Cincinnati's culinary prowess has received accolades, with four local restaurants being named among the top 100 in the United States by OpenTable for the year 2025. Culled from a massive trove of over 10 million reviews, these selections highlight the city as a notable dining destination, according to a LOCAL12 report. The honorees—Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse, Pepp & Dolores, Sotto, and The Precinct—stand out for their themes of steak and Italian cuisine, indicating a trend amongst consumers favoring these rich and robust flavors.
In the company of the top-ranked is Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse which has been a beacon of fine dining downtown, Pepp & Dolores which brings a modern spin to classic Italian fare, Sotto, tucked beneath the streets of Cincinnati offering an Italian feast for the senses, and The Precinct, renowned for its storied past and premium steaks, all four have not only satisfied palates but created memorable experiences for their guests, including some celebrities such as Simone Biles who, according to a social media post by Jeff Ruby cited by CBS News Pittsburgh, dined at his eponymous steakhouse.
Despite the list's national scope, no other Ohio city besides Cincinnati saw its eateries on the OpenTable compilation. This exclusive recognition, as featured in a WLWT article, underlines the significance of these four culinary institutions to Ohio's food landscape. They range from the relatively new Pepp & Dolores, a celebrated addition to the city's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood with its family recipes and homemade pastas, to Jeff Ruby's, a longstanding pillar of the Cincinnati dining scene.
OpenTable's selection process was rigorous and data-driven, relying on a mix of diner ratings, demand for reservations, and the proportion of five-star reviews from September 1, 2024, through August 31, 2025, as detailed by CBS News Pittsburgh. This methodology ensured that each restaurateur's efforts to surpass the expectations of their guests did not go unnoticed—the ratings being a testament to their top-tier service and cuisine, for instance, Sotto received a 4.9-star rating with 9,017 reviews, reflecting its commitment to the epitome of Italian cooking.
While rankings like OpenTable's top 100 embody subjective tastes, they offer a glimpse into where hungry patrons might find a table worth reserving. And for those in Cincinnati, a constellation of standout establishments like Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse, Pepp & Dolores, Sotto, and The Precinct, all receiving high praise for their ambiance and offerings, are right on their doorstep, ready to transform any meal into an occasion worth celebrating.
