11 new Cincinnati restaurants opened in the last 2 months, 4 notable closures

Note: Since I was on vacation at the end of December, this story includes openings and closings for both December and January.

There was some very good news and some very bad news regarding restaurant openings and closings in the past two months. The good news was the opening of The Aperture, chef Jordan Anthony-Brown's excellent new restaurant in Walnut Hills.

The bad? The unexpected closing of Salazar, Jose Salazar's game-changing, James Beard-nominated spot in Over-the-Rhine. (Take heart, though, Salazar plans on turning the old spot into a bar with small bites and reopening his eponymous restaurant in a bigger location sometime soon.)

We also saw the opening of a 24-hour doughnut shop in Symmes Township, a new tenant for a storied chili parlor in Saint Bernard and the closing of a popular automobile-themed chain in Florence.

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Cincinnati restaurants that opened in December/January

The Aperture, Walnut Hills

The Aperture, the highly anticipated restaurant from chef Jordan Anthony-Brown, finally opened its doors in January. It's located in the historic Paramount Square Building in Walnut Hills, an art deco mini masterpiece that opened in 1931 and has been vacant ever since its last tenant, Will’s Pawn Shop, shuttered in 2005. Anthony-Brown focuses primarily on Mediterranean flavors and dishes are served mezze style, meaning there are lots of small plates and shareables to go around, including a lovely lamb shoulder served with Persian rice, harissa and tzatziki, and the lumache amatriciana, a comforting bowl of shell pasta cooked in tomato sauce, Fresno peppers and a rustic guanciale ragout.

900 E. McMillan St., Walnut Hills, 513-872-1970, theaperturecinci.com.

Hurts Donut, Symmes Township

Late-night doughnut shops are back! Hurts Donut (get the pun?) is a national chain that recently graced us with a 24-hour doughnut shop in Symmes Township. Doughnut offerings include apple pie, lemon pie, Bavarian cream, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and many others.

12110 Mason Montgomery Road, Symmes Township, wannahurts.com.

Chicken Scratch, St. Bernard

The answer to the question, "Who will take over the historic Chili Time space in St. Bernard?" was answered in December with the opening of Chicken Scratch. Along with grilled and fried chicken sandwiches, the Indianapolis-based chain offers inventive french fry options (and is curiously obsessed with Alfredo sauce). Fries come topped with crab meat and Alfredo sauce, or sauteed shrimp and Alfredo sauce, or pan-seared steak and Alfredo sauce – among many other topping options. Chicken Scratch also offers burgers, a fried catfish po'boy, wings and a few vegan options.

4727 Vine St., St. Bernard, 463-202-1063.

Cowboy Sally's, Liberty Township

Billing itself as "a Texas tavern gone wild," the new barbecue and karaoke joint offers Texas-style barbecue and "strong, cheap drinks" (none of the cocktails on the menu cost more than $9, and cheap beers are, well, cheap). Menu options include smoked wings, baby back ribs, tofu "burnt ends," brisket and all of the scratch-made barbecue joint fixins you'd expect.

7521 Gibson St., Liberty Center, 513-777-6328, cowboysallystexasbbq.com.

The Lounge Uptown, Greenhills

This nightclub/soul food spot is located in the former Riley's restaurant in the Greenhills Shopping Center. While the lounge takes on a club atmosphere at night, it's also open for lunch and dinner, serving fried chicken, fried whiting, wings, rib-eye steaks and flame-grilled burgers.

18 Eswin St., Greenhills, 513-514-0000.

Catch Me If You Can, Pleasant Ridge

Fried whiting, wings, salmon croquettes and banana pudding can be found at this new mother-daughter-owned Southern restaurant that recently moved into the former Casa Figueroa space in Pleasant Ridge.

6112 Montgomery Road, Pleasant Ridge, 513-818-8032.

Clean Eatz, Green Township

As reported by The Enquirer's Grace Tucker in January, Cleaz Eatz is a North Carolina-based franchise run by former University of Cincinnati frat brothers Chase Whitehead and Brandon Cress. The duo introduced the first Clean Eatz location in Newport before opening this new one in Green Township. According to Tucker, Clean Eatz "offers weekly meal plans, grab 'n' go meals and healthy dine-in eats in an effort to promote personal wellness."

5770 Harrison Ave., Green Township, 513-574-0086, cleaneatz.com.

Cora's Cakery, Over-the-Rhine

Cincinnati native Shaucuana Knight opened this cake shop in the former Sweet Petit spot in December. Cora's offers cakes for special events, including weddings, as well as cake-making classes. Other items include cinnamon rolls and cupcakes.

1426 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-246-0173, corascakery.org.

Nation Kitchen & Bar, The Banks

A third location of Nation Kitchen & Bar opened in the former Galla Park gastropub space. Along with the restaurant, which serves burgers and sandwiches, the building is also home to a BetMGM Sportsbook location, which offers sports betting.

175 Joe Nuxhall Way, The Banks, 513-381-0948, nationkitchenandbar.com.

Quite Frankly, Madisonville

Established in 2014 as a food truck, Quite Frankly recently opened a brick-and-mortar location in Madisonville. It's located in the same building as The Cheesecakery, and both spots share a dining room. Along with a kraut dog topped with spicy mustard and horseradish, Quite Frankly offers an all-beef "Pumba dog" covered with pulled pork, apple butter, Carolina barbecue sauce and chopped onions. The restaurant, which is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., also offers Reubens, Cuban sandwiches and tater tots, as well as breakfast sandwiches and breakfast burritos.

4901 Whetsel Ave., Madisonville, 513-515-1540.

The Fix Coffeehouse & Bar, Walnut Hills

After shuttering its Downtown location, The Fix Coffeehouse & Bar has found a new home in Walnut Hills, inside the former Symposium restaurant space. They also have a location on East McMillan Street, also in Walnut Hills.

2835 Woodburn Ave., Walnut Hills, 513-667-3629, thefixcoffeebar.com.

Cincinnati restaurants that closed in December/January

Salazar, Over-the-Rhine

As I reported in December, owner Jose Salazar said there were several reasons why he decided to shutter his eponymous restaurant, including a lack of space, dwindling crowds and rising food and labor costs. He is currently transforming the space into a bar (that offers a small food menu) and plans to reopen in a larger space in the near future.

Adesso Coffee, Sharonville

Adesso announced the permanent closure of its Sharonville location Jan. 23 via a Facebook post. "This decision was not made lightly, but I believe it’s necessary to keep my energy and focus on our original location in downtown Mason. It’s a tough choice, but it’s imperative that we maintain the quality and dedication that you’ve come to expect," the post read.

BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse, Tri-County Mall

After 15 years in operation, the BJ's location at Tri-County Mall closed in December. As reported in The Enquirer, the company made the announcement on its website. BJ’s opened at Tri-County Mall in 2008 and has four other locations: Norwood, Florence, Beavercreek and Dayton.

Quaker Steak & Lube, Florence

As reported by The Enquirer's Quinlan Bentley, the Quaker Steak & Lube in Florence closed its doors after 11 years in business this January. The closure was announced via a Facebook post, which explained that the restaurant never fully rebounded from the COVID-19 pandemic and also cited the reduced accessibility to the restaurant due to a barrier added last summer by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to Kentucky Route 18. "Unfortunately, we can no longer sustain the losses we have incurred," the post read.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Notable Cincinnati restaurants that opened or closed in past 2 months