It’s really hard to find a good salad. A lot of restaurants are lazy and just toss some mixed greens at you with a sprinkling of cranberries and goat cheese, or a wedge of iceberg and bacon. Are these technically lettuce-based dishes? Yes. Are they exciting or fulfilling as a meal? No. But Goose & Elder’s Big Salad — inspired by Elaine Benes’ order on the Seinfeld episode of the same name — is. It’s just a really good, fresh, hearty salad infused with a variety of flavors and textures, and it will fill you up. There’s a base of farm greens topped with seasonal veggies (generally something crunchy), sliced hard-boiled egg, cherry tomatoes and green olives. There’s no cheese on the salad, which is typically a travesty, but you can opt to add everything from avocado to grilled chicken, local tofu or housemade falafel. It automatically comes with house vinaigrette, but we recommend you swap that out for the buttermilk ranch. And order a side of crinkle-cut fries. gooseandelder.com.

Here are the 2023 Best Of Cincinnati® Reader and Staff Pick winners for Eats.

1. Ichiban Japanese Restaurant


2. Cloud 9 Sushi


3. Kanji OTR


4. E+O Kitchen


5. Wabi Sabi


6. Izen’s Drunken Bento


7. Wild Ginger


8. Teak OTR


9. Green Papaya


10. Kyoto Japanese Cuisine

1. Mazunte


2. Agave & Rye


3. Condado Tacos


4. Tortilleria Garcia


5. Bakersfield


6. OLLA Taqueria Gutierrez


7. Texas Joe Tex-Mex


8. Gomez Salsa


9. La Mexicana Restaurant


10. Frida 602

1. Dewey's Pizza


2. Eli's BBQ


3. City Barbeque


4. Gomez Salsa


5. Mazunte


6. Pig Candy BBQ


7. Lucius Q


8. Currito


9. Good Plates Eatery


10. Revolution Rotisserie

1. Churchill's Fine Teas


2. Jungle Jim's International Market


3. Mom 'n 'em Coffee & Wine

1. Teak OTR


2. Thai Express


3. Green Papaya


4. Wild Ginger


5. Thai Taste


6. Bangkok Bistro


7. Lemon Grass Thai Cuisine


8. Thai Namtip


9. Mai Thai Restaurant TIE


10. Siam Orchid TIE


11. Asiana Thai & Sushi

1. Aladdin’s Eatery


2. Melt Revival


3. Loving Hut


4. Rooted Juicery + Kitchen


5. Harmony Plant Fare


6. W Bar + Bistro


7. Tuba Baking Co.


8. Condado Tacos


9. Café Alma


10. Good Plates Eatery

1. Tickle Pickle


2. Krueger's Tavern


3. Nine Giant


4. Nation Kitchen & Bar


5. Arthur's


6. Dead Low Brewing


7. Goose & Elder


8. Taste of Belgium


9. W Bar + Bistro


10. Maplewood Kitchen and Bar

1. Pho Lang Thang


2. Wild Ginger


3. DOPE! Asian Street Fare


4. Saigon Noodle Bar


5. Pho Kimmy


6. Saigon Subs and Rolls


7. Pho96


8. Pho Viet


9. iPho Vietnamese Cuisine


10. Pholicious

1. Incline Public House


2. Primavista


3. Montgomery Inn Boathouse


4. Moerlein Lager House


5. City View Tavern


6. The Chart House


7. The View at Shires' Garden


8. Eighteen at the Radisson


9. Le Bar a Boeuf


10. Via Vite