If you don’t know me, I’m Katherine Barrier: lifelong Cincinnatian, foodie and CityBeat‘s digital content editor, which means I do a little bit of everything here. You may have seen my name on our housing news stories, coverage of events like BLINK, upcoming museum exhibits and concerts, etc. — I do it all. But my main beat, and my favorite, is for our food and drinks news. I cover restaurant and bar openings and closings; fun menu additions, like Skyline’s new Mac and Cheese Ways; and all things culinary in the Queen City.
I’ve always liked food, but the last two years I’ve spent working for CityBeat and on the food and dining beat has helped me think about it differently. I’ve learned a lot and developed a perspective toward food and restaurants I don’t think I would have otherwise, which is why I thought it was time to share a little of what I’ve learned, in true CityBeat fashion, in the form of a list of restaurants I love. Some of these are old favorites I’ve come to see in a new light, and some of these are new loves I maybe wouldn’t have tried if it weren’t for this job. Keep scrolling to see eight (and that’s barely scratching the surface; I had to rein myself in…) Greater Cincinnati restaurants I would recommend as a still-learning food writer.
Gabriela: Filipina Kantina
2750 Park Ave., Norwood (In Factory 52’s food hall The Gatherall)
Gabriela: Filipina Kantina is one of my newest loves. This stall at Factory 52’s food hall, The Gatherall, opened in August last year and serves up dishes that explore Spanish colonization’s impact on Filipino cuisine, explaining, “Gabriela’s menu nods to the complexities of our culture’s rich (and truthfully complicated) history, aptly named after the female leader [Gabriela Silang] of the Ilocano independence movement from Spain.”
I’m a history nerd, so I love when history intersects with food and culture as a way to provide more context for the past that our American-centered history classes just don’t give us. I also love a badass lady and highly recommend reading more about Gabriela Silang.
I first tried Gabriela this past spring and it quickly became a favorite stop for when I’m craving Filipino food. I typically order the lechon baboy (pork belly) with a side of garlic rice and a kale salad with chickpeas, croutons and garlic dressing and then just kind of mix it all together to create a rice bowl. Gabriela also offers their own rice bowls where you get to pick your protein and two sides alongside a serving of rice. The lechon has both super crispy pieces, kind of like a pork rind almost but with more flavor, as well as tender pieces of pork belly, and you can really taste the ginger, lemongrass and garlic it’s marinated in.
If you’re in more of a sandwich mood, get a bocadillo — a Filipino-Spanish-style of sandwich with your choice of protein (I recommend trying the Filipino sausage longganisa) on house-made baguettes. You can also try the Filipino pastry ensaymada, a sweet and savory treat made with brioche and coated in butter, sugar and cheese. Or try ube, a purple yam native to the Philippines, in the form of a cookie, made with Gabriela’s house-made Halaya and ube extract. It’s chewy, crispy and worth making room for after your meal.
Young Buck Deli
1332 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine
When I want a sandwich — like a SANDWICH sandwich — Young Buck Deli is my new go-to. This deli opened in Over-the-Rhine earlier this year and offers a selection of enormous, handcrafted sandwiches that just feed my soul. The team makes the lunch meat, bread (which is amazingly fluffy and sturdy at the same time) and accouterments in-house using fresh and seasonal ingredients, and you can tell the difference in taste.
I’ve tried two of Young Buck’s offerings so far, including the New Deal, an Italian-style ‘wich made with smoked pork loin ham, capicola ham (also known as gabagool), shredded lettuce, pickled red onion, ricotta, red wine vinaigrette and oregano aioli. But my favorite (just by a hair-wide margin) is the Jive A$$ Turkey, which comes with Young Buck’s house-made turkey, fig jam, a goat cheese spread, and fennel prepared à la Grecque. I have my eye on other sandwiches, especially the bacon, egg and cheese breakfast one, but that turkey has been pulling me almost every time.
Now, have some napkins on hand when you try these sandwiches because Young Buck doesn’t fool around when it comes to portion sizes and things can be a little messy.
Bridges Nepali Cuisine
4165 Hamilton Ave., Northside; 11 W. Seventh St, Covington; 6304 Vine St., Elmwood Place; 2459 Gilbert Ave., Walnut Hills
I was first introduced to Bridges’ popular momos by a coworker several years ago and they’ve had a stranglehold (in a good way) on me ever since. If you don’t know what a momo is, it’s a Nepali steamed dumpling filled with meat and/or vegetables.
Bridges’ steamed momos have a soft and chewy exterior or you can get it pan-seared if you want a little crispiness, and the filling is perfectly spiced. I get the chicken every time because I can’t resist, but Bridges’ also offers a pork filling and veggie filling, or you can also get a half-and-half order. Add a side of aloo wala (chilled and marinated potatoes) or one of Bridges’ samosas if you have room. It’s a lot of food, but it keeps well as leftovers.
Bridges also offers build-your-own rice and salad bowls with numerous ways to combine its gravies, proteins, spice levels, salsas and toppings for a filling and delicious meal.
Price Hill Chili
4920 Glenway Ave., West Price Hill
I wouldn’t be a very good Cincinnatian if I didn’t include a chili parlor on this list, and I think I’d lose my West Sider membership if I didn’t sing the praises of the one and only Price Hill Chili.
Part of the restaurant was renovated around a decade ago and is more modern, but the rest of the place is untouched by time, with vintage diner booths, a classic counter and old framed prints of Cincinnati on the wall. But the nostalgia is the point. This is where your grandparents took you to lunch on a day off school, where you and your friends ate before the Elder High School football game and where you went for after-church brunch with your family on a Sunday. In this crazy world where so much seems unreliable, you can rely on Price Hill Chili for a good meal with good company.
Definitely try their chili, but if you’re going for breakfast, I love a plate of their home fries and goetta and cheese omelet. The goetta and cheese meld together to become this delightfully savory, crispy and gooey mix. Also, don’t sleep on the burgers with a side of fries. The burgers are unfussy, juicy and flavorful, and crinkle-cut fries have that perfect golden crisp on the outside and fluffiness on the inside.
Oriental Wok
317 Buttermilk Pike, Lakeside Park; 2444 Madison Road, Hyde Park
For incredible Chinese food and friendly service, Oriental Wok is where you want to go. The restaurant is more upscale, but not in a fussy or inaccessible way. They have two locations, but my favorite is the one in Northern Kentucky. There’s a sense of grandeur when you walk in: the tall ceilings with their red Chinese lanterns, black tablecloths, a koi pond and plenty of greenery, plus there’s usually someone playing piano.
And the food — I’ve never had a bad meal or experience at Oriental Wok. I typically go here on special occasions with my parents and we’ll split the popo appetizer — a platter featuring bali maki steak sticks (my personal fave), crab rangoon, fried shrimp and egg rolls. This is usually followed by us splitting two entrées: the Hong Kong Chicken and the Hong Kong Steak, the latter of which can only be found at the Northern Kentucky location. The chicken comes deep-fried with a thin, crispy outer layer of breading, drenched in a savory gravy and swimming with Chinese vegetables.
Despite the similar name, the Hong Kong steak is not deep-fried, making it a good complement to the chicken. Instead, this 14-oz. NY sirloin comes with a sweet and peppery peppercorn sauce and more vegetables. Also, the waitstaff is always attentive and helpful, and the owner and his family will often come around to your table to check in, making it feel like a classic family restaurant.
BLOC Coffee
801 Mt Hope Ave., East Price Hill
Community is the first thing that comes to mind when I think about BLOC Coffee (after the actual coffee and delicious cafe menu, of course). This coffee shop is located in East Price Hill’s Incline District and started as a way for BLOC Ministries founders Dwight and Stephanie Young to create a space where people could gather for conversation, creative endeavors and coffee. Plus, the coffee shop also helps support BLOC Ministries’ Redeemed Home initiative, which helps women who are trafficking survivors or struggling with addiction.
The drink menu is a traditional coffeehouse one — lattes, americanos, tea, etc. — with the addition of seasonal specialty drinks. The coffee is made by local roaster Deeper Roots, and the pastries and Friday night dinners are courtesy of the incredible Chef Gigi. I always need to grab a pastry with my coffee when I go in, especially if there’s any sort of chocolate croissant offering. As for the food, BLOC has a lunch menu, but they also serve breakfast all day. The Chipotle Egg Deluxe — egg, goetta, Havarti, lettuce, onion and chipotle mayo on an English muffin — is my favorite, but if you want something sweeter, go for Mamcita’s Stuffed French Toast. It’s two slices of challah with a cream cheese and mixed berry compote filling. And in the warmer months, be sure to try BLOC’s neighboring Bold Face Dairy Bar for some ice cream.
Krishna Indian Restaurant and Carryout
313 Calhoun St., CUF
Krishna’s got a little bit of nostalgia attached to it for me. When I worked second shift at Local 12 years ago, Thursday night for the nightside team was Krishna Night, and Krishna Night was sacred. It was a team bonding activity, going around and collecting everyone’s orders and then the enormous task of bringing all that food back. We’d sit together in the newsroom eating our curries and saag and paneer and work on scripts and social media copy and talk and laugh, and those dinners really cemented my love of Indian food. I can’t get it now without thinking about my old team.
Thanks for listening to me reminisce. Now, onto the food. Krishna is special to me because of those dinners, but they also really do have some of the best Indian food in the city, in my opinion — and I’ve tried quite a few. My main order — chicken tikka saag (a four on the spice scale), plus the occasional garlic naan — was always perfect. The chicken was flavorful and tender, the rice fluffy, the saag creamy and well-seasoned and the spice level just the right amount of burn for me. The portions were huge, but I would have to fight myself to stop eating it all in one sitting because it was just that dang good. Krishna also offers a spice range for its food that goes up to a seven, and I once made it my mission to make it to that. I never did, but I might have to try again.
Sebastian Bakehouse
10269 Summit Parkway, Blue Ash
Yes, this a bakery and not a restaurant, but Sebastian Bakehouse has some of the best pastries I’ve ever tried. This bakery, formerly located in Mariemont and currently hosting pop-ups in its new space in Blue Ash, specializes as a viennoiserie — a French word for “things from Vienna” — which refers to breakfast pastries that bridge pâtisserie and French bread and offers treats like eclairs, croissants, brioche cardamom buns and cruffins. I don’t think I’ve ever had a more perfect, flaky, crackly croissant than their classic pain au chocolat or the hazelnut chocolate and orange croissant. The filling in these is just right, enough to give you the extra flavor you want without spilling out. I love the eclairs also, especially the tiramisu one, which comes with a cold brew espresso filling and mascarpone topping, completed with an espresso bean and crispy caramel candies.
