The pandemic has not been kind to the hospitality industry. While many bars and restaurants have been able to weather the storm of health restrictions, supply chain shortages and staffing issues, some have been forced to close their doors (the Ohio Restaurant Association says more than 3,000 have shuttered across the state in 2021). But it hasn’t all been a downer. The Queen City has also welcomed plenty of new places to drink and dine this year. Just in case you missed them, this list offers a taste of what’s new to taste here in Cincinnati.

Anjou 2804 Woodburn Ave., East Walnut Hills Named after Margaret of Anjou, wife of King Henry VI, this cocktail bar aims to offer “familiar flavors introduced in a different way,” says co-owner Chris Wolfe. And the drinks live up to that credo with colorful compositions and botanical incorporations. For example, the She-Wolf is a delightful concoction, featuring Old Tom Gin and pear, ginger and elderflower liqueurs. It is a vivid purple color and comes served in a tumbler with a rose-shaped ice cube. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
The Baker’s Table Bakery 1001 Monmouth St., Newport Despite the struggles of the pandemic-riddled past year on local small business, it’s clear that the team and reputation behind The Baker’s Table was strong enough to not only pull through, but also find themselves in a position for growth. Chef David Willocks and his wife Wendy Braun have opened The Baker’s Table Bakery, right across from the beloved restaurant. The menu features sourdough breads, pastries, espresso and sandwiches as well as farm-to-table pizzas and sustainably made Italian wines. Photo: Provided by The Baker's Table Bakery
Cackleberry Mobile pop-up Squeezed into a bite-sized vintage trailer, husband-and-wife duo Nate and China Kautz serve eggy breakfast sandwiches as Cincinnati-based pop-up Cackleberry (a term for a hen’s egg). The petite menu blends Queen City staples with Filipino-fusion ingredients to offer options like the Lolo, with longanisa sausage and atchara pickled slaw, and a goetta sandwich called the Porter with muenster cheese and mustard aioli. The food truck parks in various locations on weekends and operates until all sandwiches are sold out. Photo: Provided by Cackleberry
Cafe Mochiko 1524 Madison Road, East Walnut Hills This Japanese-style pop-up run by Elaine Townsend and Erik Bentz has been a local favorite for years, and the duo opened their first storefront in East Walnut Hills in spring of 2021. The shop specializes in a fusion cuisine known as “yoshoku,” which borrows elements from Asian and Western cooking styles. A pastry chef, Townsend focuses on the daytime baked goods, crafting items including a delicious ube halaya (purple yam) croissant, various melonpan and loaves of shokupan. At night, the dinner menu offers options like a Hokkaido Smash Burger, shoyu ramen and intermittent specialities including a beloved Cincinnati-chili-style ramen. Photo: Francisco Huerta
Copper and Flame 1115 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine Pour-your-own-drink concept Copper & Flame opened in the former Rook OTR space in June. The bar boasts 68 different taps of draft beer, plus craft cocktails and wine, all priced by-the-ounce and poured by the individual. But don’t expect to see familiar brews. Copper & Flame is highlighting rare beer varieties that you likely won’t find on draft lists around the neighborhood. Just load money onto an RFID card when you enter and use that to buy your drinks. In addition to sips, the bar offers a menu of elevated street food, with a fusion of Central/South American and Southeast Asian flavors. Photo: Facebook.com/CopperandFlameotr
Gulow Street 1614 Hoffner St., Northside Gulow Street is a cozy yet sophisticated bar and restaurant located at the corner of Hoffner and Gulow streets (the establishment’s namesake). Gulow Street’s food menu is small but mighty, offering seven dishes ranging from breakfast to dinner, with stand-out items including sesame noodles, a pimento-stuffed breakfast sandwich, rigatoni bolognese and a cheeseburger. The cocktail menu sports signature craft cocktails ranging in spirits from bourbon and vodka to gin, including a popular take on a Moscow mule that’s infused with fresh carrot juice. The bar/restaurant also has a dog-friendly patio. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Fillo 1505 Race St., Over-the-Rhine Serving up an assortment of flaky, buttery pastries and a robust menu of Mediterranean offerings, Fillo Greek Bake Shop brings a slice of Greece to Over-the-Rhine. The café is named after phyllo, the thin pastry dough included in so many of the eatery’s menu items. The restaurant is a full-fledged family affair — husband-and-wife duo Evan and Evi Papanikolaou operate Fillo with their daughters. Customers can expect delicious standards like baklava, but Fillo also serves lunch items, including a halloumi panini and a classic Greek lamb kebab. To keep it authentic, an ice cold Mythos beer pairs well with any lunch entrée. Photo: Fillo Modern Greek
Mid-City 40 E. Court St., Downtown Recently opened Mid-City moved into their spot downtown on 40 E. Court in early October. “It’s small, it’s cute and there is delicious food,” says the team behind the operation — the same as popular Over-the-Rhine bar Longfellow. Some of their newly developed dishes include a griddled english muffin with pickle butter, a chicken and artichoke skewer with chili relish and basil as well as the Mid-City Palter with a frankfurt, belly, loin, potato and sauerkraut. Photo: instagram.com/midcitycinti Photo: instagram.com/midcitycinti
Mighty Good: Meat n’ Three 1819 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine Mighty Good: Meat n’ Three opened its door just outside Findlay Market in early October. The restaurant offers “simple, delicious, fresh, Southern food at an approachable price.” As the “Meat n’ Three” title implies, customers choose one meat and three sides (family-style and vegetarian options are also available). Proteins range from Mississippi pot roast to spare ribs and sweet-tea-brined turkey, with sides like macaroni casserole, hominy grits, fried okra, hot slaw and more. Photo: Catie Viox
Mama’s Mornings 621 Main St., Covington Drawing inspiration from Andy Warhol’s “Birth of Venus” (modeled after Italian artist Sandro Botticelli’s original masterpiece), Mama’s Mornings is the pastry and espresso bar portion of a forthcoming larger concept from Northern Kentucky restaurateurs Emily Wolff and Paul Weckman (Otto’s, Frida 602, The Standard, Larry’s). Chase Maus, who helmed the recently shuttered rose&mary bakery, is behind the menu of baked goods, which include goodies like tiramisu donuts, custard buns with polenta custard and pine nut croissant sticky buns. Mama’s itself is slated to open in 2022 with a menu that “draw(s) on the classics, but ‘brighten(s)’ them up,” Wolff tellsCityBeat. Photo: Provided by Mama's Mornings
North South Baking Co. 39 W. Pike St., Covington North South Baking Company is slinging baked goods in a new home shared with Ludlow, Kentucky-based Bircus Brewing Company. For baker and owner Kate Nycz, it’s a dream years in the making. On any given day in the shop, visitors may find sweet or savory danishes, buns, cheese knots, brownies or cookies. For bread lovers, there are plenty of varieties to pick up here, too. One menu staple is the flaky, soft “cruffin,” a croissant-muffin hybrid filled with creams or jams. Nycz makes and sells baked goods during morning hours while Bircus takes the reins at night. Photo: Provided by Bircus Brewing Co./North South Baking Co.
Oakley Fish House 3036 Madison Road, Oakley This Oakley eatery takes inspiration from owner Chanaka Delanerolle’s former Mt. Adams Fish House, which closed about a decade ago. The menu includes everything you would want in a seafood-oriented establishment, with a couple of landlubber offerings. The lobster ravioli and the Mediterranean fish stew are standouts. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Oakley Kitchen Food Hall 3715 Madison Road, Oakley Greater Cincinnati’s culinary scene is expanding rapidly, and with the opening of incubator kitchen and event space Oakley Kitchen Food Hall, area chefs and food entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to develop their ideas, skills and products even further. The establishment features eight kitchen pods for start-ups and ghost kitchens on the first floor, plus a Cutaway bar (with the team behind Over-the-Rhine’s Longfellow at the helm) and a marketplace that offers local products from both new and established local businesses. Grab food and a drink to go from any vendor and enjoy your meal at indoor seating or outside. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Okto 645 Walnut St., Downtown Cincinnati-based Earth & Ocean Restaurant Group (the team behind Hyde Park’s E+O Kitchen) has brought the fresh flavors of the Mediterranean to the Queen City with the opening of Okto downtown. The menu at Okto includes traditional Greek dishes, like savory tiropita and spanakopita pastries, kebabs, flaming saganaki (a pan-fried cheese) and baklava, as well as branzino (deboned at the table), lobster pasta and octopus carpaccio. Okto’s bar is stocked with a selection of wine and liquors imported from Greece as well as cocktails created to pair nicely with the restaurant’s Mediterranean flavors. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Guti Nachos with pollo asado: corn chips topped with refried beans, guacamole, mozzarella, cilantro, onion and cotija cheese, served with sour cream, roja and verde salsas Photo: Mary LeBus
Hello Honey 1530 Madison Road, East Walnut Hills Hello Honey has been serving up small-batch ice cream in the heart of downtown since 2012. Now, it has expanded into East Walnut Hills (and is moving the downtown destination to a new storefront soon). The cult-favorite ice cream is crafted with fresh ingredients and options rotate based on the seasons, with flavors including banana honeycomb, Thai iced tea and brown butter caramel. Every item in Hello Honey’s sugary portfolio is worth every single calorie, and it’s a necessity to top your scoop with one of the shop’s homemade, toasted marshmallows. Photo: https://www.facebook.com/HelloHoneyIceCream
OTR Stillhouse 2017 Branch St., Over-the-Rhine The OTR Stillhouse is a distillery, winery and brewery in one. Located in a former 1890s ice manufacturing warehouse, it’s also home to an entertainment venue with indoor and outdoor space. From entrepreneur Michele Hobbs (who launched PetWants) and partners including Master Distiller Chris Mitchell, a founder and former head brewer of Woodburn Brewing, and Dr. Tom Asquith, who worked as a whisky scientist for Brown Forman, the in-house Knox Joseph Distillery produces award-winning gin, bourbon and blended whiskey. Describing itself as a “half-acre of relaxation within OTR,” the Stillhouse also serves a small menu of smoked and grilled food. The Stillhouse opens Dec. 18. Photo: facebook.com/otrstillhouse
PearlStar 1220 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine Located in the former A Tavola storefront on Vine Street, PearlStar is the brainchild of Nashville restaurateur Terry Raley. PearlStar offers both East and West Coast oysters and other raw delicacies including crudo, ceviche and tartare. The kitchen — overseen by former Senate executive Chef Leroy Ansley — also features a wood-burning grill to create (non-raw) burgers and steak sandwiches. The bar pours “old-school martinis, frozen drinks and Lone Star Beer on tap.” Photo: Catie Viox
The Pitch 1430 Central Parkway, Over-the-Rhine Soccer-themed sports bar The Pitch Cincy, located directly across from the recently renamed TQL stadium, opened before the first home match of FC Cincinnati’s 2021 Major League Soccer season in May. Housed in the former two-story Metropolitan Baptist Church space, the bar boasts artificial turf on the ceiling, a second-floor scarf wall and a 9-foot-tall wall of 4K TVs (there are another 50 TVs spread throughout the bar). And from the coveted rooftop patio, patrons can almost see into TQL Stadium. Photo: Provided by The Pitch
Pilar 56 E. Court St., Over-the-Rhine Pilar, 4EG’s newest cocktail bar, celebrates Ernest Hemingway’s oceanic legacy and acts as a bridge between Over-the-Rhine and Fountain Square. The bar takes its name from Hemingway’s black 38-foot fishing boat that he sailed around Florida, Key West and Cuba, and Pilar intends to synthesize the feeling of freedom that comes from a salty breeze over calm waves, giving the Queen City a chance to take a quick trip to the tropics any time. Pilar’s menu gravitates around the drinks Hemingway was known to enjoy, including a daiquiri. Photo: Provide by 4EG
Proud Hound Coffee 6717 Montgomery Road, Silverton After several years of growing its brand through pop-ups, wholesale operations, events and collabs, Proud Hound Coffee opened a new cafe and kitchen in its 4,000-square-foot warehouse and roasting facility. In addition to drip coffee, house and single-origin espressos, the cafe offers a variety of milk and milk alternatives for all your coffee-infused beverage needs, plus Vancouver-imported teas from 05 Tea, housemade flavor infusions and blue matcha. The food menu offers Southern-inspired breakfast and brunch with a focus on locally sourced ingredients and seasonal dishes. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Saint Francis Apizza 3392 Erie Ave., Hyde Park Saint Francis Apizza opened in Hyde Park in February. Formerly known as Parlor Pizza Project, the team had to rebrand after just over a month in the new shop due to a trademark issue. Owner Alex Plattner, a Cincinnati native, has made pizza for many years, from when he lived in Minneapolis to after he moved back to Cincinnati in June 2020. Before the rebranding, Parlor Pizza Project did a series of Sunday night dinner pop-ups at Oakley Wines from August 2020 to January 2021 as well before opening the brick-and-mortar shop in Hyde Park. The popular pizzeria offers a variety of house pies, like the pepperoni and olive and the Fancy White. Customers can also build their own. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Somerset 139 E. McMicken Ave., Over-the-Rhine This sprawling drinking and dining destination offers an immersive escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. Somerset features two bar spaces — one in the plant-filled and glass-roofed conservatory and another in the cozy lounge space. The grounds are also home to a double-decker bus that has been converted into a kitchen, and, the pièce de résistance, Somerset’s awe-inspiring garden space, loaded with tropical plants, unique seating nooks and imported pieces from co-founder and creative lead James Fisher’s collection, as well as the collections of his friends and family. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Yuca 700 Fairfield Ave., Bellevue Jeremy Faeth, co-owner and executive chef of popular Covington brunch restaurant Cedar, has opened his second restaurant, Yuca, in Bellevue. The eatery took over the space formerly occupied by Fairfield Market. This Latin-American restaurant is open for breakfast, brunch and lunch, serving items like The Hangover: two sunny side-up eggs laying on a bed of spicy chorizo and homemade potatoes with pico de gallo and avocado on top. All of Yuca’s recipes are made from scratch with locally sourced ingredients. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Rooted Findlay Market 113 W. Elder St., Findlay Market, Over-the-Rhine Vegan-centric juice bar Rooted Juicery + Kitchen expanded its local imprint with a storefront in Findlay Market, located in the former Mainwood Pastry space. But this location — called “Baked” — focuses on the titular baked goods. Rooted prepares and serves housemade baked goods out of this spot, along with menu items found at the other three Rooted locales, including pressed juices, smoothies, toasts, bowls, et al. Baked also serves alcohol, so you can have a glass of rosé with your oat milk latte. Photo: facebook.com/rootedjuicery