Every year, CityBeat publishes the Best Of Cincinnati®, wherein readers and staffers alike decide which bars are the booziest, which people are the coolest and which shops are your best bet for dropping a pretty penny. Choosing where to get dinner (or a drink or brunch or to just grab a donut) is hard enough, but your neighbors across the city have helped narrow it down.

To hopefully help settle the debate about where to eat, here are Cincinnati’s and Northern Kentucky’s best restaurants, as voted by our readers in this year’s Best Of Cincinnati® issue.

See the full issue at citybeat.com/best-of.

Best Restaurant No. 10: Wildweed 1301 Walnut St., Over-the-Rhine Must-Try Dish: Urbanstead Quark Mezzaluna: Served with wild mushrooms, crispy garlic, chili oil and parmesan in Wildweed’s mushroom xo.
Mita’s 501 Race St., Downtown Chef Jose Salazar is a continent away from his mamita and the hand-cranked mill she still uses to grind corn for arepas and empanadas, but his restaurant, Mita’s, is a tribute to her spirit and to Spanish and Latin American food. Some of the more intriguing dishes at Mita’s use familiar ingredients in new ways. The fresh emerald-green sauce for the short-rib empanadas is unexpectedly minty, and the beef is tucked into cornmeal crusts so light and crisp that it lifts the dish to the sublime. They also have one of the best margaritas in town. Photo via Facebook.com/MitasCincinnati Photo: facebook.com/Mita's Cincinnati
Best Restaurant No. 8: Boca 114 E. Sixth St., Downtown Must-Try Dish: Get a plate of the Pommes Soufflés “1949” to split. They’re puffy French fries that are divine. Photo: Facebook.com/BocaRestaurant
Carlo & Johnny 9769 Montgomery Road, Montgomery Carlo & Johnny is another upscale steakhouse from the team behind Jeff Ruby’s. Located in Montgomery, this restaurant is situated in a historic mansion that was formerly a gangster hideout, stagecoach stopover and casino. They offer over 14 U.S.D.A Prime steaks as well as a variety of fresh seafoods and impeccable service. Photo via Facebook.com/JeffRubysCarloAndJohnny Photo: Facebook.com/JeffRubysCarloAndJohnny
7. Abigail Street 1214 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine “This is my new favorite restaurant in cincinnati! I can’t wait to return. The service, food and wine are the best in town. The ambiance is the best vibe and very chill but a great date night. Let’s just talk about the food, it is melt in your mouth delicious and has something for everyone. My favorite was the black garlic shrimp, lamb spaghetti and ricotta cheese! Don’t miss this.” -Kelli R. Photo: Matthew Allen
Best Restaurant No. 5: Pepp & Dolores 1501 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine Must-Try Dish: Limone pasta: spaghetti with Meyer lemon, chili flake, Parmigiano-Reggiano, garlic breadcrumbs and ricotta. Photo: facebook.com/peppanddolores
No. 4 Best Restaurant to Take a Foodie: Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse 505 Vine St., Downtown Photo: facebook.com/JeffRubysSteakhouse
Best Restaurant No. 3: Ivory House 2998 Harrison Ave., Westwood Must-Try Dish: Shrimp and Grits: Five blackened grilled shrimp, served with cheddar grits, Creole gravy, corn and tomato slaw. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Best Neighborhood Restaurant (East Side) Winner: Jeff Ruby’s The Precinct Runners-up: Mazunte, Dead Low Brewing Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Best Restaurant No. 1: Sotto 118 E. Sixth St. Must-Try Dish: Cappellacci: Pasta with short rib, shallot and thyme. Don’t skip dessert either: Get the ricotta donuts. Photo: facebook.com/sottocincinnati

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...