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Cincinnati

Restaurants, hotels, bars and wineries in Cincinnati from the En Primeur Club guide.

Accolades in Cincinnati

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Cincinnati, United States
Cincinnati's Wine Spectator restaurants in our guide include steakhouses, Italian dining rooms, and modern American fine dining. Citywide, 2 restaurants hold a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence and 11 hold an Award of Excellence, with 8 exceptional wine programs. The Precinct in East End carries a Best of Award of Excellence on a classic steakhouse menu of USDA Prime dry-aged beef and rare Wagyu. Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse – Cincinnati in Downtown holds an Award of Excellence and an exceptional wine program beside USDA Prime beef, a raw bar, and sushi. Over-the-Rhine holds 26 venues in our guide and Downtown holds 25. Wildweed in Over-the-Rhine serves New Midwestern pasta. Its 12-seat chef's counter tasting menu is built around foraged ingredients and hyper-local micro-seasons. Wildweed holds a Bon Appétit best new restaurants listing and a James Beard Award Semi Finalist recognition. Nicola's in Mt. Auburn offers a tasting menu and a la carte, with handmade pastas and seasonal dishes.

Wine Spectator awards

Citywide, our guide counts 2 Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence awards and 11 Awards of Excellence. The Precinct in East End holds a Best of Award of Excellence, and Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse – Cincinnati, Boca, and Subito, all in Downtown, hold Awards of Excellence.

  • The Precinct

    The Precinct in East End is a classic steakhouse in a former police precinct and Cincinnati's longest continuously-running fine dining restaurant. The menu centers on USDA Prime dry-aged beef and rare Wagyu, served a la carte. The list is extensive. It holds a Star Wine List award and a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence, both dated 2026.

  • Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse – Cincinnati

    Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse – Cincinnati in Downtown is an art deco steakhouse with an exceptional wine program and an extensive wine list. The kitchen serves USDA Prime beef, a raw bar, and sushi, a la carte. It holds a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence and a Star Wine List White Star, both dated 2026.

  • Boca

    Boca in Downtown serves modern American fine dining in the historic Maisonette space, a la carte and in small plates, including pommes soufflées and Beef Wellington. Owner-chef David Falk focuses the room on dinner. Wine director Heather Brady oversees a wine program of 1,200 bottles across France, Italy, and California. The restaurant holds a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence.

  • Subito

    Subito in Downtown serves Northern Italian fine dining in a hotel setting, with house-made pastas and premium steaks, a la carte. The wine list is calibrated around California and Italy: 130 selections and 1,500 bottles in inventory. Wine director Lindsay Laubenstein oversees the cellar, and chef Joseph Helm runs the kitchen. The restaurant holds a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence.

Tasting menus and prix fixe

Wildweed in Over-the-Rhine and Nicola's in Mt. Auburn both list a tasting menu, and Metropole in Downtown lists prix fixe alongside a la carte.

  • Wildweed

    Wildweed in Over-the-Rhine cooks New Midwestern pasta from foraged ingredients and freshly milled grain, a la carte and as a 12-seat chef's counter tasting menu built around hyper-local micro-seasons. It holds an Esquire Best New Restaurants listing, a Bon Appétit The 20 Best New Restaurants listing, a James Beard Award Semi Finalist recognition, and a New York Times America's Best Restaurants listing.

  • Nicola's

    Nicola's in Mt. Auburn is contemporary Italian fine dining, with handmade pastas and seasonal dishes served a la carte and as a tasting menu. The list is extensive. It holds a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence dated 2026.

  • Metropole

    Metropole in Downtown serves contemporary American cooking from seasonal local ingredients, using wood-fired cooking techniques, in an artistic museum hotel setting. Service is a la carte and prix fixe. The bar also pours craft cocktails.

Over-the-Rhine

Over-the-Rhine holds 26 venues in our guide and Downtown holds 25. Pepp & Dolores, Safi Wine Bar, Nolia Kitchen, and Longfellow sit in Over-the-Rhine, with pasta, a Moroccan-inspired wine bar, New Orleans cooking, and a rum collection.

  • Pepp & Dolores

    Pepp & Dolores in Over-the-Rhine is a casual Italian restaurant of housemade pasta in creative shapes, inspired by family Sunday suppers. Service is a la carte and small plates. The wine program has craft cocktails. It holds a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for 2026 and an OpenTable Top 100 listing for 2025.

  • Safi Wine Bar

    Safi Wine Bar in Over-the-Rhine is a Moroccan-inspired neighborhood wine bar led by Jose and Ann Salazar. The room is a candlelit lounge, the wine list changes over time, and the food is shareable small plates plus a la carte. The list is extensive. The bar also pours craft cocktails, beer, natural wine, and zero-proof drinks.

  • Nolia Kitchen

    Nolia Kitchen in Over-the-Rhine serves modern New Orleans and Southern cooking on an entirely gluten-free menu that changes with the season, from an open kitchen. Service is a la carte and small plates. The wine program has craft cocktails. It holds a James Beard Award nomination and a James Beard Award Semi Finalist recognition, both for 2026, plus an Esquire Best New Restaurants listing from 2023.

  • Longfellow

    Longfellow in Over-the-Rhine is an intimate cocktail bar with a hidden back room and Ohio's largest rum collection. The drinks are precise, with craft cocktails and rum. The wine program is minimal. It is a James Beard Award Semi Finalist in 2025 and 2026.

Planning FAQ

Which neighborhoods hold Wine Spectator restaurants in our guide?

Downtown holds Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse – Cincinnati, Boca, and Subito among the Wine Spectator restaurants in our guide. The Precinct, with a Best of Award of Excellence, is in East End. Pepp & Dolores, with an Award of Excellence, is in Over-the-Rhine. Nicola's, with an Award of Excellence, is in Mt. Auburn.

How many Michelin-starred restaurants are in Cincinnati?

Cincinnati has no Michelin-starred restaurants in our guide. The Precinct in East End holds a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence, while Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse – Cincinnati in Downtown has an exceptional wine program and a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence.

Where can I find tasting menus?

Wildweed in Over-the-Rhine and Nicola's in Mt. Auburn list a tasting menu in our guide. Wildweed's is a 12-seat chef's counter built around foraged ingredients and hyper-local micro-seasons, with New Midwestern pasta also served a la carte. Nicola's in Mt. Auburn offers a tasting menu and a la carte. Its contemporary Italian cooking includes handmade pastas and seasonal dishes.

Which restaurants hold Wine Spectator awards?

The Precinct in East End holds a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence. Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse – Cincinnati in Downtown, Pepp & Dolores in Over-the-Rhine, Boca in Downtown, Nicola's in Mt. Auburn, and Subito in Downtown hold an Award of Excellence. Citywide, our guide counts 2 Best of Award of Excellence awards and 11 Awards of Excellence.

By Emmett Haley · Updated October 8, 2026 · Editorial standards

Cincinnati

Where to eat in Cincinnati

Selected entries from the current guide for Cincinnati.

Camp Washington restaurant in Cincinnati

Cincinnati, United States

Camp Washington

At Camp Washington, Cincinnati’s most storied chili parlor is recast with poise and polish, marrying heritage recipes with a quietly polished sensibility. The hum of stainless steel and the soft glow of vintage neon frame a menu that honors the city’s signature chili—silky, cocoa-tinged, warmly spiced—paired with meticulously sourced toppings and house-baked breads. For the well-traveled gourmand, it’s an intimate journey into regional flavor: five-ways presented with immaculate balance, coneys dressed with precise finesse, and sides that whisper of American diner nostalgia—refined, never fussy. Here, service is swift yet gracious, hospitality is genuine, and every plate tells a story of place. Late-night hours and counter seating lend an insider’s allure, inviting guests to linger at the crossroads of comfort and craft.

Cincinnati, United States
Nicola's restaurant in Cincinnati

Cincinnati, United States

Nicola's

Nicola's occupies a measured place in Cincinnati's fine dining conversation, where Italian-inflected ambition meets Midwestern dining sensibility on Sycamore Street in the Over-the-Rhine corridor. The menu's architecture signals a kitchen that thinks in courses and seasons rather than single dishes. For a city still building its fine dining vocabulary, Nicola's has served as a reference point for what formal Italian can look like outside the coastal canon.

Cincinnati, United States
Agave & Rye Rookwood restaurant in Cincinnati

Cincinnati, United States

Agave & Rye Rookwood

Agave & Rye Rookwood sits in the Rookwood development on Cincinnati's eastern edge, bringing the brand's tequila-forward, Nashville hot-chicken-and-tacos format to a neighborhood that skews suburban and settled. The location slots into Cincinnati's mid-casual dining tier alongside spots like Bakersfield OTR, though with a distinctly Tex-Mex and bourbon-belt personality that sets it apart from the city's more European-influenced restaurant scene.

Cincinnati, United States
Ambar India Restaurant restaurant in Cincinnati

Cincinnati, United States

Ambar India Restaurant

Ambar India Restaurant occupies a corner of Ludlow Avenue in Cincinnati's Clifton neighborhood, where the density of independent restaurants and students from the University of Cincinnati has long supported a more adventurous dining appetite. The address places it squarely within a walkable strip that rewards neighborhood exploration over destination dining, making it a reliable reference point for Indian cuisine on Cincinnati's west side.

Cincinnati, United States
Court Street Kitchen restaurant in Cincinnati

Cincinnati, United States

Court Street Kitchen

Court Street Kitchen sits on one of downtown Cincinnati's oldest commercial corridors, where the city's evolving dining scene meets its architectural past. The address places it within walking distance of the central business district and the Over-the-Rhine edge, positioning it as a natural stopping point for those moving between Cincinnati's most active neighbourhoods. Booking details and current hours are best confirmed directly with the venue.

Cincinnati, United States
Eli's BBQ restaurant in Cincinnati

Cincinnati, United States

Eli's BBQ

Eli's BBQ operates out of a Riverside Drive address in Cincinnati, placing it along the Ohio River corridor that has long anchored the city's casual dining identity. The operation runs in the tradition of American pit barbecue, where the quality of the cook and the consistency of the service team matter more than formal credentials. For Cincinnati visitors building a broader itinerary, it belongs on any honest tour of the city's smoke-and-char culture.

Cincinnati, United States

Cincinnati

Where to stay in Cincinnati

Selected entries from the current guide for Cincinnati.

The Summit Hotel hotel in Cincinnati

Cincinnati, United States

The Summit Hotel

The Summit Hotel occupies a deliberate address in Cincinnati's Madisonville corridor, operating 239 rooms from its base at 5345 Medpace Way. Positioned alongside the Medpace life sciences campus, it draws a guest profile defined more by purpose-driven travel than leisure passing-through. For Cincinnati visitors seeking an alternative to the downtown convention cluster, the property offers a quieter, campus-adjacent base with full hotel infrastructure.

Cincinnati, United States
Graduate by Hilton Cincinnati hotel in Cincinnati

Cincinnati, United States

Graduate by Hilton Cincinnati

Graduate by Hilton Cincinnati holds a Michelin Selected distinction for 2025, placing it among a small tier of Cincinnati hotels that have earned independent editorial recognition. Located at 151 Goodman Dr in the university district, the property draws on the Graduate brand's campus-adjacent identity, offering a considered alternative to the city's downtown luxury corridor for travellers who want neighbourhood character alongside reliable standards.

Cincinnati, United States

Cincinnati

Where to go for a drink in Cincinnati

Selected entries from the current guide for Cincinnati.

Northside Yacht Club bar in Cincinnati

Cincinnati, United States

Northside Yacht Club

A Northside fixture at 4231 Spring Grove Ave, Northside Yacht Club occupies a neighborhood that has become one of Cincinnati's more interesting drinking destinations, where dive-bar roots sit alongside craft-focused programming. The venue's name alone signals a certain self-aware irreverence that characterizes the Northside bar scene, making it a natural stop for occasion drinks or a low-key celebration away from the downtown circuit.

Cincinnati, United States
Alcove by MadTree Brewing bar in Cincinnati

Cincinnati, United States

Alcove by MadTree Brewing

MadTree Brewing's Alcove occupies a corner of Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine at 1410 Vine Street, placing craft beer culture in direct conversation with the neighbourhood's food and drink revival. The format bridges taproom and full-service bar, drawing on the brewery's established presence in the city's independent scene. It sits comfortably within the Vine Street corridor that has redefined drinking in OTR over the past decade.

Cincinnati, United States
Mom 'n 'em Coffee bar in Cincinnati

Cincinnati, United States

Mom 'n 'em Coffee

On Colerain Avenue in Cincinnati's Westwood-adjacent corridor, Mom 'n' Em Coffee occupies a position that Cincinnati's independent coffee scene has been quietly building toward: a neighborhood anchor that operates with the seriousness of a specialty program without the clinical remove of a third-wave showroom. The address places it away from the Over-the-Rhine concentration, making it a deliberate destination for those tracking the city's wider coffee geography.

Cincinnati, United States
MOTR Pub bar in Cincinnati

Cincinnati, United States

MOTR Pub

A fixture on Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine bar circuit, MOTR Pub at 1345 Main Street sits where neighbourhood regulars and visiting drinkers converge in one of the city's most architecturally preserved stretches. The format skews toward live music, draft beer, and the kind of low-pretension atmosphere that OTR's bar scene does well at its mid-tier. A useful anchor when tracing the neighbourhood's drinking culture from historic saloon to contemporary craft.

Cincinnati, United States
Shires' Rooftop bar in Cincinnati

Cincinnati, United States

Shires' Rooftop

Perched on the tenth floor of 309 Vine Street, Shires' Rooftop occupies a position that few Downtown Cincinnati bars can match for elevation or sightlines. The space functions less as a destination bar and more as a genuine neighbourhood gathering point, where regulars arrive after work and stay through the evening. Against the city's competitive rooftop and cocktail bar set, it holds its own through accessibility and a consistent local following.

Cincinnati, United States

Cincinnati

Which wineries to visit in Cincinnati

Selected entries from the current guide for Cincinnati.

No venues found.