The 25 Best Things We Ate in Cincinnati This Weird Year

Parlor Pizza Project at Oakley Wines

4011 Allston St., Oakley
On Sundays, Oakley Wines teams up with Parlor Pizza Project to throw a tasty little pizza party pop-up. They typically feature two or three different 10-inch pizza options weekly, which you can eat either at the shop or take to-go. It was late August when I visited, and they had a local sweet corn and heirloom tomato pie available. The crust was chewy and crispy and the toppings were deliciously balanced between sweet, savory and delightfully fresh. — Hailey Bollinger
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Cincinnati-style chili-inspired pasta from Khora

37 W. Seventh St., Downtown
Khora restaurant opened its doors inside of downtown’s Kinley Hotel this fall. Back in 2019, both Food & Wine and Vogue magazines named the eatery on their lists of the "most anticipated" American restaurant openings of 2020. The restaurant offers "modern pasta dishes and small plates with a Midwest sensibility," according to a press release, which includes a Cincinnati-style 3-Way made with lamb ragù. A lover of both lamb and our local delicacy of Cincy-style chili, this dish offered a sophisticated take on a nostalgic comfort meal. Hearty, yet playful sauce, perfectly al dente swirl-shaped noodles and topped with a delicious caramelized goat cheese. — Hailey Bollinger
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Duck confit at Goose & Elder

1800 Race St., Over-the-Rhine
Here’s a dish that travels well from an OTR kitchen to your home dining table: duck leg confit over creamy polenta and sautéed kale. There’s usually bits of bacon dotting the kale, as well, and a small container of gravy puts the richness factor over the top if you add that, too. — Pama Mitchell
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

DIY Ramen Kit from Mochiko

Japanese pop-up Mochiko offers weekly pre-order ramen kit pick-ups and local delivery of their Asian-inspired pastries. The duo behind Mochiko — Elaine Townsend and Erik Bentz — have been working hard to adapt to the new food industry landscape that's emerged in recent months. Each ramen kit makes one generous serving and contains fresh, unboiled noodles; soup; a salty sauce used to season the soup called tare; and toppings. For the recently featured chuka soba ramen, the toppings included a marinated boiled egg (ajitama), savory slices of slow roasted pork (chashu), pickled bamboo shoots (menma), sliced scallions and dried seaweed (nori). To prepare the ramen, you simply heat up the soup, boil the noodles and arrange your toppings. — Sean M. Peters
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Fried veggie Syrian flatbread wrap from Baladi Restaurant & Bakery

3307 Clifton Ave., Clifton/CUF
OK. So I actually like every single thing at Baladi (except the meat dishes because I'm a vegetarian) — all of it is delicious. I gave them a Best Of Cincinnati Staff Pick last year because I am obsessed. The Barazi family opened the restaurant in 2017, serving a broad menu of Arabic eats with an emphasis on desserts and welcoming hospitality. On the list of dishes, you’ll find familiar hits with influences from Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan. There’s hummus, falafel, kebabs and gyros, but branch out and try something you won’t find on other Middle Eastern-leaning menus, like Foul (fava beans, olive oil and lemon juice); Fatayir, a “cheese boat” baked in handmade dough; or the Syrian flatbread wrap. The wrap isn't just your normal pita pocket filled with falafel — it uses unleavened Syrian flatbread as the wrapper. The one I like is filled with fried veggies: eggplant, cauliflower and potatoes. I add feta for an upcharge. Also do not miss the grape leaves, called yalanji. They are vegetarian and very different than any others you'll try in the city: they're served warm. This was a really long-winded way of saying, please eat anything and everything at Baladi. — Maija Zummo
Photo via facebook.com/BaladiRestaurantandBakery

Donut Day at Northside’s Happy Chicks Bakery

4035 Hamilton Ave., Northside
Saturdays are donut days at this Northside bakery and cafe. They whip up donuts made with croissant dough so they’re delightfully flaky and light. But you’d be hard pressed to find your average chocolate sprinkle donut here. The bakery offers creative new flavors weekly like a spicy peanut butter curry-glazed donut or a bourbon ginger cherry-glazed donut. — Hailey Bollinger
Photo via Facebook.com/happychicksbakery

Lamb pot pie from Arnold’s Bar & Grill

210 E. Eighth St., Downtown
Chef Kayla Robison is at the helm of this historic downtown eatery. This past fall, I tried the lamb pot pie and I’ve been drooling over it since. It’s sadly not a menu constant, but it is occasionally available as a special. The pie was decadently savory and herby, with a succulent lamb shank emerging through the flaky crust. — Hailey Bollinger
Photo via Facebook.com/arnoldsbar

Artichoke alla Giudia at Pepp and Dolores

1501 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine
This translates to artichokes “Jewish Style,” as prepared for centuries in the Jewish neighborhoods of Rome. They’re flash fried and served with creamy lemon vinaigrette, simple and perfect. — Pama Mitchell
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Beyond Burger and crinkle fries at Fifty West Burger Bar

7605 Wooster Pike, Columbia Township
Fifty West Brewing Co. opened this retro-styled root beer and burger stand this spring serving up classic cheeseburgers, milkshakes and flat-top hot dogs. But there are also 12 specialty burgers named for the 12 states that U.S. Route 50 runs through. They’re loaded with staple ingredients inspired by each state, including Cincinnati-style chili, Maryland tartar sauce, West Virginia apple butter and Kansas smoky barbecue. I like my Beyond Burger "classic" style with fry sauce, American cheese, pickle, lettuce, tomato and onion. A side of crinkle-cut fries is a must, as is extra fry sauce. I have no idea what fry sauce is — ketchup plus mayo? — but it is addicting. — Maija Zummo
Photo: Savana Willhoite

Veggie sub from Sub Station II

1826 Dixie Highway, Fort Wright
My husband grew up in Northern Kentucky and convinced me to try Sub Station II recently. I was a little weirded out because it's in a sort of crappy strip mall in Fort Wright, but appearances can be deceiving. They make AWESOME subs. As a vegetarian, I am always trying to find sandwiches that aren't just cheese plus mayo. I build my own with a salted rye roll, topped with multiple cheeses and a crap ton of toppings — including, but not limited to — black olives, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, avocado, peppers, oil and vinegar and spices. The closest thing I can compare this to is a Publix sub. And if you've had a Publix sub, you know what's up. — Maija Zummo
Photo via facebook.com/SubStationIIFt.Wright

Korean BBQ Totchos from Nomad

225 Fairfield Ave., Bellevue
Bellevue’s bustling Fairfield Avenue welcomed a tasty new addition this fall. Nomad was created with the mission to bring together the adventurers in life to relax, connect and reflect on their journeys. They currently feature a chic and cozy indoor space and a spacious string-lit outdoor patio with heaters — and they eventually hope to park their renovated vintage 1976 Bristol double-decker bus on the patio for a unique seating option. The eatery/bar offers a menu of creative tacos and totcho bowls, plus boozy milkshakes and fun cocktails. The totchos are devilishly crispy seemingly all the way through to the bottom of the basket, with several different options to choose from — my favorite being the Korean BBQ, which comes with Korean-style short rib, mozzarella, onion and Korean barbecue sauce. Another plus? They are mighty generous with the toppings. — Hailey Bollinger
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Asada nachos at Taqueria Nogal

614 Sixth Ave., Dayton
What sets Dayton, Kentucky’s Taqueria Nogal food truck apart from other options in the area is their scratch-made tortillas and simple, but flavorful meats and fresh toppings (like cucumber, radish, cilantro and onion). They offer a petite, and affordable, menu of tacos, burritos, tortas and quesadillas, but often feature daily specials, like birria tacos, elotes and nachos. While you can’t go wrong with any of their daily menu or specialty items, their piled-high nachos are a real mouthwatering stunner. Choose your meat — I love their asada — and enjoy layers upon layers of crunchy, fresh-made chips, refried beans, avocado, pico de gallo, sour cream and jalapenos. — Hailey Bollinger
Photo via Facebook.com/Taquieria.Nogal7

Ronaldo pasta from Pompilios

600 Washington Ave., Newport
Yeah, Pompilios is a classic red-sauce Italian joint, but I tend to avoid the red sauce when I eat there (although it is delicious). I opt instead for the Ronaldo pasta, a spicy and garlicky dish topped with olive oil, red pepper flakes, sun-dried tomato, black olives and feta cheese. And it is super garlicky (which I think is great) — a warning in case you plan on breathing on anyone. I make mine with thicker spaghetti instead of the angel hair pasta suggested on the menu. The portion size is huge, so you can usually make two meals out of it. — Maija Zummo
Photo via facebook.com/PompiliosRestaurant

Sole Meunière at Postmark

3410 Telford St., Clifton
The delicate fish with its sauce — a balance of butter and lemon — was cooked just right, with slightly browned edges, and served on a bed of sautéed greens dotted with capers. It was a light dish and smallish portion, but I loved every bite. — Pama Mitchell
Photo via Facebook.com/PostmarkRestaurant

?Huitlacoche tacos at Bakersfield

1213 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine
The main ingredient, also known as corn truffle or corn mushroom, is a delicate, rare fungus that grows on organic corn. Combined with cotija cheese and roasted poblano chilies, the stuff is high in protein and gives a distinctive, savory flavor that produces one of the most satisfying tacos I’ve eaten. — Pama Mitchell
Photo via Facebook.com/BakersfieldTacos

Hamachi aguachile at Nada

600 Walnut St., Downtown
A memorable appetizer crafted from tissue thin, tender slices of fish expertly seasoned with herbs and chilies. It was so refreshing as a prelude to the heartier flavors of a meal at the upscale Mexican restaurant that recently revamped.— Pama Mitchell
Photo via Facebook.com/eatdrinknadacincy

Mexican grain bowl at Rooted Juicery

3010 Madison Road, Oakley; 6844 Wooster Pike, Mariemont; 17 E. Sixth St., Downtown
I love the grab-and-go cooler at Rooted because I'm generally there to pick up some type of "healthy" juice and then I end up buying $50 worth of food. I always leave with their banana chocolate or matcha power bites and then either the Mexican grain bowl — quinoa, black beans, guacamole, walnuts chopped and flavored like taco meat, romaine, cabbage, cilantro, sauce and vegan cheese — or the pesto and ricotta sandwich — basil pesto, cashew ricotta, arugula, avocado, tomato, sprouts, balsamic and cashew dressing; whichever is in the cooler. Everything is vegan but you wouldn't know it. And I really need to find a recipe to recreate that walnut taco mix. — Maija Zummo
Photo via instagram.com/rootedjuicery

Mushroom truffle garganelli at the National Exemplar

6880 Wooster Pike, Mariemont
TBH this is kind of the only vegetarian main dish they have at the National Exemplar, but it doesn't really matter because any time I go there, I go to eat this. If you don't like truffles, you won't like this. I love truffles or truffle oil or truffle-scented things; any variation of truffles — I am not a purist. I am a truffle pig. This is a rich, decadent pasta topped with a mushroom ragù, black truffle something and lots of butter. I don't think this is very healthy, but it is very comforting, so I don't care. And it comes in two sizes (small, large) if you want to pretend you care about how much buttery goodness you're consuming. I generally don't. And if I'm feeling super 'shroomy, I'll get the Hungarian mushroom soup. It's amazing and creamy and a waiter once told me it was vegetarian. If it's not, I don't want to know. — Maija Zummo
Photo via facebook.com/NationalExemplar
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Curry pan from Kiki College Hill

5932 Hamilton Ave., College Hill
Curry pan is a sort of fried bread or dumpling chef Hideki Harada has described as a “curry donut,” stuffed with potato, onion and carrot. That's basically what it is. A savory, crispy veggie dumpling with a flaky crust. I've never had anything like it. I hope to continue to eat many of them. — Maija Zummo
Photo: facebook.com/KikiCollegeHill

?Airline chicken at Ruth’s Parkside Cafe

1550 Blue Rock St., Northside
I always order this for dinner at Ruth’s and have found it’s the rare dish that is as good to-go as when enjoyed on site. The name comes from the cut of the chicken, breast plus wing. They roast it in a lemony sauce and serve with buttery fingerling potatoes, white beans and sautéed kale. A fat, grilled half lemon allows you to squeeze more citrus over all. — Pama Mitchell
Photo via Ruth’s Parkside Cafe’s Facebook