Nolia is a nominee for Best New Restaurant in the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards. Photo: Hailey Bollinger

An Over-the-Rhine restaurant has caught the eyes, or, should we say, the tastebuds, of Esquire.com as some of its writers reveal their picks for the top 50 new restaurants in the United States.

Opened in April 2022 in the former Please spot on Clay Street, James Beard Foundation-nominated Nolia no doubt brought some elevated Southern flair and fare to Cincinnati’s foodie scene. At the restaurant, Chef Jeffery Harris serves unique dishes inspired by his upbringing in New Orleans. However, Harris makes sure the dishes stay true to himself rather than his hometown’s traditional cuisine.

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Nolia’s dining environment is upscale, but approachable, with a menu featuring delectable Southern-inspired dishes like the swordfish served with kidney beans, tomato and andouille or the Eggplant Dirty Rice. And Harris is always adapting the menu to offer new and creative dishes — something Esquire writer Joshua David Stein leads off with in his praise.

“But this is no bullshit second-line tourist romp down Magazine Street,” Stein writes, referencing the dishes’ New Orleans roots. “Harris’s cooking bundles convention and invention into a restless, ever-evolving menu.”

A selection of Nolia’s fare from their opening in 2022. Photo: Hailey Bollinger

During his trip to Nolia, Stein tried crab boulettes and called the jerk rabbit the restaurant’s “pièce de résistance,” but says what really stole the show was the fried green tomatoes.

“Fried green tomatoes are nothing new, but Harris has made them something special,” he wrote.

You can read Stein’s full recap here.

Nolia, 1405 Clay St., Over-the-Rhine. More info: noliakitchen.com.

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This article appears in Nov 15-28, 2023.

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Katherine Barrier is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s journalism program and has nearly 10 years of experience reporting local and national news as a digital journalist. At CityBeat, she...