Bon Appetit includes two Cincinnati spots on 50 Best New Restaurants list

Keith Pandolfi, Cincinnati Enquirer
·2 min read
A view of Mid-City Restaurant in Over-the-Rhine pictured on Friday, June 3, 2022.
A view of Mid-City Restaurant in Over-the-Rhine pictured on Friday, June 3, 2022.

Bon Appetit magazine released its much anticipated 50 Best New Restaurants list today, and two Cincinnati spots made the cut.

Mid-City – the restaurant and bar opened by Longfellow owner Mike Stankovich and helmed by chefs Francisco Alfaro and Joe Cheek – was celebrated for a "martini so cold it makes your teeth hurt. A humble platter of local sausages, boiled potatoes, and kraut (and) a six-dollar baked Alaska."

"Here digging into some fried smelts and an 'easy salad' before moving on to a plate of slab pie feels natural, gleefully unforced," the editors went on to say. "It’s intimate and idiosyncratic, not too fancy and not too divey, the kind of place that believes that excellent food, drink, and hospitality are more than enough of a 'concept' to build a restaurant around. The world could use more places like Mid-City; until then Cincinnati is uniquely lucky to have one."

What dishes does Bon Appetit recommend at Mid-City?

Bon Appetit recommends Mid-City's easy salad, potato croquettes, fried smelts and fried sandwich among other menu items.

The shoyu ramen from Cafe Mochiko
The shoyu ramen from Cafe Mochiko

Chef Elaine Townsend's 'superlative pastries' praised at Cafe Mochiko

Cafe Mochiko – the East Walnut Hills spot known for its Filipino-inspired pastries and excellent ramen – also gained top honors. The editors were elated by chef Elaine Townsend's "superlative pastries – think purple yam jam-filled croissants, everything cream cheese bao, and sweet-savory corn bibingka."

They also loved Erik Bentz’s Cincinnati-style ramen, which they called "an ingenious dish that fuses the iconic local chili and a generous pile of shredded cheddar with chewy dipping noodles." They also recommended the ube halaya croissant, BBQ Pork Snow Bao, sweet corn bibingka and hokkaido smashburger.

Both restaurants also made my own list of Greater Cincinnati's best restaurants, which was released earlier this year.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati spots Mid-City, Cafe Mochiko named to Bon Appetit list