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Greater Cincinnati Comfort-Food Restaurants Better Than Dinner With Your Dysfunctional Family

By CityBeat Staff on Fri, Nov 10, 2023 at 11:27 am

With the holidays coming up, you might be spending a lot of time and dinners with your family — and depending on how you feel about your family, this may or may not be a source of annoyance or, you know, dread.

While CityBeat can't help you with familial problems, we can point you toward some Greater Cincinnati restaurants that will make you feel at home with their warm hospitality and delicious comfort food. Whether you're looking for hearty, literal meat-and-potato dishes, Southern favorites fried with love and served with all the fixins or just a fueling breakfast made by someone with no intention of guilt-tripping you into hosting Christmas this year, you'll find it here in Cincinnati. And hopefully you'll be able to enjoy your meal without awkward silences, political ramblings or someone crying into their mashed potatoes.

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Photo: facebook.com/RasheedahsCafe

Rasheedah’s Cafe

5922 Hamilton Ave., College Hill
Rasheedah’s Cafe is located in an unassuming brick building in the heart of College Hill, but don’t let the modest exterior fool you; the cafe is full of heart, soul and delicious food. Rasheedah Majid first opened her self-named cafe in 1993 to address the need for halal dishes in Cincinnati. Now, the spot offers comfort food and halal meats like their salmon croquettes, fried fish and rib eyes for dinner and Philly cheese steaks and chili dogs for lunch.

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Photo: Google Maps

Millie’s Place

5923 Madison Road, Madisonville
Millie’s Place has been a staple soul-food eatery in Cincinnati since opening in 1993. The classic after-church restaurant serves up fried chicken, fried fish, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, collard greens and other Southern favorites. For dessert, don’t pass on the peach cobbler or lemon cake.

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Photo: facebook.com/poochiesplace

Poochie’s Place

1375 Ohio Pike, Amelia
This beloved diner whips up hearty breakfast and lunch dishes with a lot of flavor and little pretension. Fuel up for the day ahead with one of its three-egg omelettes or a carb-laden plate of waffles, pancakes or thick French toast; or try a platter of a sloppy joe or a fried bologna or meatloaf sandwich, all served with fresh, hand-cut fries for lunch.

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Photo: facebook.com/Divine Appetite Cafe and Catering

Divine Appetite Cafe

8982 Cincinnati Columbus Road, West Chester
There are not many places in Cincinnati where you can go and get authentic African cuisine and comfort food, which is exactly what Divine Appetite Cafe excels at. The cozy, no-frills West Chester restaurant features traditional dishes like Waakye — African stewed tomato sauce, chicken, fish and a hard-boiled egg — and Banku, cornmeal dumplings served with okra sauce which includes fish, blue crab and beef. It also carries a homestyle menu with American-style dishes like fried chicken and smothered pork chops. Side dishes cross cultures with items ranging from french fries and mac & cheese to roti (Caribbean flatbread) and fried plantains.

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Photo: Google Maps

Proud Rooster

345 Ludlow Ave., Clifton
Opened for more than half a century, Proud Rooster is a greasy spoon staple in Clifton’s Gaslight District. The cozy diner serves up all the classics like eggs served with your favorite breakfast meat, country-style breakfasts like biscuits and gravy and omelettes made with fresh, whipped ranch eggs and a side of toast. For lunch, try one of their tasty hoagies, sandwich boards or burgers.

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