Whether you want to eat chicken wings, ice cream, vegan pizza, breakfast sandwiches, or just go to a new place while out, these 2021 Best of the City winners can meet your needs.
The group of homemade beer friends behind the third eye really started to take action and won awards for their beer within six months of opening. Sharonville Bar hosts trivia nights, live music and Bloody Mary Sundays, and of course beer. The award-winning "Higher purpose Milk Stout" donated 10% of each purchase to the Live Like Maya Foundation in memory of Maya Collins, daughter of co-founders Tom and Bonnie Collins, who fought leukemia in 2017. • 11276 Chester Rd., Sharonville, (513) 771-2739, thirdeyebrewingco.com
From Findlay Market to Oakley, rainbow-colored beanbags dotted the storefront, this is just the beginning. This summer, Proud Hound Coffee opened a colorful cafe inspired by Wes Anderson's style in Silverton. Its local roasted beans and the spirit of "dignity for all" quickly attracted followers. The superb brunch menu is based on classic comfort foods such as biscuits and grits, which is eye-catching and does not hide the real reason for coming here-a selection of coffee choices, baked in the store. • 6717 Montgomery Rd., Silverton, (513) 987-1233, prowhoundcoffee.com
California transplants Scott Quigley and Jose Escamilla used to distill spirits in a mutual friend's garage. Now they are working on a larger scale at the Kentucky Horse Racing-themed winery, bar and restaurant Pensive in Newport. (Contemplation won the derby in 1944.) They are using their own distilled vodka, which is still named American Playground; when their first barrel aging, they have outsourced the bourbon now being poured to another Kentucky distillery . We will come back to check their performance in four years. • 720 Monmouth St., Newport, (859) 360-5579, pensivedistilling.com
If Eishaus is the fun and pasta ice-cream kid that we are gradually familiar with and love, then Frosthaus has grown up, even the sister of eis-ier. The focus here is on frozen fruity drinks, but don’t take a nap. The menu here is full of German tradition-so much so that some dishes come directly from the recipe box of the owner Oma. Let a friend follow along to share a basket of goetta bites, or take the whole team to taste the drunken rainbow in various colors. • 115 Park Pl., Covington,frosthauscov.com
Ken David's family owned and operated Gold Star Chili on the corner of Old State Road 32 and Half Acre Road for four years. After the franchise agreement with the pepper chain expired, David was inspired by Dubai Parks and contacted Anthony Lange, founder of the Queen City Mobile Food Truck Association. Now, every Wednesday to Sunday, rotating trucks serve lunch and dinner in the lot next to the former pepper shop, which now has indoor seating and a bar. With a complete calendar of events, live music, fire pits and lawn games, there is something for everyone. • 2792 Old State Route 32, Batavia, clearmountainfoodpark.com
After the growth of Brewpub on Montgomery Road exceeded the pandemic delay, the Big Nine opened a new Fermentorium at the corner of the current space in April last year. Fermentorium has 30 unique, small-batch, experimental ready-made beers, a private event space, a barrel room in the basement, and more space for customers. Do you feel the blues of winter? In addition to fun beers, you can also taste the summer season through Fermentorium's selected tropical cocktail menu. • 6111 Ridge Ave., Pleasant Ridge, info@ninegiant.com, Ninegiant.com/ferm
During a hiking trip in Italy, Joe Jones fell in love with ice cream and returned to Covington's home, where he firmly believed that he could make cream ice cream. He is very good at it (under the guidance of some of the best ice cream chefs in the country), he decided to open Golden Gelato. Jones and his wife Vanessa offer authentic small batches of Italian ice cream and sorbets — in flavors such as toasted coconut, lemon cookies, and dark chocolate — and stir in the store every day. In this place, you will feel like you are traveling through an ice cream shop in Italy. • 130 W. Pike St., Covington, (859) 360-3709, goldengelatocov.com
Giminetti Baking Co. temporarily closed its small retail store last winter, but reopened in the summer. After hiring New York pastry chef Cory Colton, the remodeled restaurant was named Bread Bar. Whether you are looking for a meal (such as a spicy chicken parmdiavolo sandwich) or a snack (almond croissant topped with Nutella), the cozy space and the carbohydrate-rich menu are the Walnut Hill gourmet landscape Highlights. • 2900 Gilbert Ave., Walnut Hills, (513) 751-7655, giminetti.com
When it comes to capturing Cackleberry's Filipino fusion breakfast sandwiches, you have to be fast. No matter where the vintage trailers are opened, they will be sold out within a few hours. Most Sundays, you can see China Kautz and her husband Nate hanging like "Benny" (bacon sandwich with egg, cheese, chili tomato sauce and caramelized onions) or "Lolo" (Philippine sweet sausage with atchara, Eggs, and garlic aioli) in Walnut Hills and surrounding areas. Watch the Instagram account of the food truck to know exactly where they are going and get ready to chase. It's worth it. • eatcackleberry.com
As we have mentioned many times before, the burgers at Tickle Pickle are great (try the red pepper-you will like it, we promise). So how can they get better? Served with a plate of French fries. This spring, burger joint announced that it would add potatoes to the menu, and the public was cheered. The owner Lea Dickman and her husband Ray remodeled the kitchen to accommodate a deep fryer, and voila, you will get crispy fries and mouth-watering burgers. • 4176 Hamilton Ave., Northside, (513) 954-4003, orderticckle.com
What is better than a restaurant? Eight restaurants. After three years of planning and delays, Oakley Kitchen Food Hall finally opened in the old Duck Creek Antique Mall this summer, making foodies fall in love with more food. From Jimmie Lou's New Orleans comfort food to Olive Tree's delicious Mediterranean cuisine, this food hall allows you to enjoy food from multiple restaurants at the same time. We recommend that you wear sweatpants for comfort-you need space when you are full of feasts. • 3715 Madison Rd., Oakley, Oakley-kitchen.com
When the owner of the legendary Newport candy store Sweet Tooth announced his retirement at the end of 2020, the community held their breath. What will become of the sweet spot of your beloved? Summer ice hockey. Caramelized apples when the weather gets cold. Heart-shaped box of Valentine's Day chocolates. Opera cream? These are for the whole year. When the new owner was announced, the sweets die-hards let out an audible exhale. Pompilio operators Joe Bristow and Larry Geiger stepped in to save the situation and pledged to be loyal to the recipes that customers have been patronizing since the 1970s. • 125 W. 11th St., Newport, (859) 581-6763, sweettoothchocolates.com
Pearlstar Oyster Bar will not let the small things like no salt water nearby prevent them from providing an unforgettable seafood experience. Located in the ancient A Tavola space in Over-the-Rhine, the restaurant serves oysters from both coasts-freshly delivered daily, subject to availability. If you don’t like oysters, other seafood dishes on the menu (such as golden ceviche or yellow fin carpaccio) will keep you busy, while your friends surround them with oysters that are dressed or raw. On the side. Just don't be jealous. • 1220 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 381-0427, pearl-star.com
Before you ask-no, this is not a contradiction. It is not real cheese either. It is actually a clever combination of potato starch and coconut oil, but when you bake it onto a pizza dough, its stretchability and melting properties are enough to make people feel, and even taste like cheese. After ten years of requests for vegetarian options, LaRosa's has launched a series of dairy-free cheeses and meat-free proteins, including "chicken", "pepperoni" and "sausage" to supplement its already grown sauces and Dough-based on. • (513) 347-1111, larosas.com
Pendalo is located in the Cincinnati Bar in Braxton (because what is better than chicken wings with a cold beer?) Bruh XXX (we don't have enough courage to taste). • 1211 Broadway St., Pendleton, (513) 918-4804, pendalowingery.com