Taste of Cincinnati 2025 is right around the corner, and last week, several restaurants, vendors and food trucks at this year's festival were crowned "Best of Taste."
The "Best of Taste" winners are decided are two delicious days of food tasting by a panel of judges. The competition was broken down into four categories: restaurants, Findlay Market start-ups, food trucks and best beverage.
All of the winners will have their winning dishes (and more) available at Taste of Cincinnati, which takes place Saturday, May 24 through Monday, May 26. Best of Taste winners will be designated with a gold, silver or bronze ribbon on their respective restaurant's menu.
Here are the 2025 Best of Taste winners:
Best restaurants:
Appetizer and side dish:
- Gold — Fried Green Tomatoes — Hankering Southern Kitchen
- Silver — Street Corn Hummus and Seasoned Pita Chips — Kabobske
- Bronze — Korean Pork BBQ Empanada — Alfio's Buon Cibo
Entree:
- Gold — Braised Short Rib over Gnocchi — Alfio's Buon Cibo
- Silver — The LB Crab Cake Slider — Lobsta Bakes of Maine
- Bronze — Smoked Carolina Street Tacos — Hankering Southern Kitchen
Dessert:
- Gold — Black Raspberry Chip Cheesecake — The Cheesecakery
- Silver — Tiramisu Cookies and Cream Cannoli — Pompilio's Restaurant
- Bronze — Lemon Poppyseed Waffles — Taste of Belgium
Best Findlay Market start-ups:
Appetizer and side dish:
- Gold — Peach Thyme Soda — Honey Child Pops
- Silver — Jerk Chicken Wings and Pineapple Jerk Sauce — Jay's Nyam & Jam
- Bronze — Shrimp & Grits — Magnificent Morsels Catering
Entree:
- Gold — Jerk Chicken "Jamaican" Bowl — Jay's Nyam & Jam
- Silver — Chicken & Basil Handmade Wonton — Yee Mama
- Bronze — Chicken Taquitos — Sabor Alaniz
Dessert:
- Gold — Judgy Jenn Ice Cream (baked brie base, ginger pecan praline, fig jam and salted honey swirl) — Walkerbar
- Silver — Mixed Baklava — Olive Tree Catering
- Bronze — Gooey Butter Cake Gelato — Dojo Gelato
Best food trucks:
Appetizer and side dish:
- Gold — Ono Hash — Dine-In Hawaiian
- Silver — Mutha Clucka — Maw Maw's Creole Kitchen
- Bronze — Deep Fried Feta — Twisted Greek
Entree:
- Gold — Hera's Garden Gyro — Twisted Greek
- Silver — Pumba — Quite Frankly
- Bronze — Classic Burger — Fifty West Brewing Company
Dessert:
- Gold — Salted Caramel Brownie Sundae — Sugarsnap! Sweet Treats
- Silver — Peach Cobbler Blondie Sundae — Eliza Jane's Bakeshop
- Bronze — Strawberry Crunch Sundae — Davis Cookie Collection
Best beverage:
- Winner — Ramblin' Roast Coffee's Lemon Vanilla Latte
For a full list of all Taste of Cincinnati 2025 vendors, click here.
