33 Best Restaurants in Ohio, USA

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The barbecued ribs are famous (Bob Hope was a fan), and you can't get any closer to the river without jumping in for a swim. This is the sister location of the original sports-themed joint, which is in the northeastern suburb of Montgomery. The menu is so dominated by the tender, finger-licking ribs that even the few poultry and seafood items are barbecued themselves or served as a combo with ribs. Sinful sides include onion straws and Saratoga chips (potatoes sliced and fried). Lunchtime and happy hour both draw crowds.

The chefs at the Ritz-Carlton's Terminal Tower restaurant have made their dining experience more accessible than at Century, the hotel's previous offering, while retaining the requisite glamour. The white-linen Muse has the feel of a tony lounge, with wood-paneled walls, armchairs with upholstered backs, and a menu full of international twists on American classics, such as the brown sugar–and cardamom-rubbed lamb and bison tenderloin carpaccio. The restaurant emphasizes fresh, organic ingredients and offers three-, four-, and five-course options at dinner ($58, $78, and $98). Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served daily.

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.

Shaped like a ship, this restaurant in Lakewood, about 5 mi east of downtown Cleveland, juts out over Lake Erie, offering a good view of the city skyline and the water. The menu includes seafood dishes, fresh catch from Lake Erie, and beef and chicken entrées. There's entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights and a Sunday brunch.

On the second floor of the Sheraton on Capitol Square, the lavish Plaza has a spectacular view of the state capitol building and an outdoor fountain courtyard. The views are eclipsed by the food. Imaginative appetizers complement fine Continental-inspired fare that might include osso buco, Wiener schnitzel, or a New York strip steak.

This French countryside–style restaurant in the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel has bright murals on the walls and a massive stone hearth. Hearty foods—especially seafood—from the coasts of Spain, Morocco, Italy, and France are highlights. Fish and steak, for the most part, are the order of the day, with such entrées as tuna, salmon (served with a potato-eggplant tart), New York strip steak, and veal chops. The bouillabaisse with shrimp, mussels, clams, lobster, and scallops is a specialty.

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.

Decorative objects scattered around this low-key Market Place restaurant—brass objects and large paintings—are as traditional as the northern Indian cuisine. There are many vegetarian selections on the menu; the palak paneer (creamed spinach) is popular. The lunch buffet is a steal at $7. There's open-air patio dining with garden view, and a salad bar, too.

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.