In the 1960s Cincinnati had three Mobil 5 star restaurants to New York's two. The queen of the Queen City was The Maisonette, which was awarded a spot in Guinness for having 5 stars longer than any other restaurant in the country - 41 consecutive years. (Sadly, The Maisonette closed in 2005 when the 3rd generation owners decided it was time for a change.)
By the 1980s the other two 5 star restaurants had slipped to 4 stars, but thanks to The Maisonette, Cincinnati still had more 5 stars than Chicago and Los Angeles, which had none. Also, Cincinnati had more three star restaurants (22) than either of those cities.
Currently, there is one AAA 5 diamond restaurant and there seems to be more variety now than ever before in the culinary scene in Cincinnati.
Great read. As someone who moved from NY to Cincinnati I was shocked by how good the food scene was. I do like the Chili but tend to add chipotle style hot sauce for extra smoke and heat. Just last night I was at an amazing Lebanese restaurant. I have otherworldly Mongolian and Nepalese by my office. The Bahn Mi place by my house is fantastic. The quality of the meat and produce is much higher as well. Having a pork chop here is like eating a different animal completely. The chicken from the Amish farms has so much more flavor. It's really a foodie town.
Great article! Thank you. I’m in Charleston, SC so am familiar with great seafood but I enjoy learning about other cities’ food specialties as well. Never been to Cincinnati but if I go I’ll look forward to sampling their chili!
In the 1960s Cincinnati had three Mobil 5 star restaurants to New York's two. The queen of the Queen City was The Maisonette, which was awarded a spot in Guinness for having 5 stars longer than any other restaurant in the country - 41 consecutive years. (Sadly, The Maisonette closed in 2005 when the 3rd generation owners decided it was time for a change.)
By the 1980s the other two 5 star restaurants had slipped to 4 stars, but thanks to The Maisonette, Cincinnati still had more 5 stars than Chicago and Los Angeles, which had none. Also, Cincinnati had more three star restaurants (22) than either of those cities.
Currently, there is one AAA 5 diamond restaurant and there seems to be more variety now than ever before in the culinary scene in Cincinnati.
So, yeah, Cincinnati is more than just chili.
Great read. As someone who moved from NY to Cincinnati I was shocked by how good the food scene was. I do like the Chili but tend to add chipotle style hot sauce for extra smoke and heat. Just last night I was at an amazing Lebanese restaurant. I have otherworldly Mongolian and Nepalese by my office. The Bahn Mi place by my house is fantastic. The quality of the meat and produce is much higher as well. Having a pork chop here is like eating a different animal completely. The chicken from the Amish farms has so much more flavor. It's really a foodie town.
Great article! Thank you. I’m in Charleston, SC so am familiar with great seafood but I enjoy learning about other cities’ food specialties as well. Never been to Cincinnati but if I go I’ll look forward to sampling their chili!
Great post! I’ve got a Super (Snack) Bowl I’m mentioning tomorrow — head to head LA vs Cincinnati treats 😂 🏈