26 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

One of German Village's first pubs, this eatery in a 1933 building is famous for its horseshoe-shape bar. Pictures of staff and customers cover the walls. With the food a cut above "pub grub," it's one of few places that stays open until midnight on weekdays and 1 am on the weekends. Specials are ever-changing and there are all-you-can-eat quesadillas nights. Popular dishes include the roast beef sandwich with chicken salad on top and beef stew served in a hollowed-out round of bread.

Accordion players serenade and servers are decked out in Bavarian costumes at this popular two-level, beer hall–style restaurant in an 1880 brick building in German Village. Specialties include German pasta and their signature Bahama Mama—a giant bratwurst served with your choice of toppings, such as sauerkraut and mustard. Save room for large, overstuffed cream puffs.

Clubgoers seeking late-night eats can stop looking. Shanghai Mama's is the place to go for inexpensive, satisfying noodle dishes at almost any hour–it's open until 3 am on Fridays and Saturdays. But this is no dive. Appetizers like shrimp tempura and Shanghai ravioli go well with the big bowls of soup or oversized rice or noodle bowls. There are several vegetarian options, and all the noodle and rice bowls can be made vegetarian.

For many Cincinnati expatriates, the first stop on a hometown visit is the nearest Skyline Chili parlor. Whichever way they take it—three-way (chili with spaghetti and shredded cheddar cheese), four-way (chili with spaghetti, cheese, and onions), or cheese Coney (chili with shredded cheddar on a hot dog with bun)—people here are passionate about their chili. A tip for blending in—don't twirl your spaghetti; cut it with the side of your fork and scoop up a mouthful.

A vegetarian institution, Tommy's serves hefty salads and sandwiches and embarrassingly large but delicious milk shakes made with Cleveland's own Pierre's ice cream. It's open daily for breakfast as well as for lunch and dinner.

This grand Bexley institution with wood paneling and leather booths serves filet mignon, ribeye steak, porterhouse, and other chops and ribs. A pianist entertains on Monday and Thursday–Saturday.

This cute little snack shop on park grounds sells sandwiches, wraps, bottled water, sodas, organic tea, vegetarian options, and other offerings from local purveyors including Mitchell's Ice Cream, Harlow’s Popcorn, and Honadle’s Fine Chocolate. You can order at the counter and eat inside or take it with you. There are also souvenirs and gifts available for sale.

The Worthington Inn, with its antiques-filled dining rooms, is about 15 mi north of Downtown. New Zealand rack of lamb and grilled salmon are specialties. Don't miss the bountiful Sunday brunch of shellfish, waffles, eggs, desserts, and cheese. Open-air dining is available on the front porch with cast-iron furniture or in the brick-paved courtyard. There's live jazz on Fridays.