CINCINNATI — We all know that Cincinnati's restaurant scene deserves all the praise, and now, two Cincinnati eateries are receiving national recognition among some of the best new restaurants of 2022.
Cafe Mochiko and Mid-City Restaurant were both listed in Bon Appetit's "50 Best New Restaurants" of 2022 as some of the best. The list was created by contributors who "crisscrossed the country in search of the 50 best new restaurants of 2022," as well as Bon Appetit staff.
Bon Appetit pointed out that despite the struggles the restaurant industry has faced over the last few years, these new restaurants point to a hopeful next chapter for the industry.
Cafe Mochiko — located in East Walnut Hills — is an Asian American restaurant that serves coffee, pastries and yoshoku-style food. Yoshoku is a Western-influenced style of Japanese cuisine.
As Bon Appetit wrote, "you could build a whole day in Cincinnati around Cafe Mochiko." The restaurant is founded and lead by chefs Elaine Uykimpang Bentz and Erik Bentz, who both ran a series of ramen and pastry pop-ups prior to the restaurant.
Bon Appetit recommends ordering the Ube Halaya Croissant, Sweet Corn Bibingka, Cincinnati Tsukemen, Hokkaido Smashburger, BBQ Pork Snow Bao and Everything Cream Cheese Bao.
Downtown Cincinnati's Mid-City Restaurant was also mentioned on the list, and Bon Appetit raved about charming comfort food at the eatery.
"It's intimate and idiosyncratic, not too fancy and not too dive-y, the kind of place that believes excellent food, drink and hospitality are more than enough of a 'concept' to build a restaurant around," Bon Appetit writes.
Mid-City, which is located on Court Street, has both brunch and dinner menus for restaurant-goers. The eatery also boasts a full cocktail menu, with a martini Bon Appetit said will make "your teeth hurt."
Mid-City Restaurant-goers are encouraged to try the Easy Salad, Potato Croquette, Fried Smelts, Fried Sandwich, Mid City Plate and Baked Alaska.
In April, Cincinnati was named one of America's "Next Great Food Cities," per Food & Wine. The publication called the Queen City one of the "most exciting up-and-coming destinations for food lovers."
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