PHOTOS: Take a Look Inside Madisonville’s New Contemporary American Restaurant Alara

A restaurant years in the making opened its doors this spring. Alara is the newest concept from Looking Glass Hospitality, which also owns popular Cincinnati area restaurants including Toast & Berry, Emery and Fretboard Brewing & Public House.

Looking Glass Hospitality first announced the restaurant in May 2022.

“Alara is inspired by the dining experiences we’ve enjoyed on our travels,” Scott Schmidt, founder of Looking Glass Hospitality, said in a press release at the time. “As we dined in high-energy environments and enjoyed menu items that were designed for sharing, we were motivated to bring something to Cincinnati that doesn’t currently exist in our restaurant scene.”

Described as contemporary American and high-end, Alara offers an immersive dining experience and a menu of innovative dishes that encourage exploration and sharing. On the menu, you’ll find a selection of small plates, ranging from Korean corn dogs to King crab sliders; a seafood platter; pastas, like the vegetarian bolognese; large plates, which include dishes like the rack of pork and Glory Bay salmon; and prime cuts of meat like the Wagyu Sampler, Tomahawk ribeye and lamb chops, all served with rosemary truffle butter, a bone marrow demi and chimichurri.

CityBeat got to take a tour of the new high-end eatery. Keep scrolling for everything we saw and to get a peek at the menu.

Alara, 5410 Medpace Way, Madisonville. More info: alaracincinnati.com.

Photos by Lydia Schembre