I’ve been on a roll with making strides to accomplish some of the goals for the year. One of these is leaving my house more. Like January, I was outside a little too much, I’ve been trying to find the balance of not saying yes to all the things while also cultivating my friends. Let me tell you, I had a good food month because all the new places I visited blew me away and reminded me why I needed to leave the house more often. Cincinnati restaurants are surprisingly good for how small it is compared to larger cities. So, here are a few notable restaurants I visited that weren’t on my last list of restaurants in the city.
NATIONAL EXEMPLAR
6880 WOOSTER PIKE
This is the only restaurant not in the downtown area that I tried. It’s in Mariemont, part of the Cincinnati metro area, and only 15 minutes outside the city. My friends and I have a monthly brunch meet up to kiki over mimosas and delicious food. I didn’t have high hopes for this place, especially since we were the only Black folks in there, but I was pleasantly surprised. While I had the traditional breakfast, my friends all were a bit more adventurous. I, of course, had a taste of all their items – avocado toast, Mariemont club, and the seasonal flavored pancakes – and it was so good! They don’t take reservations for breakfast or lunch, but you can join the waitlist on the Yelp Waitlist app. I was able to join the waitlist about 30 minutes before we wanted to sit down, giving me plenty of time to get dressed and get there. We only waited, probably 5 minutes after arriving, for our table.
SOUL SECRETS
1434 VINE STREET
Soul Secrets is a Black owned restaurant in OTR. I’ve been to Soul Secrets several times but was invited to attend their Galentine’s Day brunch event, and it was a menu that I wasn’t used to. I’ve only visited for dinner, which is delicious if you haven’t been, and I didn’t realize that their brunch menu had one of my favorite brunch dishes – shrimp and grits. While there were other vendors at the brunch, I made a beeline for the food made by Soul Secrets. I just want to say that the shrimp and grits are phenomenal, and you should run to make reservations.
PEPP & DELORES
1501 VINE STREET
Last year when deciding where I wanted to go for my birthday dinner, I started soliciting advice from everyone. One of the main recommendations was Pepp & Delores. Unfortunately for me, they book up fast and well in advance. I was planning to meet up with another friend of mine since she couldn’t make my birthday dinner. Chile, we had to make reservations a month before eating here. Let me just say, while there are many delicious food options in Cincinnati, I was a little skeptical because I’ve been to restaurants with a lot of hype, like this one, that just wasn’t worth the wait. It. Was. Worth. The. Wait. Let me preference this, I’ve not been to Italy, so I can’t compare it there, but it was one of the best Italian places I’ve been to in my entire life. I had the Sunday Sauce, and baybee I just wanted to keep ordering more. Just go ahead and book now so you can get a reservation.
LA CANTINA
326 E 8TH STREET
I tried La Cantina right after my trip to Mexico last month and was very impressed by how good they were compared to the Mexican food I had on my trip. Of course, we went again this month because it’s always a good time for Mexican food. The lamb barbacoa and the camarones asados were delicious! While I haven’t had the entire menu, yet, I haven’t had anything bad. Anything you order, I highly recommend adding the hot sauce flight to your order because it’s a great addition to any item you get. Because the restaurant is a small space, you must make a reservation. This is a new favorite for me, and I highly recommend this place.
HART & CRU
1206 BROADWAY
While this is not a restaurant per se, it is a wine bar that I was introduced to by a colleague. It was the precursor to dinner, so we didn’t indulge too much on the snacks. We split a bottle of the Bonnet-Ponson, Extra Brut Rose Cuvee Perpetuelle. It’s a sparking Rosé and heavenly. I rarely drink sparkling rosé, and now I found a bottle that makes free local deliveries. Hart & Cru is in Pendleton, right next door to Nation. It’s a small wine bar so you want to make sure you make reservations to get a seat.
LOUVINO
1142 MAIN STREET
I went to Louvino for brunch with girlfriends. It was a chance to catchup and kiki. I’d never been here before so I was intrigued about the food’s quality. I ordered the biscuits and gravy because the gravy had something I’ve never had before – goetta. It’s a midwestern type of meat, but given my previous experiences with other Cincinnati specific foods that I don’t care for, I was very skeptical about it. Being from the south, I know what good biscuits and gravy should taste like. While this wasn’t my favorite, it wasn’t the worst I’ve had. We also had the loaded baked potato tots and the blood orange mimosa, which I enjoyed more than my actual meal. I would have to try something else before completely writing this place off.
WHAT CINCINNATI RESTAURANTS SHOULD I ADD TO MY LIST?
