Cincinnati's ever-growing restaurant scene just got a few more additions, including a late-night pizza parlor, Middle Eastern street food window and Southern-style fried chicken joint with ingenious goetta-infused hush puppies.
Branch and Night Drop
The team behind The Littlefield has opened this new concept in East Walnut Hills in the former Art Deco Central Trust Bank Building at the corner of Woodburn and Madison avenues. Branch is the restaurant portion of the space and is located upstairs while Night Drop, the bar, is located downstairs. Both have a focus on local art with mosaics, chandeliers and murals created by Cincinnati artists. The menu at Branch is overseen by executive chef Shoshannah Anderson and offers a mix of “classic and contemporary American with ethnic influences” as seen in dishes like Israeli chickpea salad, a lamb and beef burger with tomato jam and the Fra’Mani Italian sandwich. Branch and Night Drop, 1535 Madison Road, East Walnut Hills, eatatbranch.com.
The Baker's Table
A cozy new brunch spot has cropped up on Monmouth Street in Newport, nestled behind the bright windows of a garage-door-style front: The Baker’s Table has been serving local, seasonal cuisine to the masses since December 2018. “I wanted to make everything from scratch — and make the bread to serve it on,” says chef and co-owner David Willocks. As such, the menu reads like a love song to biscuits and brioche and sourdough sandwiches. Options run the gamut from breakfast pastries, like cinnamon buns and cornmeal-cherry scones, to biscuits and gravy with Eckerlin pork sausage and a veggie sandwich with roasted beets, feta and hummus on a house focaccia. The Baker's Table, 1004 Monmouth St., Newport, bakerstablenewport.com.
Holiday Spirits and Forty Thieves
Holiday Spirits and its in-house street food eatery Forty Thieves opened March 19 — just in time for the first day of spring and the Opening Day Parade (the building sits right on the parade route). Helmed by Dan Wright and his wife Lana (of Senate, Abigail Street and Pontiac Bourbon & BBQ), with director of operations Mike Georgiton, the new space at the corner of Liberty and Race streets is meant to evoke the vibe of a dive bar and offers a menu of Middle Eastern street food — falafel, beef shawarma and grilled chicken in a pita or on hummus, with other items like roasted beets and soup. The bar features 15 beers on tap and a menu of about 10 different cocktails ranging from a tequila old fashioned and a Hurricane to a Cinnabon-inspired drink and their take on a Harvey Wallbanger. The also offer their popular Senate Blue Ash “frose” (frozen rosé). Holiday Spirits and Forty Thieves, 1538 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/holidayspiritsbar.
Mikey's Late Night Slice
Columbus-based pizza parlor Mikey's Late Night Slice opened March 18. Mikey's is known for its giant, foldable pizza slices and drunk-friendly menu items like the Pizza Dog — a hot dog stuffed with pepperoni and cheese, which is then wrapped in a slice of pizza — and the Cheezus Crust and Baby Cheezus, which is American cheese melted on top of two slices of pizza and pressed together into a sandwich. This location also has salads, including one that comes topped with Flamin' Hot Cheetos. The pizza joint shares a space with sister operation Oddfellows Liquor Bar. Mikey's seats 350 patrons and features a patio for outdoor seating, and Oddfellows offers seasonal craft cocktails, frozen seasonal "Lushies" aka frozen boozy slushies and 16 local, regional and national beers on draft. Mikey's Late Night Slice, 2014 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/latenightslice.
Tortilleria Garcia
Popular Springdale Mexican eatery Tortilleria Garcia opened a second location in College Hill with an official grand opening on April 23. Omar Garcia, the restaurant's’ owner, grew up on a family farm in Michoacan, Mexico and learned how to make corn tortillas the old fashioned way from his mother and grandmother. Garcia has committed to honoring his family’s culinary history and his restaurants uncompromisingly follow the family recipe for fresh tortillas — never using flour or preservatives. Garcia’s menu consists of straightforward Mexican classics like tamales, burritos, housemade salsas and rotisserie chicken, in additional to tacos, plus his classic tortilla shells are available in two-pound packs so you can make your own inspired creations at home. Tortilleria Garcia, 5917 Hamilton Ave., College Hill, tortilleriagarcia.us.
Sugar Whiskey Sis
Sugar Whiskey Sis is a self-proclaimed "moonshine room" and Southern-inspired dining spot on Madison Avenue in Covington. Opened in early February, the space is aimed at "longtime whiskey drinkers and exploratory food enthusiasts to expand what they once knew about this signature adult beverage." From the minds behind nearby Agave & Rye, famous for their alternative protein tacos (with options like kangaroo meat), the bar offers more than 50 different types of moonshine, craft cocktails, local beers and plenty of chicken and pimento cheese dishes, plus hand-dipped shakes and an espresso bar. Sugar Whiskey Sis, 633 Madison Ave., Covington,sugarwhiskeysis.com.
CHX
This fried chicken eatery, owned and operated by Hickory Wald (the team behind 3 Points Urban Brewery, Nation Kitchen and Bar and Rhinehaus), opened in February. Their signature menu item is Bantys, which are "lump-sized" chicken pieces named after a wild and soulful breed of Indonesian chickens called "Bantam," in two different brined and golden-fried finishing options: original or hot. In addition to Bantys, the chicken joint also offers salads, sandwiches and sharable sides like CHX nachos, fried cheese curds, wavy fries and more. Guests can wash down their fried chicken with a frosty beer at next door's 3 Points Urban Brewery; you can also order beer from one of the two taps inside CHX. CHX, 1211 Broadway St., Pendleton, chxcincy.com.
Gaslight Bar & Grill
The owners of Ludlow Garage, Dave and Claudia Taylor, have renovated a historic building across the street and opened the Gaslight Bar & Grill in the old Clifton branch of the public library. It serves lunch and dinner six days a week, includes an expansive bar with a dozen seats and features Clifton’s first rooftop patio. The dinner, lunch and drinks menus are straight-ahead American comfort food with a few high-end flourishes. You can get soups, salads and sandwiches in the $5-$13 range or try pricier pasta entrées ($14-$27) or meat/seafood dishes ($18-$32). Gaslight Bar & Grill, 351 Ludlow Ave., Clifton, gaslightbarandgrillclifton.com
Libby's Southern Comfort
Helmed by Brad Wainscott — whose local culinary lineage extends to longstanding Kentucky mainstays The Greyhound Tavern and Tousey House Tavern, owned by his father — Libby's Southern Comfort pays tribute to Southern classics with a touch of Charleston and features dishes like goetta hush puppies, oysters on the half shell and fried chicken. In addition to food, Libby's also servea a wide drink menu that features vintage bourbons, Cheerwine bourbon slushes and Braxton Beers, among other options. Libby's Southern Comfort, 35 W. Eighth St., Covington, libbyssoutherncomfort.com.
Fiery Hen
Fiery Hen is a new chicken restaurant helmed by Dan Swormstedt, owner of neighboring Court Street Lobster Bar. The restaurant offers a menu — developed by chef Clint Walker — featuring Nashville hot chicken sandwiches, catfish, burgers, fried green tomatoes, brisket and more. Sides run the gamut from greens with smoked turkey to honey cornbread and macaroni and cheese. There are also moonshine flights, in partnership with Ole Smoky Moonshine, and 12 taps of local beer, among other beverages. The 78-seater restaurant, built in 1875, features a garage door in the bar area to create an indoor/outdoor space.Fiery Hen, 26 W. Court St., Downtown, fieryhencincy.com.
Social OTR
OTR nonprofit restaurant Social OTR and its adjacent The Alley at Social (off Campbell Alley) opened in February. A collaboration between Findlay Market and CityLink Center, which provides integrated services to help individuals break free from poverty, Social OTR offers a working internship in a fine dining restaurant for the community’s unemployed and underemployed talent pool.The communal dining experience features two large tables for shared seating, as well as several smaller tables and a full bar. Follow an exposed-brick hallway past a kitchen with open windows — where you can watch the chefs and students at work — to the back lounge, The Alley at Social, to find another communal table and bar. The menu, led by executive chef Jennifer Kemplin, consists of shareable small plates made with local ingredients. Social OTR, 1819 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, socialotr.com.
Station Family + BBQ
The team behind Wyoming’s CWC the Restaurant — chef Caitlin Steininger, her sister and front of house Kelly Trush and their business partner Karen Klaus — opened Station Family + BBQ in December. The food menu, created by Steininger, will feature five main proteins smoked on site, plus seasonal sides and desserts. Guests can get traditional table service in that bar area or move to the dining room for a more casual, modern take where you can walk up, order and then have a seat at a communal table to wait for your food to arrive. Or head to the game room for ping-pong, shuffle board or wall games. Station Family + BBQ, 400 Wyoming Ave., Wyoming, cincystation.com.
Lonely Pine Steakhouse
Gorilla Cinema Presents — the hospitality masterminds behind bars Video Archive, Tokyo Kitty and Overlook Lodge — have expanded their empire from liquid to solid with the opening of Lonely Pine Steakhouse in Pleasant Ridge. Located next door to the Shining-themed Overlook Lodge, fuses "counter-casual service with a space inspired by Mid-Century Modern styling and the spirit of America's great landscapes." Owners Jacob Trevino and Otto Baum tapped chef Dana Adkins of Carriage House Farm and Allison Hines of Butcher Betties to create a menu that features filets, ribeyes, strips and rare cuts, along with steakhouse sides, cocktails and a "bold" wine list. Lonely Pine Steakhouse, 6085 Montgomery Road, Pleasant Ridge,lonelypinesteakhouse.com.
Crzy Monk
From the minds that brought you Huit, Neuf, Dope! Dumpling & Noodle Bar and Lalo comes Crzy Monk, a similar-style Asian-fusion lunch restaurant that focuses on dumplings, buns, noodles and sides. Their small-batch dumplings are made daily and are stuffed with fillings like chicken, corn and spinach and shrimp and zucchini. The novel bao-wich is a steamed bun sandwich layered with either pork belly or tofu and mushroom fillings. Crzy Monk, 627 Main St., Downtown, facebook.com/MonkCincinnati.
Buckabee Brownies
Opened in February, this brownie-forward sweet stop is run by native Cincinnatians — a husband-and-wife team of Miriam Spitz and Tom Kahan. Their Blue Ash brownie shop offers 16 permanent and seasonal flavors made from their own special recipes. Options range from red velvet cream cheese and coffee to classic blondies and white chocolate brownies. They do everything from grab-and-go to large catering orders for things like wedding receptions. Buckabee Brownies, 4756 Cornell Road, Blue Ash, buckabeebrownies.com.
