Two years ago I wrote about favorite iconic local restaurants.
Even before we had moved to Cincinnati people were making suggestions.
You have to check out...
Now more than two years after moving here, my family and I have checked most of these non-chain favorites out little by little.
About once a month, I bring back Holtman's. For each of my son's three birthdays here in Cincinnati, he has insisted on a doughnut cake -- basically a pyramid of Holtman's finest.
Eli's is nearly life-changing. Some of the best barbecue you can find anywhere.
We went to Arthur's in our first week here and again for our two-year anniversary of living in Ohio.
We have been talking about getting back to Zip's for months. We went to Zip's for the first time in January 2015 -- that was the trip that spawned this initial story on restaurants.
Here's what I wrote about Zip's back then:
The ambience was perfect for taking our boys. They loved watching the train circle the main dining area.
Zip's had a nice list of local and non-local beer on tap, bottle and can.
And then the star of the show was the Zip Burger.
I'm not a big burger eater. I generally eat a burger once every few months. And I'm picky when it comes to burgers. I don't want a half pound or more of meat. I don't want it incredibly greasy. But I want flavor and lots of it.
The Zip Burger fit the bill nicely.
Oh and Zip's chili was excellent as well. I may have even liked that better than the burger.
.@ZipsCafe lives up to its lofty reputation #yum #cincinnati #mtlookout pic.twitter.com/TT5VVceYKN
— Mike Canan (@Mike_Canan) January 23, 2015
It was easy to see why the place was packed and why so many people recommended it to us.
So what's your favorite non-chain area eatery?
We have a new foodie Facebook group you can check out to join the conversation. It's also great to get tips or ideas on restaurants or bars to check out in certain neighborhoods or for certain types of food. You can interact with other readers or views, as well as WCPO staff and others.
Mike Canan is editor of WCPO.com. Contact him at mike.canan@wcpo.com. Follow him on Twitter or Instagram at @Mike_Canan.
