It was undoubtedly a rough year for many of Greater Cincinnati’s restaurants in 2023. From rising food costs to labor shortages and reverberating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and inflation, there were many obstacles restaurants had to face this year to keep the doors open and kitchens serving.

And while Greater Cincinnati also welcomed a large number of restaurants and bars this year, we’re going to miss these spots that closed in 2023.

Nomad Bellevue bar and grill Nomad, which was best known for its milkshakes (both boozy and virgin) and tater tot baskets, closed at the end of November after about three years in business. The owners say a combination of factors, including too many bad-weather days and rising food costs, forced them to permanently close. Photo: facebook.com/NomadKY
5. Salazar 1401 Republic St., Over-the-Rhine “The food is amazing. We started with the Brussel sprouts and couldn’t eat the fast enough. My daughter and I got the goetta sandwich with no cheese. Yummy with arugula salad on top. My other daughter got the French toast. You could smell the citrus. What a great experience.” -Eileen B. Photo: Provided by Salazar
19. Taft’s Ale House 1429 Race St., Over-the-Rhine ”I came here with my gf for dinner one weekend in the summer and we had a great time. The food, service and beer was very tasty and it’s also different than the Brewporium so the variety was nice in case you’re thinking about visiting both. This place can be more of a sit-down style dining experience (top level) or the order and sit at a table with friends while playing board games feel (bottom floor). They have an elevator and ramped entrance so it’s accessible which is great. ” — Fuschia H. Photo: Jesse Fox Photo: Jesse Fox
Mecklenburg Gardens Cincinnati’s oldest restaurant, Mecklenburg Gardens, nationally ranked as one of the best biergartens in the country and having been opened since 1865, closed permanently at the end of September. The German restaurant’s space, however, will supposedly reopen under a new owner as a new concept sometime in 2024, but details surrounding this new endeavor have been scarce. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Hathaway’s Diner Hathaway’s Diner had been serving guests from its spot in the Carew Tower downtown for nearly 70 years before it closed for good in November. The luncheonette’s owners say between the city allowing food trucks to park near the restaurant at Fountain Square and not as many people working downtown, they were no longer able to stay open. Photo: facebook.com/hathawaysdiner
Fifty West Brewpub After the pandemic shut down Fifty West Brewpub for nearly three years, the brewery tried reopening it at the beginning of 2023. However, in October, Fifty West announced it would be turning the brewpub into a rentable event space. Photo: Fifty West Brewing Co.
13th Street Alley In August, Over-the-Rhine walk-up window 13th Street Alley posted a sign to the window saying it was permanently closed. 13th Street Alley was best known for its no-frills Philly cheesesteak, of which they offered seven varieties, along with bowls, salads and fresh-cut fries. It was the second restaurant in OTR, following Copper & Flame, to announce it was closing that month. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Pampas Argentine Gastropub Ignite Entertainment shut down its Argentine restaurant, Pampas, in October in order to expand its O’Bryonville location of Ché into the space. The former Ché O’Bryonville was then transformed into Nuestra Cocina, which is now used for Ché’s catering and as a test kitchen, commissary and tasting room where it can host wine and spirit dinners and experiences. Not all of Pampas is gone, however. Ché O’Bryonville features some of its most popular dishes on the menu now. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
B&A Street Kitchen Popular Over-the-Rhine brunch spot B&A Street Kitchen had been serving Tex Mex and southern favorites from its dining room and walk-up window from 2017 to its closure in October. Owners Jim and Norma Kerns made the announcement on social media and thanked guests and staff for their support over the years, but didn’t offer a reason why they were closing. Photo: Brittany Thornton
7. Cooper & Flame 1115 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine “Copper & Flame exceeded our expectations – food, drink selection and space were amazing! We had 13 people and they reserved a space upstairs for us that was just perfect. Staff was also very friendly and accommodating.” — Ashley S. Photo: facebook.com/Copper & Flame/
Haru Haru opened in downtown in 2017 and was best known for serving up Korean dishes like ban chan (small bowls of appetizers like kimchi and fried sweet potatoes) and a wide variety of entrees such as kimchi fried rice, sweet potato noodles (jap chae), vegetarian-friendly tofu dishes and bibimbop. It closed quietly sometime in August, with only a sign posted on the door as a notice. Photo: facebook.com/HaruKoreanRestaurant
Chimaek Photo: Aidan Mahoney
Keystone Bar & Grill Covington lost its hub of mac and cheese and beer in early September when Keystone Bar & Grill closed. Dan Cronican, managing partner of 4EG, the group that owns the Keystone eateries, made the announcement on the restaurant’s social media. While he didn’t explain why the popular bar and grill was closing, he did say the closure would open doors as 4EG expands across Cincinnati, Columbus, Chicago and more. Keystone’s Mac Shack on Short Vine in Corryville, as well as their locations in Athens and the one opening in Columbus in 2024, however, are still open. Photo: facebook.com/keystonebar
MashRoots (College Hill) Puerto Rican eatery MashRoots announced in August that it was closing its flagship College Hill location, writing, “This decision was not an easy one, but we believe it’s the right one for our business at this time.” It’s stall in Madisonville food hall Element Eatery remains open, however. Photo: Facebook.com/MashRoots.Cincy
Urban Grill on Main Urban Grill on Main, a family-owned restaurant in Newtown, closed for business in November after seven years. The owners posted the announcement on Facebook, writing, “Many families celebrated major life events here and we are happy to have been part of that with you. We’ve enjoyed many friendships which we would not otherwise have made, were it not for UG. Thank you.” They didn’t give a reason for closing but in their post encouraged people to support small businesses. Photo: facebook.com/UrbanGrillonMain
K&J Seafood In September, the owners of K&J Seafood in Bond Hill announced on social media that despite overcoming many obstacles in the restaurant industry for the past five years, they were ready to close to pivot to other things like catering, events and product lines in order to spend more time with family. They thanked their staff and guests in the post and asked them to continue to follow the brand as they switched lanes, adding, “It’s not goodbye, it’s see you later.” Photo: Facebook.com/KJSeafoodCo
Photo: Catie Viox
Symposium This East Walnut Hills cafe and wine bar shut its doors for good on June 12, with the owners writing on social media, “the day we wished never to come has arrived. Aaron & I would be immensely grateful if you would share your Symposium photos and memories with us via DM or in the comments with the hashtag #SymposiumForever. we love you all so much.” No reason for the closure was given. Symposium opened in May 2022 sporting a relaxed, Hemingway cafe-style atmosphere, with three bars, a main dining room with a lounge known as The Nest, a private dining and event space and a small outdoor patio for early birds and night owls alike. Each bar served something different: one for drinks (they were best known for their avian-inspired cocktails, or “Birdtails”), another for coffee and the final had food. Owners J. Matt Nickels and chef Aaron Owen told CityBeat at the time that they wanted Symposium to also embody the stories of old Italy told to them by family. Owen also shut down his Over-the-Rhine sandwich shop, Ole Republic Larder. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Qlicious Bubble Tea & Pastries (Liberty Township) Mason’s Queens Bakery also owns Qlicious in Over-the-Rhine and owned another location at Liberty Center until the beginning of June. The bubble tea and pastry spot posted to Facebook on May 31 about the closure, saying they received an email the day before that their lease was being terminated and that Liberty Center signed another tenant to the space. Queens Bakery said they had been working with Liberty Center since January to renew a long-term release. “Nobody even ever told us once or asked us once if we want to stay then just signed to somebody else,” the bakery wrote. Photo: acw.asianati.com
Mighty Good: Meat ‘n Three Photo: Catie Viox
Pontiac This Over-the-Rhine BBQ joint and bar closed with little fanfare sometime this spring. While Pontiac closed temporarily in 2020 to rebrand during the pandemic, a Google search now comes up as it being “permanently closed,” and the restaurant changed its Instagram bio to read “Eternal Rest 2015-2023.” The building will stay a barbecue joint, however, as Madisonville’s popular Bee’s Barbecue plans to open a second location there. Photo: Facebook.com/PontiacOTR
House of Orange Sports Bar & Grill In April, this popular spot to watch an FC Cincinnati match shut its doors and posted a note outside reading, “Thank you to all our patrons who have shared memories with us over the past few years. The House of Orange is closed indefinitely.” House of Orange is listed as permanently closed on Google, its website has been deactivated and its social media hasn’t been updated since March. Photo: Provided by House of Orange
Porta Nera Sharonville’s Porta Nera closed at the beginning of June – but thankfully not for good. The Italian American restaurant known for bringing Little Italy’s heritage to the Greater Cincinnati area closed temporarily to move to a new location. Porta Nera also says it entered a partnership with a local restaurant group to bolster its position in the community and aid them in providing diners an unforgettable dining experience. “The decision to move wasn’t made lightly, but we are confident that this temporary closure will pave the way for bigger and better opportunities,” owner and chef Aaron Boehm said in a press release. “Our partnership with one of the region’s most respected restaurant groups promises to enhance Porta Nera’s rich potential while infusing it with a renewed sense of vibrancy and innovation. We can’t wait to share what we’ve been cooking up.” Photo: facebook.com/portaneraitalian
Spoon: Kitchen & Market Spoon: Kitchen & Market was a neighborhood bistro, cafe and grocery shop in Covington that placed a heavy focus on sustainability, fresh ingredients that were in season and locally sourced and community. It closed in March, with the restaurant saying the world had changed too much since it first opened its doors in 2019 to continue its mission to provide local foods rooted in sustainability. “We would like to thank everyone that has made this journey possible. Along the way we’ve made an abundance of new friends and been a part of countless special moments in the Mainstrasse community,” the restaurant wrote on its website. “Thank you again to everyone that believed and supported us along the way.” Photo: Google Maps
Royce Like its sister restaurant PearlStar, Royce was shuttered suddenly in February by Raley. He had launched Royce in August 2022, just a mile south of PearlStar, inside 3CDC’s $51-million development The Foundry in Fountain Square. With Raley dubbing it a “modern French brasserie,” Royce offered a French-leaning menu and featured a raw bar. Thunderdome Restaurant Group recently signed a lease for the space and says it’s planning an American-style brasserie, with a polished atmosphere and a seasonally changing menu drawing inspiration from rustic dishes from Italy, France and the U.S. Photo: Catie Viox
Wahlburgers Wahlburgers, a burger restaurant and bar chain owned by chef Paul Wahlberg and his brothers, actor Mark and singer Donnie, opened a franchise in downtown Cincinnati in early 2018. But by the end of March this year, a sign posted to the door of the restaurant told patrons it had closed. A reason hasn’t been given. The nearest Wahlburgers now is at Hollywood Gaming in Dayton. Photo: Allie Martin
Khora Once lauded by Food & Wine and Vogue as one of the “most anticipated” restaurants opening in 2020, the Kinley Hotel restaurant Khora closed for good in April after the hotel’s general manager told CityBeat just weeks before that it wanted to move in a different direction. Before it opened, Khora received national attention due to its staffing dream team that included chefs Kevin Ashworth and Edward Lee, pastry chef Megan Ketover and general manager Blair Bowman. It was even on track to be named by Esquire as one of the nation’s best new restaurants that year, but that fell apart after the hotel’s corporate owners fired Ashworth and Lee, followed shortly by the departure of Ketover and Bowman late in 2021. Khora closed temporarily in 2021 then quietly reopened the next year. And while the original iteration of Khora focused on pastas made from unusual grains, the new menu had shifted focus away from that. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
The Glenway Frisch’s A Frisch’s that had sat on its Glenway corner for decades quietly closed for good, shocking many of its regular West Side patrons. A note posted to the door in June read, “We are sorry, this location is being closed permanently. Please visit us at one of our other locations … It was our pleasure serving you and we hope to see you soon.” Frisch’s told local news outlets that the decision to close the 75-year-old location was difficult, but they want to continue to grow and change with the times, and they also have to make decisions to fight the impact of inflation. Photo: Google Maps
Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint Classic Jack Burger in slider form: Premium wagyu beef topped with caramelized onions, American cheese, pickles and Jack Brown’s sauce Photo: Catie Viox
Latitudes Bar & Bistro Hailed as one of the best restaurants in town by America’s Best Restaurants, Anderson Township’s Latitudes Bar & Bistro served up everything from steaks and pastas to burgers and flatbreads. It was also a hub for entertainment, with something going on almost every night, according to its website. The bar and bistro posted to Facebook in June announcing the closure, writing, “It is with a heavy heart that we announce the closing of Latitudes. Everything ends. Make sure you enjoy the moments that make life special. Recognize those moments. Take time to cherish the small things because in a flash they are gone Thank you to everyone that made Latitudes Bar & Bistro a very special place.” Photo: Google Maps
Bonomini Bakery This longtime Northside bakery closed suddenly after its owner suffered a stroke in February. “Due to this,” a sign posted on the door read, “the family has decided to focus on health and family and suspend business until further notice. Thank you for your patronage, prayers, & understanding.” The business is still listed as “temporarily closed” on Google. Photo: Google Maps

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...