Favorite Cincinnati Restaurants of 2021

As another year winds down, we look back on some of our favorite restaurant experiences. Some of these were frequent mainstays for us in the midst of this miserable pandemic. While we've been discouraged by the hardships Covid-19 has imposed on the restaurant industry and our lives, we're hopeful that the Omicron variant is a sign that, eventually, this virus will mutate itself into oblivion.

Inkazteka

3920 E Galbraith Rd.
Cincinnati, OH, 45236
513-979-4630
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Inkazteka is located in Deer Park on Galbraith Road, in the shopping center that hosts an IGA and a Walgreen's. It's the same location that used be Apple Tree Cafe years ago.

The restaurant's menu features both authentic Peruvian entrees as well as more familiar Mexican and Tex-Mex favorites. The Peruvian menu is quite impressive; We especially enjoyed the Papa Rellena appetizer ($8.50), a deep-fried mashed potato stuffed with seasoned beef, olives, egg and raisins, served with a side of "salsa criolla," a pickled onion relish variant. Our favorite entrees include the classic Peruvian dish, "Lomo Saltado," strips of steak sautéed with tomatoes and onions and served with a side of french fries and rice; "Aji de Gallina," a shredded chicken stew with potatoes and a thick, vibrant yellow Aji amarillo chili pepper sauce; and the "Seco de Res," a slow-cooked beef stew with cilantro, peas and carrots, served with rice and beans.

Onolicious Hawaii

Oakley Kitchen Food Hall
3715 Madison Rd
Cincinnati, OH, 45209
513-321-0034
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Onolicious Hawaii resides inside the new Oakley Kitchen Food Hall on Madison Road, which hosts eight food stands. Onolicious serves iconic Hawaiian staples like the Hawaiian plate lunch, which typically includes a choice of beef, chicken or pork with a side of either macaroni salad or potato salad, along with heaps of sticky rice. Their Spam musubi appetizer, with grilled Spam, rice and nori, is an umami flavor-bomb that can't be missed. The portions at Onolicious are wonderfully bountiful and the flavors brought us right back to our vacation in the 50th state.

Cafe Mediterranean

3520 Erie Ave.
Cincinnati, OH, 45208
513-871-8714
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Cafe Mediterranean is a Hyde Park restaurant we've followed over the years as it moved from location to location. Chef Fahri Ozdil had first started his venture back in 2008 when he opened his restaurant in Anderson. The restaurant relocated to Blue Ash in 2011 and then, finally, to Hyde Park. One of my favorite items on the menu is the Lahmacun, a Turkish-style "pizza" with ground lamb. We saw a lot of Lachmacun shops during our trip to Istanbul, and fell in love. Cafe Mediterrean is situated in the same Hyde Park strip that houses Forno Osteria+Bar and Bangkok Bistro.

Dear Restaurant

3520 Erie Ave.
Cincinnati, OH, 45208
513-871-8714
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Dear is both a butchery and a restaurant in Hyde Park Square, housed in the former Teller's location. The interior is stunning, with beams of natural light piercing through the skylight cut into the two-story high vaulted ceiling. Dear is owned by two former "Top Chef" contestants: Chefs Brian Young and his wife, Caitlin Steininger, who Cincinnatians may know from her former "Cooking with Caitlin" restaurant she'd shared with her sister, Kelly Trush. The food here is as elegant and delicious as you'd expect from two Top Chef contestants. And while you'll be paying Top Chef prices for your experience, it will all feel worthwhile even as your last bite is but a warm memory on the drive back home.

Mita's

501 Race St.
Cincinnati, OH, 45202
513-421-6482
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Mita's is, in our opinion, Chef Jose Salazar's premier restaurant. Its menu, ambience, cocktails and service easily remain our favorite of his Cincinnati offerings. The Latin-American, mostly tapas-style menu, while ever evolving, is always one we look forward to on special occasions. No special occasion could ever exceed our experience this year, as our first 2021 visit to Mita's marked our return to a dine-in setting in that lovely lull between the Delta and Omicron Covid-19 variants. Mita's easily has the strongest, best-tasting cocktails in Cincinnati, and their food feels like hugging an old friend.

Cafe Mochiko

1524 Madison Rd.
Cincinnati, OH, 45206
513-559-1000
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Mochiko's humble beginnings as a pop-up event endeavor were soon parlayed into a brick-and-mortar restaurant in East Walnut Hills this year. While the city endured another round of Covid spikes, the restaurant endured with a takeout window, serving its signature pastries over breakfast hours and its short list of Asian-American and Japanese-inspired dishes in the afternoon. Our favorites: the Katsu Sando pork cutlet sandwich on housemade milk bread, served with a uniquely refreshing Japanese potato salad, along with their Tantanmen, a creamy, brothy bowl of ramen with chilled noodles and ground pork. Some of the best ramen bowls in the city can be found here.

Artemis Mediterranean Bistro

7791 Cooper Rd.
Montgomery, OH, 45242
513-802-5500
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We stumbled upon Artemis this year as we sought out a new Mediterranean restaurant offering takeout during the pandemic. We have yet to experience the restaurant in the way in which it was intended, but hope to soon once the Omicron variant has run its course. Our favorite appetizer is listed simply as, "spicy chopped vegetables" served with warm pita bread, which is probably a variant of the Ezme salad we enjoyed in Turkey. The Adana Kebab: char-grilled lamb served over bread, yogurt and tomato sauce, easily remains my favorite, along with the Okra Stew with Lamb and Sautéed Chicken entrees.

The BonBonerie Cafe

2030 Madison Rd.
Cincinnati, OH, 45208
513-321-3399
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The Bon Bonerie is renowned in Cincinnati for its pastries, baked goods and afternoon tea parties, but its cafe menu deserves some accolades as well. The menu is deceptively simple: there are sandwiches, paninis and soups, but they all seem elevated in freshness and preparation, all accompanied by kettle chips, a side of fresh fruit (good fruit: fresh berries, pineapple and grapes -- not that melon filler), and even a small cookie from the bakery. The electric pink boxes for our carryout orders felt like early Christmas presents even as we enjoyed them in the heat of summer.

Carl's Deli

2836 Observatory Ave.
Cincinnati, OH, 45208
513-871-2275
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Though its ownership has changed hands several times over the decades, Carl's Deli has remained a Hyde Park staple for more than 75 years. Hell, up until recently, even its freezer had dated back to the 1940s! The deli features an overwhelmingly vast sandwich menu showcasing their deli meats, breads and cheeses, as well as a variety of fresh pasta, chicken and broccoli salads, quiches, casseroles, meatloaf and more. My favorite sandwich this year was easily one of their daily specials, called the "Hot Heidi:" Italian turkey, salami, hot pepper cheese served hot on a baguette with oil, vinegar, mayo, onions, peppers and greens.

Pig Candy BBQ

5901 Kellogg Ave.
Cincinnati, OH, 45230
513-231-0378
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Pig Candy BBQ is about a mile from Coney Island on Kellogg Avenue. It opened this year and has quickly become one of our favorite barbecue restaurants in Cincinnati. They offer all the great meaty favorites: pulled pork, brisket, smoked turkey and ham, as well as some surprising items like vegan goetta and gluten free waffles pressed with pulled pork and topped with a maple peach glaze. Their unique lineup of ample sides include cheddar grits, a sweet potato cauliflower mash, "cowboy" beans with bacon and beef, as well as common staples like mac 'n cheese and cole slaw.