25 New Greater Cincinnati Restaurants That Opened Over the Summer

Okto

645 Walnut St., Downtown
Cincinnati-based Earth & Ocean Restaurant Group (the team behind Hyde Park's E+O Kitchen) is bringing the fresh flavors of the Mediterranean to the Queen City with Okto downtown. The Greek restaurant concept takes over the space formerly occupied by E+O New Asian at the corner of Walnut and E. Seventh streets, right across the street from Weston Art Gallery. Okto sets out to be a sophisticated, yet approachable, dining destination with fresh ingredients, an esteemed chef and an immersive experience for guests. Okto hosted its grand opening on Aug. 24.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Proud Hound Coffee

6717 Montgomery Road, Silverton
Located in a 4,000-square-foot warehouse, the new café officially opened on June 26 — a milestone the team has been chasing for years. Since launching in 2019, Proud Hound has been helping Cincinnatians get their caffeine fix via pop-ups with its coffee truck and cart, wholesale operations, events and collaborations. The flagship location, complete with a coffee bar and full-service kitchen, also houses its roasting facility, viewable by customers through large glass windows. Customers can expect all the usual espresso-based beverages — cortados, cappuccinos, americanos, lattes and mochas — alongside cold brews, pour overs and drip coffees. Not into coffee? The café also slings teas, hot chocolate and more. You can even order a picturesque blue matcha. The kitchen, run by executive chef Kierstin Dudley, serves up Southern-centric breakfast and brunch with an emphasis on locally sourced ingredients and seasonal dishes.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Oakley Kitchen Food Hall

3715 Madison Road, Oakley
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 food hall features eight local food vendors and The Cutaway Bar, with Mike Stankovich of Over-the-Rhine’s Longfellow at the helm. There are eight kitchen pods for start-ups and ghost kitchens on the first floor, along with Campfire Foods Commissary, the bar and a marketplace that offers local products from both new and established local businesses. Restaurants include La Petite Frite, Khana Gourmet Indian Grill, Jimmie Lou’s, Loakley, Parts & Labor, Onolicious Hawaii, Olive Tree and an outpost of Milford’s Padrino pizza and pasta parlor. Upstairs, Oakley Kitchen Food Hall features a 10,000 square-foot seating space/rentable event venue that can be used for food-centric parties, private events and weddings.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

OLLA Taqueria

302 W. MLK Jr. Blvd, Covington
Covington’s OLLA Taqueria Gutierrez recently opened on West MLK Jr. Boulevard, serving up Mexican-style street food with some extravagant twists. The new eatery is owned by Sergio Gutierrez — whose father owns Gutierrez Deli just down the street— and has received a great deal of buzz over social media since opening its doors. The menu is stacked with your typical street dishes like tacos, burritos and quesadillas as well as loaded nachos and “Guti fries,” which are similar to nachos but made with fries as the base.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Ziggy Whip

1324 Main St., Over-the-Rhine
Chef David Jackman recently opened creamy whip and hand pie eatery Ziggy Whip in Over-the-Rhine’s The Takeaway walk-up window. Jackman works alongside his wife, Lydia, as well as Ethan Bartlett. The trio has decades of culinary experience between them and the résumés to show for it. Prior to starting up Ziggy Whip, Lydia ran the foodservice at Oakley Wines and The Rhined, Bartlett was at Sleepy Bee and Jackman was the sous chef at the now-shuttered Please. Now, they’ve combined their expertise to bring their own concept to life.
Photo: Provided by Ziggy Whip

Gulow Street

1614 Hoffner St., Northside
Gulow Street, a cozy yet sophisticated bar and restaurant located at the corner of Hoffner Street and Gulow Street — the establishment's namesake — is a family operation, owned by brothers/cousins Jonathan, Danny and Alex Mouch. 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 four craft cocktails ranging in spirits from bourbon and vodka to gin.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Rosie’s Cocktails & Pies

300 E. Seventh St., Downtown
Rosie’s hosted its grand opening in April of 2021 but closed shortly after due to a car accident involving the restaurant. The eatery reopened August. From the team behind Crown Republic Gastropub and Losanti, this East Coast-style pizza spot takes over the space formerly occupied by Money Chicken. Rosie's features a unique style of pizza made with house dough, which is then layered with cheese, toppings and sauce on top — creating a light and crisp pizza from the crust to the center of the pie. Ingredients are either made in-house or sourced from Ohio-based businesses. They also offer a selection of craft cocktails, wine and beer.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

The Pitch Cincy

1430 Central Parkway, Over-the-Rhine
Soccer-themed sports bar The Pitch Cincy, located directly across from 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’s another 50 TVs spread throughout the bar). And from the coveted rooftop patio, patrons can almost see into the FCC stadium.
Photo: Facebook.com/thepitchcincy

Taco Fuerte Food Truck

5 Orphanage Road, Fort Mitchell
Taco Fuerte food truck hosted its grand opening in July and is located outside of Braxton Barrel House. The truck boasts a selection of hand-crafted creations ranging from birria or cheesecake tacos to totchos and vegetarian-friendly bites. Braxton says the truck's menu was crafted to pair nicely with the brewery's beers.
Photo: Facebook Event Page

Copper and Flame

1115 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine
Pour-your-own-drink concept Copper & Flame opened in the former Rook OTR space on June 3. 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 by chef Sydney Fisher.
Photo: Facebook.com/CopperandFlameotr