Took a chance on getting into Sotto tonight. Drove down there and put ourselves on the waitlist for…read morethe bar. Love walking down those steps, waiting for your eyes to adjust, while knowing you're somewhere special. Luckily, after not too long of a wait we were seated!! We had the most amazing bartenders, Trevor was fantastic! They all were. We had another absolutely out of this world meal. Love their oil packed tuna, their bistecca fiorentina and the pappardelle al cinghiale!! Unfortunately, we had no room for dessert so we're going to have to go back again to eat more. Haha Oh and we actually tried their Blue Oven bread for the first time and it was incredible. What a fabulous restaurant! So lucky to have it here in Cincinnati! We don't even miss La Normandie anymore!

To start, the pasta here is made fresh and by hand so the texture of the noodle along with the…read moretaste of it are excellent. I got the wild boar pasta and the sauce itself was decent. It was sweet and acidic while also slightly rich because of the pig fat. The meat in it was a little tough and was a little unpleasant to chew when i got a big clump of it. I would recommend trying the food here. For service, at the start my server got my order and everything in pretty quick so no complaints. After he took my order, i did not see him at all during my entire meal. At the end, it took 20 min for me to get my check and pay. I saw my server standing there talking with his coworker for the entire period while i was waiting for him to come by for the check. Even after i got the bill, it took another 10 min for them to take it and cash me out because they were chatting with each other. I shouldn't even have tipped because all he did was give me a water and take my order, he didn't even bring the food or check in with me. Overall i think the restaurant is a 4/5, but my service experience brought it down a star.

I've been wanting to come here for years. Heard nothing but great things about Pepp & Dolores. My…read morebest friend and I just finished a 5K nearby and wanted to grab lunch. I mentioned this place and with no hesitation she said yes. I love the vibe outside and inside. Very laid back and relaxed feel. Also the natural lighting is inviting. Makes me feel like I'm in Europe. The food and drink menu looked so good that it was hard to choose what I want. My bestie mentioned it is tapas style which I love. So we shared our dishes. We ordered: Drinks: -House red- Cirelli, Montepulciano D'Abruzzo -Barbera Blend Salad: -Gem- gem lettuce, walnut, ubriaco Rosso cheese, croutons, citrus Caesar dressing, parmigiano-reggiano Lunch: -Limone- Spaghetti, Meyer Lemon, chili flake, parmigiano-reggiano, garlic breadcrumbs, Ricotta -Funghi- Maccheroni alla Chitarra, wild mushrooms, sherry cream, Parmigiano-Reggiano Since we didn't make reservations, we sat at the bar and our food came out right away. The salad was very light and had great flavor. Both the pastas were amazing but the limone is hands down my fave. Both wines paired well with my meals. Would I come back? Absolutely. I know my fiancée would love it here! What a great experience! Food and drinks were on point. All fresh ingredients and hand made.

We booked a reservation for my birthday while in town celebrating and were ecstatic to be seated in…read morethe quaint basement bar. Our server was amazing and even gave us some other recommendations while we are in town! We started with the meatballs and devoured them. My husband commented how much the sauce reminded him of his Sicilian grandmother's sauce growing up. Hubby ordered the Sunday Sauce while I immediately knew I wanted the Limone! I now have a new favorite and immediately started searching for options closer to home once our trip ended. The balance of the lemon and ricotta with the spaghetti is absolutely divine! We loved the gelato options as our celebration came to an end.

What more can I say that hasn't been said before about Boca, the fanciest restaurant in all of…read moreCincinnati, Ohio?? Because it is so exxxxxxpensive, this is not a restaurant you casually dine at. But since it was my sister's Bachelorette weekend, my group of 7 treated the bride-to-be to a luxurious dinner here in May 2026. And she had a wonderful experience! The interior is gorgeous, elegant, and smells amazing. The staff is professional and runs with the efficiency of a Michellen-starred restaurant. I always enjoy watching a staff of 7 deliver the table their food like they are performing a choreographed dance. I ordered the cheapest drink on the menu - a yummy local beer from MadTree for $7. The others had much more expensive cocktails that were $20+. You won't have to worry - while their food menu is small and selective, the drink menu is HUGE. They surprised us with glasses of in honor of my sister's upcoming nuptials. That was a lovely treat! I kept to being a cheap-o and ordered the $18 "Arpege" salad as my main. It didn't have any meat but it had a lot of cheese! Yum! Others ordered more substantial mains like the scallops, the beef tartare, the halibut, etc. All were plated beautifully. I had a bite of the bolognese, and while a small portion, it was superb. You do have to pay for bread service but it is unlimited refills so on $8, the 7 of us went through 6 loaves of bread and 6 trays of delicious salted butter. I personally probably had 2 loaves on my own. My god, it was the best thing I ate the entire trip! After we ate our mains, we then ordered a variety of desserts. Most of us got ice cream (get the strawberry!!). My sister and another girl got the famous "candy bar" dessert and the cheesecake. I had a bite of the candy bar and for $15, it was the most dense candy bar ever! Sooooo much chocolate! I'll end here but with tax and tip, we paid about $630ish. My portion was $51, by far the lowest of the group. I got out relatively cheaply because I filled up on bread but feel free to treat yourself and indulge a bit more!

We had an exceptional dinner at Boca! First off, big shout out to Seth, who is really wonderful…read more Secondly, to Katie, and lastly, to every other person who stopped at our table. Everybody, each member of the staff was fantastic. The pomme soufflés are out of this world. They are such a treat. We always love their Hamachi, specially, when they have it with the grapefruit and slivers of jalapeños. Right now they have a truffle Hamachi, which was really fabulous as well. Their foie gras torchon is also exceptional. We cannot wait for them to bring back the cod in buerre Blanc sauce. But last night we opted for the hamburger, which is quite the treat there. If you are a bourbon drinker, you should try their buffalo trace single barrel right now. My husband thought it was more delicious than most other buffalo trace, more of a cherry and vanilla hint. Anyway, we had a perfect night.

We had a lovely couples dinner at Carmelo's. Great service and food and beer and apps and…read moredessert!! A Covington gem! Highly recommended

Having a birthday on Valentine's Day has always felt special to me. I love seeing couples…read morecelebrating their love all around me. As I get older, I try to love myself a little more, so each year I treat myself to something a little extra special. This year, that was Carmelo's. Honoring his Bisnonno, Carmelo Caserta, Chef Billy Grise & his longtime friend, Chef Mitch Arens, opened this slice of Sicily in 2024. They make you feel at home with a warm intimate atmosphere, top tier service & food so good you're sure to come back time & time again. My Server, Deron, was so friendly & helpful. His professionalism & expertise shined all throughout the evening! After explaining the full menu to & carefully selecting a signature cocktail for me, Carmie's Kiss, I selected the hand pulled Mozzarella served with Grilled Focaccia & Olive Oil, the savory & spicy Garlic Soup, the cheesy crispy Potatoes served with a Calabrian Chili Mayo, and the hearty indulgent Oxtail Ragu. Each bite I took whisked me away to another world filled with enticing scents, beautiful colors & bold flavors! Then, when I thought I was finished, Deron surprised me with a delicious slice of Tiramisu served with a delightful glass of Pinot Grigio, and it was absolutely heavenly!! I had such a lovely experience & I am so excited to go back again. My favorite bites were the deliciously perfect Potatoes & Oxtail Ragu! Whether you're celebrating a special day, going on a date night, or treating yourself, this is the perfect place to step away from your worries & celebrate life. Truly a 10/10 experience!! 434 Madison Ave, Covington, KY 41011 https://www.eatatcarmelos.com/ Instagram & TikTok: @biteswithmissb

Came here during restaurant week just to try the restaurant and can say I will be back!…read more I ordered the Ceaser salad with the short rib empanada and short rib gnocchi. The Ceaser salad was the best Ceaser salad I ever had! The short rib empanada and the gnocchi was good as well but the gnocchi was covered in scallions. That wasn't stated on the menu or by our server when I asked if onions were in the dish, so unfortunately I did have to send that back and have it remade then ate the rest once I got back home. I also tried the Black Angus NY and it melt in my mouth like butter. They were busy and it did take a while for the food to come out but the wait was worth it.

Wow! What a way to spend our 1 year wedding anniversary! I loved this place…read more It has been a few months since eating here but I still find myself thinking about it. Our next trip to Cincinnati; It will be extremely difficult to stay away from here. We spent the day in Newport and around Cincinnati and wanted somewhere nice for the occasion. I was iffy on this place at first... you can throw a rock all over America and hit a place with 'Barrel' in the name these days. The Yelp reviews swing both ways here but I'm here to tell you my take... because it swings so far towards the 5 stars that it's very much a 6 or 7 star place(maybe more). We gauged our arrival time based on other activities that day. We wanted ample time at the nearby Lego exhibit so when we arrived there, we made a reservation for 4:30-5. Eating early and making our way back to Louisville was a great idea. The entire time we were there, no one else came in so we had the entire place to ourselves(It was a Friday). The atmosphere is homey but during busy times, I could see it being noisy. The booths could easily fit 6 people comfortably... probably 8 in some cases depending on how wide some of you are. Special Note: This place highlights The Parrillada Experience for Two on their menu and we wanted it! We didn't order it because at a price tag of 130-and pictures online, we didn't want it to be a failed outing. After our first trip, The Parrillada Exp will be on the agenda next time. It's a mixture of different steaks, sausages, shrimp, sides, and salads. Definitely worth the cost. On to the food: Sausage App - Argentine Chorizo. Farmhouse Sausage. Grilled Ciabatta. Hearts of Palm. Green/Red chimichurri. Pepper Relish. I don't like ordering this type of dish when I go places because you never know if it's going to be delicious or very bad. It ended up being super delicious. We couldn't make up our mind which sauce we liked the best and which meat we liked the best. App PERFECTION! Land and Sea - This is what my wife went with. Asada Skirt Steak. Jumbo Shrimp. Asparagus. Red chimichurri butter. I had bites of the shrimp and it was good. I had to save room for my dish. Wagyu Denver Cut - I went back and forth. Lobster ravioli being on the menu almost made my decision instant but I was going back and forth between ravioli, steak, and a few other things. I asked the server which he recommended of the 4 Chef's cuts. He recommended two... one of which was the Wagyu so I went with it. I wasn't disappointed AT ALL. He mentioned that the Wagyu Denver Cut was a new addition to the menu... I'm not sure but you could definitely tell it was cooked, arranged, and presented with care. I savored every angle of every bite. We also ordered a side of brussels because of course! Originally we were going to dessert somewhere else but went ahead and ordered the Hazelnut Vanilla Creme Brulee here. Perfect ending to the meal. This brulee was light and had the right amount of crunch. It was also larger than expected. We had no complaints with this place. Easily one of the better restaurants I've had in Cincinnati. If you're doubting visiting this place, take the dive! Other notes: They have beer and a small cocktail variety but they primarily seem focused on wine(plenty of options to choose from).

A Downtown Delight! Choosing Nada for dinner was a great…read morecall. Located right in the heart of the city's high-end dining district, this place stands out even in a super competitive market. Our server, Alaura, was fantastic--super fast, attentive, and made the evening seamless. Great atmosphere. Follow me on Instagram - @thecannyadventurist for a deeper dive into my reviews.

Your bartender saved what could have been a disastrous dining experience…read more I don't like fusion y Mexican food and I am from California, so had the bartender not listened and recommended the Al pastor tacos as the most authentic style dish I probably would have eaten something weird with corn inexplicably in it and given this a 2 star. so thank your bartender but a lot of your menu sounds gross.

Absolutely fantastic experience here. The staff was extremely friendly and welcoming, giving us…read moregreat recommendations throughout. The interior is very cozy, it hardly felt like a blazing hot summer day in there, more like a nice cool fall. The food and drinks were excellent. Many of the cocktails have tea-inspired elements, which was a really excellent start to the meal (the old-fashioned especially). For food, we loved everything. The mushroom samosas were almost more like saag and delicious. The short rib curry and the burger were both delicious. We finished with the sticky toffee pudding and it couldn't have been better. Great experience.

Went to make a reservation here for a Wednesday night. We have a group of 4, but one may get…read morecalled into work. When I went to make the reservation, I found that that if we show up with 3 instead of 4 we would pay a $20 per PERSON fee. I have heard of no-show fees for a whole missed reservation, but a missing person is offensive. Do I get a discount if my service is slow because a server called in sick? What if the entree I came in for is sold out? I bet not. We were able to find a table at a different restaurant that puts an emphasis on the experience, not the profit times seats times turns equation. It's a shame. I liked the food here, but a policy like that puts in on my no-go list.

Wow. Maharaja is absolutely amazing. 5 stars all day long. We ordered the Aloo Tikki and it was…read moreperfect. The Chuntys were the best and homemade. The Chef Naan was HUGE and very very delicious. Chicken Tikka Masala spice 5 was out of this world good. Service was super fast and friendly. Maharaja should be packed all the time. This is definitely one of the best Indian Restaurants in the Tristate hands down. It is so so good. Wish I would have added more pictures but you just have to try it. You won't be disappointed with whatever you order.

Excellent food, and friendly service! What else can you ask for from a restaurant?…read more The management and our servers were really cool and nice to talk with. The menu is comprehensive and has a lot of vegetarian items, which I appreciate. The nan is excellent; I like the plain variety, but the garlic option is also top-level. The paneer dish that I got was just what I wanted. They ask you for a spice number, too, so you're sure to get food that is at your preferential heat level. Looking forward to another visit to Maharaja the next time I'm in Kentucky!