In the restaurant world, a successful business can depend on more than the right chef and enough funding. The accolades of culinary awards can really boost a restaurant to the top of the food chain. Major awards include Michelin Guide Stars, the James Beard Award, and the Food And Wine Global Taste Makers Award. Local awards are given out by city newspapers and other publications. While there are no Michelin Star restaurants in Ohio, there are a number of other award-winning restaurants. Michelin doesn’t cover the Midwest. So, you’ll have to trust the other awards within the region that recommend the restaurants on this list if you want to have an excellent dining experience.
Keep in mind that awards like James Beard, which has been around since 1991, hold comparable prestige. This is especially true in areas that Michelin doesn’t cover. The James Beard Award considers many aspects of a restaurant, including the technique of the chef, the ethics and sourcing of the food, the inclusivity of the kitchen, and the personality of the resulting menu. In 2023, a number of Ohio establishments made the semi-final rounds for a couple of major categories. One restaurant was even up for one of the top restaurants in the United States (via Spectrum News). Award-winning Chefs have moved to Ohio and started their own restaurants. This shows that perhaps the Michelin Star isn’t the only award worth working towards. Let’s learn more about the best of the best in the state of Ohio for eating!
Mallorca
1390 West 9th St, Cleveland, OH 44113
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Mallorca is technically Cleveland's most awarded restaurant, and while none of them are Michelin Stars, they do hold some weight. This Portuguese and Spanish-style steak and seafood restaurant has quite a collection. It holds awards from Cleveland.com, Cleveland Magazine, the Ohio Restaurant Association, TripAdvisor.com, and Wine Spectator Magazine, among others. Owned by Laurie Torres, Mallorca has been a gem of the Cleveland food scene for over 25 years and counting.
The dinner menu includes starts like gazpacho and sopa de ajo. Try their chilled caldo gallego soup with chicken broth, white beans, cooked chorizo, spinach, and potatoes. They offer a variety of zesty seafood dishes, including shrimp in a garlic sauce, fried calamari, mussels in a spicy tomato sauce, and champignon mushrooms stuffed with crab meat. For entrees, try out their lobster ravioli drenched in a white cream sauce, the T-Bone steak, or the seafood casserole. And if you want to really lean into the seafood options, try out the mascarpone and crab-stuffed lobster tails. Mallora also serves lunch, and is available to hire for rehearsal dinner festivities.
Mita's
501 Race Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
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Mita's made it into the James Beard semifinals for the Outstanding Restaurant category. Chef Jose Salazar holds six nominations from the James Beard Foundation for his work since moving to Cincinnati, Ohio. This tapas bar in the heart of Cincinnati is named for Salazar's Colombian grandmother and brings local farm ingredients right to the table. The dinner menu starts with small bites, including an assortment of cheeses with crackers and savory olives. For a sharing option, their paella valenciana is to die for.
There's a whole section for meat-lovers, including great dishes like beef short rib empanadas and carne asada. For vegetarian diners, you can choose from excellent meals like peppers stuffed with goat cheese and a salad with pears, peppers, almonds, and more. If you are able, save room for the dessert pasteles like the spongy tres leches cake, chocolate tart, apple hand pies, and house-made ice cream.
Nolia
1405 Clay Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
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Nolia is another James Beard semifinalist on this list. In 2023, the southern food spot in Cincinnati was nominated in the Best New Restaurant category. Nolia aims to reimagine Southern classics. The restaurant is heralded by Chef Jeff Harris, who took inspiration from his New Orleans background. Reviews rave about its hospitable interior and candy-store style of Southern decorating. Eat here for an experience that can only be described as nostalgic, comforting, and delicious.
The dinner menu starts off with a raw bar consisting of oysters, caviar, and other delicious options. Small, sharable plates include skillet cornbread, marinated carrots, and flash-fried oysters. We move on to larger dishes in the form of lamb shank, swordfish, eggplant dirty rice, and Cornish hen. For desserts, try the buttermilk pie, bread pudding, or Chef's choice ice cream.
Mid-City
40 East Court St, Cincinnati, OH 45202
- The must-have convenient reference guide for every home cook!
- Includes more than 8,000 substitutions for ingredients, cookware, and techniques.
- Save time and money on by avoiding trips to grab that "missing" ingredient you don't really need.
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Mid-City restaurant is a hip bar and restaurant. This chic establishment is led by Chef Francisco Alfaro. Alfaro was featured in the 2023 James Beard Awards for the Best Chef category within the Great Lakes region. Start your Mid-City menu adventure with a griddled baguette and pickle butter, duck fat potatoes, or the tempura vegetable of the day. For your main meal, options include delicious dishes like herb-stuffed duck, chicken skewer, meatball skewer, and cauliflower with citrus. Dessert features baked Alaska and torched fruit with apple and demerara sugar.
Kiki
5932 Hamilton Ave, Cincinnati, Ohio 45224
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Chefs Hideki and Yuko Harada of Kiki in College Hill were nominated for the Best Chef category in the James Beard 2023 awards cycle. Kiki serves comforting Japanese home-style cooking with a creative twist of American culinary techniques. Hideki and Yuko reason that they simply cook the food they'd want to eat, and it paid off with a James Beard nomination. Opened in 2019, Kiki's serves light fare ranging from starter plates to heartier entrees.
Try their edamame, seasonal pickles, and house-made kimchi. Move onto the filling gyoza pork or chicken karaage. They have poke bowls, ramen, black cod, and scallops available on their menu. Have your meal with a side of fries, edamame, or grapefruit. For being an award-winning restaurant in Ohio, Kiki is one of the cheapest!
Little Fish Brewing Co.
8675 Armitage Road, Athens, OH 45701
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Chef Becky Clark, of Little Fish Brewing Co., was nominated alongside the previous restaurants for the James Beard Awards' Best Chef category. Located in both Dayton and Athens, Ohio, Little Fish was started by co-owners Jimmy Stockwell and Sean White. They source their own organic spelt and use organic heirloom corn for their Shagbark Pilsner, and the menu features locally grown veggies and fruit. Chef Clark runs both locations, with a full menu consisting of locally-sourced ingredients.
For smaller plates at their Athens location, try their chimi fries with garlic aioli, the charcuterie board, or the pickled vegetables. Try their classic burgers, pizzas, and desserts. Their Dayton location has a very similar menu to the Athens location, so you'll be able to get the Little Fish Brewing Company experience no matter what location you choose to visit. Enjoy a cold glass of beer with your meal!
Chapman's Eat Market
739 South 3rd St., Columbus, OH 43206
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Yet another Best Chef James Beard nominee, Chef BJ Lieberman of Chapman's Eat Market is bringing the foodies to Columbus, Ohio. The menu features three distinct sections, including “shareables,” “large plates,” and, most importantly, the “desserts”. Try their mushroom “dino nuggets”, confit duck leg, and French fries. Other shareables include smashed cucumbers and General Tso's cauliflower.
Larger plates include fettucine and eggs, duck and gnocchi, and a lamb rack, among other great options. And no, we didn't forget about dessert. Pick from a maple hazelnut Budino, a small flight of seasonal ice creams, or corn pound cake with pickled peaches and kettle corn ice cream. You simply can't go wrong.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©iStock.com/TraceRouda.
- The must-have convenient reference guide for every home cook!
- Includes more than 8,000 substitutions for ingredients, cookware, and techniques.
- Save time and money on by avoiding trips to grab that "missing" ingredient you don't really need.