25 Iconic Cincinnati Restaurants to Take an Out-of-Towner

No. 5 Breakfast: Sugar n’ Spice Restaurant 4381 Reading Road, Paddock Hills Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Sugar n’ Spice 4381 Reading Road, Paddock Hills For over 75 years, this family-friendly Paddock Hills diner has been serving up “Wispy Thin” pancakes, breakfast sandwiches, steak and eggs, corned beef hash, breakfast quesadillas and much more to one of the most-diverse clientele in town. From the after-church crowds to college students to doctors heading off to work at nearby hospitals, folks from all over the economic spectrum continue to start their day at this cozy counter or crammed into the precious few booths. Wait time is often long for this popular spot, but it’s not unlikely that your hanger might be soothed by some complimentary nuggets of fried macaroni and cheese or gooey chocolate brownies. When those coveted seats finally come available, younger diners are rewarded with rubber duckies in addition to their meals. Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Zip’s Cafe 1036 Delta Ave., Mount Lookout Zip’s has been doing burgers right since 1926, and generations of East Side Cincinnatians call Zip burgers their favorite. If you’re feeling like a light meal, order a classic Zip burger, with fresh, flame-broiled meat from local butcher Avril-Bleh & Sons, nestled in a toasted honey-egg bun from Klosterman Baking Company, and a side of super crispy onion rings. Or go big with the Girth Burger, a Zip burger topped with a split Avril-Bleh mettwurst. With worn wood flooring and dark wood paneling, the small space is separated into a dining area and a bar by a saloon-style door. Head to the back bar for a local beer on draft while you wait for space at a booth or a seat at one of the shared family-style tables. Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Camp Washington Chili 3005 Colerain Ave., Colerain If you don’t want to be basic, take your guest to this James Beard Award-winning chili parlor. A great place for breakfast, lunch or dinner, Camp Washington Chili features greasy-spoon breakfast offerings, double decker sandwiches, Cincinnati-style chili, coneys and even a few salads. The chili parlor 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

LaRosa’s Multiple locations including 2411 Boudinot Ave., Western Hills; 417 Madison Ave., Covington; 2717 Vine St., Clifton A chain of local pizzerias that’s been dishing up pies since 1954, as well as pasta, salads, sandwiches and more. The sauce and crust are both a tiny bit sweet. Although you can get their famous pizza at any of the locations around Cincinnati, visit the original location founded by Buddy LaRosa in 1954 in Western Hills for a little slice of history with your pie. Screen Shot via Google Maps

Pompilios 600 Washington Ave., Newport This restaurant, where the toothpick scene in Rain Man was filmed, has been offering classic family Italian food since 1933. You really can’t go wrong with any pasta dish. Play a game of bocce ball on the back court in the warmer months or grab a burger in the attached Colonel Pomp’s Tavern. Photo: Hailey Bollinger

The Precinct 311 Delta Ave., Columbia Tusculum You can always rely on a Jeff Ruby restaurant for a big, rare steak and platters of seafood. The Precinct, housed in a historical Romanesque-style former police precinct, opened in 1981 and was the first in a long line of Ruby steakhouses. If you bleed red and black, the Bearcat filet mignon may be a good choice for you. For Xavier fans, the Precinct has you covered too with The Musketeer, a cowboy ribeye. But there are other options, like seared scallops or something from the tableside service menu like seafood fettuccine alfredo. Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Goodfellas Pizzeria 603 Main St., Covington / 1211 Main St., Over-the-Rhine Goodfellas makes their dough fresh every morning and their sauce in-house. If you’re headed there for a late-night slice or for lunch, be prepared for quite a line, but you’ll be glad you put in the time. While you wait, watch as the pizzaiolos spin dough saucers high into the air. The slices are New York-style and as big as your face. They also offer subs, calzones and a multitude of dipping sauces. A bourbon bar is upstairs. Photo: Hailey Bollinger

The Eagle OTR 1342 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine The Eagle is nested inside a retired post office and has a relatively small menu, comprised of fried chicken, sandwiches, snacks and several side dishes. Booze-wise, they serve 100 kinds of beer and have about 15 different brews on tap. The fried chicken is free-range, all natural and sourced from Ohio farms. Opt for a whole, half chicken (white and dark meat) or a quarter of a chicken (select white or dark). The brown sugar bacon is a must. Photo via Facebook.com/TheEagleOTR

Arnold’s Bar & Grill 210 E. Eighth St., Downtown Arnold’s is the city’s oldest bar, in operation since the 1830s. The cheap (strong) drinks and almost daily live music — from Bluegrass and Americana to Jazz — complement the awesome interior courtyard, which used to be a stable and carriage house and is covered and heated in the winter. They claim to have one of the best bourbon lists in Cincinnati with a selection of craft beers and cocktails. Chef Kayla Robison, who recently won Guys Grocery Games, offers a top-notch menu of delicious dishes, like the truffle chicken, deep fried deviled eggs, veggie Cincinnati chili or the famous Arnold’s Burger. Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Brown Bear Bakery 116 E. 13th St., Over-the-Rhine Cincinnati pastry artist Blair Fornshell uses all-natural ingredients to create so-beautiful-you-almost-feel-bad-about-eating-them desserts, such as salty chocolate chip cookies, gooey cinnamon rolls and a variety of matcha-infused baked goods like their Matchadoodle cookie. The OTR bakery and café space is the perfect blend of old and new and has a very Lower Manhattan vibe. Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Sleepy Bee Cafe 3098 Madison Road, Oakley / 8 E. Fourth St., Downtown / 9514 Kenwood Road, Blue Ash At Sleepy Bee, everything from their sammies to their scrambles are top-notch and delightfully tasty even when you yourself are a bit of a sleepy weekend bruncher. If you plan to stop by during peak brunch or lunch hours, be prepared to wait. Standouts include the specialty pancakes, like the Blue Bee Stack, full of blueberries with a maple-blueberry sauce, as well as the light and lovely Bumblebee’s breakfast, a yogurt granola bowl with tasty apricot coulis and tahini. Photo: Hailey Bollinger Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Sotto 118 E. Sixth St., Cincinnati Sotto is Cincinnati’s hidden basement trattoria — a below-street-level Italian eatery, nestled underneath sister restaurant Boca on Sixth Street downtown. It’s a hot-spot for diners celebrating a special occasion or simply looking for some excellent pasta. With multiple dining rooms, the kitchen is open to view, including the custom-made woodfire grill in front and a fresh-pasta room in the back hallway. Menu items include handmade pasta, house-cured salami and big-ticket items like Bistecca Fiorentina, a grilled Creekstone porterhouse steak with daily sides. Sotto sources their bread from Blue Oven and also grows their own herbs and vegetables. Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Taste of Belgium Multiple locations including 16 West Freedom Way, The Banks; 1135 Vine St., Over The Rhine; 2845 Vine St., Corryville In 2007, Jean-François Flechet began baking Belgian waffles in the back end of a store at Findlay Market. Soon, he was told to find somewhere else to go because the store was too crowded. Now, it has expanded into multiple locations. 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 strawberries and cream or ricotta, or as the bread in a McWaffle sandwich (egg, gruyère and maple syrup). The crepe station prepares sweet and savory crepes. At dinner, the sophistication goes up a notch with mussels, steak frites and Belgian specialties. The shop also offers an exclusive selection of Belgian beers. The Banks bistro location is also one of the only places in the world where you can get all four varieties of Chimay’s Trappist ales on draft — the second outside of the Belgian brewery. Photo: Brittany Thornton

Gomez 107 E. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine Gomez’s walk-up taco window in OTR has it all: fish tacos with Baja sauce, chips with pineapple salsa, taco salad bowls and owner Andrew Gomez’s greatest invention, the Turtle Shell. Take a tortilla, stuff it with rice, beans, sour cream, lettuce, salsa, meat, veggies and cheese, layer in a tostado for crunch, put some cheese on the top and then brown it. It’s a fat little crunchy burrito envelope, a true walking taco. Photo: Lindsay McCarty

Incline Public House 2601 W. Eighth St., Price Hill 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. Build your own pizza with toppings ranging from pepperoni and prosciutto to fried egg and oven-roasted tomatoes. Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Maplewood Kitchen and Bar 525 Race St., Downtown; 5065 Deerfield Blvd., Mason Maplewood serves up dishes and ingredients that would be right at home on the West Coast: cold-pressed juices, superfood salads, egg-white omelets and somewhat nutritious cocktails, like the roasted tomatillo bloody mary. Made with Tito’s vodka, house tomatillo bloody mary mix and cold-pressed Super Greens juice (kale, celery, spinach, romaine and pineapple), it’s topped off by a purple cabbage accouterment. Photo: Jesse Fox

Bakersfield 1213 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine Part bar, part taco joint, all classy. Bakersfield specializes in gourmet tacos (pollo rojo, pastor, huitlacoche, etc.), quality tequilas and whiskeys and hand-crafted margaritas made the old-fashioned way, not from a pre-made mix. Photo via Facebook.com/BakersfieldOTR

Taft’s Ale House 1429 Race St., Over-the-Rhine Located inside a former church, the building is an ode to Cincinnatian and former President William Howard Taft. The multi-floor brewpub maintains some of the sanctuary’s charm (like the bell tower). The 18 beers on tap and a menu focused on tri-tip beef are practically begging you to spend Saturday afternoon drinking there. Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Pho Lang Thang 1818 Race St., Over-the-Rhine Cincinnati Vietnamese eatery Pho Lang Thang recently opened their new location across the street from Findlay Market, offering a larger space and a fully-stocked bar. TVs at the bar means this soup-and-sandwich shop can quickly turn into a lively sports hub when a big game is on. Photo: Hailey Bollinger

The Rhined 1737 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine The Rhined is a tiny little cheese shop located across from Findlay Market. It’s great for grab-and-go goodies, but also features about 11 indoor seats and a seasonal outdoor patio. Guests can choose from assorted cheese board options ($13) or choose from a variety of snacks like the fromage brule ($12). You can add charcuterie to your board if you so choose, although owner Stephanie Webster likes to remind that The Rhined is really about the cheese. Well, the cheese and wine. Stop by on Wednesday nights for Raclette night, you won’t be disappointed. Photo via Facebook.com/TheRhined

Senate 1212 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine / 1100 Summit Place Drive A, Blue Ash 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. Photo: Catie Viox