CINCINNATI — Throughout 2024, Cincinnati has continued to cement itself as a city with a notably burgeoning dining scene. Despite the issues that plague the restaurant industry nationwide — and Cincinnati is no exception — the city's food industry has seen several highlights this year in the form of new openings.
From fine dining spaces to neighborhood taco joints and date night spots, the Greater Cincinnati area added several dining options to enjoy this year. Based on a culmination of Yelp and Google reviews, here are the Top 9 restaurants that opened in Greater Cincinnati in 2024.
Sudova
Sudova opened in the Court Street Plaza district in August, bringing a new type of cuisine to Cincinnati's dining scene. Owned and operated by restaurant industry veteran Sarah Dworak, Sudova celebrates Dworak's Eastern European heritage through its menu and interior design.
Sudova's menu boasts a variety of classic Eastern European dishes, such as hand-formed varenyky, which is a Ukrainian dumpling stuffed with house-made tvorog, a type of dairy product, and pork belly, as well as green borsch, which is a Ukrainian soup with chicken, sorrel and soft-boiled egg. The restaurant itself, which is apt for date night or dinner with friends, is home to a large dining table that belonged to Dworak's grandmother. Other family relics, including her grandmother's armoire, are also sprinkled throughout the restaurant.
Click here to make reservations at Sudova.
Wildweed
Though it was a longtime pop-up at Oakley Wines, Wildweed, owned by David and Lydia Jackman, celebrated the opening of its brick-and-mortar restaurant in July. The restaurant, located at the corner of Walnut Street and E 13th Street in Over-the-Rhine, offers a seasonally driven menu in its dining room. Guests can also enjoy a 12-seat chef's counter, showcasing a daily menu of a dozen or so dishes centered on seven ingredients.
Earlier this month, Wildweed was named one of Esquire's "The Best New Restaurants in America, 2024." According to Esquire, Wildweed "represents a soaring ode to a region whose culinary virtues have been overlooked for too long."
Click here to make reservations at Wildweed.
Young Buck Deli
Owned and operated by Brian and Caitlin Young, in partnership with Crown Restaurant Group, Young Buck Deli brought a full-fledged deli to the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood this year. Young Buck opened its doors in May, and outside of its own menu, it serves as the butchery and pasta commissary for all Crown Restaurant Group locations.
Young Buck serves an array of sandwiches on house-made focaccia bread, including a Reuben, mortadella, grilled cheese, club, hot pastrami, fried bologna and even a PB&J rounded out with homemade peanut butter on challah bread. In addition to its usual sandwich options, Young Buck offers daily specials and sides of pasta or potato salad and pimento cheese. For those wanting to enjoy their own sandwiches at home, Young Buck also sells deli meat by the pound.
Click here to see Young Buck's full menu.
The Aperture
Located in Walnut Hills' historic Paramount Square Building, The Aperture opened its doors in January. Owned by chef Jordan Anthony-Brown, the restaurant's menu is heavily influenced by the broader Mediterranean region, including Southern France, Italy, Greece and the Levant region, to name a few. With those influences, guests can expect pasta dishes, lamb, breads and more, but The Aperture's menu is subject to frequent changes, especially seasonal changes.
In September, The Aperture was named to The New York Times' 2024 "Best Restaurants in America" list. The New York Times' Brett Anderson wrote that The Aperture had a "firm grasp" on Mediterranean cuisine and "it's not hard to find diners who have already made a ritual of visiting this Art Deco building for live-fire cooking from the chef-owner Jordan Anthony Brown."
Click here to make reservations at The Aperture.
Carmelo's
Owned and operated by Billy Grise and chef Mitch Arens, Carmelo's opened in Covington, near the former IRS site, in November. The restaurant offers Italian-American cuisine and is named after Grise's bisnonno (aka great-grandfather) Carmelo Caserta, a first-generation immigrant from Sicily.
Guests can enjoy starters like mozzarella and calamari before diving into pasta dishes like the 101-layer lasagna, oxtail ragu, spaghetti and meatballs or mushroom marsala. Carmelo's also offers entrees such as eggplant Parmesan and striped bass, as well as authentic Italian desserts like tiramisu and gelato.
Click here to make reservations at Carmelo's.
The Davidson
Located near Fountain Square in the Foundry development, The Davidson opened its doors to guests in February. The fine dining spot, which is owned by Thunderdome Restaurant Group, serves a variety of French, Italian and American cuisine.
Guests can enjoy starters, including Moroccan roasted eggplant, for the table, as well as soups, salads and handmade pasta classics like vodka rigatoni. In terms of entrees, The Davidson has something for everyone's taste, whether you're opting for the bone-in pork chop, scallops, veal or steak. The Davidson also has a large drink menu, fitted with several cocktails, like the olive oil martini and bellini spritz, dozens of wines, beers and more.
Click here to make reservations at The Davidson.
Court Street Kitchen
Court Street Kitchen is another one of the many additions to the Court Street Plaza district this year. The restaurant, which opened in February, focuses on New American fare. Court Street Kitchen has broad dinner and lunch menus, and the restaurant also hosts Sunday brunch. In terms of dinner, the menu offers multiple starters, fresh-made pasta and more to enjoy alongside main courses such as filet mignon, branzino and roasted chicken, among others.
Owner and chef Braheam Shteiwi said he wanted Court Street Kitchen to be an "affordable option for patrons without sacrificing the upscale dining vibe."
Click here to make reservations at Court Street Kitchen.
Safi Wine Bar
Owned and operated by award-winning chef Jose Salazar, Safi Wine Bar transports guests to a Moroccan-style lounge. The wine bar opened in early June inside the former Republic Street location of Salazar's eponymous restaurant, which closed in OTR in November 2023 after a decade.
Salazar previously said the inspiration behind Safi came from a trip he took with his wife to Morocco. Safi's drink list is fitted with a variety of wines, beer, cocktails and more, including non-alcoholic options like espresso and Moroccan mint tea. The wine bar also serves small plates, such as marinated olives, cous cous fried oysters, Moroccan spiced almonds and beef kefta.
Click here to make reservations at Safi.
Pata Roja Taqueria
Pata Roja Taqueria, which is owned and operated by Derrick Braziel, opened its doors at Court Street Plaza in February. The taco restaurant first got its start in 2019 as a food truck, which was typically located behind Bar Saeso in Pendleton.
Pata Roja serves authentic Mexican street tacos, including al pastor, carnitas, sweet potato, birria, chicken and more. Customers can also get their protein choice in a burrito, quesadilla or bowl instead of a taco, as well. Other than its main offerings, Pata Roja also has multiple salsas and sides to choose from.
Click here to see Pata Roja's full menu.
