11 Best Restaurants in Ohio, USA

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.

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.

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.

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 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 downtown Cleveland branch of the well-known chain in the Tower City Center has its trademark formal mahogany interior with white tablecloths. Large portions of choice cuts of beef and seafood are accompanied by baked or mashed potatoes, salad, and fresh vegetables.

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.

Appearance is almost as important as flavor at this lavish art deco restaurant in the landmark Cincinnatian Hotel downtown. Frederick Pissaro, great-grandson of the celebrated Impressionist painter, created artwork exclusively for the Palace. But the menu, which is pricey and continental (pheasant soup, rack of lamb, meatloaf), measures up well. New chef Romuald Jung, who has worked under some of the best in Europe and America, draws on his French and German influences to please older, upper-crust patrons.

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.