These quaint Queen City eateries range from authentic Thai cuisine to tasty taquerias and burger joints and what they lack in size, they make up for in flavor. They may have limited seating, but it’s absolutely worth the shortage of elbow room.

Cincy Steak and Lemonade 2607 Vine St., Clifton Cincy Steak and Lemonade offers everything from burgers and gyros to cheesesteaks and chicken sandwiches — not to mention their super colorful lemonades, with flavors ranging from rainbow to blue raspberry, and pina colada. With only a few booths in the restaurant, it’s a cozy spot for fast, casual bites. Photo: Facebook.com/Cincys
Adeep India 211 W. McMillan St., Clifton Adeep India’s simple, cheaper take on takeout is welcome in the Clifton brotherhood of Indian restaurants. Head to the counter to order and then wait for your giant styrofoam container of saag to come out. You can either eat in at one of their fast-food-style tables or take your Goliath order home and make a few meals out of it. Photo: Paige Deglow
Herb and Thelma’s 718 W. Pike St., Covington Opened in 1939 as Heine’s Cafe, the small drop-ceilinged dining room is what some may call a “hole in the wall,” but the simple and delectable burgers are made to order and served by an incredibly friendly staff. Photo: Hailey Bollinger Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Krishna Indian Carryout 313 Calhoun St., Clifton Krishna Indian Restaurant is the University of Cincinnati’s best-kept secret. The tiny restaurant offers both carryout and dine-in, with about a handful of booths to choose from. Dishing out plates such as saag paneer, a vegetarian, spinach-filled dish with onions, spices and a hint of cream, and chicken tikka masala: tandoori chicken in a creamy tomato sauce. Be careful: The food can get spicy, ranging on a 1-7 spice scale. Photo: Paige Deglow
Eli’s BBQ 3313 Riverside Drive, East End While the inside of this location is definitely considered tiny, there is plenty of outdoor seating and Southern hospitality at Eli’s BBQ. The no-frills affair specializes in meats, pulled and smoked and served in a red plastic basket, but don’t skip the delicious sides. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Zundo Ramen & Donburi (OTR) 220 W. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine Slurp-worthy bowls make Zundo a go-to for ramen in Over-the-Rhine. The restaurant’s traditional 14-hour broth, along with flavor-amping ingredients like pork belly and soft-boiled egg with a custardy yolk, underpin the ramen options, like the stellar tonkotsu. Meanwhile, donburi choices range from pork katsu and curry to oyako. The large selection of sake pairs perfectly with anything from the food menu. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Sugar n’ Spice 4381 Reading Road, Paddock Hills; 1203 Sycamore St., Over-the-Rhine Open since 1941, Sugar n’ Spice’s original pink Paddock Hills diner is known for its fun atmosphere and being a comfortable and family-friendly place to eat (ask for a free rubber duck with your meal). Favorite menu items include “wispy thin” pancakes and giant omelets. Lines at the petite original can be long, but there is also a second, larger location in Over-the-Rhine. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Best Sushi 1. Ichiban Japanese Cuisine, ichibancinci.com 2. Cloud 9 Sushi, facebook.com/cloud9sushi 3. Green Papaya, greenpapayacincinnati.com 4. Wild Ginger, wildgingercincy.com 5. Izen’s Drunken Bento, searchable on Facebook 6. Wabi Sabi Covington, facebook.com/wabisabicovington 7. Kyoto Sushi Bar, kyotosushibar.com 8. E+O Kitchen, eokitchen.com 9. Dancing Roll (TIE), dancingrollsushi.com 9. Teak OTR (TIE), teakotr.com 10. FUSIAN, fusian.com Photo: facebook.com/ichibanjapanesecuisine Facebook.com/IzensDrunkenBento
Scotti’s Italian Eatery 919 Vine St., Downtown Family-owned since 1912, Scotti’s has solidified itself as a Queen City staple. Their large menu features just about every pasta imaginable and nearly 20 different varieties of veal dishes. Finish off your meal with a bottle of wine and you’ll be full for days. Multi-colored tiles plaster the walls, and candles drip layer upon layer of wax on Chianti bottles at every table, providing a little light to the otherwise dimly lit dining room. Scotti’s is named after early 20th-century opera star Antonio Scotti, so the sounds pumping through the speakers isn’t Muzak or clichéd Sinatra tunes, it’s Rossini and Puccini and Pavaratti — just another aspect that sets this landmark apart from the pack. Photo: Paige Deglow Photo: Paige Deglow
Raya Lebanese Restaurant 801 Elm St., Downtown This spot’s shawarma is incredibly flavorful, hitting on all the desirable trademarks of the sandwich. It’s a little more compact than usual, leaving you with plenty of room to enjoy some lentil soup, a Greek salad or, if you’ve been good, some baklava. Photo: Emerson Swoger Photo: Emerson Swoger
Island Frydays 2826 Short Vine St., Corryville Island Frydays is well known for being a stopping place on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in 2014. Beside classic Jamaican dishes, Island Frydays offers jerk chicken cheese fries. Photo: facebook.com/islandfrydays
Maki Express Ramen House 209 W. McMillan St., Clifton Formerly a sushi restaurant, Maki Express opened a new chapter serving up Ramen and other Japanese dishes. The restaurant is small and intimate, and the atmosphere is a great mixture of modern and traditional. Sit down and enjoy a steaming bowl of tonkotsu ramen, or dive into an order of takoyaki. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
The Root Beer Stand (Closed for the Season) 11566 Reading Road, Sharonville Opened as an A&W Root Beer Stand in 1957, the now family-owned restaurant makes secret-recipe root beer using water from the property’s 280-foot-deep well and secret-recipe chili for their famous foot-long coney dogs. Open seasonally. Photo: Sami Stewart
Chung Ching Restaurant 5842 Hamilton Ave., College Hill This tiny Chinese restaurant, located on the main drag in College Hill, is one of the best examples of a real mom-and-pop joint. They serve up some of the best Chinese in the city, offering a traditional menu. Photo: Facebook.com/ChunchChingRestaurant
Pickles & Bones Barbecue 877A Business 28, Milford In 2015, Josh and Nicole House were serving brisket and pulled-pork sandwiches out of a trailer. Fast-forward to 2017, they opened their first brick-and-mortar carry-out restaurant that later moved to a new location. Serving authentic barbecue that’s smoked low and slow, the houses use a blend of red and white oak wood to give their meats that natural smoky flavoring. Pickles & Bones Barbecue is also passionate about traditional cooking and giving back to their community. Photo: Facebook.com/PicklesandBonesBBQ
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. 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 Sesame Street Chicken. The space also offers outdoor seating. Photo: KungFood Chu's AmerAsia
Thai Express 213 W McMillan St., Clifton This little gem brings authentic Thai cooking and culture to Cincinnati. Located in Clifton, Thai Express has been fueling students and professionals for decades. Its signature Pad Thai dish is a favorite among many, but do not be fooled; the number of delicious traditional dishes spans way beyond that. Photo: Paige Deglow
Mid-City 40 E. Court St., Downtown Mid-City moved into its spot downtown off the recently refurbished Court Street Plaza in October 2021. Helmed by the same team as popular Over-the-Rhine bar Longfellow, the self-described “small, relaxed restaurant” serves easy eats, classic cocktails and vintage desserts, like Baked Alaska. On the savory side, there’s a chicken skewer, a fried sandwich featuring yam, grilled leek, egg, black garlic and manchego cheese and the Mid-City Plate with assorted meats including a frankfurter and pork belly and loin, with potatoes and sauerkraut. Photo: Aidan Mahoney
Guti Nachos with pollo asado: corn chips topped with refried beans, guacamole, mozzarella, cilantro, onion and cotija cheese, served with sour cream, roja and verde salsas Photo: Mary LeBus
Alabama Fish Bar 1601 Race St., Over-the-Rhine Get in line at the Alabama Fish Bar and you’ll be rewarded with some of the best fried fish in the city: a choice of whiting, perch or cod served atop a pile of fries resting on a bed of white bread. A side of sautéed peppers, onions and hot sauce make it a spicy, lip-smacking experience. Located on the corner of Liberty and Race Streets, you can often find this corner store packed to the door on a weekend afternoon. Photo: facebook.com/AlabamaFishBar
Bee’s Barbecue 5910 Chandler St.; 1403 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine Bee’s believes good barbecue takes time and that smoking meat is an art – one they practice every day with patience and passion, using high-quality and locally sourced ingredients – even the wood they use is locally sourced. What results from that patience and dedication is a menu filled with tender, fresh barbecue you can buy by the half-pound or pound, on a sandwich or as a plate complemented with sides like creamy mac ‘n cheese, sticky BBQ beans and sweet honey cornbread. If you have any room left for dessert (or if you just want to power through), you won’t want to miss Bee’s Bourbon Peach Cobbler, crafted with bourbon- and brown sugar-laced peaches with a sugar crumble crust, or proprietor Bee’s personal favorite: the banana pudding – made with fluffy layers of fresh bananas, whipped cream and vanilla wafer cookies. Photo: Provided by Bee's Barbecue
The Empanada’s Box 212 W. Pike St., Covington Diego Nunez is from Argentina and is the mind behind The Empanada’s Box. He grew up in a restaurant family in Buenos Aires before moving to the United States in 2000. He has been focusing his food dream on empanadas for nearly 20 years and has involved his family in the business. The Empanada’s Box menu features the namesake pastry infused with flavors from across the globe. Photo: facebook.com/theempanadasbox
Mazunte (Madisonville) 5207 Madison Road, Madisonville Inspired by Mexican street food, this spot aims to be a fresh take on the typical “taco place.” Naturally, they serve up some delicious chips and guac as well as a series of teriffic tacos, but if you’re looking for something a little more filling, grab a chile relleno a giant grilled chile stuffed with goat cheese and queso Oaxaca. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
The Rhined 1737 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine Most people don’t have pleasant associations with the phrase “American cheese.” However, The Rhined at Findlay Market aims to change that. The artisanal cheese store focuses on carrying the very best domestic cheese, with accouterments like Sixteen Bricks bread, jams, housemade candied nuts and goodies from other culinary stars to accompany the dairy of your dreams. Stop by and grab some wine, beer and assorted charcuterie. They also offer delicious, cheesy sandwiches. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Asiana (Hyde Park) 3922 Edwards Road, Hyde Park This petite eatery in Hyde Park offers made-from-scratch Thai and Japanese dishes in a relaxed environment. Photo: Google Maps
Maranata Store 1215 Rulison Ave., West Price Hill This spot is attached to a great Guatemalan corner store in West Price Hill. Don’t let the humble setup fool you; their tacos, burritos, tortas and seafood soups are authentic, fresh and delicious. The tacos are among the best in the city and topped with a refreshing radish slaw. There are only a handful of tables, but each has its hot sauce game on lock. Don’t forget to grab a churro on the way out. Photo: facebook.com/MaranataStore