Best Restaurants in Northern Kentucky – Your Ultimate Eat & Drink Guide to Covington, Newport & Beyond
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Most Cincinnati-focused travel guides get one thing completely wrong: they stop at the river. I learned that firsthand when I moved here and went on a mission to find a great local hibachi spot, and ended up at Nasu Japanese Steakhouse in Newport, which turned out to be better than the place I’d been missing back home. That was the moment I realized NKY had been hiding gems on me.
This is my ever-growing guide to the best restaurants in Northern Kentucky, the spots I keep coming back to and the ones I’d recommend to anyone crossing the bridge for the first time.
I update this regularly as I work my way through NKY’s dining scene. If your favorite spot isn’t here yet, it might just mean I haven’t made it there yet. Check back often, and drop a comment below if there’s somewhere you think I need to try!
How to Read This Guide
Each restaurant listing in this guide follows the same format: Restaurant Name – Neighborhood/City – Price Range – Short description. Here’s what the price ranges mean, based on an estimated full meal per person without drinks:
- $ – Under $15 per person
- $$ – $15–$30 per person
- $$$ – $30–$50 per person
- $$$$ – $50–$100 per person
- $ – $100+ per person
Prices are estimated and based on a full meal without drinks. Actual menu prices are subject to change, so treat these as rough guidelines only.
- ⭐ The NKY Restaurants We Keep Coming Back To
- 🍝 Italian
- 🍕 Pizza
- 🍜 Asian
- 🌮 Mexican & Latin
- 🌍 International
- 🔥 BBQ
- 🍺 Gastropubs
- 🌿 New American
- 🥩 Fine Dining & Special Occasions
- 🥞 Breakfast, Brunch & Coffee
- 🍩 Bakeries, Donuts & Sweets
⭐ The NKY Restaurants We Keep Coming Back To
Every great food guide has a personal picks section, and this is ours. These are the NKY spots we find ourselves recommending over and over again, the ones we’d take a first-timer to without hesitation.
- Nasu Japanese Steakhouse – Newport – $$ – A hibachi and sushi spot with an interactive tableside experience that’s genuinely hard to beat on either side of the river.
- BRU Burger Bar – Fort Mitchell – $$