Famous Cincinnati Foods You Have to Try (At Least Once)

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When I moved to Cincinnati, I wasn’t sure what the food scene was going to look like. I had vague memories of hearing about chili on spaghetti, which, I’ll be honest, did not sound like a selling point, and that was about the extent of my expectations.

What actually happened is that I fell completely, embarrassingly in love with Cincinnati’s food culture. Not despite the weird stuff. Because of it. Because there’s something genuinely special about a city that has this much personality on a plate, from institutions that have been doing the same thing the same way for decades, to bakeries and restaurants that are quietly turning heads at a national level.

Whether you’re visiting for a weekend, just moved here, or have lived here for years and somehow haven’t checked all of these off your list, this is your Cincinnati food bucket list. These are the dishes, the spots, and the things you simply have to try.

🍝 Skyline Chili

Cincinnati’s most polarizing export, and once it clicks, it really clicks.

If you’ve heard of Cincinnati food, you’ve heard of Skyline Chili. And yes, it’s chili served over spaghetti. Yes, it’s topped with a mountain of finely shredded cheddar cheese. Yes, it sounds weird. And yes, once you actually eat it, most people completely understand why this city is obsessed with it.

A “three-way” is the move for first-timers: chili, spaghetti, cheese. Add beans for a four-way, diced onions for a five-way. Order a couple of Coneys (chili dogs) on the side while you’re at it. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. That’s not a suggestion, it’s a rule.

📍 Where to Get It

• Skyline Chili: multiple locations across Cincinnati and NKY (the OTR location on Vine St is a great starting point)
• Gold Star Chili: the other camp in the great Cincinnati chili debate; worth trying both and picking a side

💡 Pro Tip: Order your three-way “with onions” if you want the full experience. And yes, you eat it with a fork and oyster crackers. There is no wrong way to do this, except not trying it.

🍖 Montgomery Inn Ribs

The rib kings of Cincinnati, there’s a reason Bob Hope had them flown in.

Montgomery Inn has been serving what it calls “the world’s greatest ribs” since 1951, and the city has largely agreed ever since. The ribs are slow-cooked until they’re falling-off-the-bone tender, then slathered in their signature Sauerbraten sauce, a proprietary, slightly sweet barbecue sauce that tastes like nothing else you’ve ever had.

This is a full-on Cincinnati institution. The Boathouse location sits right on the Ohio River with views that make a great meal even better. It’s the kind of place you take out-of-town guests when you really want to impress them, and it delivers every time.

📍 Where to Get It

• Montgomery Inn Boathouse: 925 Eastern Ave, Cincinnati (the go-to location; riverfront views, full bar, the whole experience)
• Montgomery Inn at the Barn: 9440 Montgomery Rd, Montgomery (the original location; more casual, equally iconic)

💡 Pro Tip: The Sauerbraten sauce is sold in bottles, grab one on your way out. It’s excellent on everything.

🍕 LaRosa’s Pizza

Cincinnati’s hometown pizza, and yes, there’s something genuinely different about it.

LaRosa’s is Cincinnati’s pizza. Not just a chain, not just a local spot, LaRosa’s is woven into the city’s identity in the way that only a 70-year-old institution can be. Founded by Buddy LaRosa in 1954, it’s the pizza Cincinnati grew up on, and locals will defend it with a ferocity that might catch you off guard.

The crust is thin and crispy, the sauce is sweet and herby, and the whole thing somehow tastes exactly like what pizza should taste like when you’re in Cincinnati. Is it the best pizza you’ll ever have? That’s a big question. But is it a quintessential Cincinnati experience? Absolutely. You need to have it at least once.

📍 Where to Get It

• LaRosa’s Pizzeria: multiple locations throughout Cincinnati and NKY (dine-in or carry-out; both are worth it)

💡 Pro Tip: Go for a thin crust pepperoni or sausage as your entry point. LaRosa’s also does a surprisingly solid salad bar at dine-in locations.

🍦 Graeter’s Ice Cream, Specifically the Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip

Not just good ice cream. Life-changing ice cream. Don’t skip the black raspberry.

Graeter’s has been making ice cream in Cincinnati since 1870, and the French pot process they use, small batch, poured by hand, produces a texture that is genuinely unlike anything you’ll get from a commercial operation. It’s dense, rich, and absolutely loaded with mix-ins.

You can get any flavor and be happy. But if it’s your first time, you need the Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip. The chocolate chips in Graeter’s ice cream aren’t chips, they’re enormous irregular chunks of dark chocolate that get poured in during the freezing process and shatter when you bite into them. It’s a completely different experience. You’ll immediately understand why people travel for this.

📍 Where to Get It

• Graeter’s Ice Cream, multiple locations across Cincinnati and NKY (the Rookwood location is a classic, but honestly, any of them will do)

💡 Pro Tip: If the line is long, it’s worth the wait. Always. Also: they ship nationwide, which is either wonderful information or dangerous information depending on your self-control.

🥩 Goetta

Cincinnati’s breakfast secret, part sausage, part porridge, entirely delicious.

Goetta (pronounced GET-uh) is the Cincinnati food that locals are most likely to assume you already know about and most visitors have never heard of. It’s a German-heritage meat-and-oats patty, typically made with pork and/or beef mixed with steel-cut oats and spices, that gets sliced and fried until it’s crispy on the outside and savory all the way through.

It sounds humble. It is humble. And it is one of the best breakfast foods in this city. Order it at a diner and get it crispy. Have it alongside eggs. Try it on a breakfast sandwich. Get the Glier’s brand from the grocery store and make it at home. Once you’ve had goetta done right, you’ll wonder why the rest of the country hasn’t figured this out yet.

📍 Where to Get It

• Glier’s Goetta, the most iconic brand; widely available at grocery stores and on menus across Cincinnati
• Taste of Belgium, serves goetta on their breakfast menu alongside their famous Belgian waffles (two birds, one stone, see below)
• Most Cincinnati diners and breakfast spots, ask if they have it; you might be surprised

💡 Pro Tip: Order it extra crispy. The texture contrast is everything. A soft goetta patty is fine; a crispy goetta patty is a revelation.

🥩 Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse

When Cincinnati goes fine dining, it goes here.

Jeff Ruby’s is Cincinnati’s steakhouse, the one people go to for anniversaries, big celebrations, and the kind of nights where you want everything to be perfect. It’s not a neighborhood bistro or a quiet date spot; it’s a full-on experience, from the live entertainment to the old-school glamour of the room to steaks that genuinely earn every penny.

The filet is legendary. The service matches the food. If you’re going to splurge once in Cincinnati, this is where you do it.

📍 Where to Get It

• Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse: 700 Walnut St, Downtown Cincinnati (the flagship; there are other locations, but the original is the one)

💡 Pro Tip: Make a reservation well in advance for weekends. Dress up, this is the kind of place that makes dressing up feel worth it.

🍩 Holtman’s Donuts

Handmade from scratch since 1960, and you can taste the difference.

Holtman’s has been making donuts by hand since 1960, and the three generations of family bakers who have run it since haven’t changed much about how they do it. The recipes aren’t written down. The dough is hand-weighed. The result is a donut that tastes like a donut is supposed to taste, fresh, rich, with a texture that grocery store donuts can’t come close to.

The flavors are creative without being gimmicky (the crème brûlée and the buckeye donut are both worth trying), and they typically sell out earlier than you’d expect. Go in the morning.

📍 Where to Get It

• Holtman’s Donuts: Loveland, West Chester, and Williamsburg locations (check holtmansdonutshop.com for current hours before you go)

💡 Pro Tip: Get there early, popular flavors sell out. The buckeye donut is exactly what it sounds like and exactly as good as you’re hoping.

✏️ Editor note: Add a personal visit detail here, any recent experience with a specific donut or location makes this feel current and lived-in.

🥐 Brown Bear Bakery

OTR’s best-kept secret: seasonal, small-batch, and worth rearranging your morning for.

Brown Bear is the Cincinnati bakery that people who live in Cincinnati tell each other about in hushed tones. Tucked into a corner of Over-the-Rhine, it’s been quietly producing some of the best pastries in the city since 2012, small batch, seasonal, made with the kind of care that shows in every single bite.

The cinnamon rolls are legendary (gooey, orange-zested, life-ruiningly good). The savory brioche will steal the show if you let it. The cookies are the kind you think about on the drive home. This is not a tourist attraction, this is where Cincinnati actually eats. Get there before noon.

📍 Where to Get It

• Brown Bear Bakery: 116 E 13th St, Over-the-Rhine (Tues–Fri 8am–3pm, Sat–Sun 9am–3pm; closed Mondays)

💡 Pro Tip: Go on a weekday if you can, the lines are shorter and the full selection is more likely to be available. And yes, get a cinnamon roll. It’s not optional.

🧇 Taste of Belgium Waffles

My personal pick, and once you’ve had a real Belgian waffle, you’ll understand.

Okay, this one is personal. Taste of Belgium is my pick, and I stand by it firmly. The Brussels-style liège waffles they serve here are made with pearl sugar that caramelizes as they cook, so the exterior is crispy and slightly sweet, and the inside is soft and pillowy and just a little bit rich. It is not like any waffle you’ve had at a diner.

They serve them sweet (with toppings like fresh strawberries and Chantilly cream) and savory (the goetta waffle sandwich is a two-for-one Cincinnati food experience that I will be recommending to everyone I meet forever). There are multiple locations, and the OTR spot is worth the visit on its own, but honestly, anywhere you find a Taste of Belgium is a good day.

📍 Where to Get It

• Taste of Belgium: multiple locations including OTR, Hyde Park, and beyond (check their website for current spots)

💡 Pro Tip: Order the liège waffle with fruit and cream at least once. Then order the goetta waffle sandwich. You don’t have to choose — just get both.

Honorable Mentions: Ohio Classics You Need to Know

These aren’t Cincinnati-specific in the same way, but they’re deeply Ohio, wildly loved, and if you find yourself here without trying them, you’ve left something important on the table.

🥔 Grippo’s BBQ Chips

Grippo’s is a Cincinnati-based snack company that has been making chips since 1919, and their BBQ flavor has a cult following that extends well beyond Ohio. They’re aggressively seasoned, deeply savory, and weirdly addictive. You’ll find them at gas stations, grocery stores, and pretty much any convenience store in the region. Buy a bag. Eat the whole thing. Regret nothing.

🍫 Buckeye Candies

A buckeye is a peanut butter ball dipped in chocolate, left partially uncovered at the top so it looks like the nut of the Ohio buckeye tree. They show up at every bake sale, every holiday gathering, and every potluck in the state. They’re simple, perfect, and completely impossible to eat just one of. Grab them from a local bakery or candy shop; the homemade versions are always the best.

🍬 Opera Creams

Opera creams are an Ohio candy tradition that most people outside the region have never encountered, a soft, creamy fondant center (vanilla and cream, essentially) coated in dark chocolate. They’re delicate, old-fashioned in the best possible way, and the kind of thing that makes a great gift. Esther Price is the most iconic Cincinnati brand, and you can find their boxes at local grocery stores and shops across the region.

Final Thoughts

Cincinnati’s food identity is genuinely one of a kind, a mix of German heritage, regional obsessions, independent chefs doing brilliant things, and institutions that have earned their place over decades. The list above is your starting point, not your ceiling.

Have a Cincinnati food that belongs on this list and isn’t here? Drop it in the comments, I’m always looking for my next great meal, and I take every recommendation seriously.

And if you’re exploring Northern Kentucky while you’re in the area (which you should be), check out our guide to the best restaurants in NKY, because the food scene doesn’t stop at the river.

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🔗 Additional Resources

• 🍽️ Best Restaurants in Cincinnati Right Now
• 🌉 Best Restaurants in Northern Kentucky
• 📅 Things to Do in Cincinnati This Week
• 🏙️ Ultimate Cincinnati Visitors Guide