51 Best Restaurants in Ohio, USA

Since 1913, the Aglamesis family has been serving homemade chocolates and ice cream on the east side. The small ice-cream parlor and confectionery has checkered tile floors and marble-top tables; the marble soda fountains and Tiffany-style lamps are the original fixtures. The opera creams, rectangular cream-filled dark chocolate candy, remain a secret family recipe. A deli also serves a limited sandwich menu.

The oldest bar in Cincinnati, opened in 1861, caters to a diverse customer base and also serves a basic but solid Italian menu with such entrées as spaghetti and meatballs, eggplant marinara, Sicilian linguine, and sandwiches. The patio, where bands play Thursday through Saturday, stays open year-round and is covered in winter. Portions tend to be on the small side.

Overlooking Lake Erie, with some outdoor seating, this is one of the liveliest places in town—at least during the summer season, when it's actually open. The Boardwalk attracts regular visitors to the island who come for its fresh seafood and famous lobster bisque. The restaurant spans multiple decks and guests order from little kiosks before sitting down to dine. Waitstaff are primarily college students looking to make some extra cash over the summer, so the service can vary greatly from year to year.

This is the place to go for special occasions, particularly romantic ones. Indulge in caviar and foie gras while enjoying stunning views of Downtown and the river from the top of Mount Adams. Some dishes with a Caribbean twist share the menu with such classic French fare as veal medallions and Dover sole sautéed in lemon butter.

Go for the food, not the surroundings. The tables are crammed together, there's no table service, and smokers sit in the parking lot. You'll be rewarded, however, with big portions of North Carolina–style barbecue or ribs dressed with corn, baked beans, and other traditional fixings. The approach has worked, as City Barbecue has several Columbus locations and has expanded into the Cincinnati, Dayton, and Toledo areas.

In a 1929 building with a steeple, this dining room has large windows, a high ceiling, chandeliers, and nautical murals. Lunch brings an array of fish choices and sandwiches evenly balanced among meat, poultry, and seafood; dinner is heavy on steak and seafood, with such high-ticket favorites as Alaskan king crab legs and steak and lobster.

Breakfast and brunch are satisfying at this restaurant in downtown Cincinnati; try banana crunch–or raisin walnut pancakes. The lunch menu is creative as well, with such entrées as pecan Dijon salad.

Put-in-Bay's quintessential fast-food joint for the past six decades, Frosty's is known for its cheap eats, fun atmosphere, and cold beer served in tall, frosty mugs. It serves fried breakfasts in the morning and pizza and sandwiches throughout the rest of the day and into the evening. There's a kids' menu and it's popular with families during the daylight hours. It also has a backyard bar specializing in cocktails and live entertainment, with a "Big Man's Burrito Stand" that also serves tacos and nachos.

Inside a German Village town house, this spot is fancy without feeling stuffy. Locals frequent the bustling bar at night. Contemporary Italian-American cuisine means entrées like chicken-sausage lasagna, grilled marinated quail, or mushroom ravioli on the seasonally changing menu. Check out the intimate outdoor patio, which seats 24 in the summer.

Tucked away from the main tourist drag, this tavern restaurant has made a name for itself with its breaded-perch tacos, stuffed with fish caught right in Lake Erie. It also has a large selection of soups, seafood, and pub staples. Get here early if you want to sit outside, as space is limited. Goat Soup & Whiskey is unusual in that it’s essentially a roving establishment, operating in Put-in-Bay in the summertime and in Keystone, Colorado, during the winter-snow sport season.

The true test of any ice cream brand is the vanilla, where there are no candy pieces to hide behind; Graeter's is superb, a deliciously creamy yet light blend. The chocolate chip improves it by adding huge slabs of dark chocolate. The full rainbow of flavors is available, including seasonal favorites like peach. The neighborhood ice cream parlor has multiple locations, including a dozen in Cincinnati and many others in Kentucky, Indiana, Dayton, and Columbus. Get in the inevitable line and start pondering your choices.

Mismatched antique wooden tables and chairs fill the charming Victorian dining rooms. The bread basket is noteworthy for its homemade dark-rye mini loaves and sweet wheat rounds. Chicken, lamb, steak, and seafood are on the menu at dinner. Don't miss the Sunday brunch buffet's specialty crepes, served with a variety of fillings. Open-air dining is available.

The traditional grub at this pub southwest of downtown in Ohio City includes wood-fired pizzas, burgers, Irish stew, and ribs. Great Lakes also has lighter options, such as salads, fish, and vegetarian dishes. Of course, every item has a recommended beer pairing, the best reason to come. Open-air dining is available in a courtyard with 25 tables. There's no smoking here.

This restaurant in the Carew Tower's Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza maintains the elegant, art deco design of the hotel. Look up to see the murals on the 30-foot ceilings. Many of the beautifully presented dishes feature Ohio's bounty, for example, the Lake Erie walleye with a lobster-and-carrot fricassee. On weekend evenings, there's live jazz; on Sunday there's breakfast.

Seasonal ingredients are the focus at this Brewery District spot. Below street level, the restaurant occupies an 1820s beer cellar with stone vaulted ceilings, brick walls, and trophies from local celebrity chef Hartmut Handke. The menu might include Caesar salad garnished with fresh salmon and served in a baked Parmesan cheese shell, New York strip, and herb-crusted lamb. Single-malt Scotch, fine cognac, and cigars cap off an elegant evening.

This publike eatery in historic Ohio City has an open kitchen and a glass garden atrium filled with plants. A Cleveland institution, Heck's has been around for more than 40 years and is known for its bouillabaisse and (arguably) the best burger in town.

Fine wood, linen, and a great wine list make Hyde Park elegant, but the service will put you at ease. The best steak house in Cleveland is adjacent to the Ritz-Carlton and Cleveland Renaissance Hotel. Valet parking is available.

Steaks are named after famous Ohio sports figures, such as Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, auto racing star Bobby Rahal, and former Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar. The Kosar, a filet mignon topped with lobster and béarnaise sauce, is the most popular dish. The seafood is straightforward: lobster tails, king crab, skewered shrimp, and surf and turf. All three restaurants—downtown, in Upper Arlington, and in the northwest suburb of Dublin, offer cozy dining rooms with dark wood and fireplaces. There's live entertainment Wednesday–Sunday.

The two-story, airy space with exposed beams, a streamlined stainless steel bar, and 10-foot-high windows belies the hearty comfort food served. In a refurbished building in the Market Exchange District, Indian Oven specializes in northern Indian, Pakistani, and Bengali food. The open kitchen sends out korma dishes with chunks of vegetables or meats cooked in a creamy sauce with nuts, tandoori dishes roasted in a clay oven, and goat rezala (sautéed in butter, garlic, ginger, & spices, and served with a curry sauce). Cool things down at the end of a meal with a creamy fruit custard, a family recipe.

Burritos, wraps, coleslaw with a kick, and fried bananas never tasted so good. The chips and salsa before dinner are notable, and the guacamole is outstanding. Make sure to get a booth toward the back of the restaurant to avoid the crush of incoming patrons. Brunch is served weekends starting at 9.

Mammoth portions of veal, pasta, and seafood draw diners to this small art deco hot spot in a 1917 building on a modest block in Ohio City. A specialty is the red bell pepper pasta tossed with shrimp and a cayenne-spiked cream sauce. You can eat inside on white linen or, in good weather, have a meal outside on the backyard patio. The place fills up quickly on Saturday.

The more than 80 menu items are printed on chalkboards at this New York–style deli in German Village. It's known for its Reuben sandwiches, and open-air dining is available.

Specialties on the diverse menu include pad thai, saté (marinated meat grilled on skewers) with peanut sauce, and extensive sushi selections. Circular stairs, an industrial stainless bar, and a soothing pastel dining room adds stylish chic to this Pan Asian–style restaurant in the Short North.

In a mid-1800s building in German Village, this somewhat boisterous bistro has high ceilings, big windows, and walls covered with artwork. Specialties of the seasonally changing menu usually include steak and rack of lamb. Save room for their signature dessert, the Post Mortem, a rich homemade brownie served with coffee ice cream and a Kahlua hot fudge sauce. There's entertainment Thursday and a Sunday brunch.

Chef-owner Michael Symon has received national attention from food and wine critics, but he stays true to the Cleveland roots with creations he describes as "urban comfort food." Popular choices include the smoked-lobster salad with red pepper and papaya, the bone-in rib eye with morels and potato puree, and, at lunch, the macaroni-and-cheese dish with fresh rosemary, goat cheese, and roasted chicken. Fish and game are first-rate, and the desserts are out of this world. There's also a second location downtown at 2058 E. 4th Street.

With authentic Mexican food, generous portions, good margaritas, and friendly service, it's no wonder this restaurant is jammed on the weekends. Menu items change continually, and there are four other locations scattered around Greater Cleveland.

On the first level of Miranova Office Tower in the Brewery District, M makes a whiz-bang first impression with its elegant entry bar. Sheer curtains, lighted theatrically for dramatic effect, separate tables and a patio with stunning views of the Scioto River and Downtown skyline. Selections such as ahi tuna with cucumber and artichoke-risotto-and-truffle mac and cheese are joined by stalwart standbys such as New York strip and salmon with potato gratin at this special-occasion spot.

This German tavern in Corryville near UC was once a gathering place for opera stars and singing societies. Grapevines stretch over the biergarten (beer garden), and the mahogany bar is always well stocked. Traditional German dishes such as sausages, noodles, and soups are on the menu; for dessert, there's coffee-toffee black-bottom pecan pie.

A renovated bank building near the State House is one of the most atmospheric restaurants in town, with subtle lighting, a darkwood bar, original art deco paintings, velvet-draped walls, and ornate 20-foot-high ceilings. A baker's dozen of dry-aged and prime steaks delights carnivores, while chicken and seafood offer lighter alternatives.

Chef Eric Williams creates artful, intense, and upscale plates—such as Mexican-style meatballs and pepitas- (pumpkin seed-) crusted trout—that push the boundaries of Mexican cuisine. Margaritas come in several flavors (mango pineapple, cucumber), as does the guacamole (pineapple, blue crab, smoked trout).