Cincy Food & Drink Experiences
1. Bourbon trail
Northern Kentucky is the northernmost edge of Bourbon Country as well as an Official Gateway to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® and home to Kentucky’s newest bourbon tour, The B-Line.
The B-Line is Northern Kentucky's self-guided bourbon tour. Just across the Ohio river from Cincinnati, it's a collection of five Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour distilleries, five award-winning restaurants with bourbon-infused menus, and five bourbon bars. 6 of the stops on The B-Line were named America's Best Bourbon Bars by The Bourbon Review. If you get your B-Line passport stamped at 2 of the distilleries, 2 of the bars, and 2 of the restaurants, you can collect some free bourbon gifts such as t-shirts, whiskey stones, bourbon glasses, hats and more. Spend a few days or just stop off at one of the listings – there is plenty to see and sip along the line.
2. Cincinnati chili
Chili is a way of life in the Cincinnati region and locals have a favourite way to eat this regional dish - make sure that you try it! In the Cincinnati region, chili is done differently. In place of chunks of meat and sizeable beans, you’ll get savoury soupiness and creative accoutrements like spaghetti, hot dogs and mustard. Instead of a tomatoey base, you’ll taste hints of cinnamon, cloves, allspice and maybe even chocolate.
If you are looking for the best Cincinnati chili in town head to renown Skyline Chili, its rival chain Gold Star Chili, or maybe an independent outlet like Price Hill Chili, Blue Ash Chili, Camp Washington Chili or Dixie Chili.
Ordering Cincinnati chili is based on a specific ingredient list and the number before the 'way' of the chili determines which ingredients are included - here's what you need to learn!
- Two-way: spaghetti topped with chili
- Three-way: spaghetti, chili, and cheese
- Four-way onion: spaghetti, chili, onions, and cheese
- Four-way bean: spaghetti, chili, beans, and cheese
- Five-way: spaghetti, chili, beans, onions, and cheese
Cincinnati chili is also used as a hot dog topping to make a 'coney', a regional variation on the Coney Island chili dog, which is topped with shredded cheddar cheese to make a cheese coney. The standard coney also includes mustard and chopped onion. The "three-way" and the cheese coney are the most popular orders. So grab your fork - it’s chili time – and remember to cut the spaghetti not twirl it Italian style!
3. Brewing Heritage Trail
The Brewing Heritage Trail is a walking trail and series of guided tours and activities that celebrates Cincinnati’s brewing heritage. The history is shared with embedded trail markers, signage with photos and stories, public art, and guided tours, all of which tell the story of Cincinnati and America through the lens of beer. There is a range of different tour available but each one will take you behind the scened of the brewery industry and include some delectable samples!
4. Wine
Did you know the Ohio River Valley is an excellent wine region? Wine connoisseurs can enjoy touring the region’s best vineyards and urban wineries. For a wine-filled weekend, visit Cincy during the International Wine Festival in early March. This is a three-day tasting event is a fantastic way to spend a weekend sampling wine from all over the world and also features a one-night, five-course dinner expertly designed to pair with wines you won’t find in a typical cellar.
If you want to learn more about wine and sample unique wines from around the world head to Ripple Wine Bar in Covington where their rotating list extends around the globe. If you loves beer and wine, head to Crafts & Vines for both libations and great bites or sip local wine and create your own signature blend at Mio Vio micro-winery in Blue Ash.
5. Taquerias
If you aren't familiar with the concept, a taqueria is basically a taco shop. But we're not talking about Taco Bell here – these are delicious authentic tacos, and Cincinnati has a long list of them. Some popular locales are Nada, Bakersfield OTR, Taqueria Mercado, La Mexicana, Mazunte, Django, Gomez Salsa, Taqueria Cruz, and there are many others.
Each restaurant will have its own speciality and you need to ascertain what that is before ordering. That's right, taquerias have more than tacos! With a little help you can take your own taco tour of Cincinnati and you won't be disappointed.
6. Goetta
Primarily composed of ground meat and steel-cut oats and flavoured with bay leaves, rosemary, salt, pepper and thyme, a goetta is a type of German sausage. The dish originated with German settlers who immigrated to the Cincinnati area in the 19th century. Many locals enjoy eating goetta with their eggs and in omelettes for breakfast. Some even enjoy goetta sliders and goetta pizza! You're also likely to find some special Cincinnati goetta dishes on local restaurant menus.
Glier's Goetta, located in Covington, Ky., is the largest commercial producer of goetta. The company produces more than 1,000,000 pounds of goetta annually and around 99% of it is consumed in Greater Cincinnati! Eckerlin Meats at Findlay Market and Queen City Sausage also produce this Cincinnati favourite.
Goetta is such a local delicacy that it is celebrated with a festival every year. Enjoy live music, a variety of inventive goetta dishes (goetta empanadas, goetta balls, goetta rangoon, goetta nachos and more!) and even goetta-themed games during two weekends of goetta-filled fun on the Newport riverfront. This free event takes place 27-30 July and 3-6 August 2023.
