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These 14 Cincinnati Restaurants Have Been Featured on the Food Network or Travel Channel

By CityBeat Staff on Fri, Feb 1, 2019 at 8:27 pm

The Queen City has enough great restaurants for you to dine like royalty every day of the week, but only a select few have been featured nationally on Food Network and Travel Channel shows. Whether you’re more Guy Fieri or Adam Richman, these top-class eateries are bound to satisfy any foodie looking for the best local flavors. Here are all the restaurants in Cincinnati that have been showcased on either a Travel Channel or Food Network show. Written by Tommy McDonald

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Pho Lang Thang

114 W Elder St., Over-the-Rhine

Featured on: Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Located in the heart of Findlay Market, Pho Lang Thang offers dishes like beef-based broth pho soup, spring rolls and the ever-popular classic banh mi sandwiches, which come sprinkled with assorted pickled vegetables and your choice of meat or tofu. They also serve Vietnamese coffee sweetened with condensed milk and brewed right on the table into your glass.
Photo: Khoi Nguyen

Taste of Belgium

1135 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine

Featured on: Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Hot, fresh Belgian waffles are made from a thick dough and coarse Belgian beet sugar, which caramelizes on the cast iron press. Find the heavenly breakfast food topped with whipped cream or ricotta, or as the bread in a McWaffle sandwich (egg, gruyère and maple syrup). The crepe station prepares sweet and savory crepes, like the Nati Crepe with goetta, made fresh-to-order. At dinner, the sophistication goes up a notch with mussels, steak frites, and Belgian specialties such as the Belgian pretzel with a side of beer cheese and Carbonnades. They also offer an exclusive selection of Belgian beers.
Photo: Brittany Thornton

Bakersfield

1213 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine

Featured on: Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Part bar, part taco joint, all classy. Bakersfield specializes in gourmet tacos (short rib, pollo rojo, pastor, huitlacoche, etc.), crafted tortas, quality tequilas and whiskeys and hand-crafted margaritas made the old fashioned way, not from a pre-made mix.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Melt Eclectic Cafe

4100 Hamilton Ave., Northside

Featured on: Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free diners aren’t an afterthought at Melt. But no worries — the carnivorous can feast, too. A plethora of sandwiches, wraps, soups and salads tempt every palate. Sandwiches include items like the veggie cheesesteak made with seitan, the Yeehaw BBQ with pico de gallo and chicken and The Rachel, a smoked turkey sandwich with red cabbage, apple sauerkraut and Swiss cheese. For the vegetarian looking for the classic Cincinnati flavor, try out the Veggie 3-Way.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Izzy’s

610 Main St., Central Business District

Featured on: Travel Channel’s Man v. Food Nation
A Cincinnati tradition, Izzy’s serves a Reuben we can all be proud of. Sandwiches such as the Reuben-ator and the Izzy’s Mex showcase their delicious corned beef. To celebrate their 110th year as Cincinnati’s Best Deli, they created the 110 Reuben challenge. Assembled on a poppy seed rounded loaf, a super-sized potato pancake is topped with 1 lb. of corned beef, a pile of sauerkraut, imported Swiss cheese and smothered with Izzy’s special sauce. If you can finish this super sandwich and the jumbo pickles on the side in under 30 minutes you get a refund, t-shirt and a photo on the Wall of Fame.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Senate

1212 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine

Featured on: Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Senate’s mission is to present upscale street food — and they do a terrific job of it — grabbing national attention from the likes of the New York Post, Forbes and more. The menu plays heavily on hot dogs, from gourmet Chicago dogs to more interesting dog-of-the-days and menu staples like the Trailer Park, with applewood bacon, American cheese and crushed Grippo’s. Don’t miss the Korean Dog which is topped with short rib and kimchi. The lobster BLT is another must-have, as is the “$25 wood-grilled, dry-aged ribeye,” which costs just $24 and is served with marrow butter and truffle fries.
Photo: Catie Viox

Graeter’s Ice Cream

2704 Erie Ave., Hyde Park

Featured on: Food Network’s Food Feuds
Since its founding in 1870, Graeter’s French Pot Ice Cream, handmade chocolate confections and fresh baked goods have become traditions in the Queen City. Today, the Graeter family still faithfully uses century old methods of production. With signature flavors such as black raspberry chocolate chip, Graeter’s has been able to steal the hearts and palettes of generations of ice cream lovers.
Photo via Facebook.com/Graeters

Camp Washington Chili Parlor

3005 Colerain Ave., Camp Washington

Featured on: Travel Channel’s Man v. Food Nation, Food Paradise
A great place for breakfast, lunch or dinner, Camp Washington Chili features greasy-spoon breakfast offerings, double-decker sandwiches, Cincinnati-style chili, coneys, 3- to 5-ways, and even a few salads. A James Beard Award winner, Camp Washington Chili opened its doors in 1940 and current owner Johnny Johnson has been working at the parlor since 1951. Open 24/6 — they’re closed on Sundays.
Photo: Jesse Fox

Incline Public House

2601 W 8th St., Price Hill

Featured on: Food Network’s Burgers, Brew, and ‘Que
With a 1,400-square-foot deck for soaking in vistas and cocktails, IPH’s name is derived from the actual Cincinnati Incline that existed there from the late 1800s to the 1940s. Their upscale twist on pub food features sandwiches, salads, epicurean appetizers and a slew of craft cocktails and draft beers. The spicy fried chicken & serrano-corn waffle and cherry pepper poppers are fan favorites. Build your own pizza with toppings ranging from pepperoni and prosciutto to friend egg and oven roasted tomato.
Photo via Facebook.com/InclinePublicHouse

Island Frydays

42826 Vine St., Corryville

Featured on: Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Island Frydays is the definitive restaurant to break out of culinary monotony, featuring authentic Caribbean cuisine made by former University of Cincinnati football captain and Jamaican native Leo Morgan. You really owe it to yourself to stop by and taste its curry and jerk dishes or go all the way Jamaican with escovitch snapper (a sort of island ceviche), an oxtail dinner or curried goat with a side of plantains.
Photo via Facebook.com/IslandFrydays