When Chef Casey Hopkins appeared on my laptop screen via FaceTime, she had just gotten home from a Thursday shift at Longfellow. She was wearing a popular merch item from the bar – a gray sweatshirt emblazoned with a four-eyed, winking red cocktail – and she had her two little dumplings running amok in the background.

Having seen Hopkins’ packed bag ahead of an upcoming trip, her pug, Pierogi, had spent the day sulking. Her mood hadn’t improved. Meanwhile, Momo the French bulldog intermittently popped into the bottom right corner of my screen, seemingly oblivious to Hopkins’ impending departure and just hankering for some attention.

“ I’ve always cooked,” Hopkins said, occasionally patting Momo’s head and minding Pierogi’s grump-fueled antics. “I’ve always loved food. And Longfellow was the first real place that I was a cook, I was a chef, I was in the kitchen. So all of my real culinary experience has been within the walls of Longfellow in the last 8 years.”

Working with people has pretty much been a focal point of any line of work Hopkins has found herself in. As a teenager, her gigs included a face painter at the Cincinnati Zoo, an assistant for studio dance classes, and a camp counselor. Her first restaurant job was at a Chipotle, but even before then, she was no stranger to culinary environments. 

“I  was very close with my neighbors growing up,” Hopkins said. “They had a restaurant on the West Side, so I was always in a restaurant, and I was always at their house, in their kitchen learning how to cook.”

At that point, Hopkins was “just part of the family,” as opposed to staff, looking after the family’s children every night at the restaurant. Over time, she’s worked serving jobs, and picked up some kitchen work during her time at Chicago Gyros and Northside Yacht Club. 

It was during her time at the yacht club that Casey met future Longfellow owner (and recent second-time James Beard nominee) Mike Stankovich. Stankovich opened his nationally-ranked bar in February 2017, with Chef Evan Wallis at the helm of the kitchen. Wanting to involve Wallis in more of the kitchen management side, Stankovich began seeking additional members for the kitchen staff – with a few qualifications in mind. 

“Longfellow’s kind of a unique kitchen in the sense that it’s visible to the public, and a lot of people that work in kitchens don’t wanna have to talk to people,” Stankovich said. “Whenever we’ve had to hire for that position, we’ve had to try to find the right kind of personality that wants to talk to people, but also make food under people watching them. And Casey has that personality and does well at it.”

Hopkins ultimately joined in March 2018. 

“She had a long history of working in bars and restaurants, and just was a good worker, and learned quickly, and was willing to take advice,” Wallis said of Hopkins. 

Longfellow was an all-hands-on-deck operation, with team members picking up different responsibilities to keep the busy bar running. According to Wallis, as he got busier assisting with the bartending side of Longfellow, Hopkins took on more of the food service side.

When Wallis ultimately moved on from Longfellow, Hopkins was selected to take his position. Stankovich cited her preexisting tenure with Longfellow, her culinary ability, and her love for the work as reasons.

“She had to learn some stuff,” Stankovich said. “But any job anyone takes, you have to learn some stuff. So that’s not a deterrent, at least for me, to hire somebody. I’d rather teach someone to do the right thing than have them think they know everything.”

And not three days after transitioning into the position, the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns began. What followed was a pivot to an all-takeout operation for Longfellow’s loyal base of customers – and a need to churn out a whole lot of egg salad. 

“ We did have a couple regulars in that time who were buying, like, two pints a week of Longfellow egg salad, which is amazing egg salad,” Hopkins remembered with a laugh. “I love the egg salad! But also, who’s eating a quart of egg salad in a week?” 

For any challenges, the trial by fire ended up being an unintentional masterclass for the rising chef.

“When we opened back up inside, however long that was after, it was like, ‘Cool, alright, I know how to work this space, and make it work in a large scale. Now I can refine it,’” Hopkins said. 

Wallis, who now owns College Hill bar Big Chill with his wife, Hannah Wheatley, also saw some serendipity in the circumstances. 

“ I think it was a nice time, because it was a natural time to reset and let her do her own thing, and kind of see how things went from there,” Wallis said.

While she had to learn what Stankovich called the “medial” aspects of operating a kitchen – like getting acquainted with sources for ingredients and ordering them in the right quantity – Stankovich witnessed key growth in her confidence in skills she already possessed. 

“She has whatever it takes to just make food taste good, but I think her kind of realizing that, or accepting that, was a big step,” Stankovich said.

Longfellow’s ever-evolving menu has steady items – the charcuterie board, the Scrap Sandwich, the egg salad (figures) – but Hopkins and her team still get plenty of freedom to conceptualize and experiment. Menu comings-and-goings have been born of trial-and-error, nostalgia and everyday cravings. Case in point: the bestselling mushroom melt. 

“Our mushroom melt just happened one day because I wanted pizza, but I didn’t wanna buy pizza,” Hopkins said. “So I was like, ‘What do we have in here that can make me something that tastes reminiscent of pizza?’ And it worked out perfectly.”

Hopkins categorizes the mixed menu into “plates” and “snacks,” striving to make the latter “elevated comfort food.”

“The snack side in my brain is just like, ‘What are you eating in your cool aunt’s basement when she’s hosting a house party,” Hopkins said. “Like, what is your awesome Aunt Kathy putting out on her table to feed you snack-wise?’”

Enter hanky pankies, a Midwestern staple that Hopkins considers “an homage” to her own (presumably awesome) Great Aunt Jenny. A blend of ground meat, spices, and logs of glorious Velveeta cheese piled on bread, they’re not your everyday printed menu item, but one that catches eyes and elicits joy nonetheless. 

 ”It’s a fun thing to have on the menu,” Hopkins said of this family dish she’s long enjoyed annually on Christmas Eve. “People see them and they get excited.”

Many of Longfellow’s ingredients are sourced locally. Hopkins also taps into resources a stone’s throw (or streetcar ride) away, from Avril Bleh to Findlay Market. And she cultivates a small spice garden right outside the bar near its outdoor seating area. If you opt to sip your signature Shiso Painkiller outside, you might just be sitting near the namesake plant involved in its creation. 

Food is Hopkins’ passion, yet her recipes aren’t something she seems to agonize over. 

“At the end of the day, it’s just food,” Hopkins said. “I mean, ‘It’s just food’ is such an understatement, but it’s gotta be good food. We wanna make good food, and it’s not the end of the world if we gotta change something.”

For any menu leeway, however, there are some challenges literally inherent to the establishment’s architecture. According to Stankovich, due to preservation requirements in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, Longfellow wasn’t permitted to install a kitchen hood within the historic building.

As a workaround, Stankovich drew inspiration from his work in the industry in New York City, where chefs built perfectly efficient kitchens without the need to install pricey hoods. Stankovich also explains the pivot was inherent to Longfellow’s design – its character channels that of a Japanese izakaya, casual, sometimes compact bars with kitchens that serve up small plates and bar snacks alongside drinks. And the Longfellow kitchen team has made it all work from the outset. 

“Part of how we developed our menu was what we were able to do,” Wallis said. “And that was something that I think me, Mike, and Casey all enjoyed – having limited resources and still seeing what you were able to do.”

These days, during busy times, Hopkins operates in what she approximates to be a three-foot by two-foot space, not to mention the other bartenders in motion around her (she’ll also bartend, when needed). Hopkins and her team work with an intentional set of tools that includes a hand crank meat slicer, hot plate, toaster oven and steam table.

“ I think it is a testament to that you don’t need a big, fancy kitchen or all the crazy hullabaloo to create good, comforting food,” Hopkins said.

Hopkins and her colleagues, Chef Mike Lizama and Chef Thearvy Long, continue to do their work in full view of patrons – which, while sometimes stressful, isn’t necessarily a negative for Hopkins. 

“ A lot of cooks and a lot of chefs love being behind their closed door,” Hopkins said. “They love the fact that they don’t have to interact. I personally love it, ’cause I’m just a schmoozer. I love talking. I’ve made so many great friends and met so many awesome people by just being at my meat slicer and someone being like, ‘Is that this?’ And me being like, ‘No, it’s actually this.’”

Evidence of these connections can be found in a lineup of tcotchkes near that same meat slicer. What started as a photograph of one of Hopkins’ dogs and a shot glass emblazoned with aliens has grown into a collection of small offerings from patrons. Everything from baby photos to an E.T. figurine keep Hopkins company at her station.

Hopkins said the broader Cincinnati culinary scene Longfellow operates in is robust, yet not necessarily cutthroat. 

 ”We do have this huge booming culinary scene, but nothing feels insanely competitive against each other,” Hopkins said. “Like, we’re all doing it together. We’re all there for one another. If one of our buddies up the street needs an extra bag of towels for the night, guess what? We got you.”

While an establishment of her own someday isn’t totally off the table, Hopkins deems herself “a short term goal girl,” and keeps herself grounded in the present as she considers her future.

“ The goal right now is to just keep ripping, and keep learning, and just keep having fun, because that’s the coolest thing I think about my job is that I have a lot of fun doing it,” Hopkins said. 

“She’s a crucial part of Longfellow,” Stankovich said of Hopkins. “But if she ever needed to move on or grow her career or something, I would support it, too. So I’m supportive of her outside of just her standing in the kitchen.”

For all of the industry experience she’s amassed over time, Hopkins still acknowledges that she never imagined being in her role today. 

“ It is really cool to just be floating around with serving tables, working in random bars. And then now, you know what I do? I’m a chef now, and I run a kitchen side of a bar that’s very successful, because I work with great people, we have great guests, and I have the openness to learn and soak in new skills.”

The post Chef Casey Hopkins turns Longfellow’s kitchen into center stage appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

One popular LaRosa’s location has permanently closed after 40 years of business—but a new, larger location is opening close by.

The Mount Washington location at 2111 Beechmont Ave. closed up shop for the final time this past Sunday, March 1. The popular regional pizza chain is set to open a brewing-focused experience just down the road called LaRosa’s Taphouse, prompting the closure of the original location.

“We’re incredibly thankful to have been such a core part of the Mount Washington community for so long. We created so many strong relationships with Mount Washington neighbors and hope they’ll continue to visit us just down the hill at LaRosa’s Taphouse,” said Nick Fucito, LaRosa’s Mount Washington franchise owner. “While the address is changing, our commitment to our guests remains unchanged. We’re excited to welcome everyone and give our guests more of what they love in a bigger, more comfortable space,” he continued.

The upcoming LaRosa’s Taphouse will open in the current Big Ash Brewing space at Skytop Pavilion near the Little Miami River. It will feature a full dining room/beer hall with seating for 100, 14 big screen TVs, an outdoor beer garden with live music area, an enclosed, dog-friendly four-season patio with total seating for 210, and a self-serve tap system offering a selection of Big Ash Brewing craft beers, wine and hard seltzers.

The new location is set to open later this month. In the meantime, guests in Mount Washington can order from the LaRosa’s in Anderson, which will temporarily deliver to the area.

The post LaRosa’s closes Mount Washington location after 40 years of business appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

Local ice cream chain Graeter’s is bringing back a highly requested flavor that was previously in their permanent lineup but was discontinued in 2025.

Their Caramel Macchiato ice cream, made with a blend of caramel and coffee-flavored ice cream, buttery toffee pieces and milk chocolate caramel truffles, has returned for a limited time.

The flavor will be available by the scoop and by the pint at every Graeter’s location across the tri-state area, while supplies last.

It’s yet another monthly special from the oldest family-owned and operated craft ice cream maker in the country; previously, they released a Chocolate Almond Chocolate Chip flavor in January and a Cherry Chocolate Chip flavor in February.

More details are available on their website.

The post Fan-favorite Graeter’s flavor returns after being discontinued appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

If you’re from Cincinnati, you know chili means something different here.

Today is National Chili Day, and while that might not be so important for other cities, it’s a big deal to us. So much so, in fact, that Skyline Chili has offered free Skyline onesies and a $50 gift card to any parents of a child born today. The results have been nothing short of adorable.

And if you want to enter Skyline’s sweepstakes for National Chili Day, make sure you click here. The giveaway closes on March 1.

Click through the gallery below to see some of the newborns at local hospitals sporting Skyline gear today.

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Two popular Over-the-Rhine restaurants are expanding to the suburbs.

Italian restaurant Pepp & Dolores and fried chicken joint The Eagle, both owned by Thunderdome Restaurant Group, are opening new locations in Mason.

The two new locations will open right next to each other at The District at Deerfield, a new mixed-use development in the Mason area.

Previously, Thunderdome planned to open a new iteration of their Mexican-based concept, Bakersfield, in the spot instead of Pepp & Dolores; however, Thunderdome co-owner Joe Lanni told the Cincinnati Enquirer that the company determined there were already too many Mexican restaurants in the suburban area.

This version of The Eagle will also include a takeout window from Thunderdome’s other chicken-based concept, CityBird, a fast-casual spot that sells chicken tenders and fries to-go.

The Over-the-Rhine location of Pepp & Dolores has drawn national acclaim—it was recently listed at #10 on Yelp’s Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S. for 2026.

Construction on both new restaurants is expected to finish by this September.

The post Pepp & Dolores, The Eagle to open new suburban locations appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

Cincinnati loves a fish fry.

From Ash Wednesday all the way up to Easter, plenty of churches and local businesses in Cincinnati will be serving up fried fish and good times all over the city. Scroll down to find all the fish you could ever want.

Did we miss your fish fry? Email me at kmitten@citybeat.com to be added to the list.

Local restaurants:

• Arnold’s Bar & Grill, downtown, Feb. 20, 27, and March 6, 13, 20, 27.
• Delhi Pub, Delhi, Feb. 20, 27, and March 6, 13, 20, 27.
• Four Mile Pig, Alexandria, Feb. 20, 27, and March 6, 13, 20, 27.
• LaRosa’s, every location, until April 2
• R&R Quality Meats, Cheviot, March 5, 13, 20, 27, and April 3, 10.
• Rekas Butchery, Covington, special order on Fridays
• Wyoming Meat Market, Wyoming, every Friday during Lent, dine-in only

Ohio:

Hamilton County:

• American Legion Post 318, Anderson, every Friday until Easter
• American Legion Post 485, Cleves, every Friday during Lent
• All Saints Church, Kenwood, every Friday during Lent, 5-7:30 p.m.
• Fernbank Golf Course, Sayler Park, every Friday during Lent, 5-8 p.m.
• Good Shepherd Church, Montgomery, Feb 20, 27 and March 6, 13, 5:7-30 p.m.
• Globetrotters VFW Post 6428, Addyston, every Friday until Easter
• Our Lady of the Valley, Reading, Feb 27 and March 27, 5-7 p.m.
• Kolping Society, New Burlington, Feb 20, 27, March 6, 13, 20, 27
• St. Aloysius Gonzaga School, Cheviot, every Friday during Lent, 5-7:30 p.m.
• St. Clare, College Hill, Feb 20 through March 27
• St. John Neumann Church, Pleasant Run, Feb 20 through March 27, 4:30-7:30 p.m.
• St. Lawrence Price Hill Knights of Columbus, Price Hill, every Friday during Lent, 5-8 p.m.
• St. Vincent Ferrer, Kenwood, March 6 and 27, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
• St. William Church, West Price Hill, every Friday during Lent, 4-7:30 p.m.
• Syrian Shrine, Evendale, every Friday during Lent, 5-7 p.m.
• West Side Masonic Center, Monfort Heights, drive-thru only, every Friday during Lent, 4:30-7 p.m.
• Wesley Werner American Legion Post 513, Mount Healthy, Feb. 6, 20, March 13, 20, 27, and April 3, 4:30-7:30 p.m.

Butler County:

• St. Aloysius, Hamilton, Feb 20 through March 13, 4:30-7 p.m.
• St. John the Evangelist, West Chester, 4:30-7:30 p.m.
• St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish, Liberty Township, 4:30-7:30 p.m.

Clermont County:

• St. Veronica Holy Name Society, Mount Carmel, every Friday during Lent, 5-7:30 p.m.
• Victor Stier American Legion Post 450, Milford, Feb 20 through April 3, 5-7:30 p.m.
• Williamsburg American Legion Post 288, Williamsburg, every Friday during Lent, 5-7 p.m.

Northern Kentucky:

Campbell County:

• Campbell County Future Farmers of America at Alexandria Fairgrounds, Alexandria, 4-7 p.m.
• St. Bernard Church, Dayton, every Friday but Good Friday during Lent, 5-7 p.m.
• St. Catherine of Siena, Fort Thomas, every Friday during Lent, 4-7:30 p.m.
• St. Joseph, Camp Springs, every Friday during Lent until March 27, 4-7:30 p.m.
• St. Thomas Catholic Church, Fort Thomas, every Friday during Lent, 4-7:30 p.m.

Kenton County:

• Bradford Masonic Lodge, Independence, every Friday until Easter, 4-8 p.m.
• Holy Cross High School, Covington, Feb 20 through March 27, 5-8 p.m.
• Knights of Columbus, Elsmere, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Mary Queen of Heaven, Erlanger, every Friday during Lent, 4-8 p.m.
• Simon Kenton Band Boosters, 11132 Madison Pike, Independence, every Friday during Lent, 5-7:30 p.m. (drive-thru only)
• St. Agnes Church, every Friday during Lent, 5-7:30 p.m.
• St Barbara Church, every Friday during Lent through March 27, dine-in 4:30-8 PM, drive-thru 4:30-7:30 PM
• St. Joseph at Noll Hall, Crescent Springs, every Friday during Lent, 5-8 p.m.
• St. Patrick Parish, Taylor Mill, every Friday during Lent, 4:30-7:30 p.m.

Boone County:

• Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Burlington, Feb. 20, 27, and March 6, 13, 20, 27, 4:30-7:30 p.m. drive-thru and 5-8 p.m. dine-in.
• St. Joseph, Walton, every Friday during Lent
• St. Paul Parish, Florence, every Friday through March 27, 4:30-7:30 p.m.
• St. Timothy, Union, every Friday during Lent, 4:30-7:30 p.m.

The post Where to find a fish fry in Cincinnati in 2026 appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

Jose Salazar’s Latin-American restaurant Mita’s has, once again, been named one of the best restaurants in America.

The USA Today Restaurants of the Year 2026 article lists the popular Downtown eatery as one of the 39 best in the entire country.

Salazar launched the restaurant in 2015 as an homage to his Colombian grandmother (his “mita”) with vibrant cuisine that has taken the city by storm ever since.

Known for their superb, eclectic menu and their extensive Spanish wine program, it’s a perennial candidate at the James Beard Awards: Salazar has been a finalist for the Best Chef – Great Lakes Region award six times now, while Mita’s itself was also nominated for Most Outstanding Restaurant in the country in 2024.

In a social media post on the restaurant’s Facebook page, a post from Salazar and his staff said they are “incredibly grateful” for the honor.

“Mita’s has always meant more than just a restaurant. It’s personal. It’s family. For 10 years, in the middle of Cincinnati’s central business district, we’ve been serving Spanish and Latin American inspired small plates with the belief that hospitality comes first, always,” the post reads. “This recognition belongs to our team, past and present, who show up every day and execute at the highest level. And to our guests who have supported us from day one. Thank you, Cincinnati, for being part of our story.”

Mita’s is located downtown at 501 Race Street. They are open 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

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Piper’s Ice Cream Bar, the immensely popular ice cream walk-up window in Covington’s Mainstrasse Village, has moved across the street and upgraded to a full-service ice cream parlor.

In their new location on 6th Street, Piper’s will now have both indoor and outdoor seating alongside plenty of new menu options that are now available thanks to the larger space.

Chip Adkins, who co-owns the business with his husband Charles Killian, said the move was necessary because they’ve massively outgrown the walk-up window; just storing enough ingredients to keep up with demand “used every bit of space possible.”

“If you ever remember looking inside the old Piper’s, we had everything floor-to-ceiling. I mean, I had shelves all the way around. We’d been there thirteen years, and used every bit of space we could use. We were to our limit,” Adkins said. “We’d have lines coming out to the sidewalk and past the building next door and on down the alley, full of people just standing there patiently waiting to get an ice cream.”

Piper’s originally opened as Piper’s Café and Ice Cream Bar during Oktoberfest in 2012, with a focus on home-grown dishes. Adkins’ team locally sourced every ingredient they could and made everything they couldn’t themselves, including “ketchup, mustard, mayo, pancake syrup, all kinds of crazy stuff.”

Around the time the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Adkins realized food service was going to be a challenge in the near future, thanks to the rising cost of ingredients, and transitioned into focusing solely on ice cream. Just because the business moved to ice cream full-time, however, doesn’t mean any less effort goes into it.

Currently, thanks to the number of bases, delivery mechanisms and flavor concentrates available to create your own special ice cream order at Piper’s, there are over 100,000 flavor combinations—and that’s before you even get into toppings, sauces, compotes and the like. (You can see why they ran out of space.)

“We already had a pretty big menu, and we’re adding more… It’s a ton of choices, and that can be overwhelming for some people. We try to help by posting a menu of our 25 most popular combinations of the last year,” he said. “Our motto that we’ve had since the beginning is ‘It’s time for something different.’ You could get pretty crazy with it and come here every day and never have the same thing twice if you don’t want to.”

As far as new items go, Piper’s is trying a lot of new things. The restaurant plans to expand into pastries à la mode, but has currently settled on what Adkins calls “Pop Tarts à la Mode,” which is exactly what it sounds like: your choice of Pop-Tarts flavor with any of their soft-serve combinations.

In addition, they’ve added frozen coffees, a new item called the Snowstorm—any flavor soft-serve with dry toppings mixed in that’s “comparable to a Blizzard from the big guy”—and tons of new toppings like pistachio crumbles, chocolate eclairs, and gummy bears. Earlier this year, Piper’s also added a completely vegan ice cream base for customers to try.

Now that they’re a full-service parlor rather than a walk-up window, Piper’s will finally have standardized hours, not changing every season: noon to 10 p.m., every single day. While the new Piper’s is currently open to the public and “completely functional,” there’s still plenty of decoration coming at the new location. In the next month, before the official grand opening, murals and art will be put up inside and outside of the building, along with outdoor lights and seating.

Mainstrasse Village goers still haven’t fully realized that the business has moved, Adkins said, other than their “consistent regulars, especially the ones who will eat ice cream when it’s 40 below just as much as they’ll eat it when it’s 80 above.” But he’s already overjoyed about being on the corner of one of the neighborhood’s busiest streets and adding a new flavor to the local community.

“This building has been empty for a couple years. Just seeing it being used again is amazing to me. Our second night open, driving by and seeing all the lights on, I thought, ‘Wow, that looks really good,'” Adkins said. “My employees are loving it. It’s taken a lot of work and a lot of planning, but it’s coming together the way we want it to.”

The new Piper’s Ice Cream Bar location is open from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily at 503 W. 6th Street in Covington.

The post Popular Covington ice cream walk-up window upgrades to full-service shop appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

One beloved Cincinnati eatery is celebrating 100 years of business in a big way.

Zip’s Cafe in Mount Lookout will soon debut new beers and liquors developed in collaboration with local favorites, along with a series of fundraisers to give back to the local community.

The restaurant began in 1926 in the Prohibition era as a family-friendly restaurant that was also secretly a place for locals to gather, drink, and bet on horse races. In the last 100 years, Zip’s has been a Cincinnati staple, famous for their burgers and chili as much as it is for serving the cold pints of beer that never really went away during Prohibition.

As part of the celebration, Cincinnati breweries MadTree, Rhinegeist, and Great Lakes Brewing Company have all brewed special Zip’s 100th Anniversary flavored beers, and the Newport, KY-based distillery New Riff has created a special proprietary bourbon just for the restaurant.

In addition, Zip’s is holding special fundraisers for other local businesses. Restaurant guests can make a $5 donation to the Zip Burgers for Life raffle, which is exactly what it sounds like. 100% of the proceeds from the raffle will be donated to local non-profits, which owner Mike Burke said was the only appropriate way to mark the milestone.

“If it weren’t for the support of our community, we would have never made it to a century,” Burke said. “I’ve always treated our local schools, parks, and nonprofits as the driveway to my business. Supporting them has always been important to me.”

Proceeds will go to groups like the Cincinnati Zoo, Recycle Reuse Hub, Cincinnati Museum
Center, Freestore Food Bank, Keep Cincinnati Beautiful, La Soupe, Cincinnati
Parks, Talbert House and more.

“We thought this would be a fun way to say thank you to the community that has supported us for a century,” Burke said.

The celebration of 100 years of business will conclude in July when the raffle ends in July and a winner is announced, giving one lucky winner free burgers for the rest of their lifetime.

Zip’s Cafe, 1036 Delta Ave, Mount Lookout

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Date-night pressure is real, but these restaurants make it easier. Three Greater Cincinnati spots just earned a place on OpenTable’s most romantic list.

The top 100 romantic restaurants in America for 2026 list, according to OpenTable, is generated from over 9 million reviews from verified OpenTable diners and dining metrics from Dec. 1, 2024, to Nov. 30, 2025. 

This year, Boca in downtown Cincinnati and Jag’s Steak & Seafood in West Chester return to the list for the second year in a row, and Carlo & Johnny in Montgomery is featured on the list again, for several years running.

Though you might not be able to snag a reservation this close to Valentine’s Day. Keep these spots in mind for your next romantic outing.

Boca

An icon of Cincinnati’s dining scene, Boca is a contemporary European restaurant located downtown.

Boca’s menu blends French and Italian-inspired cuisine, artfully prepared with seasonal ingredients. The restaurant has an intimate atmosphere, perfect for celebrations, serving dishes like gnocchi and scallops to standouts like its pommes soufflés and beef Wellington, along with a well-curated wine list.

Boca is located at114 E 6th St, Cincinnati

Carlo and Johnny

A dining destination with as much character as cuisine, Carlo and Johnny by Jeff Ruby is in a historic Montgomery mansion just outside Cincinnati.

The steakhouse offers five private dining rooms, three wine cellars, and live music, making it the kind of place to choose for special occasions, celebrations, or any evening that calls for elevated food and atmosphere. The restaurant is a blend of classic fine dining with intimate energy. The setting, once a stagecoach stop, speakeasy, and gangster hideout, creates a unique backdrop for a menu built around U.S.D.A. Prime steaks, seafood, an acclaimed raw bar and an extensive wine list.

Carlo and Johnny is located at 9769 Montgomery Rd, Montgomery

Jag’s Steak & Seafood

Technically, Jags isin Westchester, not Cincinnati, but we’re still including it in the list.

Jag’s Steak & Seafood in West Chester is a fine-dining spot just north of Cincinnati, beloved for combining classic steakhouse excellence with seafood and a lively, full-evening experience. Since opening in 2003, it’s built a reputation around premium Certified Angus Beef steaks, fresh seafood and a raw bar, served in a range of elegant dining rooms and lounges, including a popular piano bar with live music most nights.

Jag’s Steak & Seafood is located at 5980 West Chester Rd, West Chester Township.

Other heavy hitters named to the list that are near the Cincinnati area include: Lindey’s, Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse, Cento – German Village and Butcher & Rose in Columbus, Pier W in Cleveland and Giuseppe’s Ristorante Italiano in Lexington.

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