/owner David Falk 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, housecured salami and big-ticket items 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. It also made OpenTable’s annual list of the 100 best restaurants in America in 2018. 18 E. Sixth St., Downtown, sottocincinnati.com.

Eli’s BBQ Pulled-Pork Sandwich

Originally started in 2011 as a pop-up on Fountain Square, Eli’s specialty, the pulled-pork sandwich, is a good intro to his amazing homemade barbecue sauce. You can move on from there to hickory-smoked ribs, smoked turkey or an all-beef hot dog topped with pulled-pork crispins and coleslaw. Try the mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, baked beans or the jalapeño corn bread. 3313 Riverside Drive, Columbia Tusculum; 133 W. Elder St., Over-the-Rhine, elisbarbeque.com.

Brown Bear Bakery’s Salty Chocolate Chip Cookie

Cincinnati pastry artist Blair Fornshell uses all-natural ingredients to create so-beautiful-you-almost-feel-bad-abouteating-them desserts, such as their beloved salty chocolate cookies, savory scones, cinnamon rolls, lemon bars and more. The OTR bakery and café space is the perfect blend of old and new and has a very Lower Manhattan vibe. 16 E. 13th St., Over-theRhine, brownbearbakes.com.

Gomez Salsa’s Turtle

Gomez’s walk-up taco window in OTR has it all: mahi-mahi tacos with slaw and Baja sauce, chips with pineapple salsa, taco salad bowls and owner Andrew Gomez’s greatest invention, the Turtle Shell. Take a tortilla, stuff it with rice, beans, sour cream, lettuce, salsa, meat, veggies and cheese, layer in a tostado for crunch, put some cheese on the top and then brown it. It’s a fat little crunchy burrito envelope, a walking taco. 107 E. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine; 2437 Gilbert Ave., Walnut Hills, gomezsalsa.com.

A Jeff Ruby’s Steak

You can always rely on a Jeff Ruby restaurant for a big, rare steak and platters of seafood. The Precinct, housed in a historical Romanesque-style former police precinct, opened in 1981 and was the first in a long line of Ruby steakhouses. You can’t go wrong with a sirloin or porterhouse, named after current and past Cincinnati sports greats. But there are other options, like lamb shank or chicken Milanese. Ruby’s has a couple other locations in town, including a titular downtown steakhouse that he is relocating from 700 Walnut St. to Fountain Square’s Foundry in 2022. The Foundry is a 3CDC project transforming the former Macy’s building into a mixed-use development with multiple restaurants, including French brasserie Royce, which will be located in the former Tiffany jewelry store. jeffruby.com.

Pho Lang Thang’s Pho

Located adjacent to Findlay Market, Pho Lang Thang offers dishes like hot pho soup, spring rolls and the ever-popular banh mi sandwiches, which come sprinkled with assorted pickled vegetables and your choice of meat or tofu. They also serve Vietnamese

Brown Bear Bakery.

Hailey Bollinger

coffee sweetened with condensed milk and brewed right on the table into your glass. This hip bistro opened by brothers Duy and Bao Nguyen with friend David Le in 2011 expanded into a larger storefront nearby in 2019, and now offers beer, wine and a playful Asian-accented cocktail list. 1828 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, pholangthang.com.

LaRosa’s Pizza

Buddy LaRosa started in 1954 with only $400 and his Aunt Dena’s pizza recipe. Now, in 2021, LaRosa’s is arguably the best-known pizza joint in Cincinnati. Serving pizzas, calzones, hoagies, fries, garlic bread, fried cheese sticks, salads, ravioli, spaghetti lasagna, and now hydroponically grown lettuce and vegan toppings, there is no question as to why the business has thrived for so long. Multiple locations, larosas.com.

The Eagle’s Fried Chicken

The Eagle is nested inside a retired post office and has a relatively small menu, comprised of fried chicken, sandwiches, snacks and several side dishes. The crowd-favorite fried chicken is free-range, all natural and sourced from Ohio farms. Opt for a whole, half chicken (white and dark meat) or a quarter of a chicken (select white or dark). The sausage and kale dip is a must. 1342 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, eaglerestaurant.com.

Busken Bakery’s Smiley Face Cookie

Busken Bakery opened in 1928 and quickly became a Cincinnati staple with delicious donuts, bread and apple pies. These classic cookies — decorated with a neon-yellow smiley face (or the occasional seasonal design, like a Halloween jack-o-lantern) — are synonymous with the shop. Grab one at your local Busken Bakery, Kroger or UDF to add a smile to your own face. Multiple locations, busken.com.

Mazunte Tacos

This Madisonville hot spot typically has a line out the door. Taco fillings range from shredded pork to crispy braised chicken, and specialties include memelitas (openfaced 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 restaurant recently opened a downtown location called Mazunte Centro at 611 Main St., which offers a similar menu as the original Madisonville location but with the addition of tortas and tlayudas (sort of like Mexican pizza). 5207 Madison Road, Madisonville, mazuntetacos.com

Zip’s Cafe Zipburger

With a dark wood-paneled interior reminiscent of its earliest days in business — and a toy train that travels along the ceiling — Zip’s is renowned for its Zipburger (which recently was named the best burger in Ohio by Food & Wine). Made with fresh ground beef from Avril-Bleh Meat Market, this one-third pound patty is flame-broiled to a juicy medium well and topped with the condiments of your liking. If that doesn’t sate your appetite, try the Girth burger — named by former Bengals punter Pat McInally. It takes your classic Zipburger up a notch by topping it with a split, grilled Avril-Bleh mettwurst. 1036 Delta Ave., Mount Lookout, zipscafe.com.

French Crust Cafe’s Quiche

French Crust Café is as jaunty and friendly as its owner, famed local chef Jean-Robert de Cavel (he moved to Cincinnati in 1993 to take over the Michelin-starred and now-shuttered Maisonette). Patrons sit at booths, tables or a 20-seat bar and soak up the bonhomie of a lively ambiance. The food matches the surroundings and delivers note-perfect versions of dishes you’d expect for breakfast, brunch or lunch — a variety of quiches, sandwiches on croissant or baguette, omelets and, of course, a croque monsieur. At dinner, more bistro classics tempt diners, from appetizers of snails and beef tartare to mains ranging from duck leg confit to steak frites. 1801 Elm St., Over-theRhine, frenchcrustcafe.com.

Neighborhood Pizza Joint (Downtown/ OTR)

1. Goodfellas Pizzeria 2. Taglio Bar + Pizzeria 3. Lucy Blue Pizza

Neighborhood Pizza Joint (Northern Kentucky)

1. Strong’s Brick Oven Pizzeria 2. Goodfellas Pizzeria 3. Dewey’s Pizza

Neighborhood Pizza Joint (Central)

1. Adriatico’s 2. Dewey’s Pizza 3. Fireside Pizza

Neighborhood Pizza Joint (East Side)

1. Dewey’s Pizza 2. Taglio Bar + Pizzeria 3. Joe’s Pizza Napoli

Neighborhood Pizza Joint (West Side)

1. Trotta’s Pizza & Drive Thru 2. LaRosa’s Family Pizzeria 3. Dewey’s Pizza

Neighborhood Pizza Joint (Burbs)

1. Dewey’s 2. Mio’s Pizza 3. Mellow Mushroom

Oysters

1. Court Street Lobster Bar 2. Washington Platform Saloon &

Restaurant 3. Dear Restaurant & Butchery

Pub Food

1. Incline Public House 2. Arnold’s Bar and Grill 3. Knockback Nat’s

Raw Bar

1. Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse 2. Jeff Ruby’s Carlo & Johnny 3. Jag’s Steak & Seafood

Restaurant Design

1. Orchids at Palm Court 2. Sotto 3. Lucius Q

1. Sotto 2. Nada 3. Incline Public House

Restaurant for Fine Dining

1. Jeff Ruby’s The Precinct 2. Sotto 3. Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse 4. Boca 5. Jeff Ruby’s Carlo & Johnny 6. Orchids at Palm Court 7. Nicola’s 8. Ivory House 9. Primavista 10. Tony’s of Cincinnati

Restaurant for Large Parties

1. Montgomery Inn 2. Moerlein Lager House 3. Lucius Q

Restaurant to Take a Foodie

1. Good Plates Eatery 2. Boomtown Biscuits & Whiskey 3. Court Street Lobster Bar 4. Sotto 5. Please 6. Salazar 7. The Eagle (TIE) 7. Lucius Q (TIE) 8. Ivory House 9. Bouquet Restaurant 10. Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse

Restaurant to Take the Kids

1. Skyline Chili 2. Chick-fil-A 3. Dewey’s Pizza

Restaurant to Take Visitors

1. Montgomery Inn Boathouse 2. Incline Public House 3. Skyline Chili 4. Taste of Belgium 5. Good Plates Eatery 6. Sotto 7. Primavista 8. Ivory House (TIE) 8. Salazar (TIE) 9. Dead Low Brewing 10. Alfio’s Buon Cibo 1. Montgomery Inn 2. Eli’s BBQ 3. Lucius Q 4. City Barbeque 5. Pickles & Bones Barbecue 6. Walt’s Hitching Post 7. Sweets & Meats BBQ 8. Just Q’in 9. Dead Low Brewing 10. Midwest Best BBQ

Romantic Restaurant

1. Sotto 2. Orchids at Palm Court 3. Primavista

Salads

1. Dewey’s Pizza 2. Maplewood Kitchen and Bar 3. Olive Garden

Seafood

1. Court Street Lobster Bar 2. Bonefish Grill 3. Pelican’s Reef

Small Plates

1. Mita’s 2. Nada 3. Ché

Smoothie/Juice Bar

1. Rooted Juicery + Kitchen 2. Smoothie King 3. BanaSun Smoothie Bar

Soul Food

1. Lucius Q 2. Alabama Fish Bar 3. Richie’s

Soup

1. Pho Lang Thang 2. La Soupe 3. Zoup!

Specialty Food Market

1. Jungle Jim’s International Market 2. Findlay Market 3. Kremer’s Market

Steakhouse

1. Jeff Ruby’s The Precinct 2. Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse 3. Jeff Ruby’s Carlo & Johnny 4. Losanti 5. Maury’s Tiny Cove 6. Jag’s Steak & Seafood 7. Ivory House 8. Eddie Merlot’s 9. Walt’s Hitching Post 10. Tony’s of Cincinnati 1. Penn Station 2. Jersey Mike’s 3. Melt Revival

Sushi

1. Ichiban Japanese Cuisine 2. Cloud 9 Sushi 3. Green Papaya 4. Wild Ginger 5. Izen’s Drunken Bento 6. Wabi Sabi Covington 7. Kyoto Sushi Bar 8. E+O Kitchen 9. Dancing Roll (TIE) 9. Teak OTR (TIE) 10. FUSIAN

Tacos

1. Mazunte 2. Condado Tacos 3. Agave & Rye 4. Tortilleria Garcia 5. Bakersfield 6. Gomez Salsa 7. La Mexicana Restaurante Cantina & Tienda 8. Taco Casa 9. Frida 602 10. Taqueria 251

Takeout

1. Eli’s BBQ 2. Dewey’s Pizza 3. City Barbeque 4. Good Plates Eatery 5. Gomez Salsa 6. Currito 7. Mazunte 8. Lucius Q 9. Tuba Baking Co. 10. Revolution Rotisserie

Tea Selection

1. Churchill’s Fine Teas 2. Jungle Jim’s International Market 3. Coffee Emporium

Thai

1. Green Papaya 2. Thai Express 3. Teak OTR

Vegetarian

1. Melt Revival 2. Rooted Juicery + Kitchen 3. Harmony Plant Fare 1. Tickle Pickle 2. Krueger’s Tavern 3. Arthur’s Cafe 4. Nation Kitchen & Bar 5. Fork & Greens 6. ESSEN Kitchen (TIE) 6. Maplewood Kitchen and Bar (TIE) 7. BrewRiver Kitchen at Sonder

Brewing 8. Nine Giant Brewing 9. S.W. Clyborne Co. Provisions &

Spirits 10. Taste of Belgium

Vietnamese

1. Pho Lang Thang 2. Wild Ginger 3. Song Long

View From Your Table

1. Incline Public House 2. Primavista 3. Montgomery Inn Boathouse

Waitstaff/Service

1. Jeff Ruby’s The Precinct 2. Sotto 3. Court Street Lobster Bar

Waterfront Dining

1. Montgomery Inn Boathouse 2. Moerlein Lager House 3. Buckhead Mountain Grill

Wine Selection (Restaurant)

1. Cooper’s Hawk Winery &

Restaurants 2. Somm Wine Bar 3. Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse

Wings

1. Knockback Nat’s 2. Good Plates Eatery 3. Lucius Q 4. Buffalo Wings & Rings (TIE) 4. Dead Low Brewing (TIE) 5. Wild Mike’s 6. Northside Yacht Club 7. Buffalo Wild Wings 8. The Oak Tavern 9. Nine Giant Brewing 10. Shooters Sports Grill

*Some restaurants may have closed since BOC was published

Provided by Mulberry MC

Cincinnati Bathroom Takes Home Top Toilet Honors

Cincinnati, Ohio: Home to Skyline Chili, Joey Votto and, now, what is officially the best bathroom in the United States.

Two Cities Pizza Co. in Mason has taken home top toilet honors in the 20th-annual America’s Best Restroom contest, hosted by the locally headquartered Cintas Corporation.

“We’re thrilled to be voted by the public as America’s Best Restroom,” said Christy Greves, director of brand development at Two Cities Pizza Co. “We knew people loved our pizza and it’s great to know they feel the same way about our restrooms. We’re grateful to everyone who voted for us.”

The yearly showdown “celebrates innovative and hygienic public restrooms across the country,” per a release. And the winner — selected by public vote — not only takes home bragging rights, but also $2,500 in cleaning services from Cintas.

Two Cities Pizza Co., located in Mason’s former art deco city hall, won for its bathroom, modeled after a New York City subway station.

Here’s how the Cintas write-up describes it:

“Walking into Two Cities Pizza Company is nothing short of an experience. Two of America’s most iconic cities, New York and Chicago, live loudly in the decor and atmosphere of this concept restaurant. Taxis surround the building, steel girders line the ceiling, Wrigley Field is paid tribute to with an ivy wall and 400-foot marker, but the most talked about element of this brand aside from the pizza itself, is the New York City subway station. The restroom is fully outfitted with a subway platform, train car, station stops playing over the speaker, authentic subway handles above the sinks, and even graffiti on the walls. A properly taken selfie sent to a friend in New York is good enough to convince them you made a surprise visit to the Big Apple. Just make sure you get off at the right stop before your pizza gets cold.”

The other finalists included a French-scountry-inspired port-apotty in Santa Rosa, California; a private restroom in New York’s JFK Airport Terminal 4; and Core24 GVL’s gym bathroom in Greenville, South Carolina. 202 W. Main St., Mason, twocitiespizza.com.