The 20 Hottest New Restaurants in Cincinnati Right Now

Proud Hound Coffee

6717 Montgomery Road, Silverton
After several years of growing their brand through pop-ups, wholesale operations, events and collabs, Silverton-based coffee roasting brand Proud Hound Coffee is ready to welcome the community to their new cafe and kitchen. Their 4,000-square-foot warehouse is already home to the brand's roasting facility, and now they've dedicated a portion of it to serve the coffee-loving community face-to-face. 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 chai tea. Expect some experimental coffee creations. Proud Hound has brought in chef Kierstin Dudley to lead the kitchen, which boasts a Southern-inspired breakfast and brunch menu, with a focus on locally sourced ingredients and seasonal dishes.
Photo: Provided

Gulow Street

1614 Hoffner St., Northside
Northside recently welcomed a new addition to the neighborhood. 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 four craft cocktails ranging in spirits from bourbon and vodka to gin. The bar/restaurant also has a dog-friendly patio.
Photo: Alex Mouch

BEBO’s Burgers and Frappes

29 E. Court St., Downtown
Specializing in artisan burgers and rich frappes, BEBO’s opened in Downtown’s Court Street this summer. The menu offers 12 burgers and sandwiches, ranging from the simple Old Fashioned burger with American cheese, LTP, onion and mayo to the Latin Lover burger with a spicy twist, topped with pepper jack cheese, beer battered jalapenos, chipotle aioli and chile toreado. Looking for a sweet and savory combo, order one of BEBO’s frappes made with a base of nutella, milk, sugar and ice.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

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. Co-owner Kathy O'Connell says this concept allows customers to explore new styles of drinks and try as little or as much as they want. 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

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. 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 new pizzeria offers a variety of house pies, like the pepperoni and olive and the Fancy White Pie, as well as a $23 weekly special on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Customers can also build their own.
Photo: Facebook.com/stfrancispizza

Frosthaus

115 Park Place, Covington
Frosthaus — located next to German-style spaghetti eis cream shop Eishaus — offers a slew of frozen delights, specifically booze-infused slushies. Opt for the rainbow-hued Cov Sunset, with mango, strawberry and mojito; or the Frosé + Cream, with rosé wine, vodka and ice cream. They also offer non-alcoholic frozen drinks, German-inspired salads and sandwiches, macaroni and cheese and flatbreads.
Photo: Facebook.com/FrosthausCov

The Emery

6914 Wooster Pike, Mariemont
Looking Glass Hospitality Group — the team behind TAHONA Kitchen+Bar, S.W. Clyborne Provision & Spirits, Fretboard Brewing & Public House and Toast & Berry — opened their latest restaurant in December 2020 in Mariemont Square. Described as a "polished-casual" restaurant, "the menu is seafood-leaning but also includes fare from the garden and farm," says a release.The 5,800-square-foot eatery features a second-floor dining room and cocktail lounge with a first-floor pub and outdoor patio. It also features a saltwater aquarium as a "centerpiece" on the second floor.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Nine Giant Brewing’s Fermentorium

6095 Montgomery Road, Pleasant Ridge
While Nine Giant Brewing is an established Pleasant Ridge destination, the Fermentorium is a new hot spot located in the basement of the brewing company. The fermentorium offers a selection of housemade artisan wines, barrel-aged and experimental beers and tiki cocktails. Feeling a little bit hungry? Head back up to Nine Giant’s taproom for some scratch-made eats.
Photo: Facebook.com/nfgermentorium

Mochiko

1524 Madison Road, East Walnut Hills
The Japanese-style pop-up has been a local favorite for years, and recently opened its own storefront in East Walnut Hills. The shop specializes in fusion cuisine known as “yoshoku,” which borrows elements from Asian and Western cooking styles. Some savory dishes and sweet treats on Mochiko’s menu include melonpan, a Hokkaido Smash Burger and shoyu ramen.
Photo: Francisco Huerta

Bee’s Barbecue

5910 Chandler St., Madisonville
Bee’s Barbecue began as a pop-up in 2017, offering craveable smoked meats at Oakley Wines and the currently-defunct Dutch’s Larder in Hyde Park (local chef Brad Bernstein reopened the space this summer). But, from the beginning, owner Brendan “Bee” Hague knew he wanted a brick-and-mortar location. In 2019, he found the storefront on Chandler Street — previously home to Jojo’s Chicken & Fish, a pizzeria and a candy shop — and has been paying rent on the space ever since. The restaurant officially opened in April and serves smoked brisket, pulled pork, turkey breast, Cincinnati hot links, ribs and black pepper Lockhart, plus a range of sides.
Photo: Provided by Bee’s Barbeque

Woodburn Brewing

2800 Woodburn Ave., East Walnut Hills
Woodburn Brewing is back, now under the ownership of March First Brewing but still slinging some of your original faves. In addition to a slew of brews and craft cocktails, the brewery also serves up a petite menu of elevated bar bites like an Asian-inspired chicken sandwich, smoked brisket sandwich, a pimento cheese-topped burger, Philly cheesesteak and hot dogs.
Photo: Facebook.com/WoodburnBrewing

OLLA Taqueria Gutierrez

302 W. MLK Jr. Blvd., Covington
The folks behind Covington’s Gutierrez Deli recently opened OLLA Taqueria Gutierrez on W. MLK Jr. Blvd in Covington. The eatery serves up Mexican-style street food. The menu is stacked with tacos, burritos, nachos and “Guti fries,” with nine different meat/veggie options (including birria) to choose from, plus a couple of entrees, sides and drinks.
Photo: Facebook.com/OllaCov

Cackleberry

Squeezed into a bite-sized vintage trailer, husband-and-wife duo Nate and China Kautz are serving up mobile breakfast sandwiches as the owners of the new Cincinnati-based pop-up Cackleberry. Cackleberry currently offers six unique sandwiches ranging from Cincinnati staples to Filipino-fusion cuisine. Cackleberry’s "Benny" bacon sandwich has chipotle ketchup and caramelized onions, and the shop also offers a Cincinnati-inspired goetta sandwich called the "Porter." Nearly every sandwich is named after their dogs to add another level of personalization. The food truck parks in various locations on weekends and operates until all sandwiches are sold out. Though it is a mobile shop, China says she wanted people’s experience with Cackleberry to be memorable, so they play music near the truck and sell merchandise, including T-shirts and ceramic egg cups.
Photo: Provided

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 food hall has softly opened its eight local food vendors and soon will host its grand opening in tandem with the opening of hall's The Cutaway Bar. The establishment will feature a joint-use space: eight kitchen pods featuring start-ups and ghost kitchens inhabit the first floor, along with Campfire Foods Commissary, the forthcoming bar (with Mike Stankovich, the local bar owner behind Longfellow, at the helm) and a marketplace that offers local products from both new and established local businesses. Restaurants include La Petite Frite, Khana, Jimmie Lou's, Loakley, Parts & Labor, Onolicious Hi and Olive Tree. Upstairs, Oakley Kitchen Food Hall will feature 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

Pig Candy BBQ Kitchen

5901 Kellogg Ave., California
Local couple Paul Montgomery and Christina Goehrig opened their restaurant Pig Candy BBQ this year, but the idea has been marinating for a little over half a decade. Montgomery and Goehrig bought the Kellogg Avenue building in which the restaurant sits — near Dead Low Brewing and the Lunken Airport bike path — five years ago. Built in 1913, it served as the local California, Ohio jail for many decades. Pig Candy specializes in smoked, barbecued meats with pulled pork, smoked and sliced turkey and grilled bone-in chicken thighs on the menu. Certain dishes have a Mexican-influence, like the pulled pork posole, barbecue quesadilla and grilled salsa; Montgomery says that each of these are his brother-in-law’s father’s recipes. The name “Pig Candy” comes from their specialty: a fluffy gluten-free waffle pressed with pulled pork and topped with peach maple glaze. Unlike some other barbecue joints, though, Pig Candy offers alternatives for those with dietary restrictions, including housemade vegan goetta and gluten-free waffles.
Photo via facebook.com/eatpigcandy

Upside Brew

329 Ludlow Ave., Clifton
From the team behind Newport’s now-closed Cosmic Coffee, Upside Brew — taking over the space formerly occupied by Lydia’s — is a coffee bar and cafe on Ludlow Avenue that specializes in coffee classics and various brews for coffee connoisseurs as well as a petite menu of breakfast bites, flatbreads and “kinda lunchy” eats like the chicken salad croissant. If you’d prefer your buzz with a little booze, Upside Brew is also known for their coffee cocktails such as the bourbon latte. Opening this past spring, the coffee bar is currently in the works of planning events for the summer.
Photo: Facebook.com/TheUpsideBrew

Miami Trailyard

368 Center St, Miamiville
Perched along the Little Miami Scenic Trail, this new eatery and bar has one of the area’s best patios and has become a hot stop for bikers and walkers in need for a refreshing local brew and bite. Their menu ranges from “butcher blend burgers” and sandwiches to shareables, wings and salads.
Photo: Facebook.com/MiamiTrailyard

Rosie’s Cocktails & Pies

300 E. Seventh St., Downtown
While temporarily closed due to a car accident involving the restaurant, Rosie’s is slated to reopen mid-July. 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

Pensive Distilling

720 Monmouth St., Newport
This new distillery/restaurant takes over the space formerly occupied by 27 Bar+Kitchen. The bar offers a petite menu of cocktails ranging from an Old Fashioned to Watermelon Mule or Mint Julep. Chow down on Southern-inspired dishes like shrimp and grits or a selection of jazzed up sliders featuring toppings like spicy corn salsa or garlic avocado mash.
Photo: Provided

McK's BBQ

11 W. Seventh St., Covington
The Covington restaurant formerly known as McK's Chicks has a new look, a new name and a new focus. The restaurant, open since 2017, is now McK's BBQ. Owner Gregg McKinstry is known for his barbecue talents, taking home the 2019 Taste of Cincinnati award for best entree for his Pork Grenade: a sweet cornbread muffin topped with maple butter, pulled pork, homemade coleslaw, peppered bacon and barbecue sauce. After closing for renovations, the freshly rebranded McK's BBQ has gotten a full facelift. McKinstry uses drums located next to the building to smoke his meats and offers a menu complete with ribs, smoked wings and burgers, pork belly platters, burnt ends sandwiches, barbecue tacos and burritos, drunken beans (made with beer) and other classic sides like collard greens (with brisket) and macaroni and cheese.
Photo: Provided