It’s easy for Cincinnati foodies to focus all their energy on the city proper, but there are plenty of top-notch establishments on the other side of the river that deserve love. From decades-old joints to hip eateries, here’s a list of some Northern Kentucky restaurants you don’t want to miss the next time you venture across the Ohio River.

Mama’s 621 Main St., Covington Drawing inspiration from Andy Warhol’s “Birth of Venus,” Northern Kentucky restaurateurs Emily Wolff and Paul Weckman (Otto’s, Frida, The Standard, Larry’s) opened Mama’s Italian restaurant in Covington in March. The menu focuses on dishes like cacio e pepe, eggplant parmesan and rigatoncini with vodka sauce. The bar serves up craft cocktails and a massive wine list. Photo: Catie Viox for Zest Cincy
The Baker’s Table 1004 Monmouth St., Newport The Baker’s Table is a Newport bakery and restaurant that opened last winter. The eatery is owned by married couple Dave Willocks and his wife Wendy. Brunch is offered Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. which currently includes appetizers like upscale salad, potato and donut dishes, mains like sweet potato hash and different egg and chicken sandwich options. Sweets and sides are also offered. They recently began dinner service. Photo via Facebook.com/BakersTableNewport Photo: Facebook.com/BakersTableNewport
Coppin’s Restaurant & Bar at Hotel Covington Photo: Hailey Bolliger
Bouquet Restaurant 519 Main St. Covington Working closely with local sources, Bouquet’s upscale farm-to-table approach means a fresh, frequently rotating menu packed with seasonal ingredients. Elegant small plates, entrées and thoughtful wine pairings set the stage for an intimate dining experience. Photo: Bouquet Restaurant
Frida 602 Main St., Covington The restaurant, named after the legendary painter Frida Kahlo, has Kahlo’s portrait and famous unibrow emblazoned all over the place. The cocktail list leans heavily on tequila and mezcal, and dinner options run the gamut from tacos and burritos to pozole and ceviche. The caramelized Brussels sprouts tacos with smoked peanut salsa are a must. Photo: Facebook.com//frida602
Riverside Korean Restaurant 512 Madison Ave., Covington Riverside serves excellent Korean cuisine in Covington. The menu offers traditional rice-based, steaming hot Dolsot Bibimbap with mixed vegetables, a sunny-side up egg and your choice of beef, chicken or tofu. All entrées are served with a delightful selection of traditional side dishes called Ban Chan. Photo: Facebook.com/RiversideKoreanRestaurant
OLLA Taqueria Gutierrez 302 W. MLK Jr. Blvd., Covington OLLA Taqueria Gutierrez is owned by Sergio Gutierrez, whose father owns Gutierrez Deli just down the street. The menu is stacked with dishes like tacos, burritos and quesadillas. Customers can choose from 10 different meat/seafood/veggie options (including birria) when ordering their meals, as well as their choice of a couple entrees, sides and drinks, both alcoholic and non. Try the “Guti fries,” which are similar to nachos but made with fries as the base. Photo: Hailey Bollinger and Mary LeBus
Exterior of Cedar Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Libby’s Southern Comfort 35 W. Eighth St., Covington Libby’s Southern Comfort blends the flavors of Kentucky and Charleston. Menu items include a variety of appetizers like goetta hush puppies and fried chicken skins, plus entrees like buttermilk fried chicken (served by the piece, half or whole bird). Sunday brunch features classics like chicken and waffles and Kentucky breakfast browns. Bourbon is king here and found in the Cheerwine bourbon slush. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Otto’s 521 Main St., Covington Otto’s opened in 2003 and serves Southern-style cuisine in MainStrasse Village. The restaurant does lunch and dinner, but it’s definitely a happening brunch spot. Try the breakfast casserole, which comes with potatoes, sausage, eggs, artichoke hearts, red peppers, onions, mushrooms, spicy sour cream, cheddar and spinach. Photo: facebook.com/ottos521cov
Camporosso 2475 Dixie Highway, Fort Mitchell Northern Kentucky’s Camporosso was founded by married couple Eric and Amy Redfield, who opened the wood-fired pizzeria in what was previously a 1920s-era gas station in Fort Mitchell. Meaning “red field” in Italian, Camporosso is laid-back yet modern. With both indoor and outdoor seating available, the restaurant is best known for its traditional Neapolitan, wood-fired pizzas. Photo: Emerson Swoger
Covington Yard 401 Greenup St., Covington Covington Yard is an outdoor gathering destination offering different dining and drinking options located inside shipping containers on the grounds. Current food vendors offer Cubanos, and chicken mac. The yard is a hip place for friends, family and even pets to hang. Photo: Facebook/CovingtonYard
Wunderbar 1132 Lee St., Covington Wunderbar is one of those restaurants that’s considered a “hidden gem.” The authentic German-inspired menu features housemade wursts with locally sourced meats, like the restaurant’s super popular currywurst — a peculiar invention of post-World War II Germany. It’s a spiced sausage served with a ketchup-Worcestershire-curry sauce. The rotating sausage menu is written on a blackboard behind the bar, but a must-try is the giant pretzel, a gigantic, plate-sized pretzel that easily complements any of the bar’s refreshing beers. Photo: facebook.com/wunderbar.covington.3
Ripple Wine Bar 4 W. Pike St., Covington Ripple Wine Bar is one of those sweet little spots that hits all the right notes: good wine (and lots of it) paired with good food. The wine selection, knowledge and care with which the wines are served have few peers in our region. If you’re hungry, the tiny kitchen somehow produces a plethora of tasty dishes, from Beef Wellington popovers and stuffed poblano peppers to shrimp and grits and pan-seared scallops. And in 2022, Ripple achieved notable accolades from the Kentucky Restaurant Association, which gave its Outstanding Restaurateur award to owner Matt Haws and the 2022 Outstanding Manager award to Gabriella DiVincenzo. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Smoke Justis 302 Court St., Covington Smoke Justis is an urban sports bar where you can catch live music, sporting events and other festivities. The menu includes a variety of smoked meat plates, with options ranging from ribs and wings to brisket and pulled pork. The menu also sports a wide selection of bourbon and craft beer. Photo: Facebook/SmokeJustis
The Standard 434 Main St., Covington The dynamic duo behind popular Covington dining and drinking destinations Otto’s, Frida and Larry’s also own The Standard, which breathes life into a familiar corner in the neighborhood. The Standard’s food menu features bright and playful flavors. They serve up lunch and dinner with a weekend brunch that features dishes like Cinnamon Toast Crunch-crusted french toast and a goetta, egg and cheese sandwich. The Standard has both indoor and outdoor seating, with plenty of patio space beneath the garage’s canopies. Photo: Savana Willhoite
Conserva 225 Elm St., Ludlow Spanish tapas restaurant Conserva may be one of Northern Kentucky’s best hidden gems. Owner and head chef Challis Hodge studied Spanish tapa cuisine to recreate an authentic experience with a medley of options. One popular dish on the menu is a Spanish national favorite, Tortilla Española, made using potatoes, egg, olive oil and salt. And if you’re a fan of dips, the gambas al ajillo, or Spanish garlic shrimp, is made using sherry and guindilla pepper and served with dippable crostini. The menu also features “conservas,” which are similar to charcuterie boards, but they feature preserved seafood, along with Spanish olive oil chips and baguette. Photo: Catie Viox
No. 9 Best Tacos: La Mexicana 642 Monmouth St., Newport Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Galactic Fried Chicken 624 Sixth Ave., Dayton Former food truck Galactic Fried Chicken recently opened a brick-and-mortar in Northern Kentucky’s Dayton neighborhood, next door to Unataza Coffee. The restaurant, owned by Shane Coffey and his wife Kathy McDonald, serves fried chicken, chicken tenders and sandwiches, along with a variety of sides ranging from mac and cheese to deviled eggs, fries and salads. They also offer a vegetarian option of fried jackfruit nuggets. Photo: Hailey Bollinger Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Agave & Rye 635 Madison Ave., Covington Diners flock to the restaurant to enjoy its vibrant murals and funky decor while chowing down on unique tacos, with proteins including kangaroo, butter-poached lobster, crispy cauliflower, mac-and-cheese and crispy chicken — in addition to more familiar bases like steak, pork carnitas and grilled chicken. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Yuca 700 Fairfield Ave., Bellevue Jeremy Faeth, co-owner and executive chef of popular Covington brunch restaurant Cedar, opened Yuca, a Latin-American restaurant, in Bellevue. Yuca serves breakfast, brunch and lunch. Dishes are made from scratch with locally sourced ingredients. Photo: Francisco Huerta
KungFood Chu’s AmerAsia 521 Madison Ave., Covington Quaint and comfortable with a huge beer list, AmerAsia offers all the usual Chinese dishes and chef specialties, but the food is anything but the usual. Chef Chu makes it all from scratch. His motto: “Do not take short cuts and do everything with passion and love.” Enjoy it all while taking in the eclectic décor of Kung Fu movie posters and paper lanterns. Favorite dishes include the inferno-hot Dragon Breath wontons and General Chu’s orange and sesame street chicken. Photo: Hailey Bollinger Photo: Hailey Bollinger
The Gruff 129 E. Second St., Covington Located near the riverfront in Covington, you can get pretty much anything you want at The Gruff — from brick-oven pizza to pints of ice cream to bottles of liquor in their attached liquor store. The Gruff offers a full bar and eat-in restaurant that serves up dishes like a fried chicken sandwich on a brioche bun and smoked brisket pizza. Photo: Jesse Fox
Eishaus (Temporarily Closed) 117 Park Place, Covington Eishaus is home to spaghetti eis, a German ice cream dish that has the appearance of spaghetti. Spaghetti eis can be topped with different fruits and chocolate to form a visually striking and delicious dessert. Eishaus also serves coffee, burritos, loaded tots, tea and a daily rotation of pastries. The next-door sister restaurant Frosthaus focuses on items like boozy slushies, wings, flatbreads and mac-and-cheese. Photo: Facebook/Eishaus