Eat in Downtown, Cincinnati

Sotto

• ★ 4.7
• Italian
• $$$

Sotto on East 6th Street downtown is David Falk's subterranean Italian room in Cincinnati, with hand-rolled pastas and wood-fired antipasti.

Boca

• ★ 4.8
• Modern American
• $$$$

Boca on East 6th Street downtown is David Falk's flagship Cincinnati dining room, a modern American destination with luxury proteins and a deep wine cellar.

Salazar

• ★ 4.7
• New American
• $$$

Salazar on West 5th Street downtown is Jose Salazar's Cincinnati flagship after its 2025 move from OTR, daily-changing New American menus and a consistent.

Mita's

• ★ 4.6
• Spanish
• $$$

Mita's on Race Street downtown is Jose Salazar's Spanish-Latin American room, with paella, jamon, ceviches and an extensive sherry program. Open since 2015.

Montgomery Inn Boathouse

• ★ 4.3
• Barbecue
• $$$

The Montgomery Inn Boathouse on Riverside Drive is Cincinnati's Ohio River barbecue outpost, with sauce-glazed pork ribs and a long porch over the water.

Nada

• ★ 4.3
• Mexican
• $$$

Nada on Walnut Street downtown is David Falk's modern Mexican room, with tableside guacamole, carnitas and a tequila and mezcal list 100-plus bottles deep.

Maplewood Kitchen and Bar

• ★ 4.3
• New American
• $$

Maplewood Kitchen on Race Street downtown is Cincinnati's California-leaning Thunderdome all-day room, with rotisserie chicken and grain bowls.

The Davidson

• ★ 4.4
• New American
• $$$

The Davidson on Vine Street downtown is the modern French and American room on Fountain Square, with wood-fired meats, a raw bar and a long cocktail list.

Izzy's

• ★ 4.2
• Jewish Deli
• $

Izzy's on Elm Street downtown is Cincinnati's kosher-style Jewish deli founded in 1901, with the signature reuben sandwich and giant potato pancake.

Arnold's Bar and Grill

• ★ 4.4
• American Tavern
• $$

Arnold's on East 8th Street downtown is Cincinnati's oldest tavern, opened in 1861, with old-school American food and live music in the courtyard.

Cheapside Cafe

• ★ 4.0
• Café
• $

Order Espresso, soup and salad bowls

Cheapside Cafe on East 8th Street in Cincinnati's downtown is the all-day cafe and lunch counter with espresso bar, sandwiches and seasonal soup bowls.

Igby's

• ★ 4.0
• Multi-level bar and lounge
• $$$

Drink Local craft beer and bourbon flights

Igby's on East 6th Street downtown is Cincinnati's multi-level bar inside the former Maisonette building, with cocktails, beer and local food.

Cincinnati Lager House

• ★ 4.3
• Brewery
• $$

Moerlein Lager House on Joe Nuxhall Way at Cincinnati's Smale Riverfront Park is the riverfront brewpub of the revived 1853 Christian Moerlein heritage brand.

Taste of Cincinnati

• ★ 4.7

Taste of Cincinnati on Fifth Street downtown is the city's biggest food festival since 1979, running every Memorial Day weekend, claimed.

Oktoberfest Zinzinnati

• ★ 4.8

Oktoberfest Zinzinnati at Sawyer Point and Yeatman's Cove on the Cincinnati riverfront is the German-American festival every September, with bratwurst.

Asian Food Fest

• ★ 4.4

Asian Food Fest at Court Street Plaza in downtown Cincinnati runs two days in late April with 60-plus Pan-Asian restaurants and food trucks, produced by Asianati and the Cincinnati Regional Chamber.

Cincy Winter Beerfest

• ★ 3.9

Cincy Winter Beerfest fills the Duke Energy Convention Center downtown for one Saturday, 7 February 2026, with afternoon and evening sessions pouring hundreds of local and regional craft beers, the list posted fest week.

Cincinnati International Wine Festival

• ★ 4.0

Cincinnati's charity wine festival, founded in 1991, returns to the Cincinnati Convention Center on 6 and 7 March 2026 with three Grand Tasting sessions of unlimited pours from more than 700 wines, plus winery dinners.

Izzy's Deli

• ★ 4.3
• Jewish deli
• $

Try Reuben sandwich and potato pancake

Izzy's on Elm Street downtown is Cincinnati's century-old kosher-style Jewish deli since 1901, with the signature reuben and the giant potato pancake.

Sleepy Bee Cafe Downtown

• ★ 4.5
• Brunch
• $$

Order Bee Cakes and sausage gravy biscuits

Sleepy Bee on East 4th Street downtown is Cincinnati's all-day brunch outpost of the Oakley flagship, with pancakes, omelettes and an open-kitchen counter.

Metropole Weekend Brunch

• ★ 4.4
• Brunch
• $$

Order Wood-fired eggs Benedict, hash and grits

Metropole inside the 21c Museum Hotel on Walnut Street downtown runs Cincinnati's hearth-driven weekend brunch, with wood-fired Benedicts and grits.

Maplewood Kitchen Brunch

• ★ 4.3
• Brunch
• $$

Order Avocado toast, rotisserie chicken bowls

Maplewood Kitchen on Race Street downtown is Cincinnati's California-leaning Thunderdome brunch room, with all-day breakfast plates and avocado toast.

Top of the Park

• ★ 4.1
• $$

Top of the Park is a rooftop bar above Lytle Park in the historic Phelps Building, with skyline views, a fire pit and made-to-order cocktails.

The Chase

• ★ 4.0
• $$

The Chase is the rooftop bar atop the Moxy hotel on Main Street downtown, a few blocks from Great American Ball Park and the riverfront.

Bar 901 at the Brittany

• ★ 4.0
• $

Bar 901 at the Brittany is a gay-owned corner bar on the ground floor of an 1885 Queen Anne building downtown, open since March 2018.